Thailand Birding: Raptors At Petchaburi

The rice fields around the town of Petchaburi always play host to a good number and variety of raptors in the dry season. The areas known as Nong Pla Lai and Tung Bang Jak are just a collection of rice fields and other mixed agriculture just a few kilometres north of Petchaburi and can be reached by turning left of the highway just as the temples on the hill in Petchaburi becomes visible - a distance of about 2-3 kilometres north of the town.

In the last few weeks I have seen large numbers of Black Kites (100+) as well as 4 or 5 Greater Spotted Eagles. At least 2 Eastern Imperial Eagles are also currently in the area and at least 1 juvenile Steppe Eagle has been seen by myself and other observers and I have seen at least 2 different Booted Eagles. Another interesting raptor that is present in the area is Pied Harrier, although I have only seen juveniles recently, but the fantastic adult males do turn up sometimes.

Black Kites

By Alex Vargas

Black Kites can frequently be seen sitting around in trees and other perches like the birds in the photo, almost exclusively they are of the lineatus race. Other raptors which are commonly seen in this area are Eastern Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Brahminy Kite, Osprey and Black-shouldered Kite.

Rarer raptors do also show up in this area from time to time with a Slender-billed Vulture recently being photographed and last winter a Cinereous Vulture and 2 Himalayan Griffons were seen. A juvenile Amur Falcon was also photographed nearby in recent weeks.

For those birders who are raptor enthusiasts, the rice fields around Petchaburi are a must-visit location between mid November and mid March.

Thailand Birding: Migrants Still Returning

Migration continues throughout November and even into December in Thailand with different species having different migratory routes and times.

On the 9th November I revisited Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia again and there were a few notable differences in numbers and presence of a few migratory species.

The those who are eager of the very latest Spoon-billed Sandpiper news, I saw 2 of this critically endangered species on salt pans at Pak Thale on 9th.

However, it was at nearby Wat Komnaram that I noticed a few interesting changes. Since my visit on 2nd November the number of Grey-headed Lapwings had dropped to 5 birds and the Black-headed Ibis numbers had decreased to 7. However, notable arrivals included more than 100 Red-throated Pipits that seemed to be passing through in the early morning and the arrival of 11 Garganey. Another interesting development were several oriental Skylarks singing when they had not been a week ago.

At nearby Laem Pak Bia I came across a total of 5 Richard's Pipits loafing around on dirt roads. This was a decline from at least 12 Richard's Pipits in the same location on 24th October. Most of these Richard's Pipits were significantly larger than the resident Paddyfield Pipits but the calls of all of them confirmed their identification.

Thailand Birding: Black-headed Ibis & Other Large Waterbirds

Black-headed Ibis is a very uncommon bird in Thailand, but, like many other large waterbirds, they are increasing in number.

In the past many large waterbirds, such as storks, ibises, pelicans, herons etc. were very common birds but years of agricultural intensification and persecution wiped many of these species out or made them very rare in Thailand. Fortunately, as persecution is not the problem it once was and many of these birds are making a comeback.

Black-headed Ibis seem to frequent the Petchaburi region virtually all year round. Most often they can be found in the region of Wat Khao Takrao, but more and more frequently I see them on a large muddy field outside Wat Komnaram, near Pak Thale. Throughought the dry season 2010-2011 one bird was present for a long time and on 25th October 2011 I found 6 birds feeding at this location. A week later, on 3rd November, I found 18 Black-headed Ibises feeding close to the road at the same location; here is a video clip of some of them.

On both 25th October and 3rd November 1 Milky Stork and several Painted Storks were also to be seen at this site, further highlighting the recovery of large waterbirds. In fact such is the recovery that Painted Storks are now fairly commonplace in the Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale area, Asian Openbills are common throught much of the country and Spot-billed Pelican occurs in every increasing numbers in the wet season.

Other large waterbirds that have increased in number over the last 10 years include Purple Heron, Oriental darter, Glossy Ibis and Indian Cormorant. Watch out too for Sarus Crane, a small number of which have been reintroduced in Buriram province.

