Birdwatching In Isan

[jack2964]

It doesn't exist, Jack!

I was going to suggest Racquet-tailed Treepie.... but it doesn't have this hood (nothing seems to !), But it does have the spatulate tail.

How about this fella? http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?p=5&action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=2236&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

If it is, I get at least half a tick due to poor views.

[AjarnNorth]

It doesn't exist, Jack!

I was going to suggest Racquet-tailed Treepie.... but it doesn't have this hood (nothing seems to !), But it does have the spatulate tail.

How about this fella? http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?p=5&action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=2236&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

If it is, I get at least half a tick due to poor views.

You get the full tick. Yep. Spangled Drongo. Can't be anything else. I see them here in Chonburi a few times a year. Just had one a few days ago. The coloring can look very different depending on what light you have them in. If these pictures were clearer you'd be able to see the upturned tail.

[AjarnNorth]

Here's one from my garden in December 2012. Not a great pic, though.

Edited November 28, 2014 by AjarnNorth

[isanbirder]

Well identified, Jack and AjarnNorth. Robson calls it Hair-crested Drongo, which is the name I've always known it by... but I have seen Spangled used before.

My Painted Stork flock rose briefly to 17, but is now back to five or fewer.

Red-throated Pipits are in. Not usually rare, but last year I had only one party of five all winter, so I was pleased to see these.

Also Red-rumped Swallows.... always a late arrival here.

[Robby nz]

The second pic looks like a Striped Tit-babbler. The leaf-warbler, Two-barred. The shrike, certainly a young bird, but I can't see enough of the back to confirm Grey-backed.

Sounds like a great trip, Robby.

Just got round to looking at this page again, Striped tit-babbler it is, another new one for me, I have another one of a 2 barred warbler taken the day before that looks different, light conditions I suppose. Thanks Isanbirder,

The other two, well im going to go for an Eclipse plumage Purple Sunbird, and leave the warbler.

This morning saw 2 purple swamp hen halfway up a clump of reeds, only the third time I have seen them here, also a purple and grey heron, one of the large cuckoos flew out of a tree, no chance to see where it went or to ID it other than to say it was a cuckoo by the long barred tail.

[isanbirder]

I wouldn't bet too heavily on my leaf-warbler identifications, Robby.

A red-letter day today; actually a tired raptor day!

First out, at about 6.45, in dull overcast morning light, was an aquila eagle. Broad wings, relatively short tail, very dark apart from some white markings on the upperside of wings and rump area. It plodded off in a straight line away from me, attended by a pesky crow (these are something we have too many of). I suspect a first-year Greater Spotted Eagle; this is the commonest aquila in Thailand, and is also suggested by the white marks.

A few minutes later, at last, a Black-eared Kite. A young bird, rather pale for this species, and with the forked tail not yet fully developed. This one had four crows mobbing it.

IMO the mobbing suggests the raptors are tired, having probably just arrived. The raptors concerned just plod on. In my experience, crows don't bother to mob a large raptor in the normal way of things, and must sense some weakness in the new arrivals. By contrast, I have seen Brahminy Kites driving crows away from their nest area. The contrast with their normal behaviour is striking ; they go ballistic, i.e. aerobatic, and the crows can't get out of the way fast enough.

[AjarnNorth]

Somewhere I have pictures of what I thought was a rather unlikely "mobbing" in Surin. Ashy Woodswallows mobbing a kite! Black-eared if i remember correctly. If i can find the pics i will post them.

Nothing much to report from Chonburi as of late. Asian Paradise Flyctchers are in as of a a couple weeks ago in the same area I have seen them before. Had a pair of Spangled Drongos yesterday. The usual suspects otherwise...

[Robby nz]

Must share this mornings catch, a Chestnut winged Cuckoo, another first for me.

Got me thinking as I was slowly wandering along hoping to see it again what a great place this country is where I can ride the bike around 2km from home in the morning and see something as beautiful as that, not to mention the 20 odd other species of birds I saw and the many beautiful butterflies.

Then after coming home and putting the photos I took on the computer, having a look at the local news and general topics and seeing the usual mob of whingers, whiners and anti-everything's doing their thing it make me wonder how they can live like that. They don't know what they are missing out on.

[isanbirder]

Lovely bird! (never seen one)

A lot of people seem never to be happy unless they're whinging. Generally not birders, though..

