Although I have lived in Bangkok for years I have never taken the effort to go and track down any of the city’s Java Sparrows; there has long been a self-sustaining population of this species, originating from escaped caged birds. However, beyond the vague instructions of “the Don Muang area” I have never known where to look for Java Sparrows.

Java Sparrow by Peter Ericsson

Don Muang is the name of Bangkok’s old international airport, which is only really used for some domestic flights these days – it is in the north of the city. The area is really busy and I live quite far away, so the prospects of hunting these birds down in residential areas and along busy roads was never one that I relished. However, during a phone conversation with Phil Round yesterday, I finally remembered to ask him where I should look for Java Sparrows and he gave me details of a specific place to look that was easy to find.

With the encouragement of my wife, we went and had a look yesterday afternoon. The location is a small compound of apartments belonging to the airforce, right next to the Amari Airport hotel – easy to find. The hotel is on the opposite side of the road from the airport and there are signs for it in English after you have passed the domestic terminal and are about level with the international terminal. You can park in the car park of the Amari hotel, exit the car park and turn right, walk down the street for about 50 metres and you will see the apartments in a leafy compound.

We checked in with security, who made a bit of a song and dance about letting us in, but after a bit of a chat we entered. Java Sparrows were not obvious. After a bit of a search I spotted a pair, high up on a building, sitting above a ventilation window. Soon another pair joined them and the four of them spent a long time just sitting, preening and flitting about, occasionally disappearing beyond the boundaries of the compound but always coming back quickly. After about 30-40 minutes of watching them we left them to their business.

I understand that Java Sparrows are listed as Vulnerable by Birdlife International with a population of only 2,500-10,000 individuals in its native range, Java and Bali. Due to trapping and increased use of pesticides, Java Sparrow populations are declining; the population in Bangkok may be of significance in this light.