Thaibirds and more

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

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 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