Indian Nightjar
The quality and range of birds at Huay Mai Teng Reservoir, Ratchaburi never ceases to amaze me. I spent a few hours there this afternoon and after all the usual suspects have been included, that is the birds you would expect to find here, the list reads something like this: Red-throated Pipit, Oriental Pratincole ( including three fledglings - real cuties I hasten to add), Yellow Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Osprey, Green Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Small Pratincole, Plain-backed Sparrow, Oriental Skylark, Indochinese Bushlark, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Common Hoopoe, Grey-breasted Prinia, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Bronze-winged Jacana, Oriental Darter, Pied Kingfisher, and Indian Nightjar. Note, some regulars are missing: no Rain Quail or Savanna Nightjar.
I shot the Indian Nightjar at 7.00 pm in the dark with the help of my headlights. I stopped the car, positioned the beam on the bird, switched off the engine and used the car door as a hide. Amazingly this is a digiscoped image. Fortunately the bird sat still and let me do my stuff. Not many birds would be so obliging.
Small Pratincole
I noted 4 Small Pratincole at the usual place. This appears to be about it for this year. Maybe more will arrive but this is a massive decrease on last year's numbers. I have to say the level of land reclamation and clearance for cultivation in the area is quite staggering. I wonder if there is a connection.
So not a bad few hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment