Siamese Fireback
Lophura Diardi
ไก่ฟ้าพญาลอ
Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima
20.10.12
Siamese Fireback
Lophura Diardi
ไก่ฟ้าพญาลอ
Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima
20.10.12
As a courtesy I dropped into the reserve headquarters late afternoon Thursday 18th October, the day before my planned visit, to ask permission to enter the reserve the following morning. This resource is by no means open access to all comers so I wanted to be sure that I could enter without incurring anyone's wrath. I would recommend anybody contemplating a visit to do likewise because there may be days and times when the reserve is completely closed.
Siamese Fireback
Lophura Diardi
ไก่ฟ้าพญาลอ
Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima
20.10.12
The Siamese Firebacks obliged in the finest tradition of drive-in birding. Well correction, a ten minute stroll along the road from the HQ barrier was required! On Friday morning (19th October) I saw 5 males and 1 female feeding on the road with 8 Red Junglefowl. I was surprised by how comfortable some of the birds were around human beings and apart from the poor light on account of the early hour, they really do provide a potentially brilliant photo-opportunity. What magnificent birds! The male is quite respsendent with his crest feathers and in fairness the female is equally striking, with black and buff barring on her upperside. I even managed good views of the male's "fireback": it is exactly that but it is well covered up by his wings: a yellow and orange patch that becomes visible when the bird flaps its wings.
Red-breasted Parakeet - male
Psittacula alexandri
นกแขกเต้า
Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima
20.10.12
Of course I have an excellent ability to balls things up and as I was getting ready to start shooting I realised I had left my electronic viewfinder in the truck. So I legged it back to the vehicle and got the EVF and then legged it back to the birds which were still feeding out in the open. Then I realised I had left my cable release trigger in the truck so had to head back down again. When I got back the birds had gone. So I was most miffed as I knew I had missed an outstanding opportunity.
Red-breasted Parakeet - female
Psittacula alexandri
นกแขกเต้า
Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima
20.10.12
Anyway I came back the next morning, Saturday 20th October, and there were 5 males and 2 females feeding with 4 Red Junglefowl in exactly the same area. I also had company: about 100 school students with guides and teachers. Our presence did little to deter the Firebacks and we got good views and the school party headed on into the nether regions of the reserve. I was left alone and the birds obliged.
Pacific Reef Egret - dark morph variant
Egretta sacra
นกยางทะเล
Koh Kood, Trat Province
17.10.12
There's never been and there never will be an easy digiscoped image. Early morning in a forest means poor light; that means slow shutter speeds and inevitably that means a lot of blurred images except for those few moments when the birds stand still. In that time I have got to frame the bird, fine focus and shoot. For once the birds were so close it was impossible to fit them in the frame! So I am delighted with these images.
Blue Rockthrush
Monticola solitarius
นกกระเบื้องผา
Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima Province
22.10.12
The reserve is also a good place to see Red-breasted Parakeet which can easily be found in the dipterocarp forest in the lower part of the reserve. Once more I was lucky and managed to get on a couple of birds that my wife, Luna, saw as we drove out on our courtesy visit. These guys very obligingly were parked on treetops with strong sunlight on them; the forest gave me enough cover to get on the parakeets and of course the digiscoping rig gives me a lot of reach. So in these circumstances I can get reasonably good images of birds.
I love this place though I can hardly say the birds came out to dance for me. I was very happy to get the firebacks, but I didn't get much else: Emerald Dove, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, White-rumped Shama, good numbers of Asian Brown Flycatchers and a Red Muntjac showed and did some very loud barking. Lots of glimpses of unidentified smallish birds. I would hardly say, however, that I cleaned up! Anyhow I was very happy with the firebacks, Thai lifer ⌗367.
I must also add how helpful and accommodating the reserve staff were. There was a very pleasant atmosphere around the main centre. On both mornings a Buddhist monk walked down past the firebacks and gave a dhamma talk to the assembled staff in Headquarters. I very much want to return.
I've added a couple of shots from elsewhere. I had another chance at the Pacific Reef Egret, dark morph variant, while on Koh Kood waiting for transportation to the mainland. Much sharper and better image than previous postings. And lastly we drove through Khao Yai National Park on our way home from Korat and this Blue Rock-thrush performed a little for me. Not much else seen.
This morning, back home in Ratchaburi, I caught a first sight of a harrier in the sky. Not sure if it was Eastern Marsh or Pied but good to know the harriers are back local. So a return to the local rice paddy is imminent.
Finally in Korat City, where we spent a couple of nights on our travels, I enquired about the price of a captive Red-breasted Parakeet which was on sale at the night market with a host of other birds, including Brown-collared and Spotted Doves. I was quoted 8,000 baht. I was also appalled by the condition of a couple of caged White-rumped Shamas - they looked as if they were about to drop. They could hardly have been more different from wild ones. Terrible business. Most avowedly, these birds were not made for life in a cage.
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