At this time of year birders in Thailand are witnessing the end of the spring migration and it is interesting to note the last dates that many of the commoner species are seen. Today, as I was driving to the market, I saw 6 Barn Swallows swooping around a wood yard in the suburbs of Pra Pra Daeng, southwest Bangkok. I imagine that the wood had attracted a fair number of insects which in turn had attracted the Swallows. I guess it is possible that these will be the last of the Swallows for a while.

This incident reminded me of another, about a week ago. A storm was rolling in and a whole load of Barn Swallows began to collect on TV masts opposite my bedroom. I took a couple of pictures at the time but forgot about them until now. Here is the best one which shows a group of Barn Swallows shortly before they all flew off as the storm approached.

For readers who have their own interesting dates for migrants (late winter visitors, summer visitors or returning winter visitors) please post them in this thread of the thaibirding forums: Migrant Dates.

Bang Pra is an excellent site for seeing a wide range of species, with woodland, grassland and wetland habitats it is possible to see a high number of excellent species here. Combined with an afternoon at wetlands near Bang Poo and some coastal birds at Bang Poo itself, an excellent day of birdwatching is possible; this is exactly what Dierdre Robinson and I did on 26th April. Dierdre had contacted me as she had just one day in Thailand before moving on to a volunteer job in Bhutan and as she hadn’t been birdwatching in Thailand before, these three locations offered an excellent chance of seeing a lot of nice species well.

Having picked her up from the Queen’s Garden Resort hotel near Suvarnampum airport we arrived at Bang Pra at the peak of the bird activity. Before we had got out of the car we had been treated to the site of a flock of White-crested Laughingthrushes feeding on the road and calling to one another, several White-throated Kingfishers, Indian Rollers and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos; impressive birds all. After parking the car we made the most of the high level of bird activity. There seemed to be Lineated Barbets in every tree, giving us fine looks at this handsome bird and Racket-tailed Treepies seemed to be following us around. Within a short distance of the car park we also saw an Asian Brown Flycatcher – a late departee, a single Lesser Whistling Duck and excellent views of several Yellow Bitterns.

The level of bird activity in the region of the car park and small lake was quite remarkable and other species included Black Drongo, a migrant leucogenis Ashy Drongo, 2 colourful Black-headed Bulbuls, Sooty-headed Bulbuls, more White-crested Laughingthrushes and Green Bee-eater. Also notable was the high number of Hoopoes we saw. I usually see Hoopoe at Bang Pra, but this morning they were everywhere and I can only assume that the resident population had been increased by passage migrants. Before we had gone very much further we saw another good bird, Crow-billed Drongo. This passage migrant isn’t so often seen and many birdwatchers with long lists are still looking for it. As we moved alongside the woodland a pair of Vinous-breasted Starlings caught my eye. Unfortunately, Dierdre missed them as they flew into the woodland quite quickly but when we went into the trees to hunt the starlings out Dierdre noticed a Spotted Owlet watching us. As we returned its stare another flew away into the woods and eventually the bird that we had such a good view of joined it.

With Greater Racket-tailed Drongos and Hoopoes all around us we moved towards the grassland, seeing a Green-billed Malkoha on the way. The grassland habitat here used to be excellent for many species of quail, but now the raised water level and overgrazing of what grassland remains has degraded the habitat severely and we didn’t see a single quail. We did, however, hear a number of Chinese Francolins and they taunted us as we searched for them. One bird high in a tree was particularly frustrating as we should have been able to see it but just couldn’t. Still, we saw a lot of birds in the grass and at the water’s edge: Indochinese Bushlark and Australasian Bushlark were seen side by side and each was performing its own characteristic song – Indochinese from a post and Australasian from the sky. We also found a number of Paddyfield Pipits, a lovely Bright-headed Cisticola and many Zitting Cisticolas.

