Birds of Thailand and Beyond

Wat Khao Takhrao

2012-02-13T00:36:00.001+07:00

I managed to bag two Thai lifers, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail, ⌗311 and ⌗312 , this afternoon at Wat Khao Takrhao in Phetchburi province. I saw both birds last year on my trip to Japan where they are easy to see. Today, however, it was very satisfying as I managed to pick them out from large flocks of Garganey and Northern Pintail. I've got some shots but they are not good enough to post though good enough to confirm ID. I'll look at them again later today to see if I can do anything with them. I am not really sure about their Thai status: I believe they are both uncommon

There were a lot of birds around today. A tantalisingly close Black-headed Ibis which moved off as soon as it sensed my presence; a very confiding Pheasant-tailed Jacana; lots of kettling Black Kites and thousands of ducks, but this time no Lesser-whistling Duck: mainly Garganey and Northern Pintail; there were also large flocks of Brown-headed Gulls and very distant Black-tailed Godwits.

I'll need to go back for more!

Breeding Record!

2012-02-11T16:57:00.001+07:00

Indulge me please........our daughter Margaret Jona Charlotte came into this world yesterday morning at 06:54 weighing in at a comfortable 3.400 kg, almost 7½ lbs to you non-metric people. We're thrilled. Luna, my wife, is recovering well. So my sights are firmly focused on a small person this weekend. I'm looking after our 2½ year old son, Benedict, who is adapting remarkably well to the arrival of his sister. Must be a shock to the boy's system as he has had his mother's undivided attention for most of his short life. But he is adapting brilliantly. Maybe tomorrow, Sunday, I'll be able to slope off for a few hours - I'd like to check out the ducks at Wat Khao Takrhao.......

Harriers back!

2012-02-09T20:01:00.001+07:00

I am pleased to say that harriers are back in the local rice paddy here in Ratchaburi: tonight I saw a female Pied Harrier and an Eastern Marsh. One of the local farmers told me they would be flooding the paddy next week so that should draw in many more birds. I really want to get a male Pied in my sights and try and get a decent shot of it. Tonight I'll just have to settle on this Plain Prinia.

A Day in Pak Thale & Laem Pak Bia

2012-02-05T22:49:00.001+07:00

White-faced Plover

I consider myself a very fortunate fellow to be able to jump in my truck and be in Pak Thale, Phetchburi province in a little over an hour. Just after 0700h I was viewing two Black-faced Spoonbills there. I wanted this species for my year list! What incredible birds with their very striking cooking spatula-like bills. Fortunate indeed, to have easy access and by virtue of this, never really feeling under pressure.

Chinese Egret at ISO 800

I then headed back to Phetchburi at my leisure to pick up Padraig Quinn, a Birdforum contact. I had agreed to show him round the area. We had some great birds today and great to go birding with a kindred spirit.

As a novice and having done next to no birding in the British Isles I really don't know what species Padraig would be interested in. So a delight to stop for Greater Coucal, Collared Kingfisher, Asian Openbill and Red-wattled Lapwing. Pak Thale was a bit disappointing: we had a good look but couldn't find Spoonbill Sandpiper. Plenty of Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshanks, Spotted Redshanks, Kentish Plovers, Little Cormorant, a solitary Indian Cormorant, huge numbers of Eurasian Curlews, few Long-toed Stint, lots of Red-necked Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, more Broad-billed Sandpiper than I can ever recall seeing, but no Spoon-billed Sandpiper.

We headed south to Laem Pak Bia for lunch and over a well-needed cold drink we decided it would be a good idea to head out to the sandspit. Mr Daeng was booked but he got us an alternative; instead of waiting we had a quick scout around the main Laem Pak Bia site. Padraig added Green Bee-eater and Great Knot to his list of lifers. Lots of Gull-billed Terns,too. I rather fancy I saw Red Knot but conditions were hazy and the birds were a distance away, so no claims.

Off we then went out to the sandspit in near perfect conditions where the birding was quite fantastic: Greater Crested Tern, Caspian Tern, Brown-headed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern ( I called it a Common, don't know why!) a Sanderling, a fair few Malaysian Plovers, lots of Greater and Lesser Sand-plover, Great Knot, Red-necked Stint. Nice and easy birds and they were putting on great aerial displays every so often. Then our boatman received a text to say Mr Daeng has located two Spoon-billed Sandpipers on the island nearest to land. So we legged it and Padraig located one Spoon-billed Sandpiper and I think we were both mightily relieved, and grateful to Mr Daeng for letting us know. We only saw one but it showed well.