Good news for large waterbirds!

Thailand Birding: Spoon-billed Sandpiper Returns!

For all those birders visiting Thailand over the next few months who were getting nervous about whether this critically endangered species would make it back to Thailand this winter, the good news is yes it did!

Phil Round informed me that at least 2 were seen at Khok Kham from 22nd October and 2 or 3 at Pak Thale from the end of October. I can confirm this as I saw 1 Spoon-billed Sandpiper myself at Pak Thale this morning.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper & Red-necked Stint

Photo by Marco Witte

Lots of other shorebirds were also present and giving good, close-up views. 1 adult Little Stint was amongst numerous Red-necked Stints and 5 Dunlin were with a flock of Broad-billed Sandpipers. A large flock of 1000+ Great Knot, 200+ Eurasian Curlew and large numbers of all the common shorebirds too.

More good news for rarity hunters were at least 9 Nordmann's Greenshank at Laem Pak Bia.

I revisited Wat Komnaram too and the Black-headed Ibis from last week had increased to 18 birds, plus the Milky Stork was feeding close to the road.

Thailand Birding: Shorebirds at Pak Thale

One of the most anticipated arrivals each year is that of Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Birdwatchers from all over the world come to Thailand to watch this critically endangered shorebird at Pak Thale and Khok Kham.

A few days ago on 25th October, 2012, I did a little birding at Pak Thale in the company of Jules Tolboom from The Netherlands. We spent around 1.5 hours in the late afternoon at Pak Thale watching large numbers of shorebirds.

Curlew Sandpipers with Broad-billed Sandpiper

Photo by Alex Vargas

We had a long hard look at all the shorebirds that could be seen from the dirt road at the Spoon-billed Sandpiper site at Pak Thale but despite looking hard none appeared to be present. In fact this is pretty much as expected as it was probably about 1 week too early for the bird.

Despite the lack of Spoon-billed Sandpiper there were very impressive numbers of Great Knot (1500+) and Eurasian Curlew (250+) as well as good numbers of Red-necked Stint, Lesser Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Eastern Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper.

The most uncommon bird was one Eastern Curlew amongst the flock of Eurasian Curlews which I picked out due to its warm brown buffy appearance. Identification was ensured when it began to preen and showed me its dark underwing (pale/white on Eurasian Curlew). It ought to be noted that length of bill is not an identification point here where the female Eurasian Curlews have bills that are as long (if not longer) than the Eastern Curlews.

Other species present were Red Knot, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Spotted Redshank and Common Greenshank.

Elsewhere at nearby Wat Komnaram a Milky Stork was seen alongside two Painted Storks and 6 Black Ibis and 36 Grey-headed Lapwings were feeding.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper should be back next week!

British Birding: Six Weeks Back Home

From the middle of August to the end of September 2011 I spent six weeks staying with my family in southeast England. Whilst many British people head to Thailand for some warmth it was nice for me to get out of the humidity and heat for a while and experience some cool weather; in fact apart from some very windy days, the weather was actually pretty good for most of my stay.

Catching Up With Common Birds
Every year, when I return to Britain, one of the first things I do is head down to my old local patch along the Darent Valley in Kent. It is a pleasant area, but in terms of birdlife it is not particularly special, although a good number of the commoner birds can always be found. It is always fun to catch up with species such as Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and other similar species. People who visit me in Thailand always comment on the colourful birds, but Britain has plenty of colourful ones of its own and for people, like me, who don't see them all the time, the species just listed are great.

Finding Summer Visitors
I always seem to get back to Britain at the very end of summer/beginning of autumn and it is a very challenging time to find many of the summer visitors. Finding Reed Warbler is always a challenge at this time but I did manage to see a few of these. Chiffachaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat were easy enough but Willow Warbler, Garden warbler and Lesser Whitethroat were a bit of a challenge although I did find them. Birds I missed out on this year though included Sedge Warbler, Common Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher!

