What a joy to be back out on the Huay Mai Teng Reservoir patch with binoculars and charged batteries! I recorded at least 5 River Lapwing soon after arrival at 06:00H. However they were moving around. They appear to be showing a preference for one particular area, a little bit away from the public access area. I could only manage shots of the above Black-winged Stilt perched on one leg in that area.
I saw three pairs of Rain Quail, male and female, in the "usual place" which is the same area where the Small Pratincoles can be found. More of them later but the Rain Quail really is a truly beautiful bird, especially the male with his black bib merging into brown flanks with very pronounced black stripes in evidence around his head. Also a pair of Barred Buttonquail on the roadside. Thanks to having the binoculars with me I was able to get a good look at both species but sadly no photographs.
Lots of Indochinese Bushlarks and very brightly coloured Green Bee-eaters. A few Greater Coucals and at the other end of the size spectrum, a few Grey Prinias. Elsewhere in a more forested part of the site I saw one definite female Red Junglefowl and two other largish fowl type birds moving on the ground. I won't make any claims but I think they might have been male eclipse Red Junglefowl. The key feature was their tails which were short and almost at right angles to their bodies. However they were some distance away and moved quickly out of sight into the foliage so I cannot be sure. This is near to the same area where I have seen and heard Chinese Francolin, no sign today though, and I think I might have to set up the hide and play some calls and see what I can lure.
I counted three Small Pratincoles today. This suggests to me they are in the process of dispersing from the site.
Not much on the photography front today, in fact a virtual blank. I am not complaining: the Rain Quail made my morning. Simple really!
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