Chumphon: Some Waders

Chumphon is not best known for waders but it is by the sea and that sea is the Gulf of Thailand and birders the world over know the Inner Gulf is a major wader hotspot. So we are a couple of hundred kilometres south of the main action areas. I myself did a bit of wading this afternoon at low tide from the bridge that marks the boundary between Ta Yang and Na Tang districts in Chumphon. Barefooted, like the locals! I started out with flip-flops but they became more of a hindrance as I approached sandflats via some mudflats.

It didn't look too promising. There were a few waders, a handful of Whimbrel, some small flocks of Greater Sandplovers, a few Red-necked Stints, some Pacific Golden Plover in breeding plumage, a couple of Little Herons, lots of Little Egrets and then a Grey-tailed Tattler, nope, it's a redshank, can't be a tattler, the bill is wrong. The photo shows it is a Grey-tailed Tattler and it is in breeding plumage too. This is a passage migrant which  I have seen at Pak Thale, Phetchburi, as early as  August on its way south and also in May as it moves north. I don't know anything about its status here in Chumphon.

Next up came a Bar-tailed Godwit. I was surprised this bird let me encroach but as I looked the reason why became obvious. It had a gammy leg. I guess birds really need everything to be in perfect working order. I could see it wasn't finding the search for food so easy, although it was bravely trying. It could fly too. I wonder what chances of survival this fellow has. I moved on quickly as I didn't want it to expend energy needlessly in trying to get away from me.

A very industrious and fast moving wader next caught my attention. Terek Sandpiper, I thought, and I got it in my bins and sure enough the orange legs and slightly up-turned bill confirmed this. This triggered a laugh -  a recent Birdforum poster described Nordmann's Greenshank as a "Terek Sandpiper on steroids"! I've seen this species here before.

Of course in terms of appearance the winner has to be the male Pacific Golden Plover - its breeding plumage is truly sublime. I had to work hard for this shot! Understandably he was rather wary of me and kept on the move, just moving when I had my focus correct. Some of the sandplovers were also sporting breeding plumage too.  

I doubt whether I saw more than 100 different waders in the course of a few hours this afternoon whereas at Pak Thale/Laem Pak Bia the numbers are usually tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands. So I am delighted with a Grey-tailed Tattler, a Terek Sandpiper and a Bar-winged Godwit and I would have been happy if this had been the takings from a visit to Pak Thale/Laem Pak Bia.

Back at Don Hoi Lod

Little Heron

Butorides striata

นกยางเขียว

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province 

31.12.11

As has been my habit during this break I went out birding this afternoon today and once more headed to Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram province, in search of more rare waders. Well none today but just a pleasure to be out again birding in pleasant conditions and, of course, lots of good birds and photo opportunities.

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

นกหัวโตหลังจุดสีทอง

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province 

31.12.11

The Whimbrel flock, about 90 birds today but that number was swelling with arrivals, were in the same place as before and I attempted to get close. I managed to get very muddy but made it to some cover; no sooner did I point my lens than off the pack went! How inconsiderate! I did however manage to get reasonably close to a Pacific Golden Plover. There were loads of Common Redshanks about: this must be the most common species in the area.

Collared Kingfisher

Todiramphus chloris

นกกินเปี้ว

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province 

31.12.11

I got a look at the sea this afternoon which isn't always possible in the area as there is extensive mangrove. I had fun with this pair of Collared Kingfishers. A group of local boys were very interested in what I was doing. I became a school teacher for a few minutes and told them to be quiet! Especially when I did it in Thai! They were amazed when I showed them the images of the Kingfishers through the loupe on my LCD. In turn I was amazed when they told me it was a "pee-u"; these kids actually knew its name. "Pee-u" is its Thai name from "nok-geen-pee-u"(นกกินเปี้ยว) and that translates as something like "the bird that eats a type of crab", (viz, the fiddler crab or Ocypodidae uca dussumieri ).

