Ratchaburi Rice Paddy

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

30.10.11

A very pleasant afternoon in the rice paddy where I got up close and personal with a very confiding Little Egret which didn't seem to mind me being within about 10 m. How unusual for the subject bird to be so close I couldn't fit it all inside the viewfinder! I'd like to get as close to some raptors.

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

30.10.11

Lots of common birds. Aerial views of both Pied & Eastern Marsh Harrier, an "interesting" reed-warbler,unidentified, buried deep in reeds in a split second, and an Asian Brown Flycatcher,. The Snipe and Wood Sandpipers were still present but they weren't smiling for the camera today!

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

30.10.11

White-throated Kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnensis

 30.10.11

Noteworthy that there was no rain this afternoon, so perhaps the weather is changing for the better in terms of the flooding. All being well I'll head further afield next weekend. I rather fancy the reservoir.

Common Hoopoe

Upupa epops

30.10.11

On my way out to the rice paddy a couple of hoopoes were feeding on some lawn. Difficult to photograph as they were feeding and on the move but they are very distinctive and very attractive birds.

Ratchaburi : The Local Rice Paddy

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareola

29.10.11

The local rice paddy in Ratchaburi covers a substantial area of low, flat terrain with Thailand's southern railway line running through it. The powerful  thrust and vibration of the diesel locomotives add atmosphere to this very verdant setting. The flatness allows a gentle and welcome breeze to provide a little cooling. Like much of Thailand we are inundated with rain at the moment but unlike Bangkok and the Central Plains we are not flooding. However it is very wet and very green, much more so than normal. 

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareola

29.10.11

I have had a lot of fun birding this rice paddy over the last couple of years: it is quite literally on my doorstep so it provides an opportunity to grab a quick hour or so at the end of the day. During the past week I have seen some good birds here: pied harrier, common and painted snipe, wood sandpiper. In view of this I had made a mental note to spend a little bit longer here this weekend. 

Common Snipe

Gallinago gallinago

After completing my domestic duties I made it out just after 3:00 pm today and the rice paddy didn't disappoint.  For me the bird of the day was an Eastern Marsh Harrier, a male, sitting in field. He allowed me to get set up and then went in pursuit of some doves before I could manage a shot; it would have been a marginal shot as the bird was some way off; anyhow that was the last I saw of him! I also had a good view of an aerial Pied Harrier juv and a Black-shouldered Kite which was doing a bit of hovering in the distance. I reckon the Eastern Marsh Harrier has taken up residence in the area so I expect to be get some shots of him in the next month or so. 

Lots of birds, all the commoners, including abundant Barn Swallows, Openbills, Drongos, Red-wattled Lapwing, White-throated Kingfisher, a Common Kingfisher, Pied Starlings,White-breasted Waterhen, Eastern Stonechants, Plain Prinias, Plain-backed Sparrows, Chinese Pond Herons, and so on. The birds I wanted to shoot were Wood Sandpipers and Snipes. The Wood Sandpiper obliged but the Common wouldn't come out into the open for the lens; a beautiful male Painted Snipe broke cover briefly. In the fading light of the day, after yet another shower, an Oriental Reed Warbler slid up and down the reeds.

I think I'll be back for another attempt at the Snipe tomorrow!

Local Snipe

Painted Snipe

Rostratula benghalensis

Ratchaburi 26.10.11

This Painted Snipe really made my day or rather my after work hour. It was with some Common Snipe and Wood Sandpipers in a wet, marshy part of the local rice paddy here in Ratchaburi. This female is a very striking looking creature. But these guys were reluctant to come out into the open. The above shot is the best I could do. I must say I am getting very excited about the weekend when I hope weather and light combined with more time will enable me to get some decent shots of these birds, so long as they are still there!

Back in Business

Cattle Egret eyes Flies on a Cow

Ratchaburi

24.10.11

I am celebrating getting these shots today because they serve to underline that I have a viable setup and will be able to carry on digiscoping while I get some money together. I also love this shot of the Cattle Egret and cow. It's humorous and funny to my eyes! 

OK I'll have that one!

In fact the birding news is much more important: Pied Harriers are back in residence in the local rice paddy. I was just about to shoot a splendid male on the ground when a couple of dogs scared him off. Elsewhere the rice paddy was buzzing with some Wood Sandpiper and some Common Snipe joining the usual suspects. I'll devote some time to the this area at the weekend. Today a brief hour in the afternoon in an otherwise restful holiday Monday here in Ratchaburi.

This Eastern Stonechat performed a little for me too and nice to be in a position to shoot it -  a female I believe and a bird that I expect to see a lot of in the rice paddy over the next few months. 

 Eastern Stonechat

Saxicola maurus

Ratchaburi

24.10.11

Back to the Patch

White-throated Kingfisher 

Huay Mai Teng Reservoir  22.10.11

I was like an excited little boy yesterday mid-afternoon when I headed out to Huay Mai Teng Reservoir, my local patch. I had a working camera! That it started to rain almost immediately and didn't really let up thereafter was a minor inconvenience. Not much else to say really. It was very quiet on the bird front and very wet and dark. Rain and flooding are very much the order of the day here in Thailand but out west it is just wet with no major concerns about flooding right now.

Water levels at the reservoir were very high once more. The birding highlight was a Bronze-winged Jacana family, two adults with two juvs. Too far away in bad light to be able to shoot. So I had to satisfy myself with this White-throated Kingfisher who didn't seem to be bothered by my proximity.

Sometimes I have a  particular species on my mind when I go birding. Grey-headed Lapwing often features at the moment as it is on my most wanted list and should be there or thereabouts at this time of the year. Raptors too, and yesterday the bird I rather fancied was Black Baza. Not a sign of a raptor of any description yesterday, but about 20,000 Black Bazas, yup twenty thousand, were counted yesterday at Chumphon! Clearly I am bit too far north for Black Bazas!

Whatever great to be birding locally again.

Looking back: Northern Malaysia 13th -16th October 2011

White-winged Tern

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

I regret to say I have had a couple of setbacks over the last week. First of all a bottle of water inside my waterproof bag emptied itself while I was in Malaysia and appears to have done for my backup camera, a Nikon P5100.  I am beyond despair about this accepting it as a twist a fate. I take consolation that it might have been a new, expensive replacement for my P6000. Two cameras in two weeks. So no camera - a horrible feeling!

White-winged Terns

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

Secondly at the start of the week I was stricken with a fever for the first time in these tropical parts, conjoined with a bacterial infection, and was confined to bed for three days. I am mightily relieved to say that blood tests revealed I have neither Malaria nor Dengue. I am now on the road to physical recovery following three days of complete rest and a continuing course of medication. I have to say these two major diseases must be truly horrible if what I had was lower grade. 

Bridled Tern

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

So no birding and no blogging until now. Some good news! My Nikon P5100 powered up last night so I have a working camera. Phew! What’s important is the pressure is off in terms of buying a replacement. I can go out to the reservoir this afternoon and shoot if I want to! However I do want a new camera and I have been doing plenty of research. Good to be under no pressure!

A Couple of Malay Crew

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

Back to Malaysia last week. It struck me that the pelagic was, simply put, a wonderful day's birding, as good as it gets. Nothing to do with being in on a first observation of a new species for Malaysia, although that helps! That was just a very lucky coincidence that I was with Dave when the Little Gull appeared. I need to be honest and say it is 95% likely that I would not have been able to call it on my own. It is very kind of Dave to share the credit.  But regardless of this, it was just such an interesting day on the boat plus the birds get in really close. Photographers, you have been told!

A Working Fishing Boat

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

Dave Bakewell to his eternal credit has developed an excellent relationship with some local fishermen and so long as their boat is going out, which it normally does 6 days a week, Fridays excepted, he can go. The only thing that is asked is to keep out of the way when the nets are out and the crew is at work.

