Local

The most striking aspect of a brief sortie to the local rice paddy here in Ratchaburi late this afternoon was the huge numbers of Wood Sandpipers. Hundreds of them were taking advantage of the feeding opportunities from the wet rice paddy. They are quite difficult to photograph.  The highlight, however,  was a pair of juvenile Black-shouldered Kites. First time I have been aware of their quite distinct features notably the white fringing on their upper feathers and the streaking on their foreheads. I doubt if mature adults would have allowed me to get so close. The light was just against me as these shots were taken after 1800h. There were four Black-shouldered Kites in total. As you can see they were perched on wires and having a good look around for prey but fortunately didn't seem to bothered by my presence.

Huge numbers of Black-winged Stilts and Cattle Egrets; many of the latter sporting breeding plumes. But no harriers. As always a pleasure to be out in the sun-drenched late afternoon.

Local News - Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

เหยี่ยวเพเรกริน

Ratchaburi 23.02.12

I am unable to explain how but I appear to have developed an ability to spot Peregrine Falcon in flight. I can't really describe what it is but I watched this fellow fly past me in the local rice paddy in Ratchaburi and was able to follow it on to its perch high on an electricity pylon. I had no doubt I was watching a Peregrine. Not a very good shot but adequate for the record. In fact when I consider the bird was about 350-400 metres away, it was 18:00h, and I was shooting at ISO 200, it is a small miracle and testimony to Kowa's brilliant optics and old faithful, the Nikon P6000. I was using the 20-60x zoom eyepiece at maximum zoom.  Truly amazing reach. Not much else to report, same really as yesterday but no harriers.

Local News - Cinnamon Bittern

Cinnamon Bittern - juvenile

Ixobrychus cinnamomeus

นกยางไฟธรรมดา

Ratchaburi 22.02.12

The local rice paddy in Ratchaburi, a very extensive, flat stretch of land, is now mainly under water as the next stage of the rice growing cycle begins. On arrival after work a male Pied Harrier flew past. I have to say I was very pleased to see him in his splendour. Unfortunately he didn't hang around and pose but I am just glad that I saw him. First male on the patch since before Christmas. Impressive and awe-inspiring as always. I noted 4 Oriental Pratincoles in the air from their distinct call. There were lots of other interesting sounds including at least one Thick-billed Warbler and others which were unfamiliar to my ear: none of these birds revealed themselves however. A couple of Black-shouldered Kites were doing their trademark hovers. I noted singles of the following species: Yellow-bellied Prinia, female Plaintive Cuckoo, Common Kingfisher and a juvenile Cinnamon Bittern; large numbers of Black-winged Stilts, Cattle Egrets, some starting to show their yellow neck breeding plumage, Little Egrets and good numbers of Wood Sandpiper. This blog and the Oriental Bird Club Image Database helped me identify the Cinnamon Bittern. I didn't get it immediately; in fact I had to do a little bit of work to ID this one and I was on the point of posting on Birdforum for help. Initially I thought it was a Yellow Bittern but when I checked it in the field guides and through the OBC Images I realised it wasn't right, bill not long enough and the streaking too pronounced. I pondered whether it was a Chinese Pond Heron for a while but the head is all wrong for this. Then I remembered I had some good shots of a juvenile Cinnamon Bittern from banding at Laem Pak Bia last year so I had a look and open sesame! The bird let me know it was there as it stumbled and the noise of the reeds moving enabled me to make it out. Shame about the reeds but amazing being able to  shoot at 1/5 second .... thanks to the bird keeping very still!

Cinnamon Bittern - juvenile

Ixobrychus cinnamomeus

นกยางไฟธรรมดา

Ratchaburi 22.02.12

I do like the rice paddy. It was once more drenched in golden sunshine as daylight faded and because it is flat and open there is always a gentle breeze blowing across it. This makes it very comfortable and relaxing. A very pleasant place to get away from it all!

Harriers back!

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.

Midweek News

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!

A Blank

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.

Happy New Year from Ratchaburi!

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!