They loved the Little Heron as much as I did and they also obeyed my entreaties once more to be be quiet and this time to sit still as I went in to take the shot. Fortunately the Little Heron was completely focused on its next meal: this meant it was very still. The boys called the bird a "punk"!

Greater Sand-plover

Charadrius leschenaultii

นกหัวโตทรยาใหญ่

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram Province 

31.12.11

I then headed back to my happy hunting ground but this time no big surprises. Lots of plovers, huge numbers of Common Redshanks, many Marsh Sandpipers, a small flock of Brown-headed Gulls, some Common Greenshanks and a fair few Black-tailed Godwits. But none of them came in close today!

So folks, that's it for 2011. Let me wish you and yours a very Happy New Year. May it continue throughout the year and most of all enjoy your birding.

Sunday at Pak Thale & Laem Pak Bia

Black-winged Stilt - juvenile

Himanotopus himanotopus

นกดีนเทียน

I was very concerned by the downpour as I drove south from home on Sunday afternoon to Laem Pak Bia, Phetchburi province in search of waders. It was quite a deluge though typical of rainy season weather. As if by magic my arrival coincided with the end of the rain and so my efforts were not in vain. We are at the beginning of the migratory period so I had very low expectations but nevertheless I’ve seen Tattlers and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper on previous visits to the Inner Gulf at this time of the year.

Little Ringed Plover - juvenile

Charadrius dubius

นกหัวโตเล็กขาเหลือง

I knew I was taking a risk as I would be arriving approaching low tide and this would likely mean the waders would be far away. However the world of birds is full of unexpected happenings and I thought I’d take my luck. For example a Frigatebird was recently reported at Khok Kham, a short distance west of Bangkok. As it happened I went to the Abandonned Building  in Laem Pak Bia while it was still raining and there was next to nothing visible. I could sense the end of the rain and thought I might as well drive north to Pak Thale and ride out the remainder of the rain.

Black-winged Stilt 

Himanotopus himanotopus

นกดีนเทียน

There were no surprises and the birds were, as anticipated, far away but I managed a couple of decent shots of the more common species. There were plenty of Curlews in the distance and closer by the most common bird appeared to be the Common Redshank. The latter were quite camera shy. I took advantage of the excellent light and took some shots of the more common species. Even with these species it is actually difficult to get in close.

I felt privileged as the sun shone and the weather was really pleasant plus I had the place entirely to myself, save for the local fisher people. I decided to cash in on the good light and head back to check what was in the  Kings Project at Laem Pak Bia. En route I stopped to check out a small flock of Great Knot many of which were sporting the remnants of their breeding plumage: over the next few months this flock will increase to the 500 + mark along with huge flocks of Lesser Sandplover and Black-tailed Godwit.

Collared Kingfisher

Todiramphus chloris

นกกินเป่ยว

The Kings Project is a great place for birding and it didn't disappoint on this occasion: 12 Spot-billed Pelicans languorously paddling about the ponds. These guys are really sensitive to disturbance so I kept away. It was just a joy to sit back and watch them amble about. It was surprisingly difficult to get a shot of them mainly because of distance but the light also was a factor: it was so strong and even as sunset approached it was casting powerful beams straight onto the birds: even with -2 ev compensation and  ISO 64 I was still getting blown highlights at 6:00 pm.

Little Heron

Butorides striatus

นกยางเขียว

It was a golden hour!  I felt so happy to be alive and to be in this place alone with these beautiful, big birds nearby. There were a couple of Painted Stork too and they triggered a strong desire in me to eat mature Cheddar cheese! With that came the taste of oatcakes and pickle! Ah the privations of expatriate life in Thailand!

The pictures above were all shot at Pak Thale and those below at Laem Pak Bia.

This picture (above) shows the sala or pavilion which Phil Round uses as the base station for his banding operation. There are actually two pelicans to its left, just about visible. The Painted Stork was just to the right a little bit further along the path, basking in the final light of the day. A Brahminy Kite flew over soon after I took this shot. Finally this sunset shot, taken just outside the Kings Project, transforms an otherwise drab and miserable sort of landscape, especially in daylight. 