Next up Mr Daeng put us on a Whited-faced Plover, an exquisite little bird. Then the final coup-de grace: 2 Chinese Egrets as we headed back in the gloom. I even managed some shots notwithstanding the poor light. What sublime beauty. Mr Daeng told us there had actually been three. Who cares?!

So a classic Spoon-billed Sandpiper - on the sandspit. A great day and great conversation.

Midweek News

2012-02-02T20:58:00.002+07:00

Plain-backed Sparrow

These last two nights I have made brief visits to the local rice paddy in Ratchaburi. It was very quiet on both nights but the farmers are starting to introduce water to the fields so perhaps that will liven things up in the next few weeks. I am happy to say I got a brief view of an Eastern Marsh Harrier flying quite high but at least in the area. This male Plain-backed Sparrow does it for me - a beautiful small bird and as I have said on a number of occasions it is anything but plain!

There's been a lot happening in the kingdom of birds in The Kingdom of Thailand over last few months. Read all about it on this link to the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand's latest sightings report.

A few years ago I would have considered a long weekend trip from London to Tokyo in order to see a Siberian Crane and Baer's Pochard as the ultimate act of insanity. I am following this actual twitch on Birdforum on this link. The poor guy's flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo has been delayed due to snow. I would be having kittens personally! If my circumstances were a little different I might be tempted myself! Apparently it is possible to get close to both birds as confirmed by some fantastic shots. Now, we have current reports in Thailand of one Baer's Pochard in Chiang Saen in the far north of Thailand, but apparently it is impossible to get anywhere near it. I might be tempted to make a dash for it in March if it is still up there. I really hope the guy scores! Good luck!

Duck Bonanza at Wat Khao Takhroa

2012-01-29T22:43:00.002+07:00

This afternoon I felt unusually listless as I headed out birding. The plan was to check out a new site in Samut Songkhram province and then head on to Norng Blah Lai. I never found the new site and as I was in the area I ended up driving to the Wat Khao Takhrao area in Phetchburi province. What a piece of good fortune because the large pond was once more full of waterfowl. An even better result was that I was able to drive along a recently reclaimed track, that previously could only be accessed by foot. The bad news - the ducks were too far away to photograph and my cause was not helped by an Eastern Marsh Harrier who was buzzing them.

I managed a few shots and I was in pole position with the sun behind me; unfortunately the birds wouldn't come any nearer. Most of these shots are between 400 - 800 m away, in hot weather over water. I think they more than suffice as record shots but a real shame I couldn't get in close to get detail. Anyhow the ducks made a fantastic if somewhat noisy spectacle. They were widely scattered and well mixed up so it would be impossible to provide anything other than a very rough estimate - 700+ Northern Pintail, 400 + Garganey and between 2,000 and 3,000 Lesser Whistling Duck. I am quite surprised that there were more Northern Pintail than Garganey - I would expect it to be the other way around.

During a conversation with Tom Backlund during the day he said there is a view that the high number of eagles in the Norng Blah Lai area this year may be attributable to the serious flooding in the Chao Phaya/central plains area last year. I wonder if the presence of such big numbers of ducks here this year is also similarily attributable.

The male Northern Pintail is a truly elegant bird with his chocolate head and the white,vertical line which starts behind the ear and broadens into the neck. Three Cotton Pygmy-Geese in an adjacent pool looked decidedly ordinary. Of note, one Black-headed Ibis but among the ducks nothing particularly groovy or unusual that I could see. I believe this area warrants further investigation in the near future.

I hung out and simply watched the show for an hour or so. A Booted Eagle drifted over languorously; a few Caspian and Whiskered Terns too. I have to say I have a charmed existence.

Small Pratincoles back at the Reservoir

2012-01-28T21:24:00.000+07:00

Huay Mai Teng Reservoir rarely disappoints and today was no exception as my son and I headed up for a brief scout around late in the afternoon. I had one objective: to see if the Small Pratincoles had returned. I am delighted to say in the fading light of the day I watched 5 fly above their normal wintering quarters here at the reservoir. They didn't land but I am happy to say they are back in the area and I expect that over the next two months or so their numbers will increase and they will take up their usual position.

I also managed to "see" at least 5, possibly more, Savanna Nightjars. I have used inverted commas because it was virtually dark but nevertheless was able to note three key distinguishing features: white outer tail feathers, white wing patches on the females and finally, and conclusively, the call: it has a really distinctive rasping call which I have checked against other contenders on xeno-canto. It can only be Savanna Nightjar. So Thai lifer ⌗310 goes onto my list. As I drove home I was wondering about the possibility of getting a shot of these birds using flash with a handheld camera: they were coming in so close it seems feasible.

