tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78520827716096208502024-03-18T12:07:54.880+07:00Bangkok City BirdingDavid Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.comBlogger598125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-2605493650269436732018-03-01T11:58:00.000+07:002018-03-01T11:58:05.821+07:00Moving to eBird<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With changes in my family commitments in recent months meaning that I have less and less free time to either a) go birding, or b) write up my blog, I am now focusing on using <a href="https://ebird.org/home" target="_blank">eBird</a> to record my routine birding activities. eBird has the advantage of a smartphone app that I can use whilst in the field to record my sightings, and these get fed into BCST's records system and help to build up eBirds' global database of records.<br />
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I will still post on this blog and on <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidGandyBkk" target="_blank">Twitter</a> with more interesting records or trip reports. <br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com223tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-31793009373961494822017-10-17T12:42:00.004+07:002017-10-17T12:42:50.894+07:00Black-winged Cuckooshrikes on migration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Birding around the Ministry of Public relations and Suan Rotfai in the last week has produced a few notable records, the best being the first <u>Black-winged Cuckooshrikes</u> that I have ever seen in Bangkok during the month of October (one male on 12th at the Dept Public Relations and a female/imm at Suan Rotfai on 15th). Other highlights included a pair of <u>Peregrines</u> at Dept Public Relations on 7th Oct.<br />
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Suan Rotfai provided a few interesting phylloscs on 15th with my first <u>Yellow-browed Warbler</u> of the autumn and an <u>Eastern Crowned Warbler</u> and <u>Pale-legged Leaf Warbler</u> feeding together (the PLLW ID's in the field based on call, with confirmation coming from a sound recording and spectrogram).</div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-6841611408673251562017-10-04T11:25:00.004+07:002017-10-09T17:07:32.586+07:00Kamchatka Leaf Warbler in autumn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning I took a stroll around the grounds around the Dept of Public Relations, a small area of parkland which serves as the best migrant trap near my house.<br />
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Whilst checking a patch of trees where I had seen a male Siberian Blue Robin last week I heard an unfamiliar call - a rather flat, nasal "tik" repeated several times. I was really unsure what might be making the call, but knew that it was probably something unusual as I've pretty much mastered the calls of the common residents and migrants that I encounter in Bangkok. I soon located the bird making the call and was a bit surprised to find that it was a <i>phyllosc</i>! The bird initially gave very poor views - making me think that perhaps it was one of the species I encounter rarely (such as Claudia's Leaf Warbler), but once I got a proper look at it I determined that it was "just an Arctic Warbler".<br />
