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!

If this bird was a chick, would you want to take a dip with it? -I would! -And the great thing about it, this bird lives by water almost all its life.

-Lets go for a swim!

The River Chat, or sometimes referred to as White capped Redstart, is a resident bird which inhabits the fast flowing streams and waterfalls of the high mountains of the north. The bird is almost always seen in the company of a Plumbleous Redstart, another vivid and gorgeous bird. The most well- known site to see this fabulous duo is at Vatcharathan Waterfall in Doi Intanon National Park. My first sighting of this bird was at a campsite above the 1000-meter elevation in the same national park and this bird indeed is a truly impressive specimen.

This is a bird which must be seen to be enjoyed; no artists’ illustration in a field guide can come close to portraying the splendor of this marvelous creature!

Peter Ericsson photographed this bird in Doi Angkang in February.

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.

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.

This find is a great boon for ornithologists who have only recently rediscovered this specimen after a 120 year period of silence. No doubt Dr. Phil Round, the man who trapped this bird in his working plots in Laem Pak Bia back in 2006 is overjoyed at this announcement. (I doubt he is packing his bags for a trip to Afghanistan, but who know?) Perhaps this will open the door for more birders to visit this remote and volatile region and may help aid in the discovery of other “lost” species in the future.

Reading this article gives me hope that one day, another of Thailand’s “lost” specimen will also be rediscovered in a remote area of a foreign country. The White Eyed River martin has been “lost” to science for many decades now. God forbid we should have to wait 120 years before we see it again, but perhaps it is hiding out in some remote location in China, perchance? There is credence that such a bird may have once been spotted there as various pieces of artwork have surfaced which portray a bird with striking similarities.

All of this is pure speculation but when something as good as this happens, one can only dream that one day, better things will come to pass.

“World’s least known bird” found breeding in Afghanistan

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Researchers have found in Afghanistan the first known breeding area of the large-billed reed warbler, which was dubbed in 2007 as “the world’s least known bird species.”

Researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Sweden’s Gothenburg University said they had found the breeding area in the remote and rugged Wakhan Corridor of north-eastern Afghanistan that has escaped the worst effects of war.

They used field observations, museum specimens, DNA sequencing, and the first known audio recording of the species to find the birds and verified the discovery by capturing and releasing almost 20 birds, the largest number ever recorded.

A preliminary paper on the finding appears in BirdingASIA, describing the discovery in Afghanistan as “a watershed moment” in the study of this bird.

The first specimen of the large-billed reed warbler was discovered in India in 1867 but the second find was not until 2006 in Thailand.
“Practically nothing is known about this species, so this discovery of the breeding area represents a flood of new information on the large-billed reed warbler,” said Colin Poole of WCS’s Asia Program, in a statement.

“This new knowledge of the bird also indicates that the Wakhan Corridor still holds biological secrets and is critically important for future conservation efforts in Afghanistan.”

The find came after Robert Timmins from the WCS was conducting a survey of bird communities in the area.

The Wakhan Corridor has escaped the worst effects of the long years of war suffered elsewhere in Afghanistan since the December 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. The corridor, populated primarily by Wakhi farmers and yurt-dwelling Kyrghyz herders, is also home to snow leopards and wild Marco Polo sheep.

Timmins heard a distinctive song coming from a small, olive-brown bird with a long bill which he taped and later discovered to be a large-billed reed warbler.

The following summer WCS researchers returned to the same area and used a recording of the song to bring out others and catch almost 20 birds for examination.

The WCS said it is currently the only organization conducting scientific conservation studies in Afghanistan, the first such efforts in over 30 years, and it has contributed to a number of conservation initiatives in tandem with the Afghan government.

It helped produce Afghanistan’s first list of protected species, an action that has led to a ban on hunting snow leopards, wolves, brown bears, and other species.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Look long at this shot … this may just be one of the best photos anyone has ever gotten of this particular species.

