Dartford Waffler

City Park Bird Abundance | Birding in Thailand

For those of us lucky enough to travel internationally to see birds it quickly becomes apparent that in some countries birds are abundant while in others birders have to work harder to see a wide range of species. This was brought home to me most recently spending a morning at Sri Nakorn Kuean Khan Park [...]

Touristing & Birding at Petra | Birding in Jordan

For those of us who travel with non-birding partners it can sometimes be tricky to balance enjoying time together somewhere interesting and the craving to maximise the opportunity to see new birds in new places. Personally, having a good holiday with my wife is the most important thing when planning trips together but doing some [...]

Rainy Season Birding at Pathum Thani Rice Research Centre | Birding in Thailand

There can be times of the year when bird watching hits a trough because a lack of activity, unhelpful weather or overfamiliarity with a smaller selection of species than at other times. In Thailand these factors are all true in the rainy season with a large number of species absent, on their breeding grounds further [...]

Mountain Birding from Chimgan | Birding in Uzbekistan

I have always loved immersing myself in mountain landscapes but over recent years my opportunity to do so has been limited with much of my time spent in tropical forests and wetlands in Thailand so when the opportunity presented itself to spend some time birding in mountain habitats in Uzbekistan I took it without having [...]

Jakarta Boat Trip Birding | Birding Indonesia

Where can you see Christmas Island Frigatebird, Sunda Teal, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Milky Stork, Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker, Cerulean Kingfisher, Clamorous Reed Warbler and a wide range of other species in an urban setting? On a boat trip from Jakarta, Indonesia! The island of Java is one of the most densely populated areas of the world [...]

Waterbirds at Prek Toal Reserve | Cambodia Birding

April 1st, 2023

Nick

One of the great spectacles of any birding trip to Cambodia is a visit to the waterbird colonies at Prek Toal Reserve on Tonle Sap where birders can be surrounded by huge numbers of waterbirds from a trip on a small boat. This is exactly the situation I found myself in when leading the Calidris Birding Tours Cambodia Birding Tour in mid-March 2023, marvelling in the incredible numbers of storks, pelicans, cormorants and other waterbirds wheeling around overhead and perched alongside the channel that our local boat drivers had taken us along. The suspense built up from a pre-dawn start from our comfortable hotel in Siem Reap (Angkor Aurora) with our first birds shortly after first light as we boarded our first boat that would take us along creeks and through floating villages with flocks of Glossy Ibis, Painted Stork and Asian Openbill providing the early promise of what was to come.

If you would like to join me on a birding trip in Cambodia take a look at the dates, itinerary and all the details of my next tour - Cambodia Birding Tour.

Read more »

Birding at Bach Ma National Park – Vietnam Birding

December 11th, 2022

Nick

At the beginning of November 2022 I found myself with the opportunity to visit Bach Ma National Park, near Danang in Vietnam. While other sites in Vietnam could promise more new birds for me but I had limited time and so arranged a driver to take me from Danang to the national park and back, spending one night there. The cool weather, attractive forest and new location gave me exactly what I was looking for with a good selection of nice Southeast Asian birds including a few new ones, several distinct subspecies and also some birds that I seldom see in Thailand. Although the accommodation was a little “rustic” it was very enjoyable walking along quiet roads through pleasant forest, taking my time to watch and photograph the birds that interested me as well as some great views of one of the most attractive mammals I have ever seen!

If you would like to join me on a birding trip in Vietnam take a look at the dates, itinerary and all the details of my next tour - Vietnam Birding Tour.

Read more »

Queen Sirikit Park Autumn Birding | Thailand Birding

October 23rd, 2022

Nick

When it comes to spring and autumn Bangkok-based birders head to the city’s parks in search of a wide variety of passage migrants. For migrating birds heading over this large area of urbanization these green areas provide much-needed rest areas as well as the opportunity to feed and gain the energy required to continue migration. Although spring migration usually provides the greatest concentration of migrants in Thailand, autumn migration is more spread out and there is the possibility of interesting species that are not usually found in the city through a period of several months. Over the last few weeks other birders have found a number of interesting passage migrants, while I have been busy with other things, but I managed to find a morning on 14th October to visit one of the larger parks in the city, Queen Sirikit Park, to see if I could find any migrants of interest.

