My wife signed us up for a 4-day tour of Central Thailand, which included 2 days in Bangkok, a day in Ayutthaya, and a day in Pattaya.
Our tour of Pattaya ended at the surprisingly pleasant Coffee Break coffee shop at the top of Pattaya Hill, just below the radio tower.
Here's what we saw:
1. The “usuals”: Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Olive-backed Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Oriental Magpie Robin, Streak-eared Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Pied Fantail, Peaceful Dove, Spotted Dove, and Red-collared Dove. Asian Palm Swifts and Barn Swallows were constantly overhead.
2. Other common birds were also there. A pair of Ashy Minivets were going from treetop to treetop. Greater Coucal was (as usual) heard and briefly seen gliding over treetops and then into cover. A Black-naped Oriole briefly alighted in a treetop. A couple of Red-whiskered Bulbuls flew in, alighted for a few seconds, and flew away. (Good to see them outside of cages… Grrr.)
3. A sudden movement in the trees right below the deck of the coffee shop and…a tree snake! It was really cool.
4. Then a pair of (amorous) squirrels, one pure white and the other brown. I’m sure they’re common and not “special.” But it was still nice to see them since they are certainly not in North America.
5. Then I glanced up from my cup of delicious Thai iced tea (cha yen) to see a raptor-like bird flying right towards us, alighting on the branch of a dying tree 100 meters in the distance. A quick look in the binoculars revealed it to be a Shikra. Ok. Common. Not that “special.” But still. Then…an unlucky flock of Eurasian Tree Sparrows happened to alight in a tree right below the Shikra, which instantly, expertly reacted with an efficient swoop down for a flawless taloning of one of the unfortunate birds. It sat on its branch for the better part of half an hour eating its catch and then preening itself.
6. Just before the sun dipped below the hill behind us, the afternoon rays shown perfectly on a Green-billed Malkoha which landed right on the peak of a bush, just posing for photos in the late-afternoon glow. They are admittedly not rare, but it was a somewhat unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Pattaya is certainly not a birding hotspot and definitely not a destination, but if your path leads to the Coffee Break coffee shop at the top of Pattaya Hill, keep your eyes open.
I plan to post an expanded version of this post in the "Ruffled Feathers" section.
Our tour of Pattaya ended at the surprisingly pleasant Coffee Break coffee shop at the top of Pattaya Hill, just below the radio tower.
Here's what we saw:
1. The “usuals”: Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Olive-backed Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Oriental Magpie Robin, Streak-eared Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Pied Fantail, Peaceful Dove, Spotted Dove, and Red-collared Dove. Asian Palm Swifts and Barn Swallows were constantly overhead.
2. Other common birds were also there. A pair of Ashy Minivets were going from treetop to treetop. Greater Coucal was (as usual) heard and briefly seen gliding over treetops and then into cover. A Black-naped Oriole briefly alighted in a treetop. A couple of Red-whiskered Bulbuls flew in, alighted for a few seconds, and flew away. (Good to see them outside of cages… Grrr.)
3. A sudden movement in the trees right below the deck of the coffee shop and…a tree snake! It was really cool.
4. Then a pair of (amorous) squirrels, one pure white and the other brown. I’m sure they’re common and not “special.” But it was still nice to see them since they are certainly not in North America.
5. Then I glanced up from my cup of delicious Thai iced tea (cha yen) to see a raptor-like bird flying right towards us, alighting on the branch of a dying tree 100 meters in the distance. A quick look in the binoculars revealed it to be a Shikra. Ok. Common. Not that “special.” But still. Then…an unlucky flock of Eurasian Tree Sparrows happened to alight in a tree right below the Shikra, which instantly, expertly reacted with an efficient swoop down for a flawless taloning of one of the unfortunate birds. It sat on its branch for the better part of half an hour eating its catch and then preening itself.
6. Just before the sun dipped below the hill behind us, the afternoon rays shown perfectly on a Green-billed Malkoha which landed right on the peak of a bush, just posing for photos in the late-afternoon glow. They are admittedly not rare, but it was a somewhat unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Pattaya is certainly not a birding hotspot and definitely not a destination, but if your path leads to the Coffee Break coffee shop at the top of Pattaya Hill, keep your eyes open.
I plan to post an expanded version of this post in the "Ruffled Feathers" section.
