A beautiful sunrise, thousands of birds, the sound of the sea; all the ingredients for one of the world’s birding hotspots, but in reality this is the atmosphere I was able to enjoy on a short morning excursion from Bangkok when visiting the “Red Bridge” coastal boardwalk in neighbouring Samut Sakhon province. Rather than being [...]
Uzbekistan is one of those countries that is great for birding and at the same time extremely interesting in touristic terms too; an ideal place to travel with a non-birding partner and then to find time to go birding in locations near the tourist spots and to visit some really spectacular scenery. In late April [...]
Vietnam is the country in mainland Southeast Asia with the highest number of endemic species and the best place to see a number of regional endemics too as well as a fantastic supporting cast of more widespread birds. Leading the Calidris Birding Tours trip to Southern and Central Vietnam in March/April 2025 gave all participants [...]
My annual migration between Thailand and UK has not only seen the cost of direct flights rise dramatically but I have grown very tired of sitting on a plane for twelve hours, if only I was able to make the journey under self-powered flight like a Bar-tailed Godwit! Indirect flights are, of course, a solution [...]
One thing I have learned over the years that I have been bird watching is that there are many different ways for people to enjoy birds. I started birding by going on long country walks in England with birds being perhaps the most accessible category of wildlife to enjoy along the way. Friends of mine [...]
February 28th, 2013 
Nick Most mornings at Pak Thale there are huge congregations of large waterbirds, mostly egrets but over recent weeks more and more other species have been joining them.
Up until a few weeks ago there had been hardly any Indian Cormorants or Painted Storks in the area but there has been an influx; I guess that they are moving to Pak Thale from their breeding colonies, mostly in Cambodia, having finished nesting. Read more »
February 21st, 2013 Nick A few days ago I was in the area of Wat Khao Takrao, near Petchaburi, when I noticed a few Black-headed Ibises very close to the road. I very frequently see these birds in this area at all times of the year, but usually sightings are fairly distant and often made worse by heat haze, but these two birds were very obligingly feeding only 20 metres from the road and using the van as a hide I was able to take photographs of them for some time. Read more »
February 16th, 2013 Nick This morning I spent a few hours birding in rice fields near the Nong Pla Lai raptor watch site in Petchaburi province. This area hosts large numbers of birds and a high number of species in the dry season and I very rarely get to spend time here on my own, so it was nice to take things slowly and see what could be found.
I arrived at first light with huge numbers of Asian Openbills landing in the rice fields and a few Black-crowned Night Herons making the journey in the opposite direction. I spent a few hours birding just a small part of the rice fields, only walking about 1 kilometre in total; this allowed me to see a number of skulking and secretive birds. Read more »
February 12th, 2013 Nick A few days ago I was just outside the gate of Kaeng Krachan national park with some visiting bird watchers trying to get a good look at an Indochinese Bushlark. We checked all the regular spots, scanned all the wires for singing birds but nothing! Finally I heard one singing from the ground and we attempted to get close to it. Of course, it was hiding in grassland and all we managed to see were two birds flying away from us as they headed for some thick undergrowth never to be seen again – not very satisfying.
Having given up we drove along the road and soon saw an Indochinese Bushlark scurry across the road and stop in some very short grass right next to the road, so we headed up there for a better look. Read more »
February 5th, 2013 Nick The unusual weather that has been a feature of this “dry” season continues in Thailand and overcast skies and mist at Kaeng Krachan were encountered over the last few days which made the general levels of activity lower than would be expected. However, what was lost in bird activity we made up for with quality birds. The wet weather seems to have fooled some species into thinking the wet season is arriving and that it is time to breed, meaning that we were able to get good sightings of a number of exciting species that are usually hard to find outside of the breeding season. Read more »
January 30th, 2013 Nick The dreary weather in Thailand continues and we had to deal with drizzle, mist and low cloud today at Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia where one would normally expect blue skies and intense sun. Trying to spot shorebirds in these poor viewing conditions was not easy but at least we did not have to deal with heat haze! However, we did not let this stop us from finding 3 Spoon-billed Sandpipers at Pak Thale within 10 seconds of beginning our search! Read more »
January 29th, 2013 Nick From 27th to 29th January I spent time at Khao Yai national park with a group of birders from UK. Fresh from a very successful northern leg of our trip expectations were high for some great birds at Khao Yai. When we arrived to absolutely awful weather conditions with unseasonal persistent rain and very poor visibility things did not look very promising. However, with patience and good planning we managed to find a lot of highly sought-after birds. Read more »
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Cambodia Birding Trip, 12-26th March 2026 - Giant Ibis, Bengal Florican, Bar-bellied Pitta. |
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Vietnam, 29 Mar-9 Apr 2026 - Bar-bellied Pitta, Vietnamese Cutia, Grey-crowned Crocias. |
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Central Asia, 21st May-4th June 2026 - Pallas's Sandgrouse, Ibisbill, Black Lark.. |
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North Borneo, 29 Aug -10 Sep 2026 - Bornean Bristlehead, Blue-headed Pitta, Whitehead's Trogon |
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South Sumatra, Java & Bali, 9-26th Sept 2026 - Javan Banded Pitta, Bali Starling, Frogmouths |
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Sri Lanka Endemics, 19 Nov -1 Dec 2025 - Malabar Trogon, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Pied Thrush |
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South Korea in Winter, 3-15th Jan 2027 - Steller's Sea Eagle, Red-crowned Crane, Relict Gull. |
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I have spent most of my life pursuing an interest in birds and after traveling & birding in the Pacific and Asia, I settled in Thailand, where I have built |
| up several decades of birding experience. Over the years I have not only become adept in finding birds but also in helping others to see and enjoy them. With a first class bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Countryside Conservation I also have the background to inform others about the ecology of the birds seen on tours as well as the conservation issues that many species face. I have led birding tours in Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, UK, Cambodia, Sumatra, Java & Bali, Southeast China, Sulawesi & Halmahera, Myanmar, Peninsula Malaysia and South Korea with further upcoming trips to S. Korea, Sumatra/Java and Bali, Cambodia, Vietnam, Morocco, Central Asia & Borneo. | |
