Kingfisher Paradise

Tangkoka forest reserve (or is it National Park?) at the Northern tip of Minhassa region in Sulawesi is an incredible place for Kingfishers. I saw 9 different species in 3 days. This one is a bird of the forest. Very approachable as it sits motionless waiting for a prey. It was difficult to get shots without flash and the flash tends to enhance the colors a bit much but, still, lovely looking bird it is.

Lilac Kingfisher, endemic to Sulawesi

The Green-backed Kingfisher is a bit bigger and more numerous. It also hunts in wooded areas and can be approached real close with care. Endemic to Sulawesi.

Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher

An incredible shiny little jewel of the interior forest. Very approachable.
Also endemic.

Ruddy Kingfisher

Even though not an endemic or lifer for me, I still just love the color of this bird and I think it is the prettiest of them all.

This one was perched over a stream.

Black-billed Kingfisher

lives in the mangroves and a boat ride was necessary to get to see them

I also saw Common Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher and Collared Kingfisher

Comments

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

Blue-naped Pitta, 1st March 2022

I am not quite sure how or when to begin this story. Back in the day when all I had was the birds in my garden and the fantastic illustrations of magical birds found in the field guide I could only dream of one day seeing them in real life. My life was restricted and very little opportunity to set out in pursuit of ‘imaginary birds’! Ha! Well, a long story cut short. Things changed and slowly I started to lay my eyes on the real things I had only seen drawn in literature. I remember my first Pitta, the Blue-winged, on an excursion to a waterfall with some rumbunctious kids but it didn’t stop me from seeing one crossing the pathway. (as a note, the late Jon Hornbuckle, who eventually saw all recognized Pittas of his day, told me his last one was the Blue-winged. Just goes to show how this rather ‘easy’ to see bird is not very easy unless you are in the right area at the right time.) So, here in Thailand we have a lot of Pittas. Some are regular, none are easy, and som

Alone with Spoonie!

I have been fortunate enough to spend time on my own with Spoon-billed Sandpiper this season. I have seen this bird over 100 times but feel like I never have enough. These pictures are from Khok Kham, Samut Sakorn about 1 hour from Bangkok.

Thaibirds and more

Search This Blog