In Praise of Common Birds

Chinese Pond Heron

Ardeola bacchus

นกยางกรอกพันธุ์จีน

Ratchaburi

28.12.11

The plan today was to stake out the irrigation canal adjacent to the Ratchaburi rice paddy and attempt to get some decent shots of Pied Kingfisher. They were there yesterday morning and they were there last year! They are also spectacular birds in my humble opinion and so it seemed a good idea to set up in the hide and wait. I failed miserably in terms of the target but I had a lot of fun shooting common species that can be seen very easily in most parts of Thailand. Some of these birds got in close, others were the same distance away as usual but by virtue of being unseen I gave myself a bit more time for the shot.

Plain Prinia

Prinia inornata

นกกระจิบหญ้าสีเรียบ

Ratchaburi

28.12.11

First of all, prior to setting up in the hide, I had a quick scout round the area to see what I could see. Not an awful lot. A few Black Kites. I did battle with a Common Iora - it wouldn't sit still and allow me to photograph it!  It was very close and would have made a pretty shot, but this creature was not co-operating. Of course digiscoping just doesn't allow for fast movement onto a bird that is cavorting.  This creature was having a blast, upside down and all over the place. I remained patient and hopeful for an opportunity. Then it simply flew off! I feel good that I had only taken one duff shot in the 20 minutes or so I devoted to my efforts.  I immediately deleted it too!

So I spent a few hours in the hide and in fact had the unusual experience of one bird being too close to photograph, a Plain Prinia. I think I'll try and bit more of this tomorrow.

Ratchaburi Rice Paddy

Pied Kingfisher

Ceryle Rudis

Ratchaburi 26.12.11

I've been feeling under the weather these last few days and awoke this morning with both nostrils blocked with the cold. So on my first day of leave I was more than happy to spend a few hours birding in the rice paddy in Ratchaburi, as opposed to a longer drive to the main action areas - that is  after dropping my son at nursery and my wife at the hair dresser! This morning the sun was shining brightly.

Indian Roller

Ratchaburi 26.12.11

I drove into a small mixed flock of Little & Great Egrets and some of the latter were still sporting that very distinctive aquamarine colour at the base of their bills normally present in the breeding season. I decided to head to my usual haunt which has yielded Grey-headed Lapwing, Common Snipe, possibly Pintail too,  Woodsandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper but today not offering much in terms of diversity: Red-wattled Lapwing, Chinese Pond-Herons and Streak-earred Bulbuls , the latter darting about the border trees and shrubbery. I stopped to admire a solitary Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker and a closer look at the pole shows it ( and others) are probably residing there.

I have little doubt that the next bird up was a Shikra, light grey colours with black primary tips, and dark undertail bands: in the air and heading away from me. Then in the same area I espied a Barbet high on a bamboo tree....a little distant, but my bins confirmed a barbet and rather a lot of red on top. My instinct was Coppersmith but I had doubts because it looked bigger. I had a look at the field guide which raised more issues: for a Coppersmith this had a distinct lack of yellow around the eyes. And so it remains as a mystery as the bird duly legged it before I could do anything else!

Then I had a virtual point blank on a Thick-billed Warbler whose presence in the shrubbery I noticed from the movement of leaves it was causing, then out popped its head and then everything else and it saw me and my bins about 6 feet away and not surprisingly legged it or rather winged it! In compensation an Indian Roller perched up on the other side of the irrigation canal and I was lucky enough to see it and to be able to photograph it.

With no time pressure on me I drove to another part of the rice paddy where last year I saw some Pied Kingfishers. Well they were there for me today and I managed to get a shot of one who was more interested in his prey than me, but not for very long! No these guys do it for me. They really strike me as extraordinarily beautiful and I doubt I could ever tire of them. I think I'll be out tomorrow with the hide to see if I can really get in close and get some shots of these spectacular birds.

Finally at least three Black Kites were soaring in and around the rice paddy during my visit. No sign of harriers, however.

