A family of Barn Owls were spotted near Wat Naka, with parents feeding rats to two youngsters on the night of the 4th. A pair of (presumed) nesting Blue Whistling Thrush were seen near Makro Supercenter on the 16th and a single male was spotted on a RF antenna on Chao Fah road a few days later. A Violet Cuckoo was being persecuted by a flock of White Vented Myna near Khao Rang on the 27th.

Winter visitors include Yellow Wagtail seen around Muang Chao Fah on the 2nd and Grey Wagtail at Wat Pratong in Talang on the 13th.

Highlights of the month go to the discovery of Fluffy backed Tit-Babbler in Baan Nai Chong in Krabi and finding a reliable stakeout for Copper throated Sunbird in Phang Nga, both of which were discovered and reported by Ian Dugdale in his trip with Dave Sergeant earlier this month. For the full report, click here.

With little birding time on my hands, I devoted what little free time I had to writing more reviews of birding sites. This month the site gained three new reviews: Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Beung Borapet in Nakorn Sawan and Huay Hong Krai in Chiang Mai. Special thanks to Peter Ericsson for proof reading the reviews for me.

-By Ian Dugdale

We had a spare week and decided to check out a new mangrove walkway in Phang Nga which we had been told about. Dave Sargeant, our birding friend from the North, joined us and we added a couple more locations to the trip to help him find a few more birds he wanted for his Thai list.

Top of our wish list for the trip was were the Copper-throated Sunbird and the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher.

Day 1

We spent the morning at Khlong Song Nam in Krabi. This is a very picturesque area where the crystal clear waters of a spring run into an area of Mangrove. Copper-throated Sunbird has been recorded from here. We didn’t find it but we did find twenty bird species including Blue-winged Pitta and White-chested Babbler.

The afternoon was spent aboard a longtail boat in the Krabi mangroves. We hired the boat from Krabi town for a three hour trip. We explained to our helmsman that we wanted to slowly trawl the narrow khlongs where we would be under the canopy. He understood and took us around some beautiful areas but we failed again to find any of our target birds. Ruddy, Brown-winged and Collared Kingfishers were seen.

We had planned to spend the night at a hotel in Ao Luk where we had previously heard a Brown Wood Owl calling. We got there before dusk and heard it call once from high up on a limestone karst. It didn’t respond to our calls but at last light we saw it fly up to an exposed branch where we had good views of it using a searchlight and a scope.

Day 2

The Ao Luk to Krabi road passes through Nai Chong, a forest of very tall trees which we had often talked about exploring. Years ago we had heard of Rail-Babbler, Black Magpie and Long-billed Spiderhunter being seen here. The forest is now reduced to a strip one hundred metres wide along both sides of the road for three or four kilometers. The first two trails we took led to buildings and plantations within fifty metres and little was seen. the third trail however was much better with Babblers calling from both sides. This area gave us about three hundred metres of forest trails and an area of secondary forest which had been reclaimed by the local government from encroachers.

In the primary forest we found Raffles’s and Red-billed malkoha, Orange-breasted Trogon, Black-and-Yellow Broadbill, Black-capped, Abbott’s, Moustached and Chestnut-winged Babblers. The highlight though was in the secondary forest where we heard a very familiar call from further South. We called back and three Fluffy-backed Tit-Babblers came out of the forest chattering away. In the same spot we also found Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds and Great Ioras.

It’s certainly worth visiting this area again and I’m sure we’ll find other interesting birds there.

In the afternoon we went to the beach area of Nopparat Thara from where there was a record of Pied Triller. We looked around the whole area for a few hours but found nothing. I think we need to find a better site for this bird.

Day 3

For me, this was the highlight of the trip. A morning at the newly built mangrove walkway at Ban Bang Phat between Phang Nga Town and Thap Put. The walkway is about 1km long and meanders it’s way through various types of mangrove.

Things were pretty quiet to start with but after fifteen minutes we heard a response to our Copper-throated Sunbird call. A male showed up and sat still for us to admire. This was a lifer for two of us. We found a few more during the course of the morning. After that sighting the forest became more active with very good views of Mangrove Whistler and White-chested Babbler. Other mangrove specialties seen were Brown-winged Kingfisher, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Ashy Tailorbird, Oriental White-eye and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha.

