Thailand Birding: Year List 2009

Whilst I am not a twitcher (tried it and don’t like it at all), nor do I usually chase birds in any way, I do keep all sorts of lists as I find that doing so keeps my enthusiasm going. Of course I have kept year lists for many years, but never go looking for birds just to get a big list, just that it is interesting to see how each year varies.

In 2009 I spent a far greater time out birding than I ever have before and of course this resulted in my biggest year list ever; 648 species in Thailand in 2009.

Highlights for me in 2009 included a couple of sightings of Cutia at Doi Lang, a fantastic Diard’s Trogon at Khao Nor Chu Chi and a couple of seldom seen species at Kaeng Krachan - Rufous-browed Flycatcher and Ferruginous Partridge, both of which I got to see a couple of times.

In 2009 I finally caught up with some migrants that are common back in UK but I had never before seen in Thailand; Great Cormorant, Gadwall, Mallard, Common Teal, Common Ringed Plover, Common Shelduck, Northern House Martin are a few of these.

I will be keeping a year list for 2010 too but it will be difficult to top 2009.

Thailand Birding: Chiffchaff Calling at Chuwit Park, Bangkok.

Walking along Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, this afternoon I heard the distinctive call of a Chiffchaff above the roar of the traffic. Wow! This would be a new bird for Thailand!

The call was coming from some trees in nearby Chuwit park, a small park created a few years ago to make some green space in the concrete jungle, and was easy to track down quickly to perch in a tree about 2 metres of off the ground; right above my head.

Unfortunately the song was coming from a speaker mounted on a tree; indeed my suspicions had been aroused beforehand as the Chiffchaff’s call was backed up by a number of other northern European birds. It seems that the park keepers had decided that the ambience of the park would be improved with the addition of some bird song, and it was quite pleasant, just that the species were a little out of place in Bangkok.