halftwo
Wird Batcher
Well it seems we missed out on the volcano!
Now north of Chiang Rai (which is almost as far north as you can go in Thailand) where we appear to have the resort to ourselves! So the pool & jacuzzi are ours.
The good news Larry is: the Japanese white eyes are still here: there's loads of the little beauts!
This morning I flushed a Pitta. Utv of a probable Rusty naped. Grrr.
So as the temp climbed I retreated back to the pool. Now yesterday I saw just one raptor - Shikra. So today's raptor mega-fest was unexpected.
First a Grey-faced buzzard. Then at 11:15 everything was up: suddenly two Crested serpent eagles and a Mountain hawk eagle shared airspace, then two aquila eagles (I know!) were with a Crested goshawk: I think Tawny or Steppe - but not enough to clinch the id. One was chasing the other!
It gets better: male Pied harrier gets up, soars & goes overhead! Fantastic!
Next five Black bazas up together - great birds.
I thought it had finished & was having a swim when TWO ad. male AMUR FALCONS were above & insect catching: superb!
OK a question: should the swiftlets here & now all be Indochinese?
So: later hot on the Pitta trail: in fact very hot & insecty on the Pitta trail. Again I flushed two birds from the same bit of dense undergrowth. This time I got nothing on either! At least the first I got a green mantle & wing and a blue rump. Yesterday at the lake nearby I had cracking views of a Blue-eared kingfisher. And upslope a pair of Indian cuckoos.
From the hotel Blue throated barbets sing out and a rather obliging Indochinese cuckoo-shrike singing from a dead tree could be scoped from our balcony. Nice.
Koels call out: which is wierd as they're out of range in Robson. Striated and Barn swallows are swanning around, Purple sunbird is the default sunbird, which is nice, and Sooty-headed and Red-whiskered bulbuls the common species here. Lesser whistling duck fly past at dusk. A Greater yellownape landed just in sight yesterday.
One and a haf ticks on the Pitta trail today: male Siberian blue robin (I've not seen an adult male before) and a Yellow-vented warbler. A Buff-breasted babbler and White rumped shamas added variety.
Anyway - gotta go - room service has just arrived.
Now north of Chiang Rai (which is almost as far north as you can go in Thailand) where we appear to have the resort to ourselves! So the pool & jacuzzi are ours.
The good news Larry is: the Japanese white eyes are still here: there's loads of the little beauts!
This morning I flushed a Pitta. Utv of a probable Rusty naped. Grrr.
So as the temp climbed I retreated back to the pool. Now yesterday I saw just one raptor - Shikra. So today's raptor mega-fest was unexpected.
First a Grey-faced buzzard. Then at 11:15 everything was up: suddenly two Crested serpent eagles and a Mountain hawk eagle shared airspace, then two aquila eagles (I know!) were with a Crested goshawk: I think Tawny or Steppe - but not enough to clinch the id. One was chasing the other!
It gets better: male Pied harrier gets up, soars & goes overhead! Fantastic!
Next five Black bazas up together - great birds.
I thought it had finished & was having a swim when TWO ad. male AMUR FALCONS were above & insect catching: superb!
OK a question: should the swiftlets here & now all be Indochinese?
So: later hot on the Pitta trail: in fact very hot & insecty on the Pitta trail. Again I flushed two birds from the same bit of dense undergrowth. This time I got nothing on either! At least the first I got a green mantle & wing and a blue rump. Yesterday at the lake nearby I had cracking views of a Blue-eared kingfisher. And upslope a pair of Indian cuckoos.
From the hotel Blue throated barbets sing out and a rather obliging Indochinese cuckoo-shrike singing from a dead tree could be scoped from our balcony. Nice.
Koels call out: which is wierd as they're out of range in Robson. Striated and Barn swallows are swanning around, Purple sunbird is the default sunbird, which is nice, and Sooty-headed and Red-whiskered bulbuls the common species here. Lesser whistling duck fly past at dusk. A Greater yellownape landed just in sight yesterday.
One and a haf ticks on the Pitta trail today: male Siberian blue robin (I've not seen an adult male before) and a Yellow-vented warbler. A Buff-breasted babbler and White rumped shamas added variety.
Anyway - gotta go - room service has just arrived.