Elsewhere in the site I saw three Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, two Bronze-winged Jacanas, a glimpse of one Blossom-headed Parakeet and one Yellow Wagtail. Plus I managed to flush a small group of about 7 Barred Buttonquail. These are amazing birds: they must have been 10 yards away from me in thickish grass. I didn't have a clue they were so close until they flew off. They really are masters of disguise.

I also rather fancy I saw a couple of Richard's Pipits: they appeared bigger, more upright,stouter billed, longer-tailed and lighter lored with more extensive breast markings. I've just had a listen to both Paddyfeld and Richard's calls , once more on xeno-canto, and I am now doubtful so no claims.

For once I didn't get the rig out. My little boy loves to play with the tripod so I am not sure I would have been able to take any shots. But a most happy scout around the reservoir.

A Blank

2012-01-27T08:22:00.002+07:00

A brief 45 minute saunter through the local rice paddy in Ratchaburi drew a virtual blank: no evidence of harriers or eagles whatsoever. A glimpse of a Thick-billed Warbler, a White-breasted Waterhen and small flocks of Plain-backed Sparrows and Scaly-breasted Munias. I am a little perplexed about the absence of harriers, I haven't seen any here since before Christmas: they have been a fixture here at this time on the two previous years. The rice paddy is dry and barren right now so maybe they have moved to better pastures and will return when planting begins which will result in the fields being flooded.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Pak Thale, Phetchburi

2012-01-23T15:23:00.001+07:00

The plan this morning was to find Far Eastern Curlew at Pak Thale and in between my efforts scout around for Spoon-billed Sandpiper. I failed miserably on the former but I did see two Spoon-billed Sandpipers and I rather fancy I also saw 3 Little Stints. Thanks to Peter Ericsson's party for putting me on to the Spoonbill Sandpiper. It's nice to be able to add Spooner to this year's list but I wonder how many more years it will come back to winter in Pak Thale. It's also nice to be able to publish a decent shot of Spooner too. Not an easy bird to digiscope as it is on the move with little let up in its feeding action. This shot is heavily cropped to exclude a Red-necked Stint and Curlew Sandpiper.

The only thing better than one Spoonbilled Sandpiper is two!

That bill! I could have tried to get closer but I really didn't want to encroach any further. These birds command respect and some care and it seems plain wrong to disturb them at all.

The jury is still out on my putative Little Stints! Tom Backlund's initial reaction was Red-necked Stint. The shots are above and below. I thought possibly Sanderling but the bill is not right and they are much too dark.

Some of the other birders I spoke with today had seen 2 Black-faced Spoonbills earlier but my efforts to locate them drew a blank. They did produce a Black-headed Ibis in a large flock of egrets and Painted Stork. I think it is a juvenile. The ibis was constantly on the move, feeding, and it was fairly congested with birds so it was impossible to get a clear shot of the bird.

Finally a couple of common birds: a Barn Swallow and a Caspian Tern.

So Pak Thale is kicking!

Aquila Eagles at Norng Bla Lai, Phetchburi Province

2012-01-22T21:41:00.000+07:00

Greater Spotted Eagle

I am surrounded by avian richness and a 35-40 minute drive today took me early afternoon to Norng Blah Lai in Phetchburi Province. This is home to wintering aquila eagles; these must be some of the most spectacular birds I have seen: big, majestic birds and a magnificent spectacle. The official count today was 17 Greater Spotted Eagles, 5 Imperial Eagles, 4 Steppe Eagles, 3 Booted eagles, 4 Peregrine Falcons, a few Eastern Marsh & Pied Harriers, a couple of Brahminy Kites, a few Black-shouldered Kites and lots of Black Kites. These are the figures provided by Mr Paan, one of the leading lights in the raptor scene - I saw all the aquila species this afternoon, and only missed out on the Peregrines. You could say the place was buzzing - at times it was a bit like a fly past. Great to see Paan again too.

Eastern Imperial Eagle

I must add it didn't start out too promisingly. As is the tradition here the recently harvested fields were on fire this afternoon, and this meant a huge amount of smoke was being blown northwards across the main viewing area. However I noticed a number of black kites perched on a tree just above the wind and headed in to this area.