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But what about that call?! It really didn't sound like the explosive, buzzy "tzik" of an Arctic, but from memory it didn't sound much like either Kamchatka or Japanese. The bird promptly shut up, just as I got my iPhone out to make a sound recording (!) so instead I checked the calls in my playlist - it was clearly not the frog-like call of Japanese LW, but actually sounded much closer to Kamchatka than I remembered, although this bird seemed to be giving just the first part of the call (rather than the full "loose" or "dribbly" call found on the recording I had from xeno-canto). After some pishing the bird showed again and when I played the xeno-canto recording to it, it quickly moved from the high canopy of a tree some 10 meters away to the lowest branches less than two meters in front of me. It then started calling with the full version of the call, as if to confirm that I was playing it the right tape!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua2NJjz3Y7XFdLncCIhMBCOpwZ0nwnGddVi_m-7nnnatSEjWXFlGecYgEn79Xrdtm_TNTStcIvGY8Bud8iSBPnXq0TEBlRA2nYniUmBJocUJwoYV7Bma9Iv19Fv25rOBeJ6bKqVuSTRV2/s1600/DSC_7657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua2NJjz3Y7XFdLncCIhMBCOpwZ0nwnGddVi_m-7nnnatSEjWXFlGecYgEn79Xrdtm_TNTStcIvGY8Bud8iSBPnXq0TEBlRA2nYniUmBJocUJwoYV7Bma9Iv19Fv25rOBeJ6bKqVuSTRV2/s400/DSC_7657.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Whilst identification of Kamchatka vs Arctic based on plumage remains very much in its infancy, one thing that I noticed about this bird was how strikingly white the undertail coverts appeared compared with the flanks (and some of my images suggest a very light suffusion of yellow on the undertail coverts, see below).<br />
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There is still lots of work to do on these <i>phylloscs</i>, but some useful resources can be found in the links below:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thaibirding.com/ornithology/kamchatka-leaf-warbler-sakhalin-leaf-warbler.htm" target="_blank">http://www.thaibirding.com/ornithology/kamchatka-leaf-warbler-sakhalin-leaf-warbler.htm</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.shanghaibirding.com/2017/06/06/kamchatka/" target="_blank">http://www.shanghaibirding.com/2017/06/06/kamchatka/</a><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_968032313"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.shanghaibirding.com/2017/07/01/kamchatka2/">http://www.shanghaibirding.com/2017/07/01/kamchatka2/</a><br />
<br />
EDIT:<br />
<br />
Craig Brelsford from Shainghai birding has commented:<br />
<br />
<i>The research is out there. All we need to do is apply it. </i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Birders
fall into habits. They often either get into the habit of attempting
IDs on the wrong criteria (plumage and bare parts, for ex., in the case
of Pale-Sak and Arctic-Kamchatka), or they get into the habit of
throwing up their hands and giving up. </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Neither
mistake is necessary anymore in the case of Pale-Sak. The research is
out there, and it is saying call is diagnosable. All that is left is for
is birders to use that new knowledge.</i></div>
<br /></div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-21260861337029576942017-10-02T22:09:00.002+07:002017-10-02T22:09:30.792+07:001st October<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A walk around Suan Rotfai early morning produced a good sprinkling of migrants including my first <u>Sakhalin Leaf Warbler</u> of the autumn (one, possibly two birds seen in the field and identified on call), a female-type <u>Stejneger's Stonechat</u>, a <u>Black-capped Kingfisher</u>, 4 <u>Brown Shrikes</u> (one of which was <i>lucionensis</i>), one <u>Arctic/Kamchatka Warbler</u> (probably Arctic), one <u>Eastern Crowned Warbler</u> and a <u>Taiga Flycatcher</u>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFBxqUHI8AIwsgAYm77LMfm0kHE25FeDPgwcljhfRaqZXL4KgXwJ7p0sD87g_p43WLpehmuqxHamvZNfXqoUNRJt96Ybmiw9x6fmZlSO5MqGhoGwpmOgewwAfsas1G9fNe-mYLNTpH5jZ/s1600/DSC_7502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFBxqUHI8AIwsgAYm77LMfm0kHE25FeDPgwcljhfRaqZXL4KgXwJ7p0sD87g_p43WLpehmuqxHamvZNfXqoUNRJt96Ybmiw9x6fmZlSO5MqGhoGwpmOgewwAfsas1G9fNe-mYLNTpH5jZ/s400/DSC_7502.