Chumphon: Gateway to the South of Thailand

In recent years Chumphon has become well known in the birding world as an important observation point for migrating raptors. As a result of visiting the area during the watch I have to say I really like Chumphon and the surrounding area to the extent that I would say it is probably my favourite place in Thailand. Raptors apart Chumphon is a good birding place, very close to the sea for waders and with plenty of different habitats, there is an excellent variety of birds to be had in the area. Local facilities, in particular the food, are excellent and cheap. For me Chumphon represents the best of Thailand. So here we are again for a few days holiday before the new school year begins.

I haven't been bursting a gut on the birding front: it is very hot and I am feeling a bit tired and sluggish. In and around the seaside there has been an abundance of Pacific Golden Plovers looking quite magnificent in their breeding plumage. On the sea shore I have seen a  few Terek Sandpipers alongside Whimbrels, Pacific Golden, Kentish Plovers, Little Herons and Greater Sand Plovers. I have been birding at Laem Kho Kwang, a promontory on the coast and the most obvious bird there is the absorbing Lineated Barbet which is nesting there. I would say there must be at least 10 different birds.

In the same area I have seen a White-bellied Sea-eagle, Streak-earred bulbul, Indian Roller, Brown Shrike, Green-billed Malkoha, Pacific Reef Egret, (Dark Morph), Vinous-breasted Starling, Common Myna, White-vented Myna, Olive -backed Sunbird, White-rumped Shama, Stripe-throated Bulbul. There have also been many birds heard but not seen. I reckon I might have been able to add a few lifers if I had been able to get up early in the morning!

 I would love to have got a shot of the Shama, it's a really beautiful bird but its star attraction is the range of its various calls. I must investigate recording equipment. This bird is really expert at throwing and changing its call; it can range from melodic tune to harsh clicking. Good to get some of these birds on my year list. More to the point they serve to highlight what might be out there. I managed a poor shot of one unidentified raptor with which I'll need to get some help.

Probably my favourite bird of the trip is the Jungle Myna. I was desperately trying to get a shot of one perched on a water buffalo. In Thai a literal translation of its name นกเอี้ยงควาย, nok iiang kwai, is "Buffalo Myna". Alas not today, a few near misses. That's been a feature of my photography over the last few days: no sooner was I set up and ready to shoot than the bird flew off!

I will have to add shots at a later stage as blogger's photo uploader does not appear to be operational......maybe they are trying to stop me making my readers suffer! Tomorrow I am taking a day trip to Ko Tao in the Gulf so that should be a pleasant family day out and who knows, possibly some pelagic birds. However this is first and foremost a splash in the sea trip so my expectations are low!

Ah I managed to get some photos uploaded but there are more to come!

Balaring Silay and back to Thailand

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareola

Balaring Silay

Negros Occidental, Philippines

15.04.11

On a recommendation received from The Philippine Bird Photography Forum I paid a visit to Balaring Silay, a coastal site a little north of Bacolod City, on Friday 15th April 2011. I saw three Chinese Egrets there feeding together and I was so surprised to see as many as this that I took a long careful look at them. Conditions, light, time and the position of the sun meant digiscoping was impossible but I am sure these were Chinese egrets.

In addition to the Chinese egrets there were enough birds around to make me think this site definitely warrants serious attention in the future. My photographs are an indication of the poor light conditions plus the distance between the camera and the birds.

White-browed Crake

Porzana cinerea

Balaring Silay

Negros Occidental, Philippines

15.04.11

I watched an entertaining territorial dispute in a salt pan between a barred rail and a white-browed crake. Again conditions were far from ideal which is a pity as both birds are highly photogenic. Also present a Little heron. In an adjacent pond a common moorhen, black-winged stills, a wood sandpiper and a number of little egrets. There were other birds including a collared kingfisher but conditions just didn't favour photography.

