Thaibirds and more

One of the great spectacles at Khao Yai is to watch the Needletails as they come in to drink in the late afternoon after a day of feeding over the forest canopy. The birds fly in squadrons, much like jet planes. They approach the water at high speed and go back up to continue their circular flights. These Swifts are very robust, look like 'flying cigars with wings' or boomerangs, to me. The most common one is Brown-backed which has a rather brownish pale back. The white lore is always present and distinct with these birds, atleast at Khao Yai. The slightly smaller Silver-backed has a more white colored back with a pale throat. This species is a lot more uncommon.

While this may not be a rare bird in some countries, it took me 19 years of birding to see one in Thailand. I was at the mangrove project in Petburi watching as birds left their roost in the early morning. After thousands of Black Drongo, Asian Pied Starlings and White-vented Mynas had passed my eyes a small and very tight flock of Starlings came out. They perched in a couple of trees for a few minutes before going on to their feeding grounds. The flock consisted mostly of White-shouldered and Chestnut-tailed Starlings. But something different caught my eye. Some larger and darker looking birds. I tuned in and could see 2 adult and 2 juvenile Rosy Starlings. Yes, another life bird for 2010! Then just a couple of days back I got wind of another Rosy Starling visiting a smaller garden in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok. I got the man's phone number and he agreed to let me come to his house. It was a small house in a housing estate. He had a small but lush garden where he had bee...

This shiny little bird always causes excitement. Quite easy to observe at Pah Gloaymai campsite at Khao Yai during the right time of year. It is simply very busy gleaning grubs from the fairly low trees found at the campsite.

I seldom get to see Common and Spotted Redshanks next to each other. Here we can clearly see the difference in bill, size, supercilium and plumage.

I have been busy taking out visiting birders of late. The prim A very exciting addition to our avifauna since a couple of years back is the White-faced Plover. There is only one confirmed individual here this year at Lampakbia but this individual has proven to be reliable. Sometimes during hightide it does move away a bit from the sandspit but always reappears as the tide begins to go down. Isn't he a charmer? 2.11.0.0

We first saw one of these at Gunung Ambung. Then we were taken to an abandoned building by a research station where this bird has been roosting for several years. This species apparently isn't that common. The Sulawesi Scops Owl was heard frequently and as many a scops owl eager to respond to playback. This one from Ambung as well.

One thing that stood out to me while in Minahassa, Sulawesi, was the relative ease at which one could spot Owls. Not to say that I would have found these on my own. Our guide at Tangkokok, Samuel, knew of this day time roost for Ochre-bellied Boobook. There were 3 birds next to a fallen tree. The birds watched us as we approached but didn't feel alarmed enough to take off. I wasn't able to get a clean shot of all 3 birds. The one to the left I believe is the young and the one to the right the female adult.