Black-browed Reed-warbler, Thai Lifer ⌗306

Black Kite

Ratchaburi

24.12.11 

A Merry Christmas to you! I managed Thai lifer ⌗306, a Black-browed Reed-warbler,  this afternoon in the rice paddy here in Ratchaburi, a perfect Christmas present. Two noteworthy features: its very clear black brow above a white supercilium and its white underparts. The warbler was skulking in reeds on the edge of the rice paddy adjacent to the irrigation canal. I could so easily have missed this bird and assumed it was an Oriental Reed Warbler but I waited for it to show itself and the black brow shouted at me, so to speak. No photograph as it was rather late in the day and I was in the truck.

Snipe sp

Ratchaburi 24.12.11

It is a joy to be on holiday for a few days and it is equally a joy to be able to go out birding at my leisure at 1430h with absolutely no pressure of time. It was strangely overcast and dull.  The first bird to attract my attention was a Black Kite which parked itself in the rice paddy while it devoured some unfortunate prey. It didn't like me encroaching and soon flew off.

I went to look for "inland waders" in another part of the paddy and met up with the two snipe photographed above. I think these are Pintail Snipes but I am really not sure and I cannot get any confirmation. I didn't get a view of their tails but there were no white trailing edges on their wings as they flew off - the field guides say these are diagnostic in respect of Common Snipe. It is conceivable that I didn't see their white trailing edge, but I was certainly looking for it when they flew. I attach a shot of the snipe's rear.

I am also influneced in favour of Pintail as I think the bill is on the short side and then this issue of the supercilium always being broader than the eyestripe at the base of the bill. If you feel confident about calling this one please let me know!

Red-wattled Lapwing

Ratchaburi

24.12.11

Not many other waders around and no sign of Grey-headed Lapwing either. I took advantage of the opportunity offered by the above obliging Red-wattled Lapwing, one of the more common residents in the rice paddy. An Eastern Marsh Harrier was doing a bit of buzzing and managed to unsettle 5 Black-crowned Night-herons which flew from their perch on a nearby tree, their presence up to that moment unknown to me. A Common Kingfisher  came tantalisingly close to giving me a good shot but as you can see the lower half of the bird's body is wrong. I also think I was in the wrong position too and that more of a side angle, as opposed to this head on, would make for a better image. You will appreciate, however, that if I start moving around the bird is going to take off.

Common Kingfisher

Ratchaburi

24.12.11

And finally there are thousands of ducks in the rice paddy waiting to be let loose on the remnants of the harvest. A strange spectacle but maybe their presence will draw in some more raptors in search of some variety in their diet.

Another Magical Local Hour

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos macei

นกหัวขวานดา่งอกลายจุด

Ratchaburi 19.12.11

It's always nice to add a new tick to the patch and tonight in the final light of the day two Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers obliged for me in Ratchaburi's rice paddy. Sunset was at 1759h, these shots were taken at 1748h. I was fortunate to notice the birds on a large wooden stake as I drove home.  The birds were good enough to let me get reasonably close which always means a better image.  I was already very happy as I had just seen our solitary Grey-headed Lapwing and prior to that I had been able to get a reasonable image of a Pied Harrier on terra firma. Plus the female Pied and a male and female Eastern Marsh Harrier were also harrying. 

Pied Harrier

Circus melanoleucos

เหยี่ยวดางดำขาว

Ratchaburi 19.12.11

The Pied image really is a showcase for digiscoping. This is no front cover shot but the bird was about 400 - 500  metres away and if you look closely you can see his black iris. It's also cropped but not a bad result. Note that the rice has been harvested and indeed this is ongoing; next thousands of domestic ducks will be let loose on it to eat any residue, then over the next six weeks it will be burned,  ploughed, flooded, churned and new rice planted. Back-breaking work under strong sun.

My harrier flight shots continue to improve too and I expect to post a decent flight shot sometime in the near future. With this year's Winter Solstice due on 22nd December the days will then start to lengthen, just a little, with maybe a gain of an extra hour of daylight over the next few months - this should mean the light at about 17:30h will be strong and all round much better photography conditions.

So another magical, effortless hour in the local rice paddy. I want to get closer to that Pied Harrier!

