Rice Field Raptor

[T_Dog]

A Thai guy came to our favorite watering hole with this bird in a cage. He had been trying to sell it and had no luck. He decided to take it home and eat it. My farang friend gave him 150 baht for the bird. He took it to his home and immediately released it. It stayed there and it was hand fed daily. It would fly away and be gone a longer time each week. Finally it returned with a mate. Its mate wouldn't come close to us. We were hoping they would nest in a nearby tree but no such luck. A beautiful bird for sure.

That was probably the best 150 baht spent in Thailand. Good on him, and a great story as well.

[Gary A]

One more picture of the bird with a piece of raw chicken that my friend gave it.

[Gary A]

Double post, sorry.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Gary A

[isanbirder]

T-Dog, this is the Black-shouldered Kite, which was what I thought your original 'rice field raptor' was. This specimen seems to have more feathering on its legs than usual, though. To me it's the most beautiful of all the raptors, and... unusually for a real beauty... it is common in areas of rice paddy. I had two nests this year, and see them almost daily... and saw one today over Krasang market!

[T_Dog]

We have a new raptor over the rice field. Larger than the Kestrel, it does not hover but flies very low to the rice field hunting and likes to follow the irrigation ditches. It is a dark brown and appears to be an Eastern Marsh Harrier or a Serpent Eagle but have not confirmed either of those. We've seen it every afternoon for the last week and should be able to get a photo of it soon.

[isanbirder]

We have a new raptor over the rice field. Larger than the Kestrel, it does not hover but flies very low to the rice field hunting and likes to follow the irrigation ditches. It is a dark brown and appears to be an Eastern Marsh Harrier or a Serpent Eagle but have not confirmed either of those. We've seen it every afternoon for the last week and should be able to get a photo of it soon.

It'll be an eastern Marsh Harrier or Pied Harrier (often tricky to tell immatures apart). Harriers have a distinctive flight, with the wings raised at a slight angle.

I've seen very few harriers so far this year, but now the harvest is under way, they should be here soon.

Serpent Eagles, by the way, do not fly like this.

[villagefarang]

We have a new raptor over the rice field. Larger than the Kestrel, it does not hover but flies very low to the rice field hunting and likes to follow the irrigation ditches. It is a dark brown and appears to be an Eastern Marsh Harrier or a Serpent Eagle but have not confirmed either of those. We've seen it every afternoon for the last week and should be able to get a photo of it soon.

It'll be an eastern Marsh Harrier or Pied Harrier (often tricky to tell immatures apart). Harriers have a distinctive flight, with the wings raised at a slight angle.

I've seen very few harriers so far this year, but now the harvest is under way, they should be here soon.

Serpent Eagles, by the way, do not fly like this.

My guess would be a juvenile Pied Harrier. Being brown, they used to confuse me but they do everything exactly like the beautiful white and black ones, so pretty clear they are the same kind of bird.

I am out of town but saw my first couple of Pied Harriers before I left and it felt like greeting old friends. Love to watch them in action.

[T_Dog]

We have a new raptor over the rice field. Larger than the Kestrel, it does not hover but flies very low to the rice field hunting and likes to follow the irrigation ditches. It is a dark brown and appears to be an Eastern Marsh Harrier or a Serpent Eagle but have not confirmed either of those. We've seen it every afternoon for the last week and should be able to get a photo of it soon.

He's been a bit elusive over the past few weeks, gliding between the trees of the forest. Yesterday I did get a poor photo of it and still trying to identify it. The tail makes it look like a Black Kite but that's it. There are lighter colored striations under his wing, just like you see on his tail in this photo. Much larger than the kestrels we see regularly.

[isanbirder]

Oriental Honey-Buzzard. The giveaway is the long neck. Plumage is variable, but it usually has a pale tail with a black bar across the end, and pale patches on the wings. It's a fairly common passage migrant and winter visitor, more a forest bird than a rice paddy bird.

