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Saturday, 3 December 2011

Wat Norng Blah Lai, Phetchburi Province

Greater Spotted Eagle

Aquila clanga

นกอินทรีปีกลาย

Wat Norng Blah Lai 03.12.11

I took my two and half year old son, Benedict, out with me this afternoon and we had a very pleasant time in the Wat Norng Blah Lai area, Phetchburi province. It's a 30 minute drive from home. We had one Greater Spotted Eagle, Eastern Marsh Harrier and Pied Harrier. Two resident Black-shouldered Kites were trying to mob an Eastern Marsh, (f), but she took it all in her stride and gracefully side-stepped their onslaught. What was striking was the difference in their sizes - the harrier really dwarfs the kites.

Black-shouldered Kite

Elanus caeruleus

เหย่ยวขาว

Wat Norng Blah Lai 03.12.11

I could only manage a silhouette of the Greater Spotted, but this shot really captures the atmosphere as the sun sets. The last couple of hours in the day are often fantastic The kites were much more obliging. However they were only about 50m away! As we drove around we also noticed a couple of Black Kites trailing the rice harvesters in the hope of a snack. These are the first Black Kites I have seen in this area this year.

White-throated Kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnensis

นกกะเด็นอกขาว

Wat Norng Blah Lai 03.12.11

As Benedict slept peacefully I was able to stop in the Khao Yoi area on our way home and watch the Black Kites coming in to roost. Over the next few weeks the count here is likely to rise to several thousands but tonight a modest 300-350. At 17:50h photography is just not an option now but they make an impressive sight as they crowd coconut trees; tonight about 100 of them were on the ground in freshly cut rice. I didn't see any kites coming in from the north tonight which surprised me as they do come up to Ratchaburi and Huay Mai Teng during the day.

I have to say things are warming up quite nicely

Saturday, 26 November 2011

Frustrations

I had a frustrating day with my new camera and with trying to get in close to the ducks in the Wat Khao Takhroa area in Phetchburi province, but I did see three Greater Spotted Eagles at Wat Norng Blah Lai. They were just too far away to get a usable shot but the adult was quite magnificent perched on the branch of a dead tree. Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, one of the leading lights of the Thairaptor Group , was present and he confirmed that Greater Spotted and Imperial Eagles have been recorded in recent weeks but the Steppe Eagle's return is still awaited. Chaiyan confirmed a Slender-billed Vulture had been observed on 17th November 2011 but hasn't been seen since. An Eastern Marsh Harrier put on a grandstand show for us but I couldn't get the bird in my viewfinder: I really needed the diopter loupe today because the sun was too strong.

During the week I have been researching on Google Earth how to best access the duck location at Wat Khao Takhrao. Sadly to no avail today but I reckon that having been there today and had another look at Google Earth on return home I am now close to cracking it. From the main road with my scope I can confirm there were still huge numbers of ducks - Garganey,Lesser Whistling Duck and a few Northern Pintail.. But there may well be other species - they are just too far away to make out. Interestingly the Painted Stork were down from about 250 to two! No sign of Black-headed Ibises today.

As I was driving around on the dirt tracks in the fishponds I stopped briefly to try to photograph a Common Kingfisher. In fact I soon learned there were at least 4 and possibly as many as 6 of them in this small area, apparently playing in pairs. What's worse they were not posing for my new camera! I have never seen so many Common Kingfishers together; normally a solitary bird.

I might have taken some great shots today with a 400 mm lens! I'll definitely need to get the diopter loupe back into use. Some practice needed with the P6000. You may have noticed no photographs today - well I have some shots but I am really not happy with them so I'll sneak this one in here of a Greater Spotted Eagle..

Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Some more on Identification

Little Ringed Plover - juvenile

Wat Norng Blah Lai

20.11.11

I am laughing at myself for not being able to ID this little bird from Sunday. I posted on BirdForum and Lappkrabben and Manne put me right. I thought it must be either a Greater or a Lesser Sandplover and thought Greater most likely! Now that I have been advised it is a Little Ringed Plover juv., I can see it immediately. I really couldn't see it at the time. I didn't take any real notice of the eye-ring, but it is there, at least emerging. It is by no means as pronounced and easy to see as that of the adult, in fact it is a very distinct yellow on adults. However I was tying myself in knots about sandplovers!