A Quiet Weekend

A very welcome visit from a nephew, Andrew, and his girlfriend combined with the remnants of a nasty throat infection meant little birding activity this weekend. Of course I took everybody out to the rice paddy for the final hour of Saturday afternoon and I am delighted to say I was able to show my wife, her mother and Andrew and his girlfriend a solitary Grey-headed Lapwing. It was like a magic hour because there were also plenty of Common Snipes, Wood Sandpipers, a few Spotted Redshanks, White-breasted Waterhen, a Brown Shrike, a White-throated Kingfisher, a Common Kingfisher, and all the usual suspects; in the last light of the day a male and female Pied Harrier put in an appearance,  an Eastern Marsh also flashed around and the distinctive fluttering hover of a Black-shouldered Kite revealed its identity against a very dark sky. My guests loved it!

Sunday we had a boat trip on the Meklong River at Amphawa Market, Samut Songkram. A Little Tern, a fair few Whiskered Tern, plenty of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and a Brahminy Kite hovering around. We headed to the Khao Yoi Black Kite roost for the final light of the day and I counted between 250 - 300 Black Kites on the ground. My guests were really impressed by the spectacle.

Roll on the Christmas break - I am looking forward to doing some serious birding.

Grey-headed Lapwing

Grey-head Lapwing

Vanellus cinereus

นกกระแตหัวเทา

Ratchaburi, 10.12.11

At 0700h this morning there was a beautiful, refreshingly cool breeze blowing across the Ratchaburi rice paddy as the sun rose in the sky. A male Pied Harrier announced his arrival as a mixed flock of Cattle and Little Egrets scurried off in terror. I was there to check on the Grey-headed Lapwing and it didn't take very long  to pick out  a couple in the distance! They flew off! There may have been another pair of Grey-headed nearby or these may have been those that flew off. Whatever I managed a passable shot with conditions really against me; both the bird and I were adjacent to the sun hence the strong sun light on its right side; it was also just a little too far away. However it will suffice as a record. I would like to get in closer because it really is a beautiful bird.

Ratchaburi Rice Paddy

Plain-backed Sparrow

Ratchaburi

30.11.11

Fairly quiet tonight in the rice paddy in Ratchaburi.A female Pied Harrier and not much else of note in the 40 minutes or so of daylight. However this Plain-backed Sparrow shot against the ever-ripening rice crop with a setting sun behind me obliged. I have said before this is one species that would be justified in feeling resentful for an apparent misnomer.

A Very Short One in the Rice Paddy

I managed an hour in the rice paddy late afternoon. A Thick-billed Warbler, a Yellow Bittern, a Pied Harrier, an Eastern Marsh Harrier, and once more no photographs. Lots of common species. I also managed to lose my spectacles in the rice paddy and I am unable to read without them. My new P6000 cleared Thai customs today so maybe it will be delivered tomorrow or Monday. Hope to get out this weekend.

Perfection in the Paddy

Circumstances right now, work and its demands on my time, in particular, are against me in terms of birding. Sad because the weather and light are perfect. Yesterday evening I made it into the local rice paddy in Ratchaburi for about 30 beautiful minutes, the remains of the day draped in deep, rich setting sun contrasting a blue sky adding to the intensity of the rich, green rice plants stretching out in all directions to the horizon. I was rewarded by the show put on just above the rice by a pair of Pied Harriers, a male and female, cavorting, in fact revelling in this splendid setting, swooping up and down and then towards each other and then away. I  didn't bother trying to photograph this scene: too much movement and not enough light combined with the birds just being a tad too far away to take a usable picture. I simply observed it through my telescope. A perfect scenario, good for the soul. I have to say not photographing means I am looking much more closely at the birds and in consequence seeing a lot more. I think my identification skills and development have suffered as I have been too focused on photography these last few months: these last few days have been a good reminder of the need to spend more time observing. Three distant ducks flew past: these were most certainly not the common Lesser Whistling species but definitely something else, I wonder what. Sadly just not enough time for birding right now; even here in Thailand, relatively close to the equator the length of daylight changes; after December's winter solstice daylight will start to lengthen here and as it extends we'll get about a critical extra hour of light.

