It occurs to me that I have made no mention until now of the current Songkran festivities here. This is an annual event that I mentioned on this thread some years ago. It is meant to invoke the onset of the short rains and is also linked with the traditional new year.
Many travel from the cities to celebrate with their families with street parties and music and drench each other with water from hose pipes buckets and water pistols. When birding we travel with the windows down listening for birds but when passing through villages during Songkran it is prudent to close the car windows as passing cars and pickup trucks can expect buckets of water from any angle, - even in the hours of darkness.

However back to birding:-

We repeated yesterdays trip up to the sanctuary lookout point arriving a little earlier at 08.40 am and between the three of us logged 19 species in an hour and three quarters, - again mainly focusing on overhead migrant swifts and raptors.

The impressive Brown-backed Needletails were flashing by at high speed and Paul was photographing these in flight where practical and we independently were scanning trying to cover all angles possible. I had to wear sunglasses otherwise my eyes could simply not cope with the glare from the rising sun even at 09.00 am as the temperature here is currently climbing to mid afternoon peaks at around 39/40 degrees. Counts were estimates for the Needletails as the birds might simply have been circling the summit so we logged a very conservative ten for these with six Pacific Swifts and two House Swifts.

While Paul had a look at his shots during a lull he was surprised to find several images showing a strong candidate for White-throated Needletail - a first record for eastern Isaan if acceptable.

Attached are 3 record shots of the White-throated Needletail showing combination of white throat and white loral mark above bill, and 1 shot of Brown-backed Needletail showing white loral mark and all dark throat.

As regards raptors we recorded:- 

4 Oriental Honey-Buzzards

18 Black Bazas

1 Shikra

4 Chinese Sparrowhawks (photo of two interacting attached).

Cheers,

Mike P.

10/04/2024 - 07.30 am - Tham Pha Nam Thip non hunting area - botanic garden section - Roi Et Province.

The three of us (Barb, Paul and I myself) met up by arrangement with the leading resident birder in Roi Et - Shaun Green. This was a long overdue first meeting which hopefully will lead to ongoing collaboration between Paul and Shaun who had much to discuss together. 
With overcast skies and a gentle breeze the birding was rather slow and 23 species were logged the best of which were a flighty Forest Wagtail (which narrowly eluded Barb and me) a calling unseen Crested Serpent-Eagle 3 Black-naped Orioles and both Thick-billed and Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers.

Best Wishes,

Mike P.

06/04/2024 - Phu Mu Forest Park - (Mukdahan side).

A leisurely 9.20 am start saw us looking for migrants at this now celebrated hilltop site. Presently the park staff have closed off the main access road as water tanks are being installed at the summit HQ. From June 1st they plan to start charging for access after having improved the visitor facilities. Thais will be charged 10 bahts for admission foreigners (even resident ones) 100 bahts.

Paul drove around the barrier as he is known to and welcomed by the staff who showed us the montage of some of Pauls best bird photos which he has donated for display in the centre.

The drive up the hill was immediately productive as several cuckoos glided across the road ahead, though seated in the back I missed these. Checking through the summit trees however we noted a rufous morph and several perched grey male Himalayan Cuckoos - our prime targets for the morning under the belt (at last - something new for my Thai list!).

Apart from recording altogether 6 cuckoos (incidentally a record equalling one day count for the species in Thailand) Phu Mu was very quiet with the best of the rest a juv. Black-naped Oriole.

Regards,

Mike P.

04/04/2024 - 2.00 pm - Paul and Pen met us on arrival at Bangkok Airport after our flight with Emirates (from Newcastle via Dubai).

We quickly hit the road north on the three hour drive to Nakhon Ratchasima and the nailed on Spot-bellied Eagle Owl at its nest site in the fire station compound just a few hundred metres outside Khao Yai Nat. Pk. arriving there in good time at 4.30 pm. These birds have been well watched by bird tour groups school parties and the fire station personnel and probably Uncle Tom Cobbley and all.