Uncommon Resident Species
Every year it seems that British birds that were formerly common get rarer and rarer. Much is said about conservation efforts in UK but it seems that it is only waterbirds and raptors that are doing okay; farmland and woodland species seem to be vanishing fast. With this in mind I was pleased to see my first Bullfinch for a few years, even if it was a juvenile. I also managed to find Black Redstart, Marsh Tit, Cetti's Warbler (one that seems to get more common), Corn Bunting, Turtle Dove and Whinchat.

Some New Birds - Seabirds!
Spending most of my time in Thailand means that I hardly see any seabirds. So it is always interesting to look for these birds when I return and for this group I always end up in UK at a good time!  At Dungeness I saw a wide variety of gulls including Yellow-legged, Little, Mediterranean and Glaucous Gull which was a long-awaited bogey bird for me. Also at Dungeness I saw my first Long-tailed Skua as well as great views of the commoner Arctic Skua plus Black, Arctic and Sandwich Terns.

Glaucous Gull approaching second winter plumage

Photo by Nick Upton

I also spent some time in East Yorkshire and at Flamborough I managed some more nice seabirds (at least for me as I rarely get the chance to find them); Kittiwake, Red-throated Diver, Manx Shearwater, Guillemot, Razorbill as well as hundreds of Gannets.

Twitching!

I am not normally one to go twitching but the chance to see two lifers in one go tempted me to make the drive to Graffham Water one morning. Whilst the result was nice; adult Sabine's Gull and Grey Phalarope right next to each other; the feeling was one that was less than satisfying and it reminded me why I am not a fan of twitching - drive a few hours, spot the crowd of birders, there it is, watch for a while and leave.

Some More Good Birds

My trip also resulted in a number of other species that I was pleased with; Song Thrush - getting rare in my area; Yellowhammer - tough to find at the end of summer;  Lapland Bunting - only the second time I have seen this one; Goosander - first one I have seen for 7 years!; Eider Duck - first for 4 years; Bearded Tit - a bird I see once per year and is always hard to see in the windy conditions of late summer/early autumn; Red Kite - first one for 4 years; Siskin - first for 4 years; Purple Sandpiper - a once a year bird; Rock Pipit - first one for 4 years; Raven - first for 5 years; Water Rail - a bird I see once a year.

A Finishing Flourish

At the end of my stay it was getting tough to see something new without travelling far away. However, a Pallid Harrier was reported at Cliffe. Not wanting to join the twitch I came up with a different strategy. The bird was roosting in some reeds and then heading out down the Thames. However, the news was getting out and I figured that a large group of birders would wait for the harrier on an observation mound which the bird would have to pass if it were to follow its morning routine. I also figured that the twitching crowd would make enough noise to make the bird turn around and head off towards Shorne marshes. With this theory I took a train to Gravesend, walked out onto Shorne marshes and got lucky. The juvenile Pallid Harrier actually flew within 30 feet of me at head height towards Gravesend, then turned around and came back, chasing a skylark but failing to catch it.

What a result!

I also saw some other nice birds on my 15 MILE WALK; Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Hobby, Marsh Harrier and many Wheatears.

In total I saw 154 species in six weeks in England without travelling very much.

Thailand Birding: Wet Season Birding

The large majority of birders visit Thailand in the dry season (November to April). Why is this?

Well, firstly, there is a far higher number of species present in the country during the dry season due to the visiting migrants from China and Siberia and the largely dry and sunny weather is an attraction for many people. However, it may also be because many books and websites have always labelled the dry season as the “best” time to be birdwatching in Thailand. But best for what?

The dry season is most certainly the time to visit Thailand for migrant species, particularly shorebirds and specifically Spoon-billed Sandpiper. However, for many of the resident species that live in forests, the dry season most certainly is not the best time for birding in Thailand.

Species such as broadbills, pittas, woodpeckers, forest kingfishers and others, are all far easier to find in the beginning and mid wet season, when they are breeding, than in the dry season.

