Rain Quail at the Reservoir

Rain Quail - EOS

Huay Mai Teng Reservoir, Ratchaburi

28.03.11

Strange weather in Thailand at present: serious flooding in the South and wet and unseasonably cold, again, in the Ratchaburi area. Normally it is baking hot and dry as we move towards the Thai New Year celebrations in mid-April and the rains don't start until May. Today was reminiscent of British wet summer weather but palpably cool. So I made an afternoon sortie to Huay Mai Teng reservoir on the basis that a change in the weather might provide a few avian surprises.

Let me say a more experienced observer would have made far more of today than I did but the highlight of the identified birds were about 11 Rain Quail. No surprises that they should be out and about when it is raining.....it is in the name! The male of the species is an absolute beauty and my photograph does not do it any justice whatsoever. Alas it was not digiscoping light today. Unfortunately I wasn't set up properly when the birds were close to me and you know what happened once I was ready! I'll defintely be back for more.

Small Pratincole

Glareola lactea

Huay Mai Teng Reservoir

28.03.11

And a few Small Pratincoles dropped in briefly to say hello...... I counted 12 but they were moving around. You can see this one was feeling the cold!