Catch of the Day

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

The beauty of it all is the boat uses a purse seine net to catch anchovies. "Chum" not necessary so no noxious smell! Once the net is out the birds arrive and they come in close and stay with the boat all day. The bottom of the net is then drawn in to stop the catch form escaping and this brings in more birds eager to grab a fish. The net is then hauled in and with it come the birds. The top of the net is supported by buoys and the White-winged Terns and some of the Bridleds perch on these. Once the net is out of the water, along with the catch, the birds follow the boat as the fish are blanched aft  and hundreds of birds converge in the hope of catching a snack!

Job done - time for a Smoke

Kedah Coast, Malaysia

13.10.11

Two further noteworthy factors: firstly the boat is robust and seaworthy; Dave also advises that the sea is rarely rough in this area.  Secondly the crew are a really pleasant bunch of men and are clearly interested in birds. I couldn't help think about what I might have encountered on a Scottish trawler in the North Sea: half the crew in a raging alcoholic stupor?! Sorry guys! One of the crew is Thai and I think he appreciated the chance to talk a little with me in his native language.

Dave Bakewell

This was a real working boat and it wasn't going to stop because Dave saw a Red-necked Phalarope. Its job was to catch anchovies. But as I said above once the nets are out in come the birds so no real need to stop. Fascinating also to be able to observe the boat at work.

So a really great day out from 7:00am to after 7:00pm with little let up and a great sunset over the Indian ocean as we came back in the evening. I have detailed the birding and aquatic animal highlights in the previous blog - these were nothing short of sensational.

Dave Bakewell's' pelagic comes Highly Recommended. If you click this link it will take you to Dave's blog and great photographs of our day out at sea.

Ulu Muda Forest Reserve (this link will take you to a very informative booklet in .pdf format published by World Wildlife Federation - Malaysia  ) followed for the next two days. With the benefit of hindsight it couldn't ever really match the pelagic. The sought after Plain-pouched Hornbills had ironically returned to Thailand! Little did I realise they were migratory. I think it would also be fair to say that the birds in general need a lot more effort here but there are undoubtedly some great birds in the forest. 

That being said we had not even boarded our boat than I saw a Lesser Fish Eagle perched high on a distant tree and more of these birds featured as we progressed by boat to our destination, EarthLodge. There were Osprey, Crested Serpent Eagle, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Black-capped Kingfisher, Yellow Wagtail, Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, Brown Shrike, a beautiful large green lizard, flying geckos, and tantalising sounds of much wanted birds: Great Argus, Malay Peacock Pheasant, Gould's Frogmouth........but no sightings. Plus I didn't get much sleep on my first night and then I was in a deep sulk on the second day on account of the lack of sleep and the second camera disaster!

Lantern Bug

Ulu Muda, Kedah,Malaysia

15.10.11

Let me say this: I would not be surprised if EarthLodge  became one of the top eco-tourism destinations in Malaysia. It is almost two hours by small boat from the road head, on top of a two hour drive from Penang and it is right in the middle of real rain forest....with primates, elephants and all sorts of groovy stuff. Remote, isolated, hard to reach. Yet it has been really well built. A small resort style collection of bungalows situated at a river crossroads, perfect for wilderness lovers. Dave Bakewell's blog tells a much more successful tale from a birding perspective. 

Common butterfly sp.

Ulu Muda, Kedah,Malaysia

15.10.11

Hymeir Kamarudin who runs EarthLodge is a great guy and positively infectious about the place. Hymeir couldn't have been more helpful to me. He is also a font of knowledge on the local avifauna and terrain, including its caves. The food is superb and the place has really great facilities with the potential to provide unprecedented comfort in such a remote setting. I wish Hymeir and his colleagues well in this venture and I have made a mental note to return next September when the hornbills should be back.

So a really pleasant and enjoyable few days in Kedah, north-east of Malaysia. I really rather hope I will be able to grow my Malaysia list in the years that follow especially as I can include that Little Gull Malaysia first! 

Just as well really that I dropped a casual enquiry by email to Dave Bakewell!

First Record of Little Gull in Malaysia

Of necessity this will be brief as I need some sleep before heading early tomorrow into the wilds of Ulu Muda. Dave Bakewell took me out today on a pelagic in the Penang area and he made the first ever observation of a Little Gull in Malaysia and only the second in South East Asia. I can confirm it as I saw it with my very own eyes and indeed saw it again about an hour after Dave’s initial observation. Dave has some good shots of the gull and I’ll need to twist his arm to see if he’ll let me use one here. Otherwise go to Dave’s blog as I am sure he’ll post the shots soon.

I had a great day out but for Dave it was nothing short of sensational as he bagged two Malaysian lifers: the Little Gull and earlier he observed a Red-necked Phalarope, which is scarce in these parts.

It was a tern master class: Common, White-winged, Black-naped, Bridled. Little, Lesser Crested, Whiskered and possibly a Greater Crested. Thousands of birds.

Oh the not insignficant matter of a Whale Shark and an Irrawaddy dolphin!

More soon but I am going to be incommunicado for the next few days. I have some shots but they are not great as being in a boat and digiscoping are not easy! 

Digiscoping Blues, Malaysia

I'm off tomorrow to Malaysia where I hope to do a little pelagic birdwatching in Kedah, north west Malaysia and spend a few days in Ulu Muda National Park on the Thai-Malay border. This is home to many exotic bird species including Plain-pouched Hornbill. I made contact with Dave Bakewell, a British birder based in Malaysia and Dave very kindly has steered me in this direction.  You can read a report of Dave's visit to Ulu Muda last month at this link. I'll hopefully tell you a lot more about it after next weekend.

I spent today in Bangkok trying to find a replacement camera following last week's debâcle. Nikon can  repair my P6000 but at a cost of 20,000 THB, about £400.00 GBP - ouch, no thanks. Unfortunately the camera is now obsolete;  but I did see a store in Bangkok selling it off brand new for 12,999 THB less than a month ago. So a replacement is the order of the day and I rather fancied the Panasonic G3 with a 14-42 mm lens. I tried it out today with the Kowa 25x LER and the 20-60x zoom eyepieces but I could not eliminate vignetting at any focal length on either lens. So I left it for today.

I think the solution is probably to use  the Kowa 30x wide angle eyepiece and then I'll be able to use the Panasonic lenses. Fortunately I have my old Nikon P5100 as backup and that will have to do for Malaysia and for the immediate future. So no pics or birdwatching but I am looking forward to my trip. Watch this space.

Chumphon Raptor Watch 2011

Black-capped Kingfisher

Great to be back in Chumphon and to catch up with Bob de Candido who is in his shelter high up in Khao Dinsor, ( Pencil Hill), counting the raptors on their annual southbound migration. As always it is an impressive sight as hundreds of these magnificent birds pass through, often kettling near the watch sight and often coming in very close to provide outstanding photo opportunitues. In fact I would suggest you head to Chumphon Raptor Center on Facebook where you can see the daily digest including some great raptor photography.

It was a quietish day with moderate numbers of Oriental Honey Buzzards, Chinese Sparrowhawks and Japanese Sparrowhawks passing through. I also had sight of a couple of Pied Harriers and an Eastern Marsh Harrier. A small flock of about ten Oriental Pratincoles also passed through and according to Bob there were a fair number of Germaine Swifts. I observed them but I am not going to claim it as I wouldn't have the faintest idea of what it might be if it was perched in front of my front door tomorrow morning. However the weather was poor today and I think this effectively halted movement. That said I did see several sizeable kettles of the three main species.

I didn't manage any shots on Khao Dinsor. I am using my old Nikon P5100, a bit battered and bruised, but a perfectly decent back up. Unfortunately I had the wrong adaptor so I could not attach the camera to my scope. I see little point in trying to shoot distant birds as there is little prospect of getting a decent image. I think this would have applied today even if I had the P6000. If I had the correct adaptor then I might have been able to get some shots of close-up birds but nothing was really coming within that range.

I did manage these shots of a Black-capped Kingfisher which perched up very obligingly for me as I headed along the coast road to Khao Dinsor in the morning. This was a surprise as these birds are usually very skittish and don't welcome proximity to humans. What's more of a surprise is these shots are taken with the camera handheld to the telescope lens and as such I mustn't grumble.

As a further irritation, following Wednesday's disaster, the device I use to position the cable release over the shutter release button broke in two for no apparent reason this afternoon!

I wonder what these shots might have looked like with the P6000 ! Anyhow I am researching a replacement camera and I rather fancy it might be the Panasonic GF - 3 with the 14 - 42 mm lens. The lens has a 52 mm thread so this should  connect easily to existing adaptors. The camera also has the benefit of HD video. I am also interested in the Sony NEX-5 camera. I am not going to rush into a replacement. In fact I'm going to try to get my P6000 repaired and for the moment I'll stick to using the P5100.

So life goes on! Great to be back in Chumphon though we were monstrously overcharged for our dinner this evening....... we'll get over it, I hope!

Disaster at Pak Thale

I stopped to admire a fellow birder's shot of a Red-necked Phalarope this afternoon at Pak Thale. I put my rig down on the ground. Unbeknownst to me only two legs were fully opened. The rig fell over and my scope and camera hit  shallow water and mud. The scope is a bit dirty but will be ok but my Nikon P6000 is dead. After about 3 hours I was able to switch on the camera and reset the time and date and then a loud  pop. Camera dead. I am very sad. I went to a lot of trouble and expense to get that camera. I am not sure I'll be able to replace it as it is now obsolete. Couldn't come at a worse moment either: I am headed this weekend to the Chumphon Raptor Watch and next week I am going to Malaysia for a few days.

The birds were great as well; huge flocks of Curlews, Great Knot and Black-tailed Godwits. Lots of Grey Plovers and Lesser Sand-plovers and  great numbers of terns. Plenty of Red-necked Stints and I picked out one Broad-billed Sandpiper and a Red-necked Phalarope.

Gutted.

A Day at the Reservoir

Great Egret

I finally set eyes this morning on a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher at Huay Mai Teng Reservoir, Ratchaburi. Just as well the defining characteristic of the female is so prominent when it flies. Very disappointing day on the raptor front, a total of three Oriental Honey Buzzards and not a whiff of any other raptors. No sign of any migration either. A huge flock of Oriental Pratincoles was once more present towards the end of daylight, roosting on a recently water-free part of the reservoir where presumably the grub is good.

But lots of birds, lots of common species. I listed in excess of 80 species today, with two unidentifieds. I also photographed some dragonflies. I shot 94 frames today but not many good shots. I have a much better sense now of decent shots. The egret was four times as far away as the Indochinese Bushlark  (thanks to Paul Bourdin and Tom Backlund for confirmation that it is not an Oriental Skylark, but rather an IBL) but it is a much clearer shot. This is because the sun was shining on the bird and I was between the bird and the sun with the sun on my back.

Indochinese Bushlark

Trithemis pallidinervis and unknown insect

Competition, predation or what?!

Trithemis pallidinervis - copulation?

I even had the hide up this afternoon but nothing was biting so to speak. However I was not driven by the need to get good captures. In fact first thing I had a lovely two hour stroll through the woods with only my binoculars and this is when I saw the bulk of today's birds. I even managed to flush a couple of raptors as I walked but they were off so quickly that I wouldn't be able to make a call. I must take a stroll more often!

So a really long, pleasant day. I was thinking about the preponderance of Oriental Honey Buzzards in and around the reservoir area; of course, this makes perfect sense because this is an area famed for its bees and honey. Nearby Suan Phueng, the mountain resort area, means Bee Garden. And of course they are not called Oriental Honey Buzzards because of their love of fish! I was talking to one of the estate staff and he knew about Honey Buzzards, and he knew its name in Thai, "ee-u phueng" , ( เหยี่ยวผึ้ง), "honey hawk".

School holidays are great, huh?!

