Sunday 20 March 2011

Banding at Laem Pak Bia

Pale-legged Warbler
Phylloscopus tenellipes
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11

The real story today is Phil Round who has been banding birds in Thailand and elsewhere in the world for over thirty years and as a result has built up an incomparable knowledge of Thailand's avaifauna. Phil's recently back from a trip to Banglasdesh where he has been assisting a government agency there set up a banding project. Phil's knowledge is mind-boggling and to watch him at work is an experience in itself. So for me to join Phil, James and Tom on Saturday was a great opportunity to "assist" and indeed to learn and take a few photographs. 
Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis




Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
(thx to Paan for the correction)

Using mist nets we trapped 28 birds of which six were retraps; the highlight of the retraps was a Black-capped Kingfisher, a migratory bird, which has returned this winter. We don't know where it went, possibly China. The highlight of the new birds was the Pale-legged Warbler above and 4 Dusky Warblers; we also banded 3 Long-toed Stints and a juvenile Cinnamon Bittern photographs of which are above and below respectively


 Cinnamon Bittern
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11

 Collared kingfisher
Todiramphus chloris




Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11

I can't think of a better way to get closer to birds and to learn about their taxonomy and structure. I must say I am lousy at it. I find it impossible to get the birds out of the net and I am not very good at taking them from the bags used to carry them to the processing station. I managed to handle a Barn Swallow and a Scaly-breasted Munia and managed to band and measure them, with some difficulty. I have no doubt I will be better next time. Nevertheless I really enjoyed myself and I took advantage of the opportunity to digiscope a few non-captive birds.

 Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Painted Stork
Mycteria Leucocephala
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11

 Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias Hybridus
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Indian Cormorant
Phalacrocorax niger
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Wood sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11
 Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropa
Kings Project, Laem Pak Bia
19.03.11

Late afternoon we had a short stop at Pak Thale and for the record observed 3 Spoon-billed Sandpipers and a number of Dunlin, possibly four; a couple of the males were changing into their breeding plumes which makes identification, in particular separation from the abundant Curlew Sandpaper, very easy. The shot below is very much for the record as the light was against us and the bird was in the shade as daylight faded. In full breeding plumage this fellows belly will be completely black and his upper feathers chestnutty and blackish.

Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Pak Thale
19.03.11


2 comments:

  1. The bird in your second picture looks to me like a Marsh Sandpiper in breeding plumage

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  2. Paan you are completely correct it is a Marsh; got my notes and pictures mixed up. Many thanks for this correction

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