[T_Dog]

Oriental Honey-Buzzard. The giveaway is the long neck. Plumage is variable, but it usually has a pale tail with a black bar across the end, and pale patches on the wings. It's a fairly common passage migrant and winter visitor, more a forest bird than a rice paddy bird.

Thank You isanbirder. Quite a fascinating bird in terms of its eating habits and travel. I hope I run into one invading a wasp nest some day. That would be a sight to see!

[MESmith]

Was out cycling east of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, yesterday. Saw a pied harrier. Mainly white, with black head, & wing tips.

[T_Dog]

Was out cycling east of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, yesterday. Saw a pied harrier. Mainly white, with black head, & wing tips.

That is interesting as we saw our first one for the season here just yesterday. Watched him for about ten minutes and he flapped his wings about once. Don't know much about their migration patterns but it sounds like they might take the same disco bus.

[tinfoilhat]

A Thai guy came to our favorite watering hole with this bird in a cage. He had been trying to sell it and had no luck. He decided to take it home and eat it. My farang friend gave him 150 baht for the bird. He took it to his home and immediately released it. It stayed there and it was hand fed daily. It would fly away and be gone a longer time each week. Finally it returned with a mate. Its mate wouldn't come close to us. We were hoping they would nest in a nearby tree but no such luck. A beautiful bird for sure.

That was probably the best 150 baht spent in Thailand. Good on him, and a great story as well.

thats just cool

[MESmith]

Was out cycling east of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, yesterday. Saw a pied harrier. Mainly white, with black head, & wing tips.

That is interesting as we saw our first one for the season here just yesterday. Watched him for about ten minutes and he flapped his wings about once. Don't know much about their migration patterns but it sounds like they might take the same disco bus.

Saw a pair this morning in a different location much closer to town near hwy 1317 . Female have white head?

[isanbirder]

Was out cycling east of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, yesterday. Saw a pied harrier. Mainly white, with black head, & wing tips.

That is interesting as we saw our first one for the season here just yesterday. Watched him for about ten minutes and he flapped his wings about once. Don't know much about their migration patterns but it sounds like they might take the same disco bus.

Saw a pair this morning in a different location much closer to town near hwy 1317 . Female have white head?

The male Pied Harrier is largely black and white. Juveniles and females are brown, with a white patch across the base of the tail. The one with a pale head is the larger Marsh Harrier (female or young).

Earlier in this thread someone posted a picture of a Black-shouldered Kite. Yesterday, I watched one feeding its young on the nest.... one of those rewarding moments for a birder!

[MESmith]

Was out cycling east of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, yesterday. Saw a pied harrier. Mainly white, with black head, & wing tips.

That is interesting as we saw our first one for the season here just yesterday. Watched him for about ten minutes and he flapped his wings about once. Don't know much about their migration patterns but it sounds like they might take the same disco bus.

Saw a pair this morning in a different location much closer to town near hwy 1317 . Female have white head?

The male Pied Harrier is largely black and white. Juveniles and females are brown, with a white patch across the base of the tail. The one with a pale head is the larger Marsh Harrier (female or young).

Earlier in this thread someone posted a picture of a Black-shouldered Kite. Yesterday, I watched one feeding its young on the nest.... one of those rewarding moments for a birder!

I think the second sighting was black shouldered kite.

[isanbirder]

Since I posted about Spotted Owlets in post #26, they seem to have dogged me. I have one group which often perches in the crematorium vents behind my house; another in a clump of spiky palm trees.

Now one is sitting on eggs in a hole where last year a Hoopoe raised two broods.... and this morning another came out of a hole in a tree less than 100 yds from the first. Both breeding birds sit in trees near the nest holes and glare at me until I leave them in peace.

Nice birds to have common!

[T_Dog]

Since I posted about Spotted Owlets in post #26, they seem to have dogged me. I have one group which often perches in the crematorium vents behind my house; another in a clump of spiky palm trees.