There were plenty of Black Kites on the ground in this area and then the flyby began. In fact the Imperial Eagles came down from high and I was so excited that I messed up the shot! I've got shots of Steppe Eagles too, high in the sky, but they are good enough for identification purposes but not much else. So I won't post them here. The Imperial just qualifies for use here! Amazing to see the four aquila species on the same day in the space of a few hours.

A very pleasant afternoon today and truly sensational birding.

Common Kingfisher, Kanchanaburi Province

2012-01-20T21:37:00.003+07:00

The school camp brought me to the Pavilion Mae Kwai Resort in Kanchanaburi Province. I really should make a trip into this area and do some birding here because I have no doubt it will be very rewarding. Maybe later this year. Like rubbish dumps universally, large resort hotels in Thailand are worth exploring because they often have extensive grounds with usually a few interesting species knocking about. Today notwithstanding the presence of 250 unruly kids I saw some warblers, a Coppersmith Barbet and I managed to get a few shots of this Common Kingfisher which perched up for me nicely. The light was a little against me and it was late in the day so I have not managed to get as much detail as I was hoping for but I am happy nonetheless with the shot - my colleagues and kids were impressed too!

Steppe Eagle in the Rice Paddy

2012-01-19T19:20:00.000+07:00

It was one of those fantastically sun-drenched late afternoons today so I nipped round to the local rice paddy to see what I could see. I was thinking that it's been some time since I have seen a Pied or Eastern Marsh Harrier. Soon after my arrival I caught the flight of a falcon species, Peregrine I presume, but I really can't say for sure so I won't name it. I followed its flight into the distance eventually alighting on an electricity pylon. I was just getting its bearings when a much larger darker bird caught my eye circling around the pylon. It was checking out the falcon as if to say "Be careful, son." Black Kite I assumed until my view opened up and I saw the bird's upperside wings: white barring , largish head, light brown upper wings - unmistakable Steppe Eagle. I desperately sought to get set up and in doing so probably attracted the eagle's attention. It drifted off in the gentle breeze. But I was very happy nevertheless. What a fantastic bird, visible from my house in real terms.

Pied Avocet at Laem Pak Bia

2012-01-16T22:56:00.000+07:00

Pied Avocet

Recurvirostra avosetta

นกปากงอน

Laem Pak Bia

16.01.12

It is Teachers Day today and we got a day off so I headed to Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia in the afternoon, against the tide. There were huge numbers of Curlews and Black-tailed Godwits at Pak Thale, in fact there were large number of waders in the pools towards the sea, but I couldn't make out any Spoon-billed Sandpipers or Nordmann's Greenshanks. I made some effort to seek out Spoon-billed Sandpiper in fact but sorry to say I drew a complete blank. Lots of frantically feeding Red-necked Stints which raised hopes but no sign of that famous spoon bill.

Grey Heron

Ardea Cinerea

นกกระสานวล

The King's Project, Laem Pak Bia

16.01.12

In view of recent experiences with gulls I will never treat a flock of gulls again with indifference or disdain. They may well contain treasure! Try as I did today, and I tried all the way down to Laem Pak Bia, but I couldn't find anything other than Brown-headed Gulls with a few Caspian Terns. I did however find a solitary Pied Avocet having a feed. I was measuring up the front cover shot when a lorry load of workers followed by a cavalcade of motor cycles approached and I had to move as I was blocking the narrow track. The noise scared the bird away. Such is life. The Thai field guide describes Pied Avocet as " หายาก", "ha yak", meaning "difficult to see". I saw sixteen of them in the air on my previous visit. So always pleasing to see, and in this instance, photograph the rarer species.

White-breasted Waterhen

Amaurornis phoenicurus

นกกวัก

The King's Project, Laem Pak Bia

16.01.12

I went into the Kings Project looking for photo opportunities. It is strange there at the moment as the main ponds are all empty. They have been drained due to maintenance. There are still plenty of birds but not as many photo opportunities. I managed shots of a Black-capped Kingfisher, a Grey Heron and a White-breasted Waterhen: fairly common species but all definitely camera shy; hard to get close to these birds without scaring them. It's these birds which really cry out for a handheld camera with a decent lens: they are difficult to digiscope simply because they don't allow much time.

Black-capped Kingfisher

Halcyon pileata

นกกะเด็นหัวดำ

The King's Project, Laem Pak Bia

16.01.12

It simply takes one good bird to make a good day and today Pied Avocet did it for me.

