Ratchaburi, about 100 km due west of Bangkok, is home and I am surrounded by great birds with easy access to some of the best birding sites in Thailand: Laem Pak Bia & Kaeng Krachan. This means variety, shorebirds at the former and typical forest birds at the latter. I regret to say I don't make it to Kaeng Krachan as often as I should. Add in local open country birds and you will appreciate I am really rather spoiled. In fact my favourite local site is Huai Mai Teng Reservoir, about 30 km from home on the road to Suan Phueng and the Myanmar (closed) border. River Lapwing, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Oriental Skylark, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Small Pratincole, Rain Quail, Darter, Greater Spotted Eagle, Savannah Nightjar, Chinese Francolin, Small Buttonquail, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo to name a few of many birds.... it is home to a fantastic range of birds.
A native of Glasgow, Scotland I have been living and working in Thailand since 2008. Prior to Thailand I did a near 25 year stint in London. Prior to moving here I had little interest in birds, I am sorry to say! Over Christmas in 2008 we were in Langkawi, Malaysia and while looking in awe at White-bellied Sea Eagles, I wondered to my wife about birds local to us in Thailand. An internet search opened up a veritable Pandora's box, a very happy one I might add. So it all started in January 2009 when we used to took off on Sunday afternoons to Petchaburi and look at the various waterbirds in the rice paddies and swamps. Little did I know that nearby was Wat Norng Bla Lai and eagles.......
Most places in Thailand, including the heart of Bangkok itself, offer a range of interesting birds. My wife is a Filipino and we are starting to get into the birds there which are equally fantastic. I've been able to do a little bit of birding in Japan and Malaysia as well since picking up the binoculars in earnest. Maybe someday I'll make it back to the UK and manage a bit of birding there!
I have no commercial interest in birds or birding and I am not qualified to make any scientific statement relating to birds, although the science interests me. I am an enthusiast, no more! I'll happily show you around my patch if I can - I work, unfortunately, and I have a family, fortunately! But feel free to contact me. The birth of our daughter, Margaret, (10.02.12) probably means it will be a while until we head back to the Philippines.
This blog is about my interest in birds here in Thailand and countries that I visit and my progress and development as a bird watcher. I regard myself as a raw novice with about 3 years birding experience and little more than a few months of digiscoping experience to my name. So I make mistakes in IDs and I take plenty of crap photos!
I have to say that most of the time I get great fun from the birds, sometimes some deep frustration for sure, but essentially it is real pleasure. I love the unpredictability and randomness of it all: I never really know what birds I am going to see and there is always the potential for something quite unexpected to appear, so to speak. In the final analysis it is marvellous to be able to spend time looking at such beautiful creatures and learning more about their behaviour.
updatd 24.08.12