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cristatus Brown Shrike</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghc2T8A-5LkEPKKy9PxWn1_vzce9ZpuR_eWuIUI8IsMH69Bu3Wq-QSeMjncadXpSuhBkm-qccDe-zNTlZnwD5oPRl2dQExnVs30xHYD0ZsuyTbz5NybRMXcsLj7oCJmbU6S2juelLdknjc/s1600/DSC_7523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="952" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghc2T8A-5LkEPKKy9PxWn1_vzce9ZpuR_eWuIUI8IsMH69Bu3Wq-QSeMjncadXpSuhBkm-qccDe-zNTlZnwD5oPRl2dQExnVs30xHYD0ZsuyTbz5NybRMXcsLj7oCJmbU6S2juelLdknjc/s400/DSC_7523.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-capped Kingfisher</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGbKchAMu75nnRxeTlEBZWl0GFrAfH2HOr39nwepWcAOKl2S53K5qSE5DXirFjTgxxaQ1GA6ZEPifr82f6CGtdvsw5nqXBSYXknFOzhcT5Qsh_JX4nxv5cRIh92zYPshOLCVa4QLmLUvK/s1600/Suan+Rotfai+1st+Oct+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="915" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGbKchAMu75nnRxeTlEBZWl0GFrAfH2HOr39nwepWcAOKl2S53K5qSE5DXirFjTgxxaQ1GA6ZEPifr82f6CGtdvsw5nqXBSYXknFOzhcT5Qsh_JX4nxv5cRIh92zYPshOLCVa4QLmLUvK/s400/Suan+Rotfai+1st+Oct+2017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stejneger's Stonechat</td></tr>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-21549689023675620932017-10-02T21:45:00.001+07:002017-10-02T21:45:36.827+07:00September summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Time has been limited for birding and writing up notes - I've been posting more on <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidGandyBkk" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and have started recording me records on <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/" target="_blank">eBird</a>. <br />
<br />
With travel away from Thailand during late August, my first autumn passerine migrant was an <u>Asian Brown Flycatcher</u> on 10th Sept (actually if truth be known my first passerine migrant of Autumn 2017 was was a <u>Red-eyed Vireo</u> in Panama on 26th August!), and this was followed with earliest dates as follows: a male and female <u>Yellow-rumped Flycatcher</u> and a <u>Brown Shrike</u> on 19th Sept, <u>Eastern Crowned Warbler</u> on 21st Sept, <u>Common Kingfisher</u>, <u>Arctic Warbler</u> and <u>Taiga Flycatcher</u> on 27th Sept, and <u>Siberian Blue Robin</u> (a fantastic male!) and <u>Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher</u> on 29th. <br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-86730805808516562922017-09-28T12:25:00.001+07:002017-10-02T21:09:46.107+07:00Wedding Bells (and Bellbird)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last couple of months have been quiet on the birding front, with various travel and family commitments keeping me from getting into the field.<br />
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The highlight was an all-to-brief-visit to Panama for a friend's wedding in late August, travelling via Florida to see my in-laws. Florida in August (two weeks before Hurricane Irma hit) was extremely hot, humid and birdless, instead being filled with jet lag and family time - birding highlights there were limited to the usual suspects, but this being Florida the "usual suspects" are quite spectacular birds in very suburban settings - so a <u>Loggerhead Shrike</u> in a neighbours front yard, a family of four <u>Sandhill Cranes</u> in next door's hard and a <u>Limpkin</u> in the in-laws front yard were about all I could muster - but given that I've only seen the latter I think once before on four trips to central Florida, that's I guess not a bad garden bird!<br />