On Gulls: Black-headed and Brown-Headed

2012-01-15T08:16:00.001+07:00

Brown-headed Gull (1w)

Larus brunnicephalus

Don Hoi Lot, Samut Songkhram Province

29.12.11

Brown-headed Gull (1w)

Larus brunnicephalus

Bang Pu, Samut Prakhan Province

07.01.12

Gulls have been the highlight of 2012 so far for me. Quite unexpectedly so. It's also been very educational too. I think my knowledge of these fascinating pelagic birds has increased sevenfold in 2012. The Brown-headed Gull is the most common gull in Thailand followed by the smaller Black-headed. However, they are not that easy to separate and provide a good introduction to the complexities of gull identification.

Less than two weeks ago I posted the top picture of the gull sitting on water on BirdForum for help with identification. I thought I had a shot of a Black-headed Gull: it had the black ear spot and dark iris referred to in most of the field guides as this species' diagnostics. I must own to feeling unconvinced when told it was a Brown-headed "first winter"! I even posted a second picture to show the detail of the eye! My friend Tom Backlund told me there could be no doubt it was a Brown-headed. Crest-fallen, I was! What was I not seeing?!

Learning point ⌗1: get a shot of the bird in flight or with its wings extended. In the second picture the black primaries and secondaries dispel any doubts about this bird's identification: it is a first winter Brown-headed Gull. This is supported by the dull orange bare parts of the gull: the bill and the legs.

Black-headed Gull (2w - adult)

Larus ridibundus
นกนางนวลซอบชาว

Bang Pu, Samut Prakhan Province

07.01.12

Now apparently the Brown-headed Gull's bill is heavier/stouter than that of the Black-headed. I find this a hard distinction to make. Fortunately I managed the above flight shot of an adult Black-headed Gull. Note the blackish tips of the bird's primaries. That is one of the key diagnostics. From Harrison's Seabirds : "....prominent ....blackish tips to outer 6 or 8 primaries". Please note this shot was taken with the camera hand-held minus the telescope. That is how close it is possible to get to the birds at Bang Pu. But I would find it impossible to separate this bird from the Brown-headed without being able to see the wings. Apparently it is a smaller bird too, but my eye is not yet good enough to discern a significant difference.

The above shots are a tentative comparison of first winter Brown-headed, left, and the adult Brown-head, right. The most obvious difference is the colour of the bare parts, the bill and legs. In the first winter they are dull orange and in the adult they are a bright red.

The above shots highlight the difference in bill colours between Adult, left, and First Winter, right; the difference in the iris tone is also clear with the first winter being darker. I am a little disappointed I didn't manage to get some close-up shots of Black-headed. Something for my next trip to Bang Pu.

Bang Pu is a really excellent place to view and photograph gulls. They come in huge numbers and they really do come in close and perch on bamboo stakes close to the pier. Moreover rarities show up most years: my recent visit was to twitch Mew Gull, a real rarity for Thailand and last year there was a Sooty Gull, a first record of this species for South-east Asia. Slender-billed Gulls are also seen here on a regular basis.

An additional attraction is the facilties: at the pier end there are a number of excellent restaurants famed for their sea-food. Bang Pu can get busy, however, as it is a popular spot and a very convenient distance from Bangkok: a bit like Largs and Glasgow, well, errrrr, not quite!

A Mundane Saturday Afternoon at Don Hoi Lod

2012-01-14T20:05:00.000+07:00

A short visit to Don Hoi Lot in Samut Songkhram province this afternoon, by recent standards, was disappointing. But I am not complaining. I had 3 species of kingfisher this afternoon, Common, Collared and Black-capped. I only managed shots of the Collared, however. There were about 60 Brown-headed Gulls but the ponds were comparatively quiet: the numbers of gulls, terns and waders were significantly down from my last visit. There were good numbers, nevertheless, of Common Redshank, Common Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper; add in about 12 Bar-tailed Godwits. Pretty ordinary, really, but a pleasure to be out birding.

On the photographic front I have stopped shooting in RAW for the moment. My friend Tara, Digiscoper of The Year no less, commented that she noticed a grey cast to a lot of my images. She called it "shadowing". I have noticed this too especially when I shoot in .NRW and .JPG. The JPG images are much better: more lustre, better colour, better balance, hue etc. So I reckon it is something to do with shooting RAW and the settings either on my camera or in Aperture, my post-production software. That means reading the manuals - yuk!