I knew one birder in Hong Kong who wasn't happy whatever he saw. No, it was, dipped on this, dipped on that, couldn't get me bins on it (oh, I really hate that abbreviation!). I left Hong Kong, and when I went back for a visit, he was all cheerful! Birding had got to him at last!

Oh, BTW, the Black-eared Kite was back this morning, evidently rested, because the crows weren't taking any notice.

[jack2964]

Must share this mornings catch, a Chestnut winged Cuckoo, another first for me.

chestnut winged cuckoo.JPG

chestnut winged cuckoo. 1.JPG

Got me thinking as I was slowly wandering along hoping to see it again what a great place this country is where I can ride the bike around 2km from home in the morning and see something as beautiful as that, not to mention the 20 odd other species of birds I saw and the many beautiful butterflies.

Then after coming home and putting the photos I took on the computer, having a look at the local news and general topics and seeing the usual mob of whingers, whiners and anti-everything's doing their thing it make me wonder how they can live like that. They don't know what they are missing out on.

Congrats Robby! I had one last year; also a first for me and never seen it again since.

Off topic here; I been going out very early before dawn to my fishing hole and as the horizon just starts to light up I noticed over several trips/days that there is a flock-yes a flock of perhaps 20+ nightjars flying over a narrow channel of water and not much higher than tree tops and appear to be hawking insects but I could be wrong. Every time I've passed this stretch of water to my fishing spot they are there. But once the sky brightens up a bit more they disperse. I don't know what kind of nightjar these are but they have quite a long tail relative to their bodies and pointed wingtips.

They are not flying away but seemed to cruise over the tee tops and the stretch of water until light disperses them. Any ideas what they are up to?

[isanbirder]

Nightjars can be tricky. The best ways to identify them are by habitat and call.

Some while back, a friend sent me a photo and said, What dinosaur is this? It was a Great Slaty Woodpecker.

I remembered that this morning when a flock of a dozen Painted Storks flew overhead, quite low. They looked remarkably like dinosaurs! The flock I see daily now is about 15 birds.... I have had 18, but that may mean a double count of some, as odd birds split off and come back again, and I'm never sure whether I've counted them already.

Those apart, this cold spell has been very unproductive. A Little Cormorant has been here for a few days (my first winter record), but very little else.

[Robby nz]

Went to Mae Wong and stayed 4 nights the first 2 at Chong Yen the third at Khun Nam Yen and the last at the Mae Wong River.

Being the independent type I didn’t do the usual ‘sit in a hide thing’ but wandered around on my own so I ended up with a list of birds a bit different to the normal.

First went a way down the old Umphang Rd without seeing much then on the way back followed some calls to a fruiting tree in the gully there I say (among others) Pin tail and Wedge Tail pigeons, Great and Blue throated Barbet, Black, Ashy (hildebrandi) and Grey cheeked Bulbul and Streaked Spiderhunter.

Usual birds around the camp site then on to Khun Nam Yen where there was a Blue Rock Thrush on top of the toilets, this bird seems to have taken up residence as it flew out from inside the next morning. Notable birds I saw are Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Streaked Spiderhunter, Simitar Babbler (not sure which, no photo), a flock of Olive Backed Pipit feeding on the grass and an as yet unidentified raptor which was roosting on a tree in the camp ground.

On to Mae Wong River where they want to build the dam, a part of the park which never gets a mention but is a very nice place with plenty of camping space, a great place for a family with safe swimming for the kids and two good looking houses for rent which accommodate 6 people (2400 b per night) even look to have sat TV.

The place has mains power and all night lighting in toilets and around the camp grounds.

There is a road running up the river for about 5 KM which is an unsealed forest Rd but drivable in the dry as long as nobody is coming the other way. The whole way up the river Rd has been logged in the past with high second growth which is easy to walk through.

I walked a KM or so up the Rd before seeing much in the way of birds then encountered a flock of White Crested Laughingthrush which I followed off the road towards the river. Came on a mixed flock of woodpecker and was able to get distant photos of Greater Flameback and another bird which I thought was an oriole but when I got home I see it is a Black headed Woodpecker, also say a Yellownape but no photo. Got a Red billed blue Magpie from the same group and a Blue Rock Thrush.

Heard a Red Jungle Foul calling, put up 3 large ground birds which I couldn’t ID, saw a Peacock and Grey Wagtail in the river bed, a Malkoha and a raptor being hassled by a pair of Racket tailed Drongo, a Grey headed Canary Flycatcher as well as other small birds.