The nest hole was quite high up and the birds pop out towards dusk so we waited with the scope trained on the hole and started noting common species while frequently checking the nest hole for signs of movement. Both Red-breasted Parakeets and Great Mynas flitted around close to the nest hole and I wondered if they mobbed the owls whenever they emerged. It transpired that the owls had been seen just two days earlier outside with a fledged youngster some 60 metres from the hole in tall trees with plenty of leaf cover so we started checking these as well. After two hours it became increasingly obvious that the birds had forsaken the nest hole permanently and were now at large generally outside the immediate area. The upshot was that we were just too late by a couple of days - but at least the birds had successfully bred. - Our trip therefore started with a big dip - not my first nor my last by any means. I was more disappointed for Paul and Pen who had made such a big effort to get this magnificent species for my Thai list and for Barb who has never seen one of these before anywhere.

We retired to our hotel for an early night and to catch up on sleep ahead of our other priority species for Friday morning - Chinese Francolins which Paul had photographed three weeks previously.

Cheers,

Mike P.

31/03/2024. 08. 00 am - Phu Mu Forest Park - Yasothon side.

Paul checked out this site ahead of our visit spending 90 minutes and logged 18 species (including photographing several good species as well).

Full list as follows: -

2 Red Junglefowl

1 Greater Coucal

2Asian Koels

1 Himalayan Cuckoo (photographed)

2 Oriental Honey Buzzards (1 photographed)

2 Coppersmith Barbets

1 Lineated Barbet

2 White-browed Piculets (1 photographed)

4 Large-billed Crows

2 Common Tailorbirds

2 Dark-necked Tailorbirds

6 Black-crested Bulbuls

2 Streak-eared Bulbuls

3 Pin-striped Tit-Babblers

1 Mugimaki Flycatcher

1 Blue Rock-Thrush

1 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

4 Ornate Sunbirds

Hopefully we may catch up with one of the Mugimaki Flycatchers as they do seem to be passing through Thailand at present.

Cheers,

Mike P.

10/03/2024 - Kham Riang - Maha Sarakham Province.

This morning - a twitch west into Maha Sarakham.
Paul contacted PF over in Khon Kaen and they agreed to meet up on site at 07.30. The target bird - a Eurasian Spoonbill which Paul reckons to be only the sixth for Thailand. PP arrived on site early at 07.00 and already noted a few cars parked up (several having driven up from Bangkok) with 8 observers watching and photographing the target bird which was quite settled at the time. A minibuss arrived and more birders appeared when two of the photographers in the original group set off walking towards the Spoonbill (despite a warning from Paul) and flushed it before the new arrivals had seen it. Needless to say Paul Farrell was less than pleased when he arrived at 07.30. Id like to think that some sanction befell the rogue photographers but apparently according to Paul nothing happened to them.

News then broke of the presence of a Knob-billed Duck several kilometres down the road which PP and several Thai birders went off to see leaving PF waiting and hoping for the return of the Spoonbill.

Whatever happened to fieldcraft and birding ethics?

Cheers,

Mike P.

22/02/2024 to 24/02/2024 -  various locations in Buri Ram province - (south west sector of the Isaan region).

Buri Ram represented an itch that Paul had to scratch. He stood on 198 on his own list for the province, only 3 behind the top lister here and so a two day blitz was the only answer.

he called in en route at Tambon Non Din Daeng, accessed via a dirt road through forest to a beautiful secluded lake which he considers to have much potential. He spent only 75 minutes here before moving on to better known priority sites though nevertheless recorded 37 species the pick of which were 3 Crested Treeswifts 3 Rufous-winged Buzzards and a Stork-billed Kingfisher.

By 12.10 he had arrived at the grandly named Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary Khao Krapod (Bo Mee Ngam Ranger Station vicinity) where 53 species fell his way in a 2 hour spell the pick of these being: -

4 Rufous-winged Buzzards

1 Shikra

2 Asian-barred Owlets

4 Asian Green and 6 Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters

2 Vernal Hanging Parrots

2 Burmese Shrikes (photo of a first winter attached).

1 Eastern Crowned Warbler.

By 14.15 he had moved on to Laloeng Roi Ru (still in the same sanctuary) where in 3 hours he logged again 53 species obviously with considerable overlap with the first site. The best finds here were: -

4 Thick-billed Green Pigeons

2 Green Imperial Pigeons

2 Banded Bay Cuckoos

3 Asian Woolly-necked Storks (introduced).

2 Large Scimitar-Babblers

With the onset of dusk he exited the refuge and booked in at the same hotel we all stayed in last November. With 5 additions to his own province list he found himself for the first time as leading lister for Buri Ram - at least for the present.