Slaty-legged Crake, Bangkok

2012-01-08T19:31:00.000+07:00

I had two targets this weekend: Mew Gull and Slaty-legged Crake. Mission accomplished: double twitch! I found Slaty-legged Crake in a garden next to the Department of Geology, Chulalongkorn University in downtown Bangkok early this afternoon. Once more many thanks to Phil Round for the news of the crake's presence. This is another real rarity. My Thai field guide describes Slaty-legged Crake as " หายาก" ( ha yak), "difficult to see"; it describes the Mew Gull as " หายากมาก" ( ha yak mak), "very difficult to see". So a very productive twitch and a couple of big ticks. I must also express gratitude and appreciation to Luna, my wife, who encouraged me to go and indeed gave me her blessing.

The crake didn't imeediately show and I had to have a look around and then I finally saw rather matter of factly walking around in trees. It presented me with a dilemma. Do I observe it or do I try to get a shot? When I finally spotted the crake I wasn't set up so I really had no choice but to watch. I am grateful for this as my answer to the question has to be "watch" and then get the shot if possible. The crake didn't seem too bothered by my presence but was moving around and only occasionally standing still for a few seconds. In the end I managed to get set up and I managed one decent shot of the bird which is above. Both the crake and gull were really in 300 mm lens territory. I am sure one of my mates will get a couple of cracking shots of these birds if they are lucky. Regardless, I managed one reasonable shot in difficult circumstances and that is all I want.

I went back to Bang Pu first thing this morning and the Mew Gull obliged by keeping the right distance away! However as you might see from the white right side edge, noticeably on the head, the sun was in the wrong place! Once more I just wanted a decent shot of the whole bird and this one will do.

I don't think I'll be twitching for a while so I am glad this one was so successful. Slaty-legged Crake was lifer ⌗309.

Mew Gull at Bang Pu, Samut Prakhan Province

2012-01-07T21:39:00.005+07:00

Thanks to information from Phil Round I successfully twitched Mew Gull this afternoon off the pier at the seaside resort of Bang Pu, Samut Prakhan. In effect it is suburban Bangkok, just off the Sukhumwit Road about 30 km east of Bangkok. It was a very productive day in fact as I managed two lifers. The Mew Gull was ⌗308 and ⌗307 was Black-headed Gull. I am a little surprised I hadn't got the latter on my last. The Mew Gull is a fairly rare visitor to these parts so it is a great tick. Not a great shot but it will suffice at the moment for the record. This bird however came in so close that it was virtually impossible to use the digiscope! The shot below was taken with my P6000. The above shot really shows the power of the digiscope when compared to the shot below! More later!

Laem Pak Bia: Gull Crazy

2012-01-04T13:46:00.001+07:00

Heuglin's Gull (2w)

I decided late morning 3rd January 2012 to head to Laem Pak Bia in Phetchburi province. It was an amazing day and any initial concerns about travelling later in the day, after the morning high tide and into busy roads with New Year trippers heading back home, were soon diminished. First a Black Kite circled above me a little bit down the Petchkasem Highway from home and then the eagles put on a completely unexpected show for me, also above the highway, this time as I passed the Norng Blah Lai area: 2 Booted Eagles, 2 Greater Spotted Eagles and 1 Steppe Eagle. Just like that! They hung around long enough for me to stop the car, get out and have a look.

Heuglin's Gull (2w)

Initially Laem Pak Bia was very quiet. I went into the Abandoned Building but nothing to get excited about here. A couple of Black-tailed Godwits, a few Red-necked Stint and, on the way out, a Common Kingfisher. The track out into the salt pans was blocked so access was impossible.

I then drove up to Laem Pak Bia proper past the King's Project and large flocks of waders were visible on my left and almost on cue they took to the air and moved towards the sea; mainly Great Knot I believe. I headed down the side road onto the sea side salt pans proper and met with a small flock of Curlew Sandpiper and Red-necked Stints. I could see huge flocks of birds massing further in and proceeded on towards them. These birds were on the move as I approached which provided great views of fast moving waders: thousands of birds.

I then witnessed one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my short time as a birder: a small flock of 16 Pied Avocets put on an aerial display, first of all as a group within a much larger group of waders and then they broke away on their own and swooped and swerved above the salt pans for a few minutes before disappearing. I want to know how these birds can perform with such poise and ability and at speed and not crash into each other! The avocets' colours, a very bright white with pronounced black primaries and other black markings on the scapulars and coverts, really enhanced the spectacle. I was in no doubt about this identification even though this was only my second sighting of Pied Avocet.