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Our time in Panama was focused on catching up with long lost friends, but with the wedding taking us to the remote Bocos del Toro archipeligo there was always hope of snagging a few birds along the way, and with this being my first trip to the neotropics in more than a decade, I was keen to make sure of it. the wedding was on Isla Popa and we took over the only resort on the island (<a href="http://www.popaparadisebeachresort.com/" target="_blank">Popa Paradise</a>) which proved to be an excellent destination. The birding highlight was doubtless me finding a femal-type <u>Three-wattled Bellbird</u> from the balcony of our cabin - not only an iconic Central American bird, but apparently rare and hard-to-find in Panama (so much so that the other Panama-based birders at the wedding never seen one...and didn't get to see this one...ooops!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZCkWulPSA2L09KXsFg-YqoCRAVJJbEIolVBIegfsEC-z87Is2BnMW0cSWWoxLRMxEkqDyG5h9Hzsg_H89C0SnZLPbsxPD-reAG5eCmhXF9mXYO44Sdl-63NarC6LFws8gmZxLOswX9Yb/s1600/DSC_7388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="940" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZCkWulPSA2L09KXsFg-YqoCRAVJJbEIolVBIegfsEC-z87Is2BnMW0cSWWoxLRMxEkqDyG5h9Hzsg_H89C0SnZLPbsxPD-reAG5eCmhXF9mXYO44Sdl-63NarC6LFws8gmZxLOswX9Yb/s400/DSC_7388.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three-wattled Bellbird</td></tr>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-36710634720913324502017-07-11T11:43:00.001+07:002017-07-11T11:45:08.686+07:00Stoned on the patch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) field trip to Suan Rotfai and adjacent Queen Sirikit Park pulled out a massive shock on Sunday (9th July) when they photographed an <u>Indian Stone-Curlew</u> in Queen Sirikit Park.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_2B_YPHHnsQyT2GKFpXgIdUq0ZKTjj7CIEXsLgnhPjyAKonkuKyGyVxXwbxPDE3E9oRAln_QuSPfDdjKGGHkElgKkn0Qktts0k_yVL_tqyVvLHm167oAps1LNlyVUSg9H6lLGYGQZUSz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-10+at+3.32.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="918" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_2B_YPHHnsQyT2GKFpXgIdUq0ZKTjj7CIEXsLgnhPjyAKonkuKyGyVxXwbxPDE3E9oRAln_QuSPfDdjKGGHkElgKkn0Qktts0k_yVL_tqyVvLHm167oAps1LNlyVUSg9H6lLGYGQZUSz/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-07-10+at+3.32.23+PM.png" width="272" /></a></div>
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Whilst this was indeed a shock to read about, Indian Stone-Curlew is a species that i have pondered turning up on the patch - there seems to be a pattern of July-August records in central and western Thailand, presumably some kind of post-breeding dispersal, or failed breeders wandering from the birds usual range. There is also a record of a River Lapwing being seen in the park in July several years ago - so weird waders occuring in mid summer is not unprecedented.<br />
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Yesterday (10th) I spent a few hours checking the patch and of course hoping to re-find the Stone-Curlew, but to no avail - of course there is the chance it is still present: the park is big and these birds are masters of camouflage, so I live in hope it'll be refound.<br />
