halftwo
Wird Batcher
Khao Lak & Khao Sok Thailand Feb 07
Stayed on the Pakarang peninsular just north of Khao Lak (a tsunami recovering mainly secondary-growth/plantation/coastal scrub area with plenty of small lakes & wetlands) birded around there most days; plus had a hire car & did Khao Sok NP for three days.
Also had a day trip to the Similan Islands, mainly to snorkle but to try & get the specialties there.
We stayed at the re-built Best Western Palm Galleria & most dawns saw me out exploring the area around, including the area on the NW of Pakarang not far from the Sarojin Hotel. This was a productive area.
One of the first birds encountered were Black-nest swiftlets - always around & common, towards the end of Feb. they were singing, though not at nest sites. On two or three dusks we saw Glossy swiftlets - only seen at that time - whether passing through on the way to roost I don't know. (For more on these two species see the bird identification thread later.)
In the grassy fields & plantations were Black-browed reed warblers & in drier more covered areas (incuding inside woodland) Lanceolated warblers were common. Many common species included Orange-breasted green pigeon, Brown shrike, Coppersmith barbet, Black & Ashy drongos, Smyrna kingfishers, etc, plus daily sightings of Grey-capped pygmy woodpeckers.
One unexpected bird was Watercock (always dipped on before) - seen on several days, often flushed from waterside vegetation. On the ponds & lakes three species out-of-range in Robson, were Ruddy-breasted crake, Moorhen & Little cormorant. Overhead White-bellied sea eagle kept the Brahminy kites busy. On the wing Grey-rumped treeswifts, occasional Brown-backed needletails, twice an Oriental pratincole, Dusky crag martins & Sand martins kept the Pacific swallows company. Several times flocks of Fork-tailed swifts (Pacificus race birds with very obvious white rumps visible from side view) appeared. Palm swifts were beginning to nest.
I saw Red junglefowl almost half the days (only once seeing a hen). In the plantations (Rubber), Forest wagtails were a welcome sight. Green-billed malkohas and one Black-bellied malkoha, Lineated barbets, Greater & Common flamebacks occasionally. Ashy minivets moved around, Vernal hanging parrots zapped past, Asian brown flycatchers always present in small numbers.
Back on the wetlands one Slaty-breated rail & a Baillon's crake, the latter feeding right out in the open on mud (again out of range) with Little ringed plovers, Marsh & Wood sandpipers, Red-wattled lapwings, Common snipe, once a Greenshank, with Yellow bitterns, Striated herons, Great, Little & Intermediate egrets.
At dawn Night herons (out-of range again) seen 2 or 3 times.
On the dry fields nearby Pintail snipe flushed to land again nearby. And Blue-breasted quails gave some on-the deck views briefly. (Barred buttonquails were typically in scrubby areas or even within wooded areas). Paddyfield pipits & a pair of Stonechat in the same area.
Fruiting trees had three pigeon species: Thick-billed green, Orange-breasted green & Pink-necked green, sharing with Koels, Asian glossy starlings etc.
Both Greater & Lesser coucals seen.
Black bazas gave good views on several days - and was probably the commonest raptor. Only one Peregrine, one probable Shikra and, as we left on the last day, a Changeable hawk eagle, three Black-shouldered kites plus two high & distant aquila eagles (probably Great spotted), added to the list.
No owls seen, except Barn owl, but a Spotted wood owl heard one night.
Brown-throated sunbirds were abundant & annoying and flowerpeckers identified were Scarlet-backed & Orange-bellied. Streak-throated bulbuls were ever present, with Red-vented & Olive-winged putting in single appearances. Bar-winged flycatcher shrikes (3) in the same tree as a singing Striped tit-babbler plus Dark-necked tailorbird enlivened one short spell.
Puff-throated babblers were seen on one day.
Best finds were the ticks for me - Little bronze cuckoo was the highlight - so difficult to see in a small tree. Banded bay cuckoo was easier as it perched out in the open giving excellent views.
Another tick was Yellow-eared spiderhunter once, called, flew in, brief look & off.
On two days a Blue rock thrush was present on the hotel itself. I will ask a question about this on the identification thread.
And so to Khao Sok.
First day started well with Sibe blue robin, Blue & white flycatcher, Ochraceous bulbuls , Shamas etc, but I had to wait a while for my first tick: a lovely Drongo cuckoo sitting by the path. Later Chestnut-winged babblers were my second. The highlight that day was a superb view of a female Chestnut-naped forktail within 3 metres of me, walking away.
Asian fairy bluebirds & a Red-crowned barbet at tree top added to a low species count. White morph Asian paradise flycatcher was nice.
Next day was better. Early on a Crested jay gave a good view, Orange-headed ground thrush & Forest wagtails on the floor. A fruiting fig brought in Yellow-vented flowerpecker, Grey-bellied bulbuls, & a Red-billed malkoha. Nearby White-bellied yuhinas & Great iora.
Two birders there had seen a roosting bird behind the fruiting fig, which we identified as Gould's frogmouth!
Futher along the river (dipping on Blue-breasted kingfisher) I found a White-crowned forktail - completely unexpected superb bird. Lots of time dipping on three Pitta species was frustrating. ( I heard a Banded sing!)
Last day at Khao Sok:
At last hornbills put in appearances: two Bushy-crested started the day.
Abbott's babbler sang from a tree next, and a pair of Chestnut-naped foktails on the river put in a great show.
But the highlight of the whole holiday was about to happen.
In the area where Hooded, Blue-winged & Banded pittas had been seen, and where I'd dipped consistently, I saw a male Siberian blue robin, THEN a bobbing shape caught my attention. Seconds ticked by very slowly, then a male Banded pitta hopped into view, tossed a few leaves and hopped away. The books cannot do it justice. It seemed to be on fire as the sun touched its crown. The bird I had most wanted was on my list!
And that day was not over. Back at the fruiting tree: Sooty-capped, Feruginous & Scaly crowned babblers, Spectacled & Buff-vented bulbuls were all ticks as was a Great hornbill that flew overhead. That was probably the best birding day ever. And yet I dipped several birds others had seen.
So, at last to the Similan Islands. To sum up I saw three Nicobar pigeons on island four. Apart from that only tick I saw Pied & Green imperial pigeons & Blue whistling thrush. But vitually nothing else. Except inumerable fantastic fish, Leatherback turtle & Lemon shark.
Halftwo
Stayed on the Pakarang peninsular just north of Khao Lak (a tsunami recovering mainly secondary-growth/plantation/coastal scrub area with plenty of small lakes & wetlands) birded around there most days; plus had a hire car & did Khao Sok NP for three days.
Also had a day trip to the Similan Islands, mainly to snorkle but to try & get the specialties there.
We stayed at the re-built Best Western Palm Galleria & most dawns saw me out exploring the area around, including the area on the NW of Pakarang not far from the Sarojin Hotel. This was a productive area.
One of the first birds encountered were Black-nest swiftlets - always around & common, towards the end of Feb. they were singing, though not at nest sites. On two or three dusks we saw Glossy swiftlets - only seen at that time - whether passing through on the way to roost I don't know. (For more on these two species see the bird identification thread later.)
In the grassy fields & plantations were Black-browed reed warblers & in drier more covered areas (incuding inside woodland) Lanceolated warblers were common. Many common species included Orange-breasted green pigeon, Brown shrike, Coppersmith barbet, Black & Ashy drongos, Smyrna kingfishers, etc, plus daily sightings of Grey-capped pygmy woodpeckers.
One unexpected bird was Watercock (always dipped on before) - seen on several days, often flushed from waterside vegetation. On the ponds & lakes three species out-of-range in Robson, were Ruddy-breasted crake, Moorhen & Little cormorant. Overhead White-bellied sea eagle kept the Brahminy kites busy. On the wing Grey-rumped treeswifts, occasional Brown-backed needletails, twice an Oriental pratincole, Dusky crag martins & Sand martins kept the Pacific swallows company. Several times flocks of Fork-tailed swifts (Pacificus race birds with very obvious white rumps visible from side view) appeared. Palm swifts were beginning to nest.
I saw Red junglefowl almost half the days (only once seeing a hen). In the plantations (Rubber), Forest wagtails were a welcome sight. Green-billed malkohas and one Black-bellied malkoha, Lineated barbets, Greater & Common flamebacks occasionally. Ashy minivets moved around, Vernal hanging parrots zapped past, Asian brown flycatchers always present in small numbers.
