There had been storm warnings for over a week and that put a
little concern over the scheduled one day trip to Muang Boran fish ponds with
Lars and Inger from Sweden.
As things worked out it was the sunniest day in a long time
and very hot.
The walk ways at the ponds were very wet and the ponds
themselves had higher water level then
normal. This led to the absence of a few otherwise regular birds.
Either way, since Lars and Inger never had birded in SEA
before it didn’t really matter much.
We had lunch at the restaurant at the end of the pier at
Bangpoo where all the Brown-headed Gulls gather. There were about 50 gulls there already and at least 1000
Whiskered Terns.
We had one weird sighting at the fish ponds: a single
Blossom-headed Parakeet in the top of a tree with some Blue-tailed
Bee-eater. His call was so different and
not something you ever hear around this place. I suspect it must be an escaped
bird though it is found in the wild in more suitable habitat further North.
So here is what we saw:
1.
Little Grebe – plenty
2.
Painted Stork – soaring and on the ground in the hinterlands
3.
Asian Openbill – common
4.
Yellow Bittern – kept flushing a number of them
5.
Striated Heron – a few
6.
Pond Heron – both Javan and Chinese are here now
in non-breeding plumage…common bird
7.
Grey Heron – a couple in flight
8.
Purple Heron
- 1 in flight
9.
Great Egret – common
10.
Little Egret – common
11.
Little Cormorant – common
12.
Indian Shag/Cormorant – a dozen, a much more
uncommon bird then Little Cormorant
13.
White-breasted Waterhen – only flushed a couple,
normally see a lot more
14.
Black-winged Stilt – several
15.
Little Ringed Plover – 5 birds at Bangpoo
16.
Pacific Golden Plover – 15-20 birds in heath
vegetation
17.
Pheasant-tailed Jacana – only a few
18.
Bronze-winged Jacana – only a couple
19.
Black-tailed Godwit – maybe 1000 congregating in
the hinterland by a body of water
20.
Common Sandpiper – a few and very confiding,
down to one meter
21.
Brown-headed Gull – 50 early returnees
22.
Common Tern – a few
23.
Whiskered Tern – 1000
24.
Rock Dove – common
25.
Red Collared Dove – a couple
26.
Zebra Dove – common
27.
Asian Koel – heard only
28.
Blossom-headed Parakeet – 1 at fish ponds
29.
Asian Palm Swiftlet – a few at the airport
30.
Indian Roller – 1 on route
31.
White-throated Kingfisher – 1 at Bangpoo
32.
Black-capped Kingfisher – several at both sites
33.
Common Kingfisher – a couple
34.
Collared Kingfisher – 2 seen
35.
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – small group seen at both
sites
36.
Common Iora – a pair
37.
Brown Shrike – several
38.
Long-tailed Shrike – 1 seen
39.
Pied Fantail – common
40.
Black Drongo – common
41.
Yellow-vented Bulbul – heard
42.
Streak-eared Bulbul – a couple
43.
Sand Martin – 1 at fish ponds
44.
Barn Swallow – common
45.
Oriental Reed Warbler – heard
46.
Dusky Warbler – heard
47.
Yellow-bellied Prinia – heard
48.
Plain Prinia – common
49.
Common Tailorbird – a pair
50.
White-vented Myna (Great Myna) – common
51.
Common Myna – common
52.
Asian Pied Starling (Pied Myna) – a few
53.
Oriental Magpie-Robin – a few
54.
Asian Brown Flycatcher – 2 seen
55.
Olive-backed Sunbird – 1 male
56.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow – common
57.
Baya Weaver – one flock
58.
Scaly-breasted Munia – one flock
59.
Eastern Yellow Wagtail – 2 seen
60.
White Wagtail – 1 seen at Bangpoo (unusual
sighting)
61.
Paddyfield Pipit – half a dozen at Bangpoo
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