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Being mid-summer there were otherwise slim pickings to be had in the park, the best being a moulting adult <u>Chinese Pond Heron</u> (presumably an oversummering bird) amongst the Javan Pond Herons, and a pair of <u>Barn Swallows</u> - perhaps early returning migrants?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhohwmmUl_ESZ2Xklmx1RyqEe2QWBQmCoRhEhBNQqbtMPHAYypjZBcNBYUrUU-6Ng3TfSmuwor0JwVu7EWhCY34lI2YkDt0PTey6sT8e6UFivd7PD6PHuwXtmMCmgXc5_mSuvC-KEC87m/s1600/DSC_6956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1474" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhohwmmUl_ESZ2Xklmx1RyqEe2QWBQmCoRhEhBNQqbtMPHAYypjZBcNBYUrUU-6Ng3TfSmuwor0JwVu7EWhCY34lI2YkDt0PTey6sT8e6UFivd7PD6PHuwXtmMCmgXc5_mSuvC-KEC87m/s400/DSC_6956.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Pond heron</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjgBY8d3qrdXBoCDaTQOMfKBzwrtnDDc0JDwJEKcbcEWddwdOnD2tpu8OYVnMRx-sxnZabmikrrXY7gxXRgh6nSJ_4EDf3KOAVVWXXdtDzN3j2h5s6Yp2RG-1C19BHsCQpMzZy5xi_cIs/s1600/DSC_6965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1491" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjgBY8d3qrdXBoCDaTQOMfKBzwrtnDDc0JDwJEKcbcEWddwdOnD2tpu8OYVnMRx-sxnZabmikrrXY7gxXRgh6nSJ_4EDf3KOAVVWXXdtDzN3j2h5s6Yp2RG-1C19BHsCQpMzZy5xi_cIs/s400/DSC_6965.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-58833437598320842172017-07-06T09:00:00.003+07:002017-07-06T09:00:17.620+07:00Hoopoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGNJfWStcCDc07C1nvPhnsK6iPmZ0sNq2oajGZHKdALhzrSMs9iiek258SZkE0xKugkl4ENNRXgwO0ELg1WC7mo7r1_se6Lu9Oj8cuz5IoBu1nKvdjeqt-voHLNr0WrCNDVc6kkY1OldF/s1600/DSC_6853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGNJfWStcCDc07C1nvPhnsK6iPmZ0sNq2oajGZHKdALhzrSMs9iiek258SZkE0xKugkl4ENNRXgwO0ELg1WC7mo7r1_se6Lu9Oj8cuz5IoBu1nKvdjeqt-voHLNr0WrCNDVc6kkY1OldF/s400/DSC_6853.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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An overnight work trip to Mae Sot on 4th & 5th July gave me a chance to go and check out my regular rice paddy patch early morning. Whilst the rainy season is pleasantly cool in this part of Thailand, the birding is a little slow and so after a short time it became apparent that the paddy patch didn't have too much to offer, through a pair of painted snipe were a nice adition to the list of species I have seen there.<br />
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When I got back to the hotel car park I found a pair of Hoopoes busily feeding in the gravel. Given the heavily worn state of both birds' plumage, and the fact they they repeatedly flew off in the same direction whilst carrying their favoured cockroach preys, I'm guessing they had a nest close by occupied by hungry mouths!<br />
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The photo above and the first two below illustrate the paler pink female, whilst the bottom image shows the more intensely coloured male. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHD5l9cVQTmOi0HlkmzcxNuVGNMGd3DhqHdykY2EAp4EMEiz7NbdX-xxDfKdGt0N-7EJogRSls1USYggcDH_tie3vN7l62Y9WPu_OiyKPZxhVhQU8b-_O_zoobTD3D5cVtHYVmb5VZjrH/s1600/DSC_6939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHD5l9cVQTmOi0HlkmzcxNuVGNMGd3DhqHdykY2EAp4EMEiz7NbdX-xxDfKdGt0N-7EJogRSls1USYggcDH_tie3vN7l62Y9WPu_OiyKPZxhVhQU8b-_O_zoobTD3D5cVtHYVmb5VZjrH/s400/DSC_6939.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">female</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl6fIO8ObHhqA1PUmf-2EMc1kxojH9CfRzYsQydPWf7DLTML_KJWUDShpJg0Ncca1qlkna3XE1Q8-gY_FPcQ8RQrOpR5cbhXa7xjwuMGUrY6rrMcSPMRK2kbMcAL84lCzB8jEKXcbYdi0/s1600/DSC_6732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl6fIO8ObHhqA1PUmf-2EMc1kxojH9CfRzYsQydPWf7DLTML_KJWUDShpJg0Ncca1qlkna3XE1Q8-gY_FPcQ8RQrOpR5cbhXa7xjwuMGUrY6rrMcSPMRK2kbMcAL84lCzB8jEKXcbYdi0/s400/DSC_6732.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">female</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivriiqCqQt5j9SUnj-Oag9Ak4twvBjfKes-T0xTJ6ZFVvw5eLixzhbzaoEme4-1b8oueJ845_feXJCZYn_W8iKD1zxH3daw3GzwQ2jwlXbMlviiygEOUNKVw9VBu1ubZJ5rR8Ix9kILBGb/s1600/DSC_6770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivriiqCqQt5j9SUnj-Oag9Ak4twvBjfKes-T0xTJ6ZFVvw5eLixzhbzaoEme4-1b8oueJ845_feXJCZYn_W8iKD1zxH3daw3GzwQ2jwlXbMlviiygEOUNKVw9VBu1ubZJ5rR8Ix9kILBGb/s400/DSC_6770.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">male</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-53499288429151126752017-07-02T09:16:00.000+07:002017-07-02T17:10:41.995+07:00UK in late June<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A short visit for work and a few days seeing family & friends in East Anglia afforded some opportunities for birding, especially given the long summer days and a dose of jet lag which meant very early mornings were no problem!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvACGrjWmT4rNVaysxDhbiGccTk56_y9w_K-QVIp_TktWH6J1LzyPj-8gSRpbquMMx3N8rBwiIBGxadLKaNAUMxJZLk0DipDgK8aRwjZXOkyIdN9CmXc8eHzCsG9I11fiVzYlWbik-KBdJ/s1600/DSC_4506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvACGrjWmT4rNVaysxDhbiGccTk56_y9w_K-QVIp_TktWH6J1LzyPj-8gSRpbquMMx3N8rBwiIBGxadLKaNAUMxJZLk0DipDgK8aRwjZXOkyIdN9CmXc8eHzCsG9I11fiVzYlWbik-KBdJ/s400/DSC_4506.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandwich Tern on Brownsea</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrIgVC2FcNWIMZU63wWrqMdtQj7QO7BWBqkH22qs_PzKBaB6E4uX4paB6WZuqSRxgmSGtGTJQ8cxv7NKz1aJawrz5g6FzRIgOp14YSEe1ZBnZckAOW4d296u3Ct4q83oIqPS3BCadfeym/s1600/DSC_4602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="821" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrIgVC2FcNWIMZU63wWrqMdtQj7QO7BWBqkH22qs_PzKBaB6E4uX4paB6WZuqSRxgmSGtGTJQ8cxv7NKz1aJawrz5g6FzRIgOp14YSEe1ZBnZckAOW4d296u3Ct4q83oIqPS3BCadfeym/s400/DSC_4602.jpg" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Med Gull</td></tr>
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After working in Oxford for a couple of days a mad dash to Dorset resulted in dipping the Elegant Tern that had graced various points along the English south coast in previous weeks, but alowed me to add Brownsea Island to my list of "islands I have visited". Seeing a <u>Red Squirrel</u> whilst on the island was a bonus and several <u>Mediterranean Gulls</u> around Sandbanks during an inelegant evening seawatch made me realise just how common this once-scarce bird has become.<br />
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Leaving Dorset I drove overnight to Norfolk to meet up with friends there. Titchwell RSPB at dawn was a pleasure, with the place pretty much to myself, save for several Spoonbills, more Mediterranean Gulls, an Arctic Skua and small numbers of waders including several <i>islandica</i> Black-tailed Godwits that offered an instructive lesson in size variation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QFJ-4Ncdjq6Mp8Lt_WYX380XEnA-DJRWOZ85dUMVHbnbNa_EkwNLArcZBB8e873Az9bbnKS1f4fBi3JD2GQuHdvNup1LqVJqyXLLcJjz5W29Fgv_qAKQnqj0ib2DA8J0ZVc8gvACtwjE/s1600/IMG_5868+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QFJ-4Ncdjq6Mp8Lt_WYX380XEnA-DJRWOZ85dUMVHbnbNa_EkwNLArcZBB8e873Az9bbnKS1f4fBi3JD2GQuHdvNup1LqVJqyXLLcJjz5W29Fgv_qAKQnqj0ib2DA8J0ZVc8gvACtwjE/s400/IMG_5868+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">phoneskope'd <i>islandica</i> Blackwit</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQ-Ahe8nt-oWittF5PqNT2ju2MkkkkIaQtG0C48nbt5txwX1xKTqEWcGTGP2BRfc1MM8U7ejSzug9ATI0WBbyPYlCnt6GHLuvyxhQot9ZMDOERpXhPU0y-yXieoj6ZIGA1pqi7C6YKYEJ/s1600/DSC_4720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="933" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQ-Ahe8nt-oWittF5PqNT2ju2MkkkkIaQtG0C48nbt5txwX1xKTqEWcGTGP2BRfc1MM8U7ejSzug9ATI0WBbyPYlCnt6GHLuvyxhQot9ZMDOERpXhPU0y-yXieoj6ZIGA1pqi7C6YKYEJ/s400/DSC_4720.