On the following morning he opened his account near the wildlife HQ at 8 am with 30 species in an hour, the most noteworthy being 4 Brown-rumpled Minivets 1 Pale-legged Leaf Warbler and a Thick-billed Flowerpecker.

Arriving at 10.am at Som Poi (a site not known to me) he logged 48 species in a 100 minute session, recording nothing sensational though one or two of these may have been new for him in Buri Ram.

He arrived at his final site (Huai Chorakhe Reservoir Non Hunting Area) at 15.05 spending the final 2 hours of decent light and recorded 66 species including a nice assortment of waders and egrets to pad out the list the best being 25 Glossy Ibis, 3 Black Kites and 12 Eastern Yellow Wagtails to lift his province list to 209 - a gain of 11 overall.
For the present of the 20 provinces which comprise the Isaan region he is leading lister in 10 of these - bearing in mind that the area of Isaan is equal to that of England and Wales combined this results in a situation which surely cannot last for long?

Regards,

Mike P.

13/02/2024 - Khao Yai Nat. Park - Animals.

Everywhere on the approach roads in the vicinity there are warning signs concerning Elephants. Despite having lived in Thailand for eight years Paul saw his first of these in Thailand on this latest trip. I have always been wary when out in the bush when we have noticed fresh dung on the trails especially in my old age when running away is hardly an option for me nowadays.

Other animals noted by Paul Pen and Art were the very confiding deer close to park HQ and something entirely new for them - a couple of porcupines and a Gibbon species hanging from branches just above the Buffy Fish Owl.

If anyone can positively I/d the gibbon and porcupine species here, then please send to me a PM.

Cheers,

Mike P.

12/02/2024 - A leisurely mid day start saw Paul Pen and Art off out west for an overnight stay camping in Khao Yai Nat.Park. The park is generally very popular with visitors at weekends seeking some relaxation from the pace of things in Bangkok, so Monday was a wise choice in which to visit and enjoy some birding in relative peace.

En route they pulled in and obtained record shots of a Mountain Hawk-Eagle passing overhead by the road.

Once in the park at 13.50 (not the best time of the day) they set off down the KM 33 trail where in 40 mins. they logged 10 species the best of which were one each of Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike and Sultan Tit 11 White-crested Laughingthrushes and a female Hill Blue Flycatcher (photos attached).

Later when established on the camping ground they logged 16 species which included a Siamese Fireback 2 Oriental Pied Hornbills 2 Moustached Barbets and a Blue Rock-Thrush.

At 19.00 both Asian Barred Owlet and a distant Brown Boobook were calling, with this latter bird responding well to Pauls playback by flying in to give a good view and a photo opportunity.

Cheers,

Mike P.

05/02/2024 - Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

Paul made a leisurely start (mid morning) heading for this westernmost province in Isaan which includes part of Khao Yai Nat. Pk. En route he recorded an overflying Black Kite and better still at Mu Si which he reached at 3 pm - a Grey-faced Buzzard (photographed).

Finally at 4.30 pm he arrived at the stake-out site awaiting the object of his desire, which he soon noticed peering out at him from its tree hole before coming out to perch in full view for four minutes prior to launching off on its hunting rounds - a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, - (photo attached). By then an admiring crowd of about 15 birders were on the scene enjoying the biggest owl species in SE Asia, - one seemingly blessed with the claws of a grizzly bear.

Other notable species were Bamboo Woodpecker (heard drumming) and about 15 noisy Red-breasted Parakeets had gathered (2 photographed).

The following morning with the big prize now under his belt he enjoyed a good session around the Lam Takhong dam area and the Ta Ngoi farmlands chalking up 55 species including 12 assorted wader species, 5 egret/ heron species, 15 Glossy Ibises, 10 Indochinese Bushlarks, 15 Oriental Skylarks, 5 White-shouldered Starlings, 15 Eastern Yellow Wagtails.