Sunday, 20 November 2011

Pak Thale & Wat Khao Takhrao

Black-tailed Godwits

20.11.11

I made it down to Pak Thale, Phetchburi province this afternoon but dipped out on all the biggies. Not a problem as I have seen most of the sought after species: I am looking for Eastern Curlew and Long-billed Dowitcher, neither obliged today. I would also like to put a tick against Grey-wattled Lapwing which has been reported in the area. Not today. So no Spoon-billed Sandpiper today but it has been reported on a regular basis since mid-October, with a maximum count of three birds. Basically I just didn't have the energy or enthusiasm to seek it out. I couldn't see it in the usual places so I headed on in pursuit of other birds. As a resident here in the Kingdom I have that luxury!

Black-headed Ibis

20.11.11

On my way to Pak Thale I made a short detour via the Wat Norng Blah Lai area in search of eagles. Not a sign of anything other than a female Pied Harrier and a Black-shouldered Kite in this area; not even a Black Kite. There was, however, a very large flock of Black-tailed Godwits ( 400 -500 birds I would estimate) sitting in a recently sewn rice field and they were good enough to give me a sort of fly past, which very clearly shows their key fieldmarks. (An update 25.11.11:per Phil Round and Nick Upton there has been a confirmed sighting of a Slender-billed Vulture last week in the Norng Blah Lai area - now that is a mega!)

Black-headed Ibis - juvenile

20.11.11

There were plenty of shore birds, gulls and terns in and around Pak Thale. The resident flock of Curlews was as close to the main road as I have ever seen it. On the basis of the information on www.thaibirding.com I headed to the nearby village of Bang Kaew, near a large temple, Wat Komnaram. Bingo! Five Black-headed Ibises with a mixture of Painted Stork and Grey Herons and in their midst about 100 Garganey. A juvenile Brahminy Kite was buzzing the birds. The birds were just too far away to get decent shots but I did my best. There was also a small flock of Brown-headed Gulls mixed up with some Black-naped terns.

Garganey

20.11.11

Brown-headed Gull

20.11.11

Garganey

20.11.11

I then headed on for the Wat Khao Takhroa area, about 20 km to the north of Pak Thale. A feast of waterfowl. It would be impossible for me to provide an estimate but easily in excess of one thousand ducks, large numbers of Garganey and also Northern Pintail. However the sun was setting and it was in my eyes plus most of the birds were a considerable distance away. So even with the scope, making out IDs was difficult and photography was simply out of the question. I am not sure how many, if any, of these duck were Lesser-whistling, the more common resident species. Add in 200-250 Painted Stork, many Grey Herons and Egrets and at least one Black-headed Ibis........I know where I am going this weekend unless news reaches me of a mega somewhere else. I also know where I would be today if I wasn't at work!

Common Snipe

Ratchaburi

19.11.11

On Saturday afternoon I managed a few hours in the rice paddy in Ratchaburi and noted a Watercock, a male and female Pied Harrier and an Eastern Marsh harrier in amongst good numbers of Wood Sandpiper and Common Snipe plus one brief view of a Thick-billed Warbler announced by its call.

Trithemis Pallidinervis?

Ratchaburi

19.11.11

Lastly I received my new Nikon P6000 from the US of A. The P5100 has done a good job as a stand-in these last few weeks but I am mightily relieved to have a P6000. I really like this camera for general use and it is outstanding for digiscoping.

Sunday, 9 January 2011

Some Notes

Purple Heron

Bang Tung Jak

Phetchaburi 9.01.11

My wife, my son and I took a trip down memory or rather "Drongo" Lane today, Sunday 9th January 2011, just off the Phetchkasem Highway to the north of Phetchaburi town. This is where we went birding for the first time in Thailand two years ago, probably to the day. I think we saw and recognised a lot more species today than we did back then but there will still 3 unidentified little brown jobs and these were not obvious species either! But I saw a Yellow Bittern flash past and hide itself in the marshes and I knew what the bird was immediately and I guess that is the indicator of progress over these last two years.

I like the picture of the Purple Heron, a digiscoped image . I was so lucky just to capture the shots as this is a very delicate and shy bird and usually takes off at the slightest disturbance. I managed to take up position with cover from some reeds and was able to get a few decent shots dodging the reeds which were partially blocking my view. I am sure I wouldn't have seen the bird two years ago and I wouldn't have been able to get the image 4 months ago. Progress on all fronts!

Common Snipe

Bang Tung Jak

Phetchaburi 9.01.11

There was no sign of Himalayan Griffons or Cinereous Vultures at Wat Norng Blah Lai but there were Imperial, Steppe, Greater Spotted and Booted Eagles.

At home in our postage stamp front garden we have a Scaly-breasted Munia nest in the Pomegranate Tree and the Tree Sparrows are desperately trying to get into it; we had a female Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker in the tree yesterday. Upstairs in our balcony we have a Red-collared Dove building a nest. Maybe I should stay home! Must rig a camera up and watch this develop.