Black-and-red Broadbill on a nest by Alex Vargas

On a recent 3 days trip to Kaeng Krachan we saw 6 species of broadbill, 12 species of woodpecker, 3 species of pitta, 2 species of trogons, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Banded Kingfisher, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Ratchet-tailed Treepie and many other tough species - this collection of birds could not be expected during a dry season visit to Kaeng Krachan.

Very few birders head to northern Thailand outside of the dry season but a recent wet season visit I made turned up Giant Nuthatch, Spot-winged Grosbeak, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Lesser Cuckoo, Lesser Shortwing in abundance and many other hard-to-find birds.

It has to be admitted that the dry season is the best time for general bird abundance, migrants and certain target birds, but birdwatchers who have been to the region several times and are still looking for many of those tough forest species should consider making their trip in the period May-July when a lot of great birds can be found.

If you are a birder who is looking for difficult resident species contact me and I can let you know whether the wet season might be a better time to look for them than the dry - nickupton@thaibirding.com

Thailand Birding: Three New Species For Thailand

This morning I was alerted (sadly too late) to the presence of a Sooty Gull, which had been photographed at Bang Poo. This is the third new species for Thailand that I have been recently been made aware of with the other additions being Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker which was photographed in Satun province on the Malaysian border and has long been expected to occur in southern Thailand, and Northern Boobook which was caught and ringed at Laem Pak Bia by Phil Round in April 2011; this is a recent split from Brown Hawk Owl.

Click the picture to watch Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker in Thailand on Youtube

With large parts of the country being underwatched or not watched at all, the lack of coverage of the seas around Thailand and the possibility of rare migrants turning up, there are undoubtedly more species to be added to Thailand’s growing bird list.

A new round of splitting will also result in a number of additions to the new Thai list which is under consideration.

However, it should also be noted that Tawny Eagle and Pink-rumped Rosefinch have both been removed from the Thai list and there are likely to be a few others removed when the records committee next reviews them.

Thailand Birding: Maroon-breasted Philentoma

Alex Vargas recently took this photograph of a female Maroon-breasted Philentoma in the vicinty of Km 36 at Kaeng Krachan national park. He also saw the male well, through binoculars but only managed to obtain images of this female.

Maroon-breasted Philentoma is known from Kaeng Krachan but is very seldom seen, in fact it is seldom seen anywhere in Thailand - I have seen a pair just the once myself, at Krung Ching.

In this photo it is difficult to see the dark wash to the breast that field guides indicate the female should have, this may be down to the light conditions or the fact the field guides make more of this feature than is really visible.

Interestingly, Phil Round had this to say about the species;“The easiest place I know to see it, though, is (ironically) at its northerly known limit, at Phu Tho, Thongphaphum District, Kanchanaburi - a good 2 deg N latitude N of Kaeng Krachan. There there is some nice accessible evergreen forest at the base of limestone crags, which also holds Ferruginous Partridge and tons of other good birds. Nobody ever goes there these days since Kaeng Krachan was “discovered” some 20-plus years ago, but I visited the site last in May 2009 and saw a pair of philentomas just as easily as before.”

Alex has several more photographs of the bird here - Female Maroon-breasted Philentoma.

Thailand Birding: Year List 2010

As an avid keeper of bird lists I have just tallied up my Thai year list for 2010. Whilst at 623 species for the year, it was short of 2009's total, I did see some species that were long-awaited in 2010.

Highlights for me were two Himalayan Griffons circling low over the summit of Doi Inthanon and a four sightings of Silver Oriole - all in the same tree over the space of 11 months at Kaeng Krachan.

Two night birds were very satisfying too; Mountain Scops Owl at Nam Nao and 2 Hodgson's Frogmouths at Doi Ang Kang. These were both species that I had heard so many times and come so close to seeing on several occasions.

Other highlights included Masked Finfoot, Golden Bush Robin, Java Sparrow and Rufous-throated Fulvetta.

Off to start my 2011 year list right now!