Regards,

Mike P.

Just for a change, does anyone fancy a go at this quiz bird?

Clue: It is on the British list.

Cheers,

Mike P.

23/01/2024 - Pauls focus on Roi Et continued with an hour spent at Huai Aeng - a lake site which straddles the Roi Et/ Yasothon border. An hour yielded a very respectable total on the Roi Et side of 47 species but with nothing unexpected and only five wader species, -a couple of photos attached.

By 12 noon Paul had moved on to Khlong Pla Kuhn (still in Roi Et) where he encountered the largest flock of Pintail he had ever seen, counting a minimum of 250 birds with a few Cotton Pygmy Geese scattered within.

Regards,

Mike P.

20/01/2024 -10 am - Kaeng Song Yai - Amnat Charoen Province.

Paul headed east this morning into Amnat stopping at 5/6 places along the Mekong looking mainly for waders.

Within a total of 37 species over 3 (hot) hours he found only the usual suspects - 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Kentish Plovers, 4 Common Sandpipers and 5 Greenshanks. The best of the rest being two Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters ( photo attached)?

En route home, in Mukdahan he called in at Don Tan Princess Mothers Park where the best of 18 species in 45 minutes was a Great Iora (photographed).

Cheers,

Mike P.

14/01/2024 - Phathum Thani Rice Research Centre - Painted Snipe (male) -photo omitted from last post.

Cheers,

Mike P.

13/01/2024 - Huai Chorakhe Mak Reservoir non-hunting area - Buri Ram Povince.

With our stay in Thailand coming to an end having bade farewell to the family Barb and I with Paul driving called in to bolster up our lists for this province in the south-westernmost area of Isaan far far from Beung Kan up in the north east.

A two hour session with a leisurely 8.30 start gave us 57 species in this rather highly rated hotspot. However this is Thailand and anything can turn up. We bowled up ready to boogie and found an event in full swing!

Would you believe - a Rodeo! - complete with Thai cowboys and US and Canadian flags (and some Union Jacks) with bunting and marquees and tents and of course horses in various states of excitement. (Barbara was really keen to try her hand at riding a bull but Paul and I to our relief managed to dissuade her from such an enterprise).

Needless to say we moved on along the lake shoreline and soon were actually finding some birds.

Our best finds were :-

2 Plaintive Cuckoos

20 Pacific Golden Plovers

2 Red-wattled Lapwings

6 Little Cormorants

Later that afternoon we had moved on to the Lam Takhong Dam in the Ta Ngoi farmlands in a different province - Nakhon Ratchasima where we noted 46 species- the pick here being:-

20 Black-winged Stilts

25 Pacific Golden Plovers

4 Red-wattled Lapwings

15 Little-ringed Plovers

3 Snipe sp.

2 Common Sandpipers

5 Wood Sandpipers

2 Temmincks Stints

50 Little Cormorants

4 Oriental Skylarks

8 Siamese Pied Starlings (formerly Asian Pied Starlings. - We have no records of this species in eastern parts of Isaan where it should be seen as a rarity).

8 Eastern Yellow Wagtails

1 Richards Pipit

8 Paddyfield Pipits

8 Red-throated Pipits.

Regards,

Mike P.

07/01/2024 - Bueng Kan Province.

In the northernmost part of Isaan is the long narrow province of Nong Khai stretching east/west along the south side of the Mekong river. However the eastern half has recently been split off into a new province known as Bueng Kan (not yet to be found on the map which I posted months ago) and this was our destination for the next two nights.

Paul and Pen Barb and I left Yasothon early on 07/01 on the 4/5 hour drive north into what was for us virgin territory to rendezvous with Paul Farrell late morning at the Bueng Khlong Long Non-hunting area HQ.

PF has birded here several times previously and started with his province list already on 63. The listers among us were hoping to all rack up over 100 species apiece with PF entertaining realistic thoughts of gaining top spot.