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>islandica</i> Blackwit with Nikon V1 & 300mm PF</td></tr>
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The particularly instructive Blackwit that I watched was the breeding plumaged bird below (partially obscured by an Avocet in the first two images). Note that the bird actually looks smaller than the two Bar-tailed Godwits on the far right of the first image, and is dwarfed by the preening non-breeding plumaged Blackwit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvIJ_Rx0LBVPmQvKMO9a9eqG3g-TgmVIUalpOlWOx66XyPF1OEstOut2qLb-02mnoYuyh2VBsAvhObcUBU1bbcZY8HC0KH-yKUxoKlf5ClDTkwvbV5F0y1_YU6l9BK8M2lrOfssqXe5WI/s1600/FullSizeRender%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvIJ_Rx0LBVPmQvKMO9a9eqG3g-TgmVIUalpOlWOx66XyPF1OEstOut2qLb-02mnoYuyh2VBsAvhObcUBU1bbcZY8HC0KH-yKUxoKlf5ClDTkwvbV5F0y1_YU6l9BK8M2lrOfssqXe5WI/s400/FullSizeRender%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEncPizprDLGfqcBP9EzRMVzwcuHTuRgfGJK7kIFaFwz3u5Dgi4nvMxPGWjmWKIgDseijhEEJ8S2emV95Awqfbbdji7dwOFOTlObOrHpDzDm8E89olwSPmWOldABoD9LtOsv7KqbsvmL_/s1600/FullSizeRender%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEncPizprDLGfqcBP9EzRMVzwcuHTuRgfGJK7kIFaFwz3u5Dgi4nvMxPGWjmWKIgDseijhEEJ8S2emV95Awqfbbdji7dwOFOTlObOrHpDzDm8E89olwSPmWOldABoD9LtOsv7KqbsvmL_/s400/FullSizeRender%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzyEzFoTFE1lL7qReK5c_xDIeNSn0-MKgI4Oj89kcMeAbcPkyOyT_dLIur5_F89Vdq1dwpjpCoCgGafZTdLNKDdBcbPXOeXWgT84Kcr4rr29jEuI6Mt4a0g2TDjodfVMWNvfq1osJuxZc/s1600/IMG_5886+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzyEzFoTFE1lL7qReK5c_xDIeNSn0-MKgI4Oj89kcMeAbcPkyOyT_dLIur5_F89Vdq1dwpjpCoCgGafZTdLNKDdBcbPXOeXWgT84Kcr4rr29jEuI6Mt4a0g2TDjodfVMWNvfq1osJuxZc/s400/IMG_5886+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3bqg6sFwu-KGczb4G_Atpb4I0glODm1kZrUN26H_GDPoKm6nnWQ2YSFDFLoEPPqXyQux6Zl2e7xMDeFoOnqWR5coAWQp8FJEL42I2qsdEY6EKyryQ7jRlB-wLFHOPzkR3toq-KbgETB6/s1600/mini+godwit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1328" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3bqg6sFwu-KGczb4G_Atpb4I0glODm1kZrUN26H_GDPoKm6nnWQ2YSFDFLoEPPqXyQux6Zl2e7xMDeFoOnqWR5coAWQp8FJEL42I2qsdEY6EKyryQ7jRlB-wLFHOPzkR3toq-KbgETB6/s400/mini+godwit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">head up and it proves to indeed be "just" a Blackwit</td></tr>
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Having done some reading on the ID of <i>islandica</i> and nominate <i>limosa</i> Blackwits it seems that <i>islandica</i> is shorter-billed and shorter-legged, with males being smaller than females. It seems that nominate <i>limosa</i> is rare away from its UK breeding grounds in the East Anglian fens, so I take it that both these birds are <i>islandica</i> with the breeding plumaged bird being an exceptionally small male.<br />
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An afternoon and overnight with the family Lowen included a visit to Potter Heigham and Hickling to see some of the UK's rarest breeders and specialities including a pair <u>Black-winged Stilts</u> and third adult and three of their four chicks, a pair of <u>Common Cranes</u>, at least thirteen <u>Spