Slaty-legged Crake, Bangkok

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 immediately show and I had to have a look around, at which point doubt started to set in; am I in the right place....after all it is a huge site? A quick call to Phil Round confirmed I was and then I finally saw the crake 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. 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.

Sunday Peregrinations around Ratchaburi....

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

เหยี่ยวเพเรกริน

Another gentle weekend's birding but the above Peregrine Falcon dropped by the local rice paddy late Sunday afternoon and very helpfully perched on an electricity pylon for long enough to allow me to get a couple of shots. I have to say the fact that this shot is usable, to my mind it is almost decent, is because I  checked my first shot's histogram and adjusted accordingly; in this case I've upped the exposure compensation to + 0.7 ev. This is why, despite low light and distance, I have managed to get a reasonably good capture.

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubius

นกหัวโตเล็กขาเหลือง

But I then struggled with a correct identification. I had doubts immediately because I was expecting a much greyer bird. I checked the literature at home and learned there were three subspecies but I didn't feel confident about making an ID.  A subsequent post on Birdforum and a discussion with Phil Round has been very enlightening. It is a Peregrine but is probably a "local breeder" according to Phil and in his opinion probably warrants describing as its own distinct subspecies. He reckons it is not as orange as the peregrinator subspecies and less vinous below than ernesti. As a relative novice I had no idea about the divisions of this species so it's been very educational.

Asian Golden Weaver

Ploceus hypoxanthus

นกกระจาบทอง

Earlier on Sunday I made it up to Huay Mai Teng Reservoir just after 06:00h where two River Lapwing were feeding near the main launch area. There were also a number of anglers fishing from the reservoir’s banks and they were on the move so the lapwing were also on the move.

Asian Golden Weaver

Ploceus hypoxanthus

นกกระจาบทอง

I set up my hide near a place where the lapwing usually stop for a while. I was sharpening my pencil in anticipation of their arrival, by photographing a Little Ringed Plover, when a motorbike arrived nearby and an angler stepped off it. He then  walked into my spot and scared off the plover and ensured the River Lapwing wouldn’t be stopping!

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubius

นกหัวโตเล็กขาเหลือง

I decided to have a drive around the site. I discovered that a road has been repaired which gives vehicular access to a new part of the site and I hope to explore this area in the forthcoming weeks. I got sight of a couple of nightjars in the understory of some trees but they were too fast for me to identify. I thought they were too big to be Indian but I can’t be sure. I also saw a Common Tailor Bird in the same area which is the first of this species in a while. And the distinctive call of the Chinese Francolin was very audible.

Asian Golden Weaver

Ploceus hypoxanthus

นกกระจาบทอง

I took advantage of the opportunity for photography offered by the bright light. Our weather here recently has been grey, wet and cool due to the typhoon in The Philippines and as such has not been very good for photography. I was pleased to get a couple of decent shots of this very mischievous Asian Golden Weaver – a real character.

Saturday morning I had a long lie and watched an amazing documentary: Le Marche de l'Empereur or The March of  The Penguins, a French-produced documentary, directed by Luc Jacquet, which not surprisingly won the 2005 Oscar for Best Documentary. I can't recommend it highly enough and it has amazing photography, a real work of art and a great homage to these magnificent birds.

Great Thick Knee at Wat Takrao Phetchaburi Province

Great Thick Knee

Esacus recurvirostris

นกกระแตผีใหญ่

Wat Takrao 

Phetchaburi Province

30.08.10

This evening I spoke with Phil Round, of  the BCST, Mahidol University, Wetlands Trust, co-author of one of the two main English language guides to Thailand's birds,  and generally regarded as the leading authority on Thai avifauna; in short a really excellent and approachable person who simply enthuses about birds and knows Thailand and much of S E Asia like the back of his hand. I wanted to find out more about the Great Thick Knee we saw yesterday. Other than knowing it was a rarity I really don't know anything about the bird's relationship with Thailand.

Off the top of his head Phil reckons this is only the second sighting of the Great Thick Knee outside the Mekhong River area in the 30 years he has lived in Thailand, the first being about 10 years ago. Prior to this Phil reckons the last record outside the Mekhong area dates back to the 1960s. This bird is thought to have been at the site since June this year but its continued presence has only been in circulation over the last two weeks.

The photos are the product of my recent venture into digiscoping. I am delighted to have produced usable images but clearly there is a lot of improvement needed and I reckon I am going to have to buy a decent photo-editing programme. But the birds and the photography are giving me a real buzz.