The Rusty naped Pitta is a bird which does not look as striking or as colorful as other pitta (start thinking of Gurneys, Banded, hey, even the Blue and Blue winged Pitta!) but it is nevertheless a bird which is highly sought after by birders throughout the kingdom. This bird is best known for being a very skulking creature, not showing for more than five seconds before retreating into the safety of thick vegetation. Photos of the bird usually are hard to come by and those who have managed to get a clean shot can testify that this is not a cooperative specimen to deal with.

Wat Thum Palong in Doi Chiang Dao is one place where birders often flock to try to catch a glimpse of this difficult bird. This is where I saw my second Rusty naped Pitta, the first being on Doi Sutep at 4 AM when I accidentally hit a bird flying across the road and stunned it momentarily before it recovered and scampered back into the forest.

Peter Ericsson photographed this particular bird in Mae Wong National Park. For some unexplained reason, this bird was happy to pose as long as it was allowed to fill up on worms which were laid out, intended for another specimen which failed to show.

Ian Dugdale reported seeing a large flock of 17 Rosy Starling at the Thai Muang Golf Course in the last days of December 2009. I was in Nakorn Sawan at the time and felt bad that I was unable to get this lifer, as I myself was having a tough birding trip, having missed out on seven potential lifers.

On Children’s Day, my wife and I had contemplated visiting the air force base in Surat Thani so my kids could see some airplanes. Due to a late morning start and a few grumpy kids, we decided to head out a little later and make for the navy base in Thap Lamru which was closer and still enabled my eldest son to see a helicopter in action as well as explore some naval vessels. By the early afternoon the sun was bearing down and my kids wanted to go swimming. I took this as a great opportunity to take the kids to a forest waterfall and get in some birding time as well.

Khao Lampi Waterfall was crowded and noisy and the park staff wanted to charge unreasonable prices for the holidays so we opted to go to the beach.

Thai Muang was the closest beach available and when I was reminded of the starlings at the golf course we decided to try it out.

After settling the kids and my wife on the deserted beach, I started my search for the starlings near the casuarinas near the former carpark. The area was rich in bird life an in little time I had myself 34 species. A tree near the large lake had a group of 30 Orange breasted Pigeons, making this site perhaps the best place to find this rather uncommon specimen. A tree in the far distance had a group of some 20 White shouldered Starlings and three Purple backed Starling, but aside from that, the area was void of any of the rare migrants we were looking for.

Around the old golf track I connected with Hoopoe, Pacific Golden Plover, Blue tailed and Chestnut capped Bee Eater, Common Snipe, Pink necked Pigeon, Little, Intermediate and Great Egret and Lesser Coucal. White throated, Common, Collared and Black capped Kingfisher were all seen in a little creek near the center of the course, making it a good day for kingfishers.

After an hour of birding I had 42 species but still no sign of the starling. It is not uncommon to discover a species of starling in an area only to find they have moved on a few days later and I was beginning to think perhaps I was not going to see anything new on this trip. The area is very large and it would only take a miracle of God to find these little birds in time before the sun set.

I decided to go back to the old spot where I had sighted the first group of starlings to see if they had returned. At the casuarinas I spotted them again but approach was difficult and I ended up using the car as a blind as the birds were very skittish.

Initially I had noticed only 15 or so birds foraging in the tree but closer observation revealed a very large number of roosting birds hidden among the droopy boughs of the casuarinas. While the majority of the birds were full grown White shouldered Starling (30 or so birds), I did find around 10 Chestnut Cheeked Starling and 10 Purple backed Starling. I had my best views yet of the Chestnut cheeked Starling, a beautiful bird which was only discovered to winter here a few years ago by Stijin De Win on one of his birding trips to the area.

Even after seeing those birds I still felt disheartened that I was unable to get a few lifers when suddenly a pair of reddish-colored starlings flew up from the ground, scared off by an egret in low flight. I hardly believed by eyes when I realized they were Brahminy Starling! With this I got out of the car to get a closer look, almost trampling a Barred Buttonquail in the process. The flock of birds, being skittish as ever, took to a looping flight around the tree and it was then I was able to count around 50-60 mixed starlings in the group. After they had landed I called Ian to tell him the good news and ask him the whereabouts of the Rosy Starling.

Ian told me many of the Rosy Starling he’d seen were juvenile, so I began scanning through the many White shouldered Starling and finally found a single juvenile Rosy sitting very still and quietly in a branch. The reason for its inactive behavior was discovered minutes later when a group of mature Chestnut Cheeked Starlings came by and began persecuting it until it was finally chased off of the tree.

The birds were feeding on something on the branches of the tree, what I could not see, but they were systematically making their way through the branches as they picked through the bark, picking up what could have been insects or grubs.

Contented and shaking with excitement, I hopped back into the car and barely made it a few feet down the road when I looked up in a nearby tree to see the Brahminy Starling had taken up roost only 10 feet from the car! I quickly grabbed my camera but the second I rolled down the car window for a shot, the birds took to the air.

By then it was 6 PM and getting late. Satisfied, and brimming with joy, I picked up my kids from the beach and drove back to Phuket and celebrate my first two lifers of the year with a dinner at Sizzlers!

Altogether there were 47 species in one hour and two lifers. -God is good!

Two Eurasian Kestrel were seen hunting for swiftlets near the Honda showroom on Chao Fah road on the evening of the 12th. On the same evening a Common Buzzard was seen in the vicinity, displaying its characteristic ability to hover while in search of food.

Highlights from a trip to Phang Nga on the 11th included three Lesser Fish Eagles, a pair of Golden Crested Mynas and a male Mugimaki Flycatcher from Sri Phang Nga National Park. A Chinese Egret, a Grey Tailed Tattler and a Nordman’s Greenshank were found at Laem Pakarang and some 200 Orange Breasted Green Pigeons were seen at Thai Muang Golf course in the afternoon. All this and more can be found in the report.

A Great Hornbill was seen in flight over Sirinat National Park Northern Sector near Sarasin bridge in Phuket on the early morning of the 22nd. Its origins are unknown and how it came to the northern part of the island remains a mystery.

Black necked Grebe was present at Beung Boraphet since the 22nd of December, but mysteriously disappeared on the 28th, the day I went out to find it.

Eight Oriental Darter and an Osprey highlighted the trip to Beung Boraphet on the 27th, while a trip to the Chai Nat Bird Park on the same day revealed a large colony of some seven pairs of nesting Painted Stork. The colony no doubt is partly comprised of birds which escaped from the aviary, meaning that this feral population may soon become a thriving colony, giving new life to this uncommon and oft persecuted species. To read the entire report, click here.

A Western Marsh Harrier and a Black Thighed Falconet were seen flying together in the rice fields near Tesco Lotus Singburi on the 23rd.

The most exciting record of the month comes from Ian Dugdale who reported a sighting of a Chestnut cheeked Starling and a Rosy Starling in the presence of a group of Chestnut tailed Starlings at Thai Muang Golf Course in Phang Nga on the 28th.

Happy New Year everyone!

It took a while but I finally got started!

Peter Ericsson has been encouraging me to get started on bird photography, a hobby which is both expensive and time consuming. For a guy like him, who has grown children, life can afford to smile on his attempts to create time for birding, but for me, a guy with three kids under the age of six, birding is not something which comes at regular intervals. -Not to mention, bird photography also requires decent if not specialized equipment, all of which costs good money. I had to decline for a number of years, but recently things have started to change. First, I was able to save up a small sum of money and second I landed a good deal with a medium range telephoto lens which ended up being a good deal after some minor tweaking with the autofocus.

Doubtless, most professionals or even serious amateur bird photographers will frown at my choice of a Sigma 100-300 F4 paired with a Canon 40D, as the range is a little short and the lens lacks stabilization, not to mention it’s a zoom lens, notorious for being “soft” on the wide end.

First off, I’m not planning to go pro right now, so I think starting off with what I have is a good deal.

-And like all things in life, the results are what matter the most.

So, I’d like you to decide what you think about these photos, taken from Lopburi and Nakorn Sawan on my New Years trip last year (2009). Feel free to post your comments and tips in the comments box below!

Doubtless it will take me a long time to catalogue the number of species that Peter has in his website, but as they say, “The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.”

-That was a darn good fortune cookie!