I was interested to see quite a number of winter migrants still present – it is always nice to note the latest dates that wintering species are seen. Those that we saw included numerous Oriental Reed Warblers in song, several Black-browed Reed Warblers, also singing, 2 Brown Shrikes, an Osprey, a few Chinese Pond Herons, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Little Ringed Plover , 2 Red-rumped Swallows and 1 tschutschensis Yellow Wagtail. Of course, these were far outnumbered by the breeding species such as Green Bee-eater, Red-wattled Lapwing, Oriental Pratincole and Black-winged Stilt which seemed to be everywhere we looked.

Waterbirds were a little thin on the ground and they also suffer from habitat degradation here, but we got good views of Painted Stork, Great Egret, Little Egret, Little Cormorant, White-breasted Waterhen, Javan Pond Heron and Chinese Pond Heron (Both very handsome in their breeding plumage) and a flight view of a male Watercock.

With the sun becoming unbearable we headed towards some shade but it was difficult to ignore new birds as we ran into a small colony of Baya Weavers, several Rufescent Prinias, Plain Prinias and Grey-breasted Prinias. Also a pair of Chestnut-capped Babblers was very nice indeed. However, with these successes we went back to the car for a drink and a rest. After a short break we decided on an early lunch and to head towards Soi 119 for new birds. This decision was taken because Dierdre had a broken toe and the idea of birding from the car sounded like a good one.

So, a few hours later we found ourselves at Soi 119, and that after I said I was unlikely to come back here very soon. Well, this time things were much more birdy and we saw a good selection of waterbirds here. Striated Grassbird, Bronze-winged Jacana, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Barn Swallow and Whiskered Tern were all quick additions to our day list at a very productive spot near the University building.

A little further along we found more Jacanas and as we wondered whether the gathering clouds were going to drench us we found a beautiful male Asian Golden Weaver sitting up on a post just begging us to watch him.

As we moved along we found some excellent pools where we found some very attractive species; 10 Cotton Pygmy Geese, White-browed Crake, male and female Watercock, Intermediate Egret and several White-winged Terns in full breeding plumage were very spectacular. With so many interesting and attractive birds to see it was difficult to move on but I wanted to give Dierdre a good look at Asian Openbill Storks. This was easy to do and we spent some time observing this species and we were amazed at the huge number of old snail shells in the area, these having been discarded by the storks. Close to the storks we found a single Grey-headed Lapwing which seemed to be very far south at a time I would expect it to have departed.

Although we had seen plenty of Baya Weavers, we hadn’t  seen any males so I kept stopping to find some. When I finally found a male we got out of the car and viewed this busy little bird and as we did a large V of Indian Cormorants flew overhead, a juvenile Brahminy Kite passed by and 2 Parakeets whizzed past us. I couldn’t identify the Parakeets, but they seemed green-headed but too small for Alexandrine; I suspect they were feral Ring-necked Parakeets, a species which I have heard is starting to establish itself in Thailand as it has done in England. However, the best bird of the day (at least for me) was just about to show itself. Behind us a starling had landed on a wire and was calling harshly. Through binoculars the light wasn’t good enough for me to be sure of its id, so I got the scope on it. The bird turned out to be a juvenile Rosy Starling, a new bird for me as I have always missed this species in UK and in Thailand – it is not at all common in either country. We had quite some time to watch this bird and eventually it flew off into some palm trees.

With a good haul of species and in need of a rest we headed to nearby Bang Poo. We parked up and walked along the pier to get a drink. However, we couldn’t ignore yet more species as we strolled along. Good numbers of Brown-headed Gulls were still present but most of the birds were sub-adults and had not yet come into breeding plumage. Plenty of Pacific Golden Plovers were also easily seen but this was the only shorebird species in any number; we also found a few Lesser Sand Plovers, 1 Common Greenshank and 1 Whimbrel. 2 Black-capped Kingfishers were also late wintering birds, very welcome by us, and a number of Little Herons was another new bird for the day. Other notable birds were around 100 Whiskered and White-winged Terns yet to depart for their breeding grounds.