Now one is sitting on eggs in a hole where last year a Hoopoe raised two broods.... and this morning another came out of a hole in a tree less than 100 yds from the first. Both breeding birds sit in trees near the nest holes and glare at me until I leave them in peace.

Nice birds to have common!

Best of luck with your new family there and keep us posted. You are lucky to have that so close to home. Here, the big excitement has been a bright blue Kingfisher joining us for breakfast every morning. One day I picked up a slug off the terrace and threw it in the grass. Mr. Kingfisher wasted no time and snapped it up for his breakfast. Seems he perches to feed on minnows or tadpoles that are on the pond, but he sure likes slugs!

[isanbirder]

About a week ago, some lowlife human vandalised my Spotted Owlet's nest; two smashed eggs on the ground, lots of feathers suggesting an adult had been killed, and a stick thrust in the nest. The other nest is doing fine, though.

The vandalised nest-hole, in which a Hoopoe raised two broods last year, was visited by a Hoopoe before the Spotted Owlet took over; in fact I thought it was a Hoopoe laying until the Owlets appeared. Two days ago, there was a bit of new nest material in the nest. Yesterday there was an egg.... and an adult Hoopoe! I shall keep a good watch on this one, and hope the lowlife doesn't check on the hole again.

Nature is not mocked!!!

[T_Dog]

Thanks for the update isanbirder. I hope you catch the lowlife there.

I was sitting outside yesterday and a Kestrel picked up a meal only about 20 meters in front of me. He spent the rest of the afternoon hovering in front of the house looking for more. A nice treat.

[isanbirder]

Thanks for the update isanbirder. I hope you catch the lowlife there.

I was sitting outside yesterday and a Kestrel picked up a meal only about 20 meters in front of me. He spent the rest of the afternoon hovering in front of the house looking for more. A nice treat.

It doesn't look like a Kestrel to me! The wings are too long in proportion to the tail. But I can't get any definition from your pic. The only other bird which hovers repeatedly is the Black-shouldered Kite.

BTW, the Hoopoe was still sitting yesterday; I didn't check this morning.

Edited February 23, 2013 by isanbirder

[T_Dog]

Thanks for the update isanbirder. I hope you catch the lowlife there.

I was sitting outside yesterday and a Kestrel picked up a meal only about 20 meters in front of me. He spent the rest of the afternoon hovering in front of the house looking for more. A nice treat.

It doesn't look like a Kestrel to me! The wings are too long in proportion to the tail. But I can't get any definition from your pic. The only other bird which hovers repeatedly is the Black-shouldered Kite.

BTW, the Hoopoe was still sitting yesterday; I didn't check this morning.

It looked different to me too as the wings are longer and it has dark stripe under its wing rather than being mottled like a Kestrel. I think it might indeed by a Black-shouldered Kite. Every time it was close yesterday I didn't have the camera handy.

[isanbirder]

Thanks for the update isanbirder. I hope you catch the lowlife there.

I was sitting outside yesterday and a Kestrel picked up a meal only about 20 meters in front of me. He spent the rest of the afternoon hovering in front of the house looking for more. A nice treat.

It doesn't look like a Kestrel to me! The wings are too long in proportion to the tail. But I can't get any definition from your pic. The only other bird which hovers repeatedly is the Black-shouldered Kite.

BTW, the Hoopoe was still sitting yesterday; I didn't check this morning.

It looked different to me too as the wings are longer and it has dark stripe under its wing rather than being mottled like a Kestrel. I think it might indeed by a Black-shouldered Kite. Every time it was close yesterday I didn't have the camera handy.

I think Black-shouldered Kites are my favourites of all the raptors.... so elegant! I have the two adults and the two young birds from a nest I was watching in the area, and to see them playing in mid-air (that's what it looks like!) is wonderful. And when they pounce, there's quite a loud noise as they strike whatever it is on the ground.