Large Raptors over Jomtien today.

[lonewolf99]

For those like me that see Thailand as a country with birdless skies.

I was suprised to see at first 9 large birds soaring on thermals above View Talay Condo 2 in Jomtien.

They drifted eastward and joined another larger group of similar birds it seemed to more like 15 birds in the 2nd group.

I have seen the odd Kestrel and Falcons on the Buddha hill before but these birds were a large as the Buzzards I see in the UK.

They had the same sillouette as a Buzzard but had more pointed wings and maybe the tail was more like a Brahmany Kite like you get in India.

Could be Honey Buzzards migrating fro Korea / Japan to Indonesia ?

This was around mid-day. Did any other twitcher see them and maybe shed light on the actual species.

When I first came to S.E. Asia I was dissapointed by the lack of bird life and escpecially in the so called Game Reserves here that only appear to have pigeons and the very odd sparrow around.

The Vulture populatiion of S.E. Asia has been totally decimated and only a few live on the plains of Cambodia.

[LennyW]

Seeing an awful lot of sea eagles around Phala and Payoon beach at Ban Chang over the last few weeks, maybe same.

[Rimmer]

Probably will be Storks

[johng]

Seen a few over Na-Jomtien near the Ambassador Hotel ( maybe Storks ? )

[digbeth]

Usually their migration path is around Huahin-Prachuab/Chumporn on the other side of the bay, being the only peninsula that connects mainland asia to further south, quite a lot of birdwatching around there at this time of the year, so it's possible weather/food takes them to this side of the bay too

[impulse]

Gotta be honest, all I know is what's in this photo I snapped in the hospital waiting room a few weeks back.

Looked interesting, though.

[Blue Muton]

We have plenty of birds here in Suphanburi, it's one of the many things that I love about life here. We've even had them nest and raise young in one of the shrubs on our balcony.

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[Mr Wimpy]

Brahmany kite is common along the coast here in Thailand too. I saw a large raptor myself today near Rayong but couldn't get a close enough look to identify it. White bellied sea eagle is larger and also common but I've only seen them on Koh Chang. Open billed stork is massive and also increasingly common in these parts.

[gomangosteen]

Brahminy kite, Chanthaburi

[gomangosteen]

Osprey, Chanthaburi

[mahtin]

Superb photos, thank you!

[Mr Wimpy]

Very nice photos! I've got a half decent pair of binoculars and enjoy watching the birds in my garden.

Don't see too many raptors around here though and if I do they don't hang around long.

See more down by the coast and I could watch them all day

[NickJ]

Sam Roi Yad in Prachuabkhirkhan has lots of birds. I used to get some of the strangest birds in my trees.

[Briggsy]

Osprey definitely possible. Annual migrant to Bang Phra reservoir, 30 km north of Jomtien.

[Rimmer]

Nice pictures guys but the topic is : Large Raptors over Jomtien today.

[mahtin]

Loved your video of storks from Bangkok too.

[villagefarang]

My guess from the description would be Open Billed Storks. They fly in groups like the picture in post number 4. We had many in the fields around our house this year but they are gone now.

Here is a shot closer to the ground as they takeoff.

[lonewolf99]

Thanks for the response and info.

For sure they were not Open Billed Storks. I know them when I see them. We are lucky to see them at all as the agriculture methods in Thailand nearly decimated them as they basically live on the snails that are found in the Rice Padi's - of course the locals eat the snails as well - so Thais having competition for food was always going to put these birds on a sticky wicket.

[villagefarang]

Thanks for the response and info.

For sure they were not Open Billed Storks. I know them when I see them. We are lucky to see them at all as the agriculture methods in Thailand nearly decimated them as they basically live on the snails that are found in the Rice Padi's - of course the locals eat the snails as well - so Thais having competition for food was always going to put these birds on a sticky wicket.

I had seen them in the air for a couple of years but this was the first year for them to feed in the fields around us. I asked one of the farmers how he felt about them. He said everyone knew they were protected and weren’t a danger to their crops so they were happy to coexist with their feathered friends. He did mention a drop in the number of snails, though.

We don’t get more than two raptors flying over at a time, never large groups. Our most common and beautiful bird is the Pied Harrier but they fly low over the fields, which is entertaining to watch.

[Mr Wimpy]

Spotted my large raptor again this morning and managed to get a better look but still not confidant enough to say what it was although definitely not Brahminy kite or sea eagle because I know them well.

Possibly an osprey but reading the description in birds of Thailand the wings seem a little broad.

[bartender100]

A little off topic, every evening at dusk I see hundreds of large black birds heading out to roost, I guess on an offshore island, flying over Pratumnak.

The only birds I ever see in numbers are mynah, sparrows and pigeons so anyone know what they are? not flying in any formation and have a distinctive flight, you can see them every night around 6pm

[Briggsy]

This morning I saw openbill storks flying over Sri Racha and then later in the morning flying to the mangrove temple just south of Krating Lai, just north of Pattaya. So they are clearly able to be seen along the Eastern Seaboard at the moment.

[lonewolf99]

Bartender 100 - The birds you see flying in a loping manner up to Pratnamnak are Black Drongos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drongo

I was out on my bicycle the other day down the back roads and sois of Hua Yai and saw dozens of the open billed storks. Some very close to the roadside hunting for snails and frogs. Obviously all the afternnoon downpours are keeping the place damp enough for the food chain to keep going.

[bartender100]

Bartender 100 - The birds you see flying in a loping manner up to Pratnamnak are Black Drongos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drongo

I was out on my bicycle the other day down the back roads and sois of Hua Yai and saw dozens of the open billed storks. Some very close to the roadside hunting for snails and frogs. Obviously all the afternnoon downpours are keeping the place damp enough for the food chain to keep going.

Excellent lonewolf99 thanks , been puzzling me for ages.

Sounds like they are not going off to roost, but actually migrating