After sitting in the air-conditioned restaurant on the pier, drinking coconut juice we were reinvigorated for a few last birds before leaving and we stood on the end of the pier to get good views of the shorebirds. As I was scanning the distance for something I took a moment to rest and spotted an Indian Pond Heron in breeding plumage right in front of us! This unusual bird for Thailand is being seen increasingly at this time of year when it can be separated from the Javan and Chinese Pond Herons but this was the first time for me in Thailand, although I had seen plenty in India. Eventually it flew away and we walked to the car as the rain finally began.

A little drive around Bang Poo found us 3 new birds for the day – Black-crowned Night Heron, Collared Kingfisher and Pied Fantail. Who can believe it took us all day to find a bird as common as Pied Fantail? I guess strange things like this is what makes birdwatching interesting and certainly unpredictable. With these species and a massive number of birds for the day I took Dierdre back to her hotel and we said goodbye.
birds, birding, thailand, nature

Asian Golden Weaver is not at all common in Thailand and becoming increasingly rarer due to habitat destruction, although it can be found at a few sites I know; the most reliable being Muang Boran Fishponds where it is easy to get fairly close  to a nesting colony without disturbing the birds. Ashley Banwell had contacted me with a small list of species that he was interested in seeing; for someone with as large a life list as he has finding lifers isn’t so easy but Asian Golden Weaver stood out as one species on his list that I knew I could help him with.

At 5am I met Ashley at The Hotel Manhattan in Sukhumvit Soi 15 and we headed off to Muang Boran Fishponds before the traffic built up. Because of the problems with parking and security, it is a good idea to park at Bang Poo, just a few kilometres beyond Muang Boran and get a taxi back to the fishponds and this is what we did.

As soon as we were into the site the birdwatching began and one of the first we saw was a male Asian Golden Weaver – that didn’t take long! However, it was quite distant and we were happy to wait for better views. There is always an abundance of waterbirds here and we quickly saw Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Little Egret, Little Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-browed Crake, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Javan Pond Heron, Chinese Pond Heron and an impressive male Watercock, always a good bird to see.

Striated Grassbird is very abundant here and it didn’t take long before we were hearing them all around us and they are always easily seen, perched high up on posts and trees singing away. The open aspect of this site means that most birds can be viewed well and it is a great spot for getting pictures. Both Brown Shrike and Long-tailed Shrike gave good photo opportunites and Oriental Pratincoles were everwhere just waiting to be photographed. We also briefly saw an Oriental Skylark and Zitting Cisticolas flitting around in the grass.

Further along a large pond held plenty of waterbirds and we added Intermediate Egret, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas to the list. Pheasant-tailed breeds here, there are not that many places in Thailand where it does, and it can be found easily and in good numbers all year round here; they certainly look striking in their breeding plumage.

As we walked towards where the weavers breed we came a cross a tschutschensis race Yellow Wagtail and several Oriental Reed Warblers before hearing some weavers. I was expecting it to be Asian Golden as they are the commonest weaver at this site but it turned out to be a male Streaked Weaver! This is quite an uncommon species and one that I had managed not to see before – an addition to my life list and the Muang Boran Fishponds list. A couple of female Asian Golden Weavers also appeared but it was a singing reed warbler that Ashley spotted that got our attention. It crept up the reeds and sung from the tops and the song was quite different to the plentiful Black-browed Reed Warblers. We got a decent look at it and its slightly longer bill and thin dark eyestripe reaching only as far as the eye identified it as Manchurian Reed Warbler.

Eventually we decided to go straight to the weaver nest site and we got superb views of beautiful male Asian Golden Weavers making their nests and displaying to the females, all at close range. After admiring these birds and photographing them we decided to head off to Petchaburi as Ashley wanted to spend the next 2 days at Kaeng Krachan looking for White-fronted Scops Owl and Giant Pitta – ambitious indeed.