All in all a great place to visit and in need of more investigating as a bird spot.

General

Chong Yen will charge camera batteries if you ask.

Khun Nam Yen have all night lighting in the toilets but no plugs for charging.

At the river there are plenty of plugs for charging.

30 B each and 30 B for the car per night, I showed them the letter I have from immigration which I had to get for a Thai license and they accepted that as proof of residence in TL so did not get charged farang price.

A comment, all the birds there are very fat which must point to a healthy forest and environment.

Photos raptor that I haven't been able to ID

Is this an ordinary Brown Shrike, looks so much different to the ones I an used to seeing.

[isanbirder]

Nice report, Robby.

The photos..... I have not much idea for the raptor, except that it seems to be one of the Besra/Sparrowhawk group.

The shrike is a young bird, possibly nominate cristatus.

[AjarnNorth]

Nice report, Robby.

The photos..... I have not much idea for the raptor, except that it seems to be one of the Besra/Sparrowhawk group.

The shrike is a young bird, possibly nominate cristatus.

What about Grey-faced Buzzard (Juv / subadult) on the raptor as a possibility. Might account for the prominent white patch (supercillium?) above the eye. Agreed on the shrike, though.

[isanbirder]

Grey-faced Buzzard is an idea, but there seems to be too much marking on both upper and underparts. I took the white splash on the head to be something wrong on the photo.

[Robby nz]

Grey-faced Buzzard is an idea, but there seems to be too much marking on both upper and underparts. I took the white splash on the head to be something wrong on the photo.

I have several photos and the white is there in all of them so it is part of the bird.

I thought probably a juvenile of some sort as they usually have different plumage.

Looks very much like the immature Grey faced Buzzard shown on http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=915&Bird_Image_ID=35278&p=24

Thanks again.

[Robby nz]

Got my first good photos of purple swamp hen last week with 4 of them in the same place.

Saw the first spotted red shanks and common green shanks of the winter on the same day, other common green shanks today, all in harvested paddy areas.

Almost no birds down by the river, walked around and the only thing I saw was a couple of little ringed plover and wagtail.

Will go and have a look at Phu Kae Botanical gardens again this week and camp at Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park for a few nights later in the month, never seen any reports from there so will be interesting new territory.

[isanbirder]

As the paddy dries up, most of the birds are leaving my area; this always happens in January. I'm now trying to see if there are any Striated Swallows among the Red-rumped. Just how does one see the back of the neck, and the heaviness or otherwise of the streaks on the belly, on birds jinking all over the place at a rate of knots and rarely coming close? I did have a nice view of one bird this morning, which swooped down in front of me, but it was gone before I could see those diagnostic features.

Five Black Bazas on New Year's Day was a nice start to the year; I usually get them only in October.

[jack2964]

Is this a Laced WP (male)?

Found this while sat in a boat in the shade. It was foraging just inches off the ground and I initially thought it to be the usual jungle fowl which number in the hundreds here perhaps thousands.

Habitat: Secondary growth by side of reservoir.

[isanbirder]

Not a species I know, Jack, but it looks right. Robson doesn't show the little black mark touching the eye, but Round does.

Nothing going on here. A week or so back I saw a record 26 Painted Storks, but the next day they'd gone.

[jack2964]

I picked Laced simply because it is more common as compared to Streak-breasted and from the distribution map as shown in Robson's 'Birds of Thailand'.

Would wish it to be streak-breasted as I can then claim a tick. In the illustrations from this guide the 2 are indistinguishable for me.

[Robby nz]

See this in the BKK post this morning : "The Gurney's pitta hasn't been spotted in a year and experts fear it may have followed the dodo"

Rules don't allow a link.

[isanbirder]

Sad news if it's true. A lot of effort went into protecting that species.

[Mousehound]

As the paddy dries up, most of the birds are leaving my area; this always happens in January. I'm now trying to see if there are any Striated Swallows among the Red-rumped. Just how does one see the back of the neck, and the heaviness or otherwise of the streaks on the belly, on birds jinking all over the place at a rate of knots and rarely coming close? I did have a nice view of one bird this morning, which swooped down in front of me, but it was gone before I could see those diagnostic features.

Five Black Bazas on New Year's Day was a nice start to the year; I usually get them only in October.

I found swallows etc really difficult with my usual 10x40s but then got a nice pair of 7x with good glass. They make it so much easier for closer work on fast moving stuff. I also use them for butterflies and weigh little.