In all we visited and revisited 16 sites in 53 hours which it would be tedious to plough through chronologically so for a change I detail below every species logged by me apart from a few added species seen/ heard by PP and PF who of course know a far wider range of calls than me.

I finished up on 104 species listed taxonomically as follows:-

Lesser Whistling Ducks

Cotton Pygmy-Geese

2 Garganey

Indian Spot-billed Ducks

7 Northern Pintails

2 Tufted Ducks - (A rare winter visitor to Thailand found by PF alone towards the end of a long day of continuous birding when we lesser mortals took a midday break. Fortunately we rejoined him prior to losing the light to scope the birds at long range and to see the confirmation photo).

Little Grebes

Feral Pigeons

Red Collared Doves

Spotted Doves

Zebra Doves

Greater Coucal

Green-billed Malkoha

Asian Koel

Germains Swiftlets

Asian Palm Swifts

Eurasian Coots

Grey-headed Swamphens

Black-winged Stilts

Little Ringed Plovers

4 River Lapwings (again as usual on the Laos river bank).

Grey-headed Lapwings

Kentish Plover

Pheasant-tailed Jacanas

Bronze-winged Jacanas

Common Snipe

Common Sandpiper

Wood Sandpipers1

Spotted Redshanks

Common Greenshanks

2 Temmincks Stints

Small Pratincoles

Asian Openbills

Little Egrets

Chinese Pond-Herons

Eastern Cattle Egrets

Great Egrets

Medium Egrets

Grey Herons

Purple Herons

1 Black-winged Kite

2 Oriental Honey-Buzzards

Eastern Marsh Harriers

2 Shikras (1 was harrying a Honey-Buzzard then joined by another Shikra - both birds circled together before drifting away east).

Asian Barred Owlets (where found these often seem to announce their presence with their trilling hoots at around 5.55 am).

Common Kingfishers (winter visitors and generally consistently found by Pen).

2 White-throated Kingfishers

Asian Green Bee-eaters

2 Indochinese Rollers

Coppersmith Barbets

Lineated Barbets

Ashy Woodswallows

Malaysian Pied-Fantails

Black Drongos (hard to miss and abundant in open country habitats).

Black-naped Monarchs

Brown Shrikes

Large-billed Crows

Grey-headed Canary-Flycatchers (generally the commonest forest flycatcher).

Oriental Skylark

Common Tailorbird

Dark-necked Tailorbird

Yellow-bellied Prinia

Plain Prinia

Lanceolated Warbler

Barn Swallows

Wire-tailed Swallows

Striated Swallows

Black-headed Bulbuls

Black-crested Bulbuls

Streak-eared Bulbuls

Yellow-vented Bulbuls

Sooty-headed Bulbuls

Yellow-browed Warblers

Raddes Warblers

Dusky Warblers

Two-barred Warblers

Claudias Leaf Warbler

Swinhoes White-eye

2 Chestnut-capped Babblers

Pin-striped Tit-Babblers

Black-collared Starlings

30 Chestnut-tailed Starlings (These got our listing efforts off with a bang. We met up with PF who was already on site watching these up in a high fruiting fig tree. Sometimes rarer starlings are found keeping company in such situations and we invested about 40 minutes straining our necks but with no further reward).

Common Mynas

Great Mynas

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Oriental Magpie-Robin

White-rumped Shama

Hainan Blue Flycatcher

Bluethroat

Taiga Flycatcher

Blue Rock-Thrush

Amur Stonechat

Pied Bushchat

Ornate Sunbird

Crimson Sunbird

Scaly-breasted Munias

House Sparrows

Tree Sparrows

Eastern Yellow Wagtails

1 Citrine Wagtail

White Wagtails (all leucopsis)

3 Richards Pipits

Paddyfield Pipits

Red-throated Pipits

PP ended up on 111 species with PF reaching 136 to become lead jockey in Bueng Kan - all of us accordingly in the top five.

Regards,

Mike P.

01/01/2024 - 10.11 am - Khlong Sam Kha reservoir Amnat Charoen Province.

Three of us made a late morning start heading east on a twitch. The quarry being 4 Pintail (new for this province) photographed overflying this complex of lakes rice paddies and marshes.