No photographs sadly but I was just happy to observe. I proceeded further along the track: huge flocks of Plovers and Great Knots, lots of Marsh Sandpipers and Spotted Redshanks, and plenty of other smaller waders. For my efforts I was rewarded with 4 Nordmann's Greenshanks and no sooner was I set up to photograph them than off they went. This looks to be avery reliable spot for Nordmann's as I saw them here on my last visit. Then all went quiet and I decided to investigate a flock of gulls.

This is when it got complicated! In the middle of a large dispersed group of Brown-headed Gulls there were some big gulls that were definitely not Brown-headed. I counted nine of them in total. They really do stick out as they look so different and are considerably larger. Unfortunately I was facing into the sun plus the birds were 200 - 250 m away. Add in my real inexperience with such complex species. But I was buzzing, I was excited, because I really didn't know what I was looking at it.

So I legged it round to the main road and walked into the salt pans. This way I managed to put the sun behind me. For the first time in a long time I switched to the 20-60 zoom eyepiece and cranked it up to 50 mm. In view of the wind I also had to shoot at between 200 to 800 ISO in order to use a fast enough shutter speed to eliminate shake. So these are not the clearest shots but they serve their purpose for records and for assisting with IDs.

Twenty-four hours later I am still struggling to ID most of these gulls. I've had a lot of help from Lou Salomon, a BirdForum member, who called the pictures above of the second winter Heuglin's Gull. But I have also learned from my efforts that the identification of large "white-headed gulls" remains highly problematic. Let me quote Craig Robson, A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South-East Asia, on this subject:

The systematics and identification of all taxa formerly considered as races of either Herring Gull L. argentatus and Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus occurring worldwide have received much attention in recent years. There is growing evidence, based on the study of qualitative differences in morphology, moult, behaviour, ecology,voice and mitochondrial DNA sequences, that several forms, previously regarded as subspecies of either one of the above-mentioned species may, in fact, be better considered full species. Among the most perplexing taxa of all are those that occur or are likely to occur in South-East Asia." ) (My underlining).

So I am mightily relieved to learn it is not simply me! But I do want to learn more about these amazing birds. I am not going to even attempt to ID these birds. I am happy to admit I am out of my depth. So if you can assist with ID please feel free to comment. There are some enquiries pending too so maybe I will be able to make further progress with the IDs.

For me, a perfect day! I am so glad I made it down to Laem Pak Bia. Ah, as I write, I have just finished my first day back at work. I have a very busy schedule over the next two months so I am not sure I am going to be doing a lot of birding. But what a great time I have had this last week or so, a great fix. The not insignificant matter of the birth of our second child is imminent, mid-February, and work will be crazy in the build up to the end of the academic year at the end of February. I am not complaining.......

Happy New Year from Ratchaburi!

2012-01-01T20:17:00.000+07:00

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

นกเด้าดินอกแดง

Ratchaburi 01.01.12

Almost as an afterthought I decided to go birding at 1630h and headed into the local rice paddy here in Ratchaburi; literally round the corner from where we live. I took my son with me and he very obliging fell asleep! My first bird of 2012 was a Common Myna, the first bird I viewed using my bins was an Asian Pied Starling and the first and only bird I have photographed in 2012 was a Red-throated Pipit.

It was unusually quiet and overcast and in fact conditions were really against photography. I was able to drive out into the middle of the rice paddy as the ground is flat and dry and the steady flow of trucks in and out has made a decent track. I ventured on a Common Kestrel hovering, a Black-shouldered Kite and I had the good fortune to see two Pied Harriers, a male and a female, flying in tandem and immediately even my dodgy eyes could see the female as a bigger bird than the male. There were lots of Red-throated Pipits.

Not bad for an afterthought! Happy New Year once more to you all!

Back at Don Hoi Lod

2011-12-31T23:08:00.001+07:00

Little Heron

Butorides striata

นกยางเขียว

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province

31.12.11

As has been my habit during this break I went out birding this afternoon today and once more headed to Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram province, in search of more rare waders. Well none today but just a pleasure to be out again birding in pleasant conditions and, of course, lots of good birds and photo opportunities.

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

นกหัวโตหลังจุดสีทอง

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province

31.12.11

The Whimbrel flock, about 90 birds today but that number was swelling with arrivals, were in the same place as before and I attempted to get close. I managed to get very muddy but made it to some cover; no sooner did I point my lens than off the pack went! How inconsiderate! I did however manage to get reasonably close to a Pacific Golden Plover. There were loads of Common Redshanks about: this must be the most common species in the area.