In all we found thirty seven species. This area will definitely be added to our itinerary of Phang Nga birding trips.

After lunch we drove up to Sri Phang Nga NP in the foothills of the West coast. We were here to look for a trio of birds for Dave. We had an afternoon and the following morning to look for them. We found a Lesser Fish Eagle and a Thick-billed Spiderhunter but dipped on the Fiery Minivets. We had fun photographing the rarely seen Violet Cuckoo. Other good birds seen included Blue-banded Kingfisher, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Rufous Piculet and Chestnut-naped Forktail. Also heard were Bushy-crested Hornbill and Rufous-collared Kingfisher.

We had had a good trip. We had found two new locations to go birding at, had seen a lifer and Dave picked up five new birds for his Thai list.

-Contact Ian at this address.

-Who says you can’t have fun even if you have to work?

From the 30th of July to the 1st of August I attended an English Camp at Koh Yao Wittaya, a high school on Koh Yao Noi Island in Phang Nga Bay. The island is sparsely populated but has recently begun to boom with the unveiling of three resorts in the past few years, the largest and most luxurious of all being the Evason Sixth Sense Resort.

Despite the increase on tourism to the island, much of the natural beauty of the islands and the islands surrounding the area are still untouched and unadulterated. I’ve been to Koh Yao Yai island in the past, the larger of the two, and bird life was rather uninteresting and only the very common species were present. The only birds of interest were found on the high seas around the islands, such as Lesser Frigatebird, Pomeraine Jaeger more recently a Short tailed Shearwater seen as recently as last year.

On this trip there was no transportation available so I was only able to explore a small part of the island. What I did see was however, was pleasing enough for me.

The morning of the 30th was a hot and windy one, and after having to endure a long night of howling winds and heavy rain, a calm and flat sea was very welcoming. No birds were seen near the harbor (perhaps due to the high tide) and the boat ride out recorded only a single Greater crested Tern.

For most of the day I was occupied with the English camp and the rains again visited, unleashing a fury of stinging rain over the entire island.

On the afternoon of the second day I decided to take a walk around the mangroves and garbage dump behind the municipal offices. Back in 2002 when I first visited with my wife, the dump was alive with giant water monitors the size of small alligators and teeming with hundreds of birds. This year the municipality had covered the site with dirt and most of the birds were gone. Large billed Crow, Common Myna, White Vented Myna, Eurasian and Plain backed Sparrow and Pacific Swallow were still present in fairly large numbers. A single Jungle Myna was also noted.

On the way out we saw a flash of black and white in the tall trees near the offices and to our joy, discovered three Oriental Pied Hornbill in the area! Two of the birds were obviously paired as they preened each other. These hornbills seem to be present around the mangrove areas and are still thriving in these islands in the bay. It was very enthralling for me to be able to see a healthy population of large birds as these and most of all, I was happy to know that the general Muslim population here was uninterested in eating or killing these birds.

Other birds seen in the day were White throated Kingfisher, Spotted and Zebra Dove, Dollarbird, Common Iora, Brown throated and Olive backed Sunbirds, Scarlet backed and Orange bellied Flowerpecker, Coppersmith Barbet, Little Egret and Brahminy Kite.

Over the market two more Oriental Pied Hornbill were spotted in flight heading towards the mangroves.

The next day in the mangroves near the school I spotted Pied Fantail, Scaly breasted Munia, Stork billed Kingfisher, Pacific Reef Egret and Oriental Magpie Robin.

In the few hours before departing I was able to go to a hill and was surprised to find two Grey faced Buzzards circling over the fields.

Back on Phuket in the Bang Rong mangroves were encountered a Brown winged Kingfisher, one of the few places in Phuket where this bird seems to still exist.

33+ species were seen, and overall it was a fun and memorable experience.

Ian took a wet-season birding trip to Sri Phang Nga National Park on the 14th and reported a few new species which (as far as we know) have not been reported from the park in recent years. Continue Reading

After a good month in the north and a chance to snag four lifers, getting back into the flow of everyday life is not always easy (but that’s often the way things have to be). Then, as fate would have it, things were just so busy that I was pretty much unable to get out the entire month of May.

There were a few interesting observations which I would like to mention, the first being a sighting of a Common Kingfisher at the Rama IX Park in town of the 4th. Little Cormorants were seen on the 4th, 9th and two were present at Bang Waad Dam on the 28th. A Black Drongo was also seen at the entrance to Phuket Country Club on the morning of the 14th.