We arrived after an hours drive scanning every open stretch of water - but without success. A twenty minute session produced 13 common species before we moved on to nearby Nong Han where we spent ninety minutes and found 24 species - the best of which were:-

2 Black-winged Stilts

4 Oriental Darters

1 Little Cormorant

2 Purple Herons

2 Rufous-winged Buzzards

5 Brahminy Kites

1 White-throated Kingfisher

1 Black-naped Oriole

1 Black-naped Monarch

5 Yellow-browed Warblers

1 Raddes Warbler

5 Dusky Warblers

4 Black-collared Starlings

1 Siberian Rubythroat - There were no previous known records in Amnat I suspect because nobody has simply thought to look for them and being in ideal habitat I suggested that we play the call and the song to see if anything popped out. Immediately we had calls in response and song snatches in response to song being played though the bird remained unseen. We noted the spot - a scrubby area flanked by the dirt track with a 30 foot circular pool shaded by bushes and short trees.

1 Brown-throated Sunbird

5 Ornate Sunbirds.

After a few days break we made an early return on 04/01/24 arriving on site for 06.30 am. Despite an addition of 6 species for my Amnat list and 3 more for Paul we felt that we had unfinished business at Nong Han and so came with several target species in mind.

A session of just over 4 hours rewarded us with 47 species - most noteworthy being:-

400 Lesser Whistling Ducks

9 Indian Spot-billed Ducks

10 Cotton Pygmy-Geese

1 Pallass Grasshopper Warbler (this responded well to both calls and playback also giving several sightings. Remarkably this represents a first record for Amnat simply because nobody has thought to seek it out before).

 We are entertaining the view that Paddyfield Manchurian and Blunt-winged Warblers would repay time and effort in searching for them in this seemingly suitable habitat - perhaps a project for the future both here and in Yasothon?

1 Siberian Rubythroat - the same bird as recorded in the same location on 01/01. This time the bird flew in several times though offered no photo opportunities.

2 Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers

1 Brown-throated Sunbird

1 Purple Sunbird

5 Ornate Sunbirds

1 Richards Pipit (photographed)

Cheers,

Mike P.

29/12/2023 - 07.33 am - Nong Bua Lam Phu Province.

With a long journey facing the Yasothon contingent we resolved to leave for home by 12 noon to get home before dusk. In the meantime we concentrated on list boosting with a good session of open country birding.

The following summary covers 4 similar locations as we skirted various lakeside habitats scanning marshes and rice fields in the hope of finding waders where conditions might be suitable (ie flat and muddy with an inch or so of water) Many of these fields are being prepared for a second crop and are in various different stages so covering ground in the vehicles along a maze of dirt farm tracks is the way to go.

Highlight birds among many common species (which themselves were often new for us in this underwatched area) were:-

2 Grey-headed Lapwings

7 Long-tailed Shrikes (quite outstanding as PF reckons that this is a good indicator species). Record shot attached.

2 Siberian Rubythroats (1 photographed).

2 Black Kites (Black-eared form - 1 photographed). At one stage a flyby individual carrying a fish was pursued by a smaller Brahminy Kite; - needless to say the larger bird retained its prize.

The final prize of the morning came at last - a Wood Sandpiper for PF to cement his place once more as leading lister for this province.

Photos courtesy of Paul Farrell.

Best Wishes to all in 2024

Mike P.

24/12/2023 - Various sites again in Amnat Charoen.

Paul Barb and I again went across into Amnat but this time with an earlier start and still with a few specific targets in mind. To summarise here (as I am typing this on Christmas Day) I added six more species to hit 100 for Amnat and Paul another two to boost his list to 163. (He leads the rankings for Amnat already by a big margin).

Star birds were a Siberian Blue Robin, 4 Greater Racket-tailed Drongos a Verditer Flycatcher 4 Brown-throated Sunbirds Oriental Skylarks and a catch-up bogey bird for Paul - a Swinhoes White-Eye.

All of us here wish Ian and all our friends in the Manchester Birding Community a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Mike, Barb, Paul, Pen and Art

22/12/2023 - Tambon Phu Ngoen - Roi Et Province.