A few hours later, after lunch, we arrived at Tung Bang Jak, a little before Petburi town and we soon saw the photogenic Green Bee-eaters that are so easy to see here. Ashley got some nice photos of these beautiful birds before our attention was caught by some more weavers calling from the reeds. 2 female Asian Golden Weavers were soon joined by a superb male and then 7 male Streaked Weavers popped their heads out – suddenly these species were common! After enjoying these busy little birds we moved a little further down the road seeing most of the usual species that can be found here; Pond Herons, Egrets, Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper, Asian Openbill Stork, Plain-backed Sparrow, Red-wattled Lapwing, Mynas and Black-shouldered Kite; before finding our third weaver species for the day: Baya Weaver. This species is by far the most common here and it was strange that this was the one we found last, but all of Thailand’s 3 weaver species in one day (actually a few minutes) was quite pleasing as they are attractive little birds in their summer plumage.

We stopped for a while to watch a farmer in the rice fields and it made a nice picture to see a more or less traditional form of agriculture in action with lots of large waterbirds in attendance. This is a scene which is absent from many Asian countries where most birds have been trapped and hunted out of existence in farmland.

Having admired this scene and reflected upon how nice it was that lots of birds can still be found outside of national parks in Thailand it was quite upsetting to find a mist net strung up beside the road. I can only think that it was left in order to trap birds for the cage bird trade, the merit-making trade or for the table. If it was left unattended by a ringer I would be most annoyed at their idiocy for any birds that were caught in this net would die very quickly in the midday heat and humidity. Click on the thumbnail below and you can see a close up of the net which shows that it is inded a mist net and not something else.

After the mist net incident we found some Bronze-winged Jacanas, 100s of Asian Openbills and a beautiful pair of Pink-necked Green Pigeons perched on a wire. Keen to add some shorebirds to our tally we then moved on to Pak Thale.

The Spoon-billed Sandpipers seemed to have left Pak Thale a while ago but we were expecting to see plenty of other species. Unfortunately shorebirds were pretty thin on the ground here, most species are well into their migration I guess, but this is a good time of year to find Grey-tailed Tattler and we saw 3 here. Other birds included Red-necked Stint, Kentish Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper. A walk to the shore produced 3 Curlew and a Whimbrel but with little else we decided to go to the sand spit.

On the way we spotted a group of shorebirds which included breeding plumage Curlew Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint and Spotted Redshank.

After finding a boat we slowly headed out to the spit and I spotted a pair of Blue-throated Bee-eaters above the mangroves; an uncommon bird this far north. The tide was in and we could see a group of roosting shorebirds, hoping that perhaps a “White-faced” Plover might still be around. Unfortunately, as we landed,  two other birdwatchers decided that they didn’t want us for company, got up in a hurry, and walked straight at the shorebirds flushing the whole group!!!!!! Quite amazing how thoughtless some people can be! Luckily our boatman said he could land us at another spot where we got nice views of Malaysian Plover, Kentish PLover, Sanderling, Lesser Sand Plover and 2 Greater Sand Plover, all in breeding plumage, making sure we didn’t disturb the birds. No sign of the “White-faced” though.

With time ticking by we took a look at roosting terns getting very close-up views of Lesser and Great Crested Terns alongside Caspian, Common and Little Terns as well as Brown-headed Gulls due to the skill of our boatman. On the way back a Black-capped Kingfisher was still hanging around.

Our last stop of the day was to look for Black-faced Spoonbill, but it wasn’t to be seen. Instead we got 5 Painted Storks and Grey Heron alongside a number of egrets, all chasing fish around. In the nearby scrubland we found both Blue-tailed and Green Bee-eaters and the ever-present Indochinese Bushlark as well as a Paddyfield Pipit with an injured leg. That was it, a good day of birding with one lifer for both of us. All that was left was to drive to Ban Maka near Kaeng Krachan to drop Ashley off for his quest. The drive took a bit longer than expected but Gunn and Beverly at Ban Maka were very welcoming and quickly prepared food for us. We also added another bird to the day list – Large-tailed Nightjar which was everywhere near Ban Maka, you couldn’t possibly miss it if you went there at night – a fine end to a nice day’s birdwatching in Thailand.