Two White bellied Sea Eagles were seen over Muang Chao Fah on the 22nd and two juveniles with them again on the 25th. A single Gray faced Buzzard, harassed by two crows, was seen on the 18th.

Ian made a trip to Sri Phang Nga and Krung Ching with Games, and was successful in finding a male Great Argus at the latter site. Later in the month he and Games were joined by Dave Sergeant and spent a few weeks in Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Narathiwat, proving that the trip can be done without fatalities. Notes from the trip will be posted soon.

I was unable to join them due to my work schedule and the fact that I am moving houses this month. Anyone knows that moving houses is not an easy task and easily eats up a few weeks of the month.

I hope to visit a few sites with my family in the near future as I should have more time to go birding on weekends after we have finished setting up the house.

-Until next month then!

What a month this has been!

Four lifers and trips to the north and central areas combined made for a memorable holiday with plenty of fun things to do for the kids and some great birding opportunities for me. I was not able to make the trip to Doi Intanon or any other hot birding spots, nor was I able to snag the few birds I wanted at Beung Borapet but, there will always be a next time so that what I’ll look forward to and appreciate.

Most of the highlights for the month are reported in the trip reports, such as the afternoon and morning trips to Beung Borapet in Nakorn Sawan and the trip to Doi Pui in Chiang Mai.

Notable birds seen throughout the month will have to be the sheer number of migrants still around in the month of April. Many birds which were common in the winter in Phuket and the south were virtually absent come April yet were still surprisingly easy to find the further north we went. Red throated Flycatcher, Brown Shrike, Little Cormorant, Black Kite, Chestnut tailed Starling, Blue tailed Bee Eater, Stonechat and Eyebrowed Thrush were all still available north of Bangkok but not anywhere around Petchaburi.

A Javan Pond Heron in breeding plumage was seen on mudflats in Sapan Hin on the 1st and one was seen by Ian at Thai Muang Golf Course a few days later. This was perceived as great news for me until I headed north and found them practically everywhere. In Lopburi, on the 23rd along the Lopburi river I counted 14 Javan, 1 Indian and 12 Chinese Pond Herons in breeding plumage. –Odd?

A juvenile White bellied Sea Eagle was spotted over Central Festival on the 5th. A female Blue Whistling Thrush was seen in an abandoned townhouse near Makro on the 6th.

Updates to the site include a review of Muang Chao Fah site near Phuket town.

Leaving Chiang Mai for Nakorn Sawan at 1 PM naturally means getting to Nakorn Sawan before dark requires a fast car and breaking the speed laws. I was not in possession of a fast car and did not intend to get ticketed, so the leisurely drive to Nakorn Sawan meant I arrived in the city at 6 PM, too late for birding. –Too bad!

The next morning I was able to make a trip with my son to the tourist side of the lake. The tourist side was recently renovated by the local Or Por Jor (Local Provincial Government Administration) and boasts a state of the art aquarium which houses the world’s largest freshwater stingray, a crocodile farm and croc wrestling show, tour boats to take visitors out on the lake, a monkey drama stage and some local OTOP stores. They are still in the process of building more buildings so God only knows what will become of it all when they are through with their projects!

The lake has taken a hit with the recent rash of hot weather and the demand for fresh water for agriculture has reduced the amount of water in the lake drastically. Large islands have now appeared in the lake and much of the area around the visitor center has turned into shallow wading pools, perfect feeding grounds for the birds. Last week a birder told me how he’d found both Glossy and Black headed Ibis in the area, along with scores of other birds and ducks, and even a single Giant Bittern was on hand to take advantage of the feeding frenzy.

I spent three hours scanning the area for ibis but to no avail. Seems like the birds will have to wait until I get around to visiting this site again at the end of the year.

Lesser Whistling Duck were spread out all over the lake numbering in the thousands, along with Asian Openbill, Purple Swamphen, Black winged Stilts and Little Cormorant.

Around the buildings I encountered Common and White vented Myna, Sooty capped Bulbul, Streak eared Bulbul, Indian Roller, Brown Shrike, Rock Dove, Spotted Dove, Zebra, Dove, Red breasted Turtle Dove, Scaly breasted Munia, Coppersmith Barbet, Barn Swallow and Paddyfield Pipit.

Down by the Fisheries Department we ignored the no entry sign and were surprised to find that most the local population either are blatantly disobedient (like us) or don’t know how to read Thai, as the crocodile pens were full of visitors who were out enjoying another hot day in Thailand. Around the crocodile pens we fed the crocs and I finally got the Asian Golden Weaver tick that I’ve always wanted. –First and only lifer for the day.

Other birds in the area included 24 Black capped Night Herons, 14 Painted Stork, Oriental Darter, Chinese Pond Heron, Great, Little and Intermediate Egret, Black Drongo, Olive backed Sunbird, Asian Pied Myna, Black browed Reed Warbler, Large billed Crow and Yellow bellied Prinia.

After that I wanted to rent a boat to see the Ibis but the day was getting on and my son was desperate to see the giant stingray so we opted to enjoy the cool air and visit the aquarium instead. We’ll save the other lifers for next time we visit the site.

35 species with one lifer and hope of more next time we visit!

-How often do you wake up to a 38-degree morning and climb in the car to go to your birding destination and get out the car only to be met with 14-degree winds?

-How often do you go birding and get only 10 species on your entire morning trek but one of them just happens to be a Green Cochoa?

-To be honest with you, I’d have to answer never to both questions, with the exception of yesterday, when both of the aforementioned incidents happened.

Doi Pui, the tallest mountain in the vicinity of Chiang Mai city, is a popular birding destination for many birders visiting the north. I knew that I had to make it there at least one morning and relive my good-old birding days from when I was a youthful birder back in 1999. It took a good 70-minutes to fast driving to get to the top from the sticks and the boonies where I was staying out in Doi Saket. Arriving at the top of the mountain, I was genuinely shocked when I stepped out of the car to be met with a frosty 14-degree centigrade chill. I’ll have to admit I loved it so much I wanted to stay there forever!

Getting ready for the 3-kilometer trek to the top of the hill took some time a I had my three kids with me and we were equally disturbed when a truckload of hilltribe men barged through with their pickup heading for the summit.

The cool wind was enthralling but with it came the sound of silence. Birds were not out as they were waiting for the first rays of sunlight to warm the trees before they would start foraging.

The entire trek along the 3-kilometer path was pretty dead exept for a pair of Grey chinned Minivets and a whole flock of White tailed Leaf Warblers.

At the summit we were dismayed to find a fire had destroyed a large portion of the pine forest and the hilltribe men we had encountered were furiously working against the clock to put out another large fire which was spreading towards the summit. They were soon joined by three more forestry chiefs on motorbikes and another truckload of volunteers. That should have been enough to kill any hopes of a good birding morning.

At the summit we found Flavescent Bulbul, Black throated Sunbird and Grey streaked Spiderhunter.

On the trek down I found a birdwave moving through a patch of pine near the road. White browed Shrike Babbler, Lesser racket tailed Drongo, Asian Paradise Flycatcher and loads of White tailed leaf Warblers were seen but what was that large bird in the far corner? The bird perched on an exposed branch and fluffed its feathers for an astonishing 20 seconds white I stared at it. I did not want to draw conclusions until I had looked it up in the bird guide as the lighting was not that great but sure enough when I opened the books, there it was beyond a shadow of a doubt: Green Cochoa!

That was enough to make my day!

So yes, the day was very miserable for birding with all the smoke and disturbance but that one bird made it worth it all.

-Oh, and the weather stayed at 22 degrees until 1 PM when it finally rose to a still comfortable 27 degrees. –Who wants to move to the mountains? –I DO!!!!

Staying out in Doi Saket was perfect for me as even though it is 18 kilometers out of town, it is only five kilometers from Huay Hong Krai, a well-forested area well known for its local population of Green Peafowl, a highly endangered bird which thrives in the area.

The weather is far too hot to attempt a serious birding trip so I opted to take a few days visiting the site to scout out the potential and see if I could photograph the Green Peafowl.

First day was spent driving around on the endless dirt tracks which fork off the main road heading to headquarters. The distances are so great that this place can only be traversed with a good 4WD vehicle in the rainy season or a good bike in the dry season. Bird life was abundant but spotting birds from a moving vehicle was not the easiest thing. Nevertheless, Blue eared Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Puff throated Babbler, Streak eared Bubul, Ashy Bulbul, Red Whiskered Bulbul and Eurasian Jay were seen on the trails. –Doubtless more would have been seen if I had started out the day a little earlier rather than at 9 AM!

The Green Peafowl are best encountered around the wildlife rehabilitation center near headquarters. Here I found two birds on the first day and three on the second, all males. The birds are very skittish and the minute I lifted my 300mm lens at them, they took off on a run, one even flying off across the lake in sheer terror like I was about to shoot them with a 105mm howitzer cannon!

-Wait till I get a 500mm Canon prime!

Around the area I found Crow billed, Glossy and Greater Racket tailed Drongo as well as Greater Coucal, Rock Dove and Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

Birding is better on the trails but most birders who visit have only one goal in mind so finding that is pretty straight forward. I managed to get a few shots of the birds I wanted and I hope in the future, when other birders visit and allot time to explore this vast area, that more birds will be discovered in this very potential area.

Total of 14 species were seen over a period of two days (birding started at 9 AM on both days, too late to make a complete evaluation) and my goal of photographing the beautiful Green Peafowl was accomplished. Hope you like the photo above!

-More photos will be posted in the future.

I had a few hours for birding before the sun set and being in Nakorn Sawan offered the opportunity to visit Beung Borapet, the largest and most well-known waterbird sanctuary in continental Thailand. Hoping to get better luck than my last trip, I decided to try to get Khun Panom, a local guide, to help me collect a few wanted species.

Sadly by the time I got to the bird sanctuary, the sun was beginning to set and Khun Panom was not available to take me out. I decided to take a walk along the nature trail which leads to the lookout tower near the White eyed River Martin Statues. The trail was longer than expected but with the cool weather and the constant bird activity, keeping busy was never an issue.

Talking with Khun Panom, I found out that the large flock of Spot billed Pelican was now reduced to one bird, and locating it was difficult since it seems to like to hide from humans. Black headed Ibis were still abundant and the Glossy Ibis seemed to be steady in their numbers. All the ducks had headed north as had the Black necked Grebe. I guess lifers would be harder to come by than I had expected.

The trail was long but I did get in a lot of very good birding and with all the birds busy looking for a place to settle for the night, I was able to come up with more species than I usually would have encountered. Openbill Storks were jockeying for space in tall trees and some trees seemed overburdened with the task of accommodating for some 300 plus storks! My presence seemed to solve the problem as once one bird got a little suspicious, all the storks in the entire tree would take to flight, and the sight of 300+ birds circling a mere couple of meters overhead is a spectacle one will not easily forget!

An interesting observation was noted in a tree near the parking lot where a small collection of Baya Weaver nests were built within the vicinity of a bee hive, showing that both the birds and the bees benefit from the company of each other.

Giant Water Monitors were seen, the largest seen being close to nine feet long, a giant which I was very glad to see slithering off into the water as I approached it.

Birds seen along the trail included White shouldered Starling, Yellow bellied Prinia, Thick billed Green Pigeon, Eurasian Koel, Zebra Dove, Red breasted Turtledove, Oriental Magpie Robin and Bright capped Cistacola.

At the end of the trail I decided to walk out on a path into the marsh rather than head back to the towers. I was rewarded with my first lifer, a Pied Kingfisher, in flight over the marsh. Birds I encountered on the trail included Yellow and Cinnamon Bittern, Grey and Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, Watercock, Hoopoe, Long tailed Shrike, Chestnut capped Bee Eater, Blue tailed Bee Eater, White breasted Waterhen and Eurasian Kestrel.

A muddy patch about 140 meters from the trail was bustling with bird activity as birds were both feeding and looking for a place to settle for the night. Black winged Stilt, Intermediate and Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Chinese Pond Heron, Lesser Whistling Duck, Cotton Pigmy Goose and Little Grebe were all noted. I thought I spotted a single Glossy Ibis in the mix but I decided to not call it a lifer until I can actually verify it with better lighting.

By the time I started back the area was getting quite dark and it was only by chance that I was able to beat it to the car before the light had totally faded. A single thrush was seen hopping on the ground picking insects off the earth, and since it was too dark to fully ID it, I will have to settle for recording it as an Eyebrowed Thrush.

A pair of Red Wattled Lapwing were the last birds I encountered on the way out and Khun Panom came by to bid me farewell before I headed back to town, a 17 kilometer drive from the sanctuary.

With the drought in hand and little rainfall, Khun Panom mentioned I may have luck finding the Ibis on exposed patches on mud near the visitor center on the opposite side of the lake. I hope to try that site when I head back after a visit to Chiang Mai.

Total seen were 39 species with one definite lifer. -God is good!

A trip to Sapan Hin was planned as a field trip for a group of school kids but also allowed me time to get in some birding as well. The tide was pushing out slowly and the birds were out in full force, a sight which I have not seen in many years. Perhaps life is slowly coming back to this once inhospitable shore.

First birds in the newly renovated mangrove walkway were a pair of Collared Kingfisher. At the end of the walkway we strolled along the shore and the kids caught Fiddler Crabs while I looked at the mudflats. Three Chinese Pond Heron in breeding plumage and a single Javan Pond Heron were noted, along with at least 20 other non-breeding pond herons. Common Redshank were numerous and at least 30 Whimbrel were counted, along with a small group of Eurasian Curlew, numbering no more than 12 birds. Other birds seen were Greater and Lesser Sand Plover (some in breeding plumage), Little Heron, Great, Intermediate and Little Egret, Rufous necked Stint (one in breeding), Curlew Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and a single Bar tailed Godwit.

On the way back to the car a swarm of birds, pushed inland by a group of local clam gatherers landed near us. In the group was a single breeding Spotted Redshank with a small number of Common Redshank, all outnumbered by Lesser Sandplover.

Other birds seen around Sapan Hin included Common Myna, White vented Myna, Common Kingfisher, Brahminy Kite, Large billed Crow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Plain backed Sparrow, Black naped Oriole, Common Tailorbird (with a nest), Brown throated Sunbird, Oriental Magpie Robin, Spotted Dove and Rock Dove.

Seems like the notion of Sapan Hin being a dump and void of birds needs some reassessing as the area is beginning to show signs of habitation. The once quiet mangroves and mudflats are getting more and more birdlife and from the looks of it, many are here to stay. The local governments’ decision to invest in the upkeep of the area (new pathways with benches and the constant influx of sweepers moving through the area) has lended its weight in making this area a more cheerful and pleasant place to visit. I think I will be coming back here more often in the future to check up on things.

This month is practically void of any birding reports as I was unable to get out to do any local birding. A trip to Khao Nor Chuchi with Bengt Legnell and Games was about all I could manage. Since the school terms are coming to a close and I am a full-time teacher, I’ve been too occupied to get out and enjoy the hobby I love most.

Wintering migrants which have since moved on (as of the 31st of the month) include Brown Shrike, Forest Wagtail, Gray Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail. Little Cormorant and Asian Brown Flycatcher are still present albeit in smaller numbers.

Highlights from KNCC include Green backed Flycatcher (Female) on the 13th, a Chinese Blue Flycatcher on the 14th and other good birds like Blyths Hawk-Eagle, Long billed Spiderhunter, Red throated Sunbird, nesting Red Crowned Barbets and my favorites, Green Broadbill and Black and Yellow Broadbill. Mangrove Pitta, Brown Winged Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher were highlights from the mangrove walkway near Krabi town. All this can be read in the report posted here.

Next month should be more cheerful for the birding front as I will have more time and should be making an extended visit to some other places in Thailand.

Another month has come and gone; boy does time fly!

A Black headed Ibis was seen at Thai Muang Golf Course on the 1st by Ian Dugdale, Dave Sergeant and Games, a local guide. The following day a second bird was found at the same site, along with two River Lapwing, a single White Faced Plover and four Malaysian Plover. The full report can be read here.

A Lesser Adjutant Stork and Pied Harrier were seen on Koh Pratong by Ian, Dave and Games on the 2nd.

Two Grey headed Buzzards were seen in flight over Muang Chao Fah on the afternoon of the 17th. An Osprey was seen in flight over Chalermprakiat (Suan Lor 9) Park on the 23rd. On the 24th three Black Baza were seen heading northwards over the Heroines’ Monument.

A Purple Heron and a single Indian Pond Heron in breeding dress was seen at Surat Thani Airport on the 23rd. On the way back, a stopover in Phang Nga Bay revealed four Mangrove Pitta and a Yellow eared Spiderhunter. The report can be seen here.

