foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
I was going to start by saying that I unexpectedly ended up in Thailand last weekend but of course it had to be arranged so it can't have been entirely unexpected! Perhaps best to say that I had the previously unforeseen short-notice opportunity to attend an event in Bangkok last Friday evening and the best value airfare allowed for a slightly extended stay to get in a bit of birding as well. I only had time to get to some of the city parks but as I had never been to South East Asia before (the nearest country I had visited being Nepal) many of the common species were going to be new to me.
Following an RFI on other threads on Birdforum, Britseye gave me a link to Nick Upton's great site and CFMAC & BKKBen supplied some useful hints of places to visit on a limited budget / time-scale.
I just about had time to obtain 'A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand' (Robson) as a guide book.
Thursday 13th July:
A late morning departure from Heathrow to Amsterdam was followed by an overnight flight to Bangkok - both with KLM.
Friday 12th July:
A morning arrival at Suvarnabhumi and pre-booked taxi saw me checking in at my hotel (booked through Trivago) in Lat Krabang mid-morning. Having dumped my bags I did not want to waste any birding time but made the mistake of getting Reception to arrange a taxi into the city so I sat in horrendous traffic for some time. I saw Feral Pigeon at the airport and Black-winged Stilt & Eastern Cattle Egret in roadside ditches plus Common Myna on roadside wires on the journeys.
Eventually arriving at Suan Lumphini I did a couple of circuits of this small inner city park. Little Egret & Striated Heron (Mangove Heron / Little Heron) stalked the edge of the lakes. Spotted Doves perched on the park buildings and numerous tiny Peaceful Doves poked around in the shrubs. The mown grass areas attracted small flocks of Eurasian Tree Sparrows, more Common Myna alongside a few White-vented Myna and some noisy Black-collared Starling. The trees held Oriental Magpie Robin and quite a few Large-billed Crow. A few Asian Palm Swift hawked overhead.
All to soon I had to give the mass transport system a try (MRT & ARL) to Lat Krabang - all very efficient and easy to use once you have it sussed - then a short taxi ride back to the hotel.
Then it was time to sit in another taxi and heavy slow traffic for well over 2 hours and arrive almost too late for the event at the Impact Arena. The taxi back after (the same driver obligingly offered to stay in the area for me to ring him when ready to leave) was quicker but it was still a late finish to a very long day. Nevertheless, an interesting experience and some new birds plus a brilliant gig.
Following an RFI on other threads on Birdforum, Britseye gave me a link to Nick Upton's great site and CFMAC & BKKBen supplied some useful hints of places to visit on a limited budget / time-scale.
I just about had time to obtain 'A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand' (Robson) as a guide book.
Thursday 13th July:
A late morning departure from Heathrow to Amsterdam was followed by an overnight flight to Bangkok - both with KLM.
Friday 12th July:
A morning arrival at Suvarnabhumi and pre-booked taxi saw me checking in at my hotel (booked through Trivago) in Lat Krabang mid-morning. Having dumped my bags I did not want to waste any birding time but made the mistake of getting Reception to arrange a taxi into the city so I sat in horrendous traffic for some time. I saw Feral Pigeon at the airport and Black-winged Stilt & Eastern Cattle Egret in roadside ditches plus Common Myna on roadside wires on the journeys.
Eventually arriving at Suan Lumphini I did a couple of circuits of this small inner city park. Little Egret & Striated Heron (Mangove Heron / Little Heron) stalked the edge of the lakes. Spotted Doves perched on the park buildings and numerous tiny Peaceful Doves poked around in the shrubs. The mown grass areas attracted small flocks of Eurasian Tree Sparrows, more Common Myna alongside a few White-vented Myna and some noisy Black-collared Starling. The trees held Oriental Magpie Robin and quite a few Large-billed Crow. A few Asian Palm Swift hawked overhead.
All to soon I had to give the mass transport system a try (MRT & ARL) to Lat Krabang - all very efficient and easy to use once you have it sussed - then a short taxi ride back to the hotel.
Then it was time to sit in another taxi and heavy slow traffic for well over 2 hours and arrive almost too late for the event at the Impact Arena. The taxi back after (the same driver obligingly offered to stay in the area for me to ring him when ready to leave) was quicker but it was still a late finish to a very long day. Nevertheless, an interesting experience and some new birds plus a brilliant gig.
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