One Frame Wonder

Asian Brown Flycatcher 

As I write it is pouring down and this makes me excited about what birds the rain might force down locally. More shall be revealed tomorrow, I hope. I am on holiday for the next two weeks and so I was able to head out to Huay Mai Teng Reservoir this afternoon to see what the raptor count today would be. Well today's count was much more modest, 18 birds, five of which were too far away to be identified. Eleven of the remaining birds I identified as Oriental Honey Buzzards. The other two I couldn't identify but they were small.

The weather was different today with virtually no wind and it may have been that the bulk of the passage was over by the time I got to the reservoir just after 1500h; there were no birds after 1630h and there was no evidence of birds coming down to roost for the night. I am going to treat myself to the entire day at the reservoir tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

The highlight today was a best count of about 650 Oriental Pratincoles, most of which were sat on brown gravel. This background and the prevailing gloom made photography virtually impossible. It was an amazing sight reminiscent of looking at the vast numbers of Sand-plovers that settle down on dry salt pans at Laem Pak Bia. There were also good numbers of Green Sandpipers. I was also pleased to finally get a shot of a flycatcher for the first time this season. In fact I was lucky because it showed for 5 seconds and I managed to get on it. Let me express thanks to Dave Gandy and Tom Backlund for their help in identifying this bird. I wasn't confident  calling it Asian Brown and didn't want another mistaken identity.

Other species noted were a Pied Kingfisher and a Yellow Wagtail.  The Blossom-headed Parakeets came in as if by appointment at 1730h and this time I was able to make out a female, greyish head and no black collar, in the small flock.

I shot a mere 18 frames today, six of which were of a dragonfly and even before I started I knew the shots were unlikely to be any good due to poor light. I took one shot of the flycatcher and it was gone. I tried to shoot a Green Sandpiper but the light was against me. So one frame for the day is good enough for me.

Raptors at The Reservoir

Black-shouldered Kite

This afternoon there must have been a passage of somewhere in the region of 400 raptors, all in the space of about an hour, at Huay Mai Teng Reservoir, Ratchaburi. Passage is probably inaccurate as many of these birds were coming down to roost in the nearby plantations but most of these birds are undoubtedly migratory and are headed south. I was here specifically for this but I did not expect these numbers. This follows yesterday when I observed a first harrier (female pied) and possibly a first aquila eagle (Greater Spotted Eagle?) of the winter. Both were in the distance so I only really feel comfortable with calling the harrier.

Osprey

Now raptors terrify me because I am really useless at identifying them, especially when they are high in the sky; I wouldn't want to suggest either that I am much better at it when they are on the ground. The digiscope rig is not ideal for photographing aerial birds. So I don't have a lot to show for what I saw. First of all a distant kettle of approximately 130 Black Kites. No real surprise as the reservoir is about 50 km from a major winter roost in the Khao Yoi area, Phetchburi province. (There have been reports of up to 5,000 Black Kites at this roost!)  However I have never seen so many kites at the reservoir, usually a solitary bird here at the reservoir, here and there, and once, there were four having a stroll in the launch area; three of those feature as the strap for this blog.

Oriental Honey Buzzord

Then in came a mixed group of raptors from a northerly direction blown in by a helpful wind. The dominant species in this gaggle of about 270 birds were Oriental Honey Buzzards. (Ed: Thanks to Tom Bucklund who kindly corrected my original call of Chinese Sparrowhawk  - I told you I was useless! ) However there were other species in this group. They came in drips and drabs over a period of about 45 minutes and most of these birds headed for the woods. A few crossed over the reservoir and I managed a couple of shots, including the Osprey, who came in with the other birds. I wouldn't want to make any other claims beyond numbers.

Green Bee-eater

Otherwise I love this Green Bee-eater;  this species abounds at the reservoir and the Black-shouldered Kite posed a little for me and allowed me to get closer than I expected.

Now I was planning to take off to Kanchanaburi province tomorrow for a couple of days to do some birding up near the Myanmar border. But I am going to delay that trip and head back to the reservoir and see what else comes in tomorrow.