Little heron

Butorides striata

Balaring Silay

Negros Occidental, Philippines

15.04.11

I am pretty sure I will be back here as it appears to be an extensive area and one which warrants a lot more time. Basically I had about one hour here towards the end of the day. I also had a very decent meal in one of the many sea food restaurants in the area so that is a further attraction.

That ends the Philippine trip, too short really! I touched down back in Bangkok late Saturday 16th April 2011 and headed home from the airport. At about 02:30h as I approached home I took a shortcut to avoid local roadworks near our home and close to the local rice paddy my headlights picked out a Barn Owl near the road. I managed to stop and watched it take off and land nearby on a hoarding board where it perched and we had a good look at each other, my view aided by my car's headlights. What a beautiful bird and lifer ⌗ 301. I never included in my list the poor Barn Owl which died near my house a few months ago.

Sunday 16.04.11 I decided to head to Pak Thale in the afternoon in the hope of catching a final sight of Spoonbill Sandpiper for this "winter". I was encouraged by recent reports of the bird being seen in the area during the last week. Sadly I was in poor form and didn't manage to see SBS and in fact managed to scare off most of the groups of birds I approached! As far as I could see it was largely the case of the usual suspects, most of which were sporting breeding plumage.

More Punta Taytay,Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

Whiskered Tern

Punta Taytay, Baclod City

Negros Occidental

06.10.10

Where else to go but to revisit the tidal flats and mangroves of Punta Taytay? Another happy afternoon with the shorebirds, Wednesday 6th October 2010. There were only a couple of tattlers today. As always plenty of whiskered terns including the above which is in transition to non-breeding plumage. Below we have a ruddy turnstone and I now understand why it is called a turnstone. I watched this bird for a while and it uses its bill to turn over stones on the shore in search of food. It was very difficult to photograph because it is a very industrious fellow and rarely stands still. The field guide says they are fairly common in the Philippines. A good number of pacific golden plovers, little egrets and an abundance of barn swallows.

Ruddy turnstone

Punta Taytay, Baclod City

Negros Occidental

06.10.10

Little heron

Punta Taytay, Baclod City

Negros Occidental

06.10.10

The little heron always cuts a swathe, with his striking good looks and perfect colour co-ordination, again a common bird around water and below two more common birds, some whimbrels and a common greenshank.  I make the former whimbrels on the basis of the black and buff stripes on their heads.

Whimbrels

Punta Taytay, Baclod City

Negros Occidental

06.10.10

Common Greenshank

Punta Taytay, Baclod City

Negros Occidental

06.10.10

Later in the day I met up with  Don Sausa a local birder and photographer and we are heading into Mt Kanlaon early Sunday morning. Tomorrow I am heading south for an overnight strip to Danjugan Island and into next week we are heading south to Dumaguete for a few days to finish off our holiday.

The Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am

Common hoopoe

Upupa epops

นกกะรางหัวขวาน

Sirondhorn Environmental Park, CHa-am

08.09.10

I had a brief look at a few fairly common birds today during the school's educational trip to Sirindhon International Environmental Park. 160 rampant kids are not ideal birding companions! However these axe birds as the Thais call them, or rather, common hoopoes, were very obliging. These were taken with my EOS 500D with the 85-250 mm zoom. I'll photograph any bird and hoopoes may well be commoners but, you can see for yourself, they are very striking creatures. Elsewhere we saw a little heron, a pacific golden plover, common sandpiper, coppersmith barbets, olive-backed sunbirds, little egrets, little cormorants, lesser sand-plovers...... what you would expect. If you were stranded in the Hua-Hin/Cha-am area on a  "conventional"(!)  holiday you could do a lot worse than here. Nice friendly people, good facilities, a decent mangrove walkway, a good stretch of beach, restaurants, toilets ...... Bring the family. There is also a decent exhibition on environmental protection/sustainability themes.