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Birding with Peter!

Birding trips out of Bangkok!

Daytrips out of Bangkok The following are a few sites that I regularly take visiting birders to. I often do one site in the morning and another in the afternoon and sometimes even fit in one midday.  Depending on the time of year number of birds seen will vary. Most migrants are here from September – April yet there are others that only visit in May-August.  I find it very fulfilling for people on business or others with limited time circumstances to invest in a guided trip with someone that not only knows the birds but also how to get around and has years of experience living in Thailand. Fields of Latkrabang, Bangkok: My local patch and a gem in the city concrete with still rice fields and scrub present. The roar of the traffic in the background and airplanes lifting to the sky is subdued a bit and the birds present are clearly heard. Many a good wetland birds as well as warblers and other birds have been recorded. On a normal morning I average 70-80 species. Pe
Recent posts

lndian Thick-knee in Bangkok!

This is the first photograph of an Indian Thick-knee from Bangkok on eBird. I stumbled across it this morning on a site in Nong Chok district of Bangkok. A big surprise that brought about a grin on my face! Like a ray of light it gave me joy!

Spoonie is back! 7/11/2023, Khok Kham, Samut Sakhon

The tree cutters arrived at the house to clear the tree that fell in the storm yesterday and to cut another one in half. We don’t want another tree fall on the property. Once they were done, and they did a good job, it was lunch time and I thought….hmm ‘where should I go’? Ha! Well, the sun was out, the tide was high and I knew Spoonie had arrived. Got my stuff together and did the drive ( less then an hour midday). I arrived at the Bird Center at Khok Kham just before 2 pm and it was hot! There were many pans filled with waders…..which one to start with? Well, I have been there so many times that by now I sort of ‘feel’ where my little friend like to settle. I scanned a little here and there. So nice to see the waders again and in such big numbers. They are all in winter plumage, all grey but all in different shapes, size and bill. I went to a place with a tiny shelter from the scorching sun and set up my scope. I scanned the pond in front of me. Not a lot. To the right there

Small Pratincole, a first for Bangkok!

I didn’t go out this morning as I had some things to take care of at home. Checking eBird I noticed someone had 2 Red-necked Stints at Latkrabang. Since I haven’t seen them this year in Bangkok I thought I’d give it a go. Got there at 14:30 and the muddy field was full of little peeps. Loads of Little Ringed-Plovers, Long-toed Stints and Temminck’s Stint but no Red-necked. The field was very large so I thought I’d walk on a narrow bund for a bit. Scanning with my KOWA TSN 88 Prominar I suddenly saw something that caught my attention. I had seen several Oriental Pratincoles in my search for the stint but these two birds had slightly pinkish chests and strong eye ring. Could it really be what I started to think? Yes, Small Pratincoles on the mud resting in the scorching sun! Not only a first for my Bangkok list but a first for Bangkok period! My friend Sam Hambly also arrived in time to approach the birds a bit closer and he was as happy as I was and said 'a lot better then

Green Sandpiper in Bangkok!

It took me 32 years of looking at birds to find a Green Sandpiper in Bangkok! My first one for Central Thailand for that matter. Seen them regularly in the North. This charmer has find a small and quiet wetlands in the SouthWestern parts of Bangkok. It has been reported for a couple of weeks but driving through the city is never much fun so I waited till today, Sunday. Got there and noone else about except for a jogger or two. I worked the area but no sign of the bird. So I stopped in a suitable area and contemplated what to do when it suddenly flew in seemingly out of nowhere!

2 days of birding in and near Bangkok, September 2023!

2 days of birding in and near Bangkok 24-25th of September, 2023. Peter Ericsson and Jeff Thomas Bangkok seem to be a popular place for companies, institutions and other interest groups to hold seminars and meetings. The avid birder is naturally keen on getting some birding done but find it hard to get away from duties. So what better way to do it then to add a day or two on the visit and engage a local guide for a haul of new birds? Jeff Thomas from the US had reserved the weekend after his conference for birding in and near Bangkok. He had managed a short morning to Lumphini park but that was all. Jeff had never birded in Asia before so was quite excited to see some Thai birdlife. We decided to see a cross section of birds in various habitats. Birding at leisure but staying focused. Jeff had a Canon R7 with the 200-500 lens fit for this mirror less camera and Jeff sure made use of it. The goal was to see birds and to photograph as many as possible. The time of year p

Odonata

The last year I have paid more attention to butterflies and odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). Taking pictures of these insects is not as easy as I had imagined. It is very satisfying when some pictures turn out well. Here I am showcasing a few male individuals. Not all have common names. Some are extremely rare and endemic to Thailand while others are common and widespread. Asian Blood Tail Ceriagrion praetermissum Common Parasol Forest Chaser Grenadier Lyriothemis pallidistigm Scarlet Basker Scarlet Dropwing Scarlet Skimmer Sultan Sympetrum thailandensis

Northern Thailand 18-21st of May, 2023

Northern Thailand 18-21st of May, 2023 Peter Ericsson and Timothy Gotsick Sunday 14th of May. Many birders do dedicated trips to foreign fields in search of new birds and thrills. To Thailand most such tours happen during Nov-March period. Other people are blessed with work to foreign countries and are then able to do a little birding besides work. Timothy Gotsick had a business trip to Thailand and contacted me for some birding. We had a day in the field a few years back and that resulted in some good birds. I picked up Tim at 6:30 (he arrived at his hotel after midnight coming in from the US). And we basically thought it would be best to get acquainted with some park birds for starters so as to not have to travel too far. It took less then 10 minutes and there we were at Benjakitti Park in the middle of Bangkok. Migration is over so only resident birds about. Near the parking spot I know a reliable place for Spotted Owlets. These cute little inquisitive birds are q