When leading bird watching trips it can sometimes be difficult for the leader to get quality observations of many species because they are busy making sure that everyone in the group is able to see the birds. This is the situation in which I sometimes find myself so when the opportunity does arise to get really good views or see something unusual, those moments become even more special than they would normally otherwise be. Of course, getting photographs of a bird is often the ultimate in getting a good view of a bird and on a recent trip in Thailand that I was leading for Oriolebirding it was nice to be able to get some photographs of some great birds, as well as some nice photos of some more common species. For me exceptional views of Grey Nightjar, a surprise Oriental Plover, a long-staying Crab Plover and a seldom-seen Von Schrenck’s Bittern were birds that will live on a long time in my memory along with several others.

Asian Golden Weaver

Javan Pond Heron

Curlew Sandpiper

One of the nice things about this trip was the timing of it (March 26-April 8) which provided us with sightings of birds in breeding plumage; species that I usually only see in rather more drab plumages. In our first few days we saw 3 species of Weaver, both Javan and Chinese Pond Herons as well as numerous species of shorebird in either partial or full breeding condition. Later we also saw a male Watercock in partial breeding plumage.

Grey Nightjar

Quite often on birding tours the tour highlights can be predicted before the trip has even begun due to the expectation that a number of standout species will be seen. However, sometimes an exceptionally good view elevates a species of bird to the top of the pile. On this trip an incredibly close view of a Grey Nightjar, at Kaeng Krachan NP, filled this category. As we were birding along a dirt road one of the forest ranger, whom I know, was passing and asked if we had seen the Nightjar. I replied that we had not so he told me to follow him along the road; a short drive and he pointed out this bird to us which was about 4 feet off of the ground, roosting in a banana plant. A view of this scarce bird that is never likely to be repeated.

Black-naped Monarch

Other special moments we had on this trip were birds either on nests, building nests or feeding young. This male Black-anped Monarch was wonderful as we watched him come and change places with the female to take his turn to incubate the eggs.

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

They don’t get much better than this black-backed form of Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher which we saw as it came to attend its nest hole. It did not actually enter, just sat on this perch for a few minutes before flying away, but what a view!

Orange-breasted Trogon

The short video clip above shows a young Orange-breasted Trogon chick in its nest cavity. This is a bird I see quite often but I have never before seen a young chick like this so it was quite a nice sighting.

Long-tailed Broadbill

I love Broadbills, they are some of the most colourful and weird species of bird in Thailand. This Long-tailed Broadbill was nest-building and we had an amazing day in which we saw 6 species of Broadbill, quite exceptional.

Green Broadbill

 Later in the trip we added the 7th species – Green Broadbill. This took some time to get into view but it was worth the effort!

Striated Heron

Striated Heron is a common bird in Thailand but often it does not hang around for long and by the time I have pointed them out to people, they have flown away so it was nice that this one showed itself well.

Oriental Plover

Although I only managed to get this poor record shot, Oriental Plover in breeding plumage was a big surprise; totally unexpected on this trip and only the second time I have seen this bird and the first time I have seen it in breeding condition. This species is a very rare passage migrant in Thailand so it was an excellent sighting.

Von Schrenck’s Bittern

The same applies to this Von Schrenck’s Bittern, seen at Phang Nga mangroves. Another very rare passage migrant and a sighting I will not be able to repeat any time soon.

Crab Plover

However, the star of the show, for me, was this Crab Plover. Another very rare bird in Thailand and a lifer for me. This bird had been present at Laem Pakarang since the end of December 2017 but I never expected it to still be on site in April. This was just about my most-wanted bird in the world so this was a lucky day for me and it was great to be able to get close enough to watch it catch crabs and get some photos.

Crab Plover

Crab Plover

Over the course of two weeks we had a lot of great sightings of around 350 species of birds and the lucky moments were to be remembered, particularly as we also had some unluckier experiences with several target species – a lesson in enjoying what you have rather than dwelling too much on the negatives.