Back on the wetlands one Slaty-breated rail & a Baillon's crake, the latter feeding right out in the open on mud (again out of range) with Little ringed plovers, Marsh & Wood sandpipers, Red-wattled lapwings, Common snipe, once a Greenshank, with Yellow bitterns, Striated herons, Great, Little & Intermediate egrets.
At dawn Night herons (out-of range again) seen 2 or 3 times.
On the dry fields nearby Pintail snipe flushed to land again nearby. And Blue-breasted quails gave some on-the deck views briefly. (Barred buttonquails were typically in scrubby areas or even within wooded areas). Paddyfield pipits & a pair of Stonechat in the same area.
Fruiting trees had three pigeon species: Thick-billed green, Orange-breasted green & Pink-necked green, sharing with Koels, Asian glossy starlings etc.
Both Greater & Lesser coucals seen.
Black bazas gave good views on several days - and was probably the commonest raptor. Only one Peregrine, one probable Shikra and, as we left on the last day, a Changeable hawk eagle, three Black-shouldered kites plus two high & distant aquila eagles (probably Great spotted), added to the list.
No owls seen, except Barn owl, but a Spotted wood owl heard one night.
Brown-throated sunbirds were abundant & annoying and flowerpeckers identified were Scarlet-backed & Orange-bellied. Streak-throated bulbuls were ever present, with Red-vented & Olive-winged putting in single appearances. Bar-winged flycatcher shrikes (3) in the same tree as a singing Striped tit-babbler plus Dark-necked tailorbird enlivened one short spell.
Puff-throated babblers were seen on one day.
Best finds were the ticks for me - Little bronze cuckoo was the highlight - so difficult to see in a small tree. Banded bay cuckoo was easier as it perched out in the open giving excellent views.
Another tick was Yellow-eared spiderhunter once, called, flew in, brief look & off.
On two days a Blue rock thrush was present on the hotel itself. I will ask a question about this on the identification thread.
And so to Khao Sok.
First day started well with Sibe blue robin, Blue & white flycatcher, Ochraceous bulbuls , Shamas etc, but I had to wait a while for my first tick: a lovely Drongo cuckoo sitting by the path. Later Chestnut-winged babblers were my second. The highlight that day was a superb view of a female Chestnut-naped forktail within 3 metres of me, walking away.
Asian fairy bluebirds & a Red-crowned barbet at tree top added to a low species count. White morph Asian paradise flycatcher was nice.
Next day was better. Early on a Crested jay gave a good view, Orange-headed ground thrush & Forest wagtails on the floor. A fruiting fig brought in Yellow-vented flowerpecker, Grey-bellied bulbuls, & a Red-billed malkoha. Nearby White-bellied yuhinas & Great iora.
Two birders there had seen a roosting bird behind the fruiting fig, which we identified as Gould's frogmouth!
Futher along the river (dipping on Blue-breasted kingfisher) I found a White-crowned forktail - completely unexpected superb bird. Lots of time dipping on three Pitta species was frustrating. ( I heard a Banded sing!)
Last day at Khao Sok:
At last hornbills put in appearances: two Bushy-crested started the day.
Abbott's babbler sang from a tree next, and a pair of Chestnut-naped foktails on the river put in a great show.
But the highlight of the whole holiday was about to happen.
In the area where Hooded, Blue-winged & Banded pittas had been seen, and where I'd dipped consistently, I saw a male Siberian blue robin, THEN a bobbing shape caught my attention. Seconds ticked by very slowly, then a male Banded pitta hopped into view, tossed a few leaves and hopped away. The books cannot do it justice. It seemed to be on fire as the sun touched its crown. The bird I had most wanted was on my list!
And that day was not over. Back at the fruiting tree: Sooty-capped, Feruginous & Scaly crowned babblers, Spectacled & Buff-vented bulbuls were all ticks as was a Great hornbill that flew overhead. That was probably the best birding day ever. And yet I dipped several birds others had seen.
So, at last to the Similan Islands. To sum up I saw three Nicobar pigeons on island four. Apart from that only tick I saw Pied & Green imperial pigeons & Blue whistling thrush. But vitually nothing else. Except inumerable fantastic fish, Leatherback turtle & Lemon shark.
Halftwo
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