Thick-billed Warbler

Streak-eared Bulbul

Ratchaburi

12.11.11

I have finally shaken off the trots I am happy to report which means I was able to go out birding for a few hours in the local rice paddy this afternoon in Ratchaburi. A frustrating sort of afternoon as the light was really poor so no decent shots. Pity because the weather, especially the light, has been good all week with lots of decent sunshine. Not today!

On arrival lots of Common Snipe in their usual spot. I decided to seek out raptors and the Thick-billed Warbler. So I took a walk along the side of the railway and stumbled upon a male Pied Harrier at a good distance, too far away for photographing but a feast for the eyes as he lorded it up: "fit for purpose" sprung to my mind. He didn't hang around for long. Good however to note his continued presence in the rice paddy.

I then sat out in a small sala, in effect a DIY sun shade, but nothing of interest came out or appeared. A male Pied Harrier flew in briefly but headed off  almost immediately. I then managed to sight a pair of distant Greater Racket-tailed Drongos; not very common in this area. All the usual suspects. I decided to head back to the car after a pretty fruitless 90 minutes.

As I was walking back along the side of the railway a small brown bird flew into the foliage on the railway embankment. I managed to pick it up in my bins from the movement of the foliage and I got enough of a view to be able to say it was a Thick-billed Warbler. Head above the bill all dark, throat buffer than the rest of the breast, bill distinct, I would say the  upper mandible is very broad. However a real skulker and not a perfoprmer, a very different looking bird from the Oriental Reed Warbler. Nearby I could hear the distinct tak tak tak call of another Thick-billed. So a lifer, no less and one to be pleased about. I wouldn't be calling this one had I not asked for help with a difficult Oriental Reed Warbler ID last week. That got me looking at the field guides and listening to sound recordings of its call so when the bird did show I knew what I was looking for.

A good day! In fact it was a really great day because I have sourced a replacement Nikon P6000. Maybe will have it in about 10 days or so as it in the US of A.

The Betsey Trotwoods

Zebra/Peaceful Dove (Nikon P5100)

Geopelia striata

Ratchaburi  05.11.11

Saturday was an interesting day. It ended with me having the worst diarrhoea ever and which is still continuing as I write Monday morning. The diarrhoea wiped out Sunday save for a trip to the doctor. But Saturday before being afflicted, I headed out early to the local rice paddy in Ratchaburi. I took a wander into an overgrown part of my cul-de-sac and I think this area looks very promising.

Streak-eared Bulbul (Nikon P5100)

Picnonotus blandfordi

Ratchaburi  05.11.11

I didn't see it other than for a fleeting glance but I certainly heard a Thick-billed Warbler.......a really distinctive monotone tak-tak-tak coming from the undergrowth which marries up with recordings. So I'll need to stake out this area and see if I  can get a shot of this bird. Not much else to report, a female Pied Harrier, Wood Sandpiper, Common Snipe and Asian Brown Flycatcher and lots of common birds.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Fuji FinePix F100fd)

Merops philippinus

Ratchaburi  05.11.11

I went back to the rice paddy later Saturday afternoon. My P5100 wouldn't power up so I found myself using an old Fuji Fine Pix F100fd with the Kowa universal adaptor. This camera is not ideal for digiscoping as it has largish zoom capacity (5x) and it doesn't really allow much control over exposure. You can't compensate or set to Aperture priority.What was significant was using the Kowa universal adaptor which I have to say worked a treat. It can be a bit fiddly but I have to say I liked it and of course this opens up so many more possibilities in terms of a replacement camera. The Canon S95 is on obvious contender.

The results with the Fuji were perfectly acceptable once correctly set up and I have to say the autofocus worked really well. See the Blue-tailed Bee-eater above, perfectly passable. Anyhow the good news is the Nikon P5100 mysteriously powered up later in the afternoon but then came the "Betsey Trotwoods" and boy did they come!

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!