Read more »

Daap Toon Hide at Kaeng Krachan | Thailand Birding

September 7th, 2022

Nick

What I most enjoy is taking long walks in beautiful countryside and being able to see a wealth of bird life along the way. In temperate countries this is a very pleasant way of bird watching and usually by covering a lot of ground and different habitats brings a lot of bird sightings but in tropical environments moving more slowly is not only desirable due to the climate but also because vegetation is often dense with birds hiding within it, making them hard to see. At times it is necessary to sit completely still and quietly in order to get good views of some forest birds and this is exactly what I did recently at Daap Toon hide near Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand.

I have visited a number of the hides around Kaeng Krachan many times but a visit in late August (31st) was a completely new experience and had I not been tipped off to the fact that many birds had been visiting, I would have thought the area too wet to attract much at all. In reality there was a lot of activity and a good variety of species, including some really exciting ones and while the light conditions were low, what light that there was illuminated the birds from the best angle.

Read more »

Beach Birding in August | British Birding

August 12th, 2022

Nick

Some birding locations are great to visit because they are new and exciting to explore, with all the possibilities of seeing new birds that goes with that. Other locations are great to visit because they are familiar, always have lots of birds to see, even if they are quite predictable but are just a place that we enjoy. For me Shellness, on the Isle of Sheppey, falls into that latter category, it is a place I have visited very many times since I was a youngster, particularly over the last few years and it is a location that always brings me a high level of solitude and no matter what the time of the year, there are always a lot of birds to see. So, while spending a few weeks in Britain I made a visit to Shellness on a pleasant, sunny day with time enough to spend just sitting on the beach and waiting for birds to arrive as the tide came in.

Read more »

Birding at Cat Tien National Park – Vietnam Birding

July 23rd, 2022

Nick

Out of the car, across the river, into the forest and within moments a stunning Bar-bellied Pitta emerges from the vegetation of the tropical forest floor; this is how birding should be every time one visits a new location with one of the target species showing itself well for full appreciation within minutes of arrival.

Sometimes there are places that are not far away that I always mean to visit but somehow never get around to; Cat Tien National Park in southern Vietnam is one of these. Spending much of my time in Bangkok, the flight to Ho Chi Minh City is a short one with the addition of only a four-hour drive to the national park itself but with the vast majority of species that occur there being the same as ones I frequently see in Thailand I have always put off visiting this famous birding location until another day. However, in June 2022 I found myself with the opportunity to spend a few days at Cat Tien to look for a few of its specialities and generally check out the birding.

If you would like to join me on a birding trip in Vietnam take a look at the dates, itinerary and all the details of my next tour - Vietnam Birding Tour.
Read more »

Forest Birding at Kitulgala – Sri Lanka Birding

May 5th, 2022

Nick

If you want superb views across a forest-lined river, steamy mist forming over the forest, a fantastic morning chorus and lots of birds then Kitulgala is the perfect place. The location that was famously used for filming of the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” does not disappoint visually and with three nights here it did not disappoint ornithologically either. Staying at Kitulgala Resthouse my room had a superb view across the river to the forest and village groves where most birders head but even around the guesthouse grounds birds were abundant, particularly in the early morning. Over the course of my stay birds were abundant in the orchards and gardens around the village and forest patches, making seeing a good number of Sri Lanka’s key species fairly easy, although birding the forest itself was quite difficult and slow, typical of tropical forest birding in Asia. Some of the best birds I saw at Kitulgala included Malabar Trogon, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Layard’s Parakeet, Legge’s Hawk Eagle, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and a wonderful encounter with a pair of Sri Lanka Spurfowl.

Kitulgala will feature on all my birding tours to Sri Lanka. If you would like to join one check out the details here - Sri Lanka Birding Tour.

Read more »