Nine Greater Crested Tern were seen in Koh Kaeo Bay near the Boat Lagoon. Two large gulls, too far away to be identified, were seen in Phang Nga Bay near Koh Lawa Yai. Five Whiskered Tern and a single Little Tern were seen feeding in the sea near Ao Por harbor. All these records from the 27th of February.

A Blue Rock Thrush was seen flying back and forth with food in its beak, assumed to be feeding a brood of nestlings on James Bond Island on the 28th.

Peregrine Falcon were seen at Rawai (8th), Muang Chao Fah (12th), Suan Chalermprakiat (25th) and Kathu (27th), an awful lot of times for a single month, making me wonder if perhaps they’ll become more common in the days to come.

Other winter visitors still around include Little Cormorant (26th), Brown Shrike (25th), Arctic Warbler (28th), Dark Sided Flycatcher (28th) and Forest Wagtail (28th).

Updates to the site include reviews of Kaeng Krachan National Park, the Krabi Mangrove Walkway and Wat Thum Seua in Krabi province.

I had to make a trip to Surat airport to drop off a friend as there were no available flights from Phuket, Krabi or Samui. Chinese New Year had been good to the tourist-dependent provinces of the south and the huge influx of Chinese from Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau and China helped to boost the local economy. The airports were bursting at the seams and even a week after the festivities were over, people were still trying to find a way off of Paradise Island.

The drive took 2.5 hours and I did not stop to look at anything along the way. Getting to the airport was of utmost importance.

At the airport we stopped to have breakfast in the cafeteria, which offers perhaps the cheapest airport food in all the country. –To add to that, it was also tasty and attractively prepared. The restaurant is located on the top floor and gives commanding views of the airport runway, allowing us to observe the take off of a Nok Air flight and two F-5 fighters on their routine morning sorties.

The view from the restaurant also allowed us to see over the marsh and scrubland where I was able to find a variety of birds, the only highlights being a Purple Heron and a breeding-dress Indian Pond Heron.

The drive back was more leisurely and with all the time in the world, I decided to do some scouting of the area for future trips. First stop was Cheio Lan Dam, home of Khao Sok National Park. The pier was bustling with activity with plenty of tourists heading for the floating bungalows near the national park side. One of the fishermen came out of the water with a “baby” Giant catfish weighing over 87 kilos. Apparently he’d caught a 200 kilo catfish last week so this one was a little on the smallish side.

Bird life was not too abundant so I moved on to Ao Phang Nga National park.

Arriving at the mangrove walkway at 1 PM was not a wise choice, or so I thought. Arctic Warbler and Common Tailorbird were the first to greet me and soon after I found a pair of Forest Wagtail snooping around the garbage heap. I played the pitta call once but there was no reply. Brown throated Sunbird came through, a young bird chasing after a mother. Next there was a Common Iora and a Olive backed Sunbird in a quarrel over something, and that kept the mangrove buzzing with activity.

No Ashy Tailorbird was seen, but I did get Yellow Vented and Streak eared Bulbuls.

The call of the Black and Red Broadbill caught my attention but a pair of noisy teenagers scared it off before I could get a good look at it. The newcomers were not all useless; they helped flush out a Mangrove Pitta, which was heard but not seen.

While waiting for the pitta to show, I found a pretty Yellow eared Spiderhunter which was feeding on a web full of spiderlings. The lighting was poor and I didn’t manage a single good shot of the lightning fast bird, even though I had over 40 attempts at it.

At last the Mangrove Pitta answered the call of the tape and it was then I discovered it was not a single bird, but four little jewels, each of them curious as to who else there could be in the area! One took up position in a tree while the other three sat in low branches near the floor, all the while calling to each other. I managed a good shot of the bird in the tree, which didn’t seem at all bothered that I was a mere 4 feet away. The other three soon took to the deeper forest and the last straggler bade a fond farewell (pooped on my shoes) before flying off to find it’s friends.

All in all, it was a magical time and the first time I managed to find the pitta on my very own, so that makes me happy. –It was also the first time I had that many pitta in a single sitting!

12 species in the mangroves and the pitta was the topping on the pie which made it all the sweeter!

Ian Dugdale, on a birding trip with Dave Sergeant and Games, found Black Headed Ibis at Thai Muang Golf Course on the 1st of February. This is a bird which has eluded me for a few years and I was hoping to finally get myself an honest look at the bird so I decided to make a trip to the beach with my kids the next day.

