1st image ever of a Red Phalarope in Thailand! 10th of November 2014

For some reason I have a special interest in shorebirds and try to visit whenever I can. It is rather long to get to Paktaley (2 hours drive) which makes it a bit of an undertaking.
November is an interesting month though that normally produce big numbers of birds. I reckon some of them are still on the move but most will settle for winter in the Inner Gulf of Thailand.

The prime target is always Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshanks and Asian Dowitchers.
Having seen all of them already I spent time with everything else. I had come across a group of 30 some Red-necked Phalaropes and seen a few scattered ones in the area. I was aware of the 1st and so far only sighting of Red/Grey Phalarope some years back and so tried to see if any would be one of this kind.

Since there is still a lot of water in the pans many birds were found 'knee deep'. I set out to photograph some Marsh Sandpipers when this Phalarope came real close to me.
It wasn't until I posted it online and had it confirmed that I was sure it was a Red/Grey Phalarope.
A lifer for me and only the 2nd one for Thailand!

Needless to say, many folks have followed up on the bird and we will see how long it will hang around for!

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

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

Thaibirds and more

Search This Blog