Today started off as a rest day with a plan to go over into Roi Et to buy some new shorts. I really wasnt bothered until Paul mentioned that we could take in some open country birds en route via a site not previously visited so I suddenly became more amenable.

As it transpired despite the ongoing strong winds we logged 33 fairly common species in an hour and a quarter which included 6 more easy province additions for me:- 

7 Indian Spot-billed Ducks

1 Grey Heron

4 Indochinese Bushlarks

20 Red-rumped Swallows

2 White Wagtails (leucopsis)

2 Paddyfield Pipits

In addition we logged the first Red-throated Pipits of our current visit and several Eastern Yellow Wagtails including a rather fine example of the Green-headed form (taivana).

We never made it to the shops.

Regards

Mike P.

18/12/2023 06.25 am. Phu Pha Wua Forest Pk. (Tat Soong Waterfall) -  Kalasin.

This province is sufficiently within reach to visit that an early morning start gives ample opportunity for a good mornings birding hopefully with some list boosting and be back home by mid afternoon. 
I have mentioned many times that our birding efforts centre largely on the 20 provinces of the Isaan region but just to bring some idea of scale to our activities - Isaan is the size of England and Wales combined.
Paul of course had far fewer target species here than me (I am only on 75 species here to his 143) and Barb being the sanest one of us keeps no lists whatsoever - she just loves finding and enjoying birds and scenery.

At this forest park in eastern Kalasin (a new site of course for me) a half hour turned up 15 species the best of which were:-

1 Lineated Barbet

1 Green-eared Barbet

1 Shikra (Paul only)

2 Ashy Minivets

Bulbuls: Black-crested Streak-eared and Stripe-throated.

1 Asian Brown Flycatcher

2 Taiga Flycatchers

1 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

1 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird

3 Ornate Sunbirds.

We found it windy and very dry with no water flowing at the falls so quickly drove on to a different section along a rough and bumpy uphill dirt road into dry dipterocarp habitat. Here we had more luck with 9 species yielding up three good target species for Paul with a rather ragged Osprey a fine Burmese Shrike (thanks to Barb) and a Purple Sunbird. Two Black-collared Starlings were an added boost as well for me. 
The downhill return drive was akin to being in a tumble drier and had Barb and me hanging onto the hand grips (Paul at least having the steering wheel). However - without four-wheel drive many such sites are impossible to contemplate any birding at all.

Back on normal roads en route to our next site (reached by 10.am) we logged a Jay (White-faced form) which flew across the road. Tambon Nong Hang was our final stop where in an hour we chalked up 17 species, the better ones being:-

1 Rufus-winged Buzzard

1 Black-winged Kite

1 Indochinese Roller

1 (another) Burmese Shrike

7 Red-rumped Swallows

1 Two-barred Warbler

2 Hainan Blue Flycatchers

 we had found the conditions here rather trying due to the winds and a scan over one of the local large lakes had only a couple of Grey Herons on show- scant reward indeed so we broke off for coffees and headed afterwards for home.

Paul had reinforced his position as top lister for the present with 3 more species to reach 146 (with 150 now as a realistic target) and I had gained 15 to reach 89 so we had done quite well in trying conditions.

As a bonus once driving along back in Yasothon we had a flyby Pied Harrier as a temporary companion which gave Paul a nice record shot opportunity.

Cheers,

Mike P.

14/12/2023 - 6.20 am - Phu Langka Nat. Pk. - HQ vicinity - Nakhon Phanom.

With a full days birding in prospect we arrived early ahead of the official opening time of 08.30 (= absurd from a birders perspective). One of the problems in popular national parks in Thailand is that from early morning dozens of volunteer/park staff are busy sweeping leaves as a tidy-up for visitors, whereas we prefer to see a good covering of leaves in which robins and thrushes might forage. 
We hastened off along one of the narrow tarmac trails through really attractive rock and forest scenery slowly gaining in height while checking the nearby stream for one of our targets - Grey Wagtail.
In total we spent 4 hours in the park logging 26 species in typically slow though productive forest birding. As the morning wore on we began to meet with increasing numbers of ordinary visitors, some in large groups. These mainly visit to view the series of waterfalls though presently being the dry season there is no water to speak of. These people are invariably very friendly and greeted us cheerfully but the constant loud hellos hardly conducive to good birding, so we slowly headed back.