I arrived at the marsh shortly after 5 PM and after dropping off the kids at the beach, made my way on foot through the marsh. Golden Plover were abundant as were Paddyfeild Pipit. I managed to flush a single White fronted Plover and got good looks at it as it posed only a few meters from me.

Other birds encountered included Purple Swamphen, Black shouldered Kite, Grey headed Lapwing, Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Watercock, Pin tailed Snipe, Common Kingfisher, Black Drongo, Brahminy Kite, Chinese Pond Heron and Red wattled Lapwing.

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for as far as size, but after scanning the fields and finding nothing but Intermediate and Little Egrets, I headed back to the car to try an adjacent road. By then it was 6 and with no sign of the bird, I was beginning to wonder if the bird would again elude me.

On the next road I found Japanese Sparrowhawk, Yellow vented Bulbul, Eurasian Koel, Greater Coucal, Great Egret and Germaine’s Swiftlet. Still no ibis.

Walking into the field once more I saw in the distance what looked like a bird with a very dirty bill. As I got closer I realized it was a Black headed Ibis! It was still a good 500 yards or so off so I stomped off through the fields go get closer. I had to keep my eyes glued to the floor as I didn’t want to step on a snake or encounter another scorpion like I’d seen a few minutes earlier. When I stopped to catch my breath, I glanced up so see another Black headed Ibis had landed scarcely 20 feet from me! We both stared at each other for the next five minutes as I just stood there, thrilled with the fact that I was finally looking at the bird which had eluded me for the last five years!

After a while I turned and made my way back to the car and the ibis, sensing I meant it no harm, went back to feeding in the mud. After getting in the car I still kept looking at it for a while until it started getting dark and I went off to pick up the kids at the beach.

Calling Ian to thank him for the tip, I found out he also had scored a lifer with a single Lesser Adjutant in flight on Koh Pratong.

At the beach we encountered four Malaysian Plover on a sandbar in the middle of the river and two River Lapwings on the beach.

Before leaving I wanted to let Rosie see the Ibis one time but it was hard to find in the waning light. Instead we came across five Large tailed Nightjar and a Barn Owl.

A total of 40 species were seen in two hours, and the Black headed Ibis is finally in the bag!

Special Thanks to Ian Dugdale for his tips on finding the bird.

The new year started off well on the birding front, even though for most people, 2010 was rocky from the onset.

A pair of Barhminy Starling were seen at Thai Muang Golf Course on the evening of the 9th, along with White shouldered, Chestnut cheeked, Purple backed and Rosy Starling. On the 12th a White bellied Sea Eagle was seen in flight over the fresh market near the Kings Park and on the following day a Black Kite was spotted near the Recycle Center at Sapan Hin. Three Crested Honey Buzzards were seen hovering around Muang Chao Fah near the Honda showroom on the 14th and on the 17th a single Eyebrowed Thrush was seen at the Kings Park around noon, braving the strong winds as it was flushed from a thicket. Other birds seen included White shouldered and Purple backed Starling, Indian Roller, and Black naped Oriole.

The Reddish Scops Owl showed briefly in front of my house for less than ten minutes after a heavy rain on the night of the 6th.

Two pairs of Yellow Vented Bulbul built nests near the front entrance of the house and our of four eggs, three have hatched and are now being fed by the parents. They will probably be flying by the second week of February. Two young Spotted Doves also were raised in the mango tree in front of the house, but only one lived to take to the skies as the other was killed by my dog, Fido.

A Chinese Goshawk was seen near Central Department store on the evening of the 24th and a Japanese Sparrowhawk was seen there on the evening of the 31st.

A trip to Sri Phang Nga on the 29th revealed a few treats. Nesting Great Hornbill was reported by the rangers although we did not have time to make the trek to visit the nest. Also further up the mountain was a nesting pair of Helmeted Hornbill. An Emerald Cuckoo and Hairy backed Bulbul were highlights of the trip and the large number of fruiting trees proves this site is worth a visit during this time of plenty.

A single Chinese Egret was seen at Laem Pakarang on the same day.

A Steppe Buzzard was seen at Laem Mum Nai on the 31st.

Special thanks to Ian Dugdale for his tips on the starlings at Thai Muang.