Collared Kingfisher

Todiramphus chloris

นกกินเปี้ว

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province

31.12.11

I got a look at the sea this afternoon which isn't always possible in the area as there is extensive mangrove. I had fun with this pair of Collared Kingfishers. A group of local boys were very interested in what I was doing. I became a school teacher for a few minutes and told them to be quiet! Especially when I did it in Thai! They were amazed when I showed them the images of the Kingfishers through the loupe on my LCD. In turn I was amazed when they told me it was a "pee-u"; these kids actually knew its name. "Pee-u" is its Thai name from "nok-geen-pee-u"(นกกินเปี้ยว) and that translates as something like "the bird that eats a type of crab", (viz, the fiddler crab or Ocypodidae uca dussumieri ).

They loved the Little Heron as much as I did and they also obeyed my entreaties once more to be be quiet and this time to sit still as I went in to take the shot. Fortunately the Little Heron was completely focused on its next meal: this meant it was very still. The boys called the bird a "punk"!

Greater Sand-plover

Charadrius leschenaultii

นกหัวโตทรยาใหญ่

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province

31.12.11

I then headed back to my happy hunting ground but this time no big surprises. Lots of plovers, huge numbers of Common Redshanks, many Marsh Sandpipers, a small flock of Brown-headed Gulls, some Common Greenshanks and a fair few Black-tailed Godwits. But none of them came in close today!

So folks, that's it for 2011. Let me wish you and yours a very Happy New Year. May it continue throughout the year and most of all enjoy your birding.

Somewhere West of Samut Songkhram......

2011-12-30T23:10:00.001+07:00

Cotton Pygmy-goose

Nettapus coromandelianus

เป็ดคับแค

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

I am not really sure how to describe where I went birding this afternoon but as I have said many times before, it warrants further investigation. Basically I head to the area west of Samut Songkram and south of the Rama II highway, about 10 kilometres before you reach Wang Manao. My target destination was Klong Khon, to check out the mangrove, but I never made it. But once more I had a great couple of hours' birding.

Cotton Pygmy-goose

Nettapus coromandelianus

เป็ดคับแค

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

I arrived at a large fish pond which had good numbers of Cotton Pygmy-Goose ( 125-150), Lesser Whistling Duck and Little Grebe; there were also a few Common Moorhen. A scan for more waterfowl, more exotic ducks, drew a blank. However Cotton Pygmy to my mind is a splendid bird and it's been a good few months, perhaps even a year, since I last saw one.

Egrets

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

In the adjacent pond, overgrown and grassy, surrounded and almost hidden by shrubbery, there was a veritable cornucopia of jacanas: both Bronze-winged Jacana and Pheasant-tailed JAcana, the latter looking quite ordinary minus its resplendent breeding plumes; there were plenty of juvs. too. Just too far away to photograph.

Egrets

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

A few kilometres further on I chanced up 12 Grey-headed Lapwing, once more too far away to photograph but lovely to observe as they lounged in the sun. Further on I chanced upon the largest concentration of egrets I have ever seen - a truly impressive sight. I think the safety-in-numbers rule must have applied because only those egrets closest to me moved. There is one solitary Grey Heron in the pack.

Egrets

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

A small kettle of aboout 30 Black Kites hovered above the egrets for a few minutes before proceeding south, presumably to the Khao Yoi roost. A few of these even came right down and flew between the two columns of egrets.

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

เหยี่ยวดำ

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

The kites offered some photographic opportunities but I am still not happy with the results. These shots are definite improvements. However I think I now know what to do: boost the ISO to 400 or higher so I can shoot at 1/1000 sec. I am going to try this next time I get the opportunity and the light to shoot birds in the air.

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

เหยี่ยวดำ

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

So I never made it to my intended destination but another fun afternoon. I am happy looking at and photographing birds, the only requirement really being that the birds are wild. I continue to be amazed by the variety of birds within one hour from home and am really glad that I have decided to stay local over these last few days.

Lesser Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna javanica

เป็ดแดง

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

Let me wish you all a very Happy New Year and express the hope that 2012 is a great birding year for you wherever you may be. Bonne Année! Blianadh Bha Ar! ( blee-an-ah-va- aar - the Scots were always a difficult bunch!) โชกดีปีใหม่นะครับ (chok-dee-bee-mai-na-krup).

Whiskered Tern

Childonias hybridus

นกนางนวลแกลบเกราขาว

Samut Songkhram Province

30.12.11

Asian Dowitcher at Samut Songkhram

2011-12-29T20:53:00.001+07:00

Asian Dowitcher

Limnodromus semipalmatus

นกซ่อมทะเลอกแง