[isanbirder]

I've been watching the Red-rumped the past few weeks; they're getting fewer now. I've seen a few birds which look slighter larger and less agile than most, and suspect these are Striated, but I haven't been able to see streaks distinctly on them. The rump is a bit darker too.

[AjarnNorth]

I have this as Grey-faced Buzzard. I know the pics are terrible but I think good enough for input. Huai Saneng Reservoir in Surin two days ago. I had better looks with bins than these pics represent and am fairly sure but I'm open any input.

[Robby nz]

We went to Chaloem Rattanakosin NP and camped for 3 nights last month, interesting place but not a huge amount of bird life.

The only new bird I got was a Tickells blue Flycatcher, saw both male and female bathing in a stream in the evening.

Got good photos of Blue Whistling Thrush, Puff throated Babbler and juvenile Shikra.

The part that would have been most interesting which is up towards the wildest part of the park and a couple of waterfalls was closed as they said there has been a population explosion of King Cobras up there and they wont let anyone go there.

One of the rangers we talked to told us he had seen a tiger and a smaller cat as well as a bear and different species of deer in the park.

He said they had put out 50 camera traps and would pick them up this month so they will no doubt get a better idea of what is in there.

More success with new species at home since then, got my first positive sighting and photos of Ruddy breasted Crake last week, then 2 days ago say something from behind hopping around on the ground that looked like some sort of pipit, then it turned, Wow, Siberian Rubythroat, got a good shot of it.

This morning there was a Grey Heron and Purple Heron sitting in the same tree, took a couple of photos before they flew off, when I went back past the tree a quick glance, the Purple Heron is back, a better look and no its something different, an Oriental Darter, another new one for me, got some good photos.

Later walking back to my bike the Darter and Grey Heron were together in another tree, more photos.

Tomorrow we head off again for 4 nights camping at Phu Toi NP.

The lady boss has just baked a cake to take with us, Int life great.

[AjarnNorth]

I have this as Grey-faced Buzzard. I know the pics are terrible but I think good enough for input. Huai Saneng Reservoir in Surin two days ago. I had better looks with bins than these pics represent and am fairly sure but I'm open any input.

Case closed. Have this on very good authority that it's definitively not a GFB but a Harrier, probably Juv. Pied.

So now I question my suggestion above on Robby's raptor that i suggested might be a Juv. GFB.

Not easy stuff. But then that's the fun.

[isanbirder]

I have constant trouble identifying raptors, as you know, Ajarn North!

Today I had two "black" kites. The first one passed to the south of me, and the bright sunlight made it difficult to view details. I thought there wasn't much white on the underwing, though.

The second bird came in from the east. The light was good, and it came within about 50x, swooped down and caught something (all I could see was some grass which it must have grabbed with its prey), and then flew off. I couldn't see the head markings, but the head looked darker than the Black-eared I am used to. BUT the white patch under the wing was quite small (to my memory, I've only once seen one with less white). This suggests to me that it was the Black, a much scarcer bird here than the Black-eared. The first bird could have been either.

Twice recently I have seen a small accipiter... in two different woods. There haven't been any Shikras around recently, and both birds looked too small, but I suppose they could have been male Shikras.

As you say, AN, there's the fun of it!

[Robby nz]

Did our trip to Phu Toi NP, had planned to camp for 4 nights but extended to 5 with the first 2 in the East of the park, the second 2 at the HQ and the last in the forest 2km from the HQ.

Got photos of several birds I hadn't seen there before as well as three or four new to me, if I have the ID right.

Picking this to be a Black eared Kite milvus lineatus.

It landed in a dead tree where there had been a pair of Black Baza sitting and was way bigger than them, confirm or deny ?

Would this be an Oriental turtle Dove sitting with a Spotted Dove ?

Then there is this little one which appeared bigger than a flycatcher, only got front on pix.

Number 4 there is no doubt for there is no mistaking Red Junglefowl

Also lots of bird calls I haven't heard before, a pheasant of some sort on the road, missed opportunities for photos and the lady saw a wild pig which from her description was a sow heavy in pig.

There is a healthy population of pigs on the HQ side as I saw a fair bit of rooting in my wandering around in the forest.

In general the birds look to be getting together with nesting in mind, saw Liniated Barbets passing food and several other species getting to know each other.

Next months trip is planned for Mae Wong, both the river and the top.