2 Red Junglefowl

2 Spotted Doves

1 Green-billed Malkoha

5 Oriental Honey-Buzzards (seen from various clearings soaring over the forest and a target species for all of us in Nakhon Phanom).

5 Coppersmith Barbets

3 Lineated Barbets

1 Black-naped Monarch

1 Blyths Paradise-Flycatcher. (Photographed and a nice record and easily Barbs bird of the day).

8 Large-billed Crows

8 Grey-headed Canary-Flycatchers

1 Common Tailorbird

5 Dusky Crag-Martins (These soaring around the high sandstone cliffs above us).

2 Puff-throated Bulbuls

7 Black-crested Bulbuls

3 Stripe-throated Bulbuls

5 Yellow-browed Warblers

1 Pale-legged Leaf Warbler

15 Pin-striped Tit-Babblers (these were abundant in presumed family groups of 4/5 birds and often the first to come in response to our speaker playing Little Spiderhunter).

1 Puff-throated Babbler

1 Taiga Flycatcher

2 Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers

3 Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds

1 Brown-throated Sunbird

6 Ornate Sunbirds

3 Crimson Sunbirds (photographed and quite common here).

1 Grey Wagtail.

In addition Paul saw 2 Ashy Drongos a Yellow-vented Flowerpecker a Swinhoes White-eye and 2 Indochinese Blue Flycatchers which Barb and I missed.

After an extended break for lunch and siestas at 15.45 we headed out for some open country birding which included some extensive marshy lakes picking up a few common targets such as Moorhen (5) and 3 Grey-breasted Prinias among 26 species in a 40 minute session.

We then headed off back to check out the Mekong sandbars again still hoping for the Tibetan Sandplover.

In our final half hour we noted 50 Small Pratincoles in loose company with what we had come to call the usual waders but with the pleasing addition of a scatter of 35 Spotted Redshanks along the river shoreline. A useful day had given me a further 17 species and Paul a further 11 to regain his top ranking for the province.

Regards,

Mike P.

-A couple of shots from the harrier roost the other night; - a close approach by a female Pied Harrier and then the same bird eying up a trio of Grey-headed Swamphens which probably may have been too much of a mouthful before bedtime?

Cheers,

Mike P.

Not sure what has happened quite to split off under a separate heading day three of our Sakon Nakhon outing, but doubtless due to some incompetence on my part.

However back at base after a break from birding we arrived at 16.20 last night (Dec 9th) at our local harrier roost at Phue Hi to see how things were after no visits since late last January. The site consists of a huge mat of floating vegetation about a 1000 metres in length surrounded by clear water forming a nice margin of safety for birds roosting upon it.

We noted a couple of flyover Brahminy Kites and numerous groups of distant sundry white egrets off to a roost somewhere else and a dozen or so harriers split evenly between Eastern Marsh Harriers and Pied Harriers, all of the  Marsh Harriers being female/juveniles with 1 adult male. The Pieds included at least 2 spanking males a juvenile and a couple of what looked like female adults. 
Photo opportunities were largely curtailed as our usual viewpoint was not available. Paul drove down the usual narrow cart track fringed by branches protruding from both sides for some 250 metres only for our route to be blocked by 3 buffaloes- a youngster with mother and a large male with an impressive span of wicked looking horns. We crept forward and all 3 beasts tried to exit to the right out of our way but the big male was tethered by a rope from the down slope by the lake and could barely get out of our way even if it tried. Our problem was that had we persisted and driven over the tether we could have easily become tangled up with a large panicking animal.

We suggested to Barb that she should sneak out and undo the rope while Paul drove on slowly and I kept watch but to our surprise she flatly refused to do this. Paul patiently reversed all the way back to our less advantageous second choice viewpoint and so salvaged the situation.

All in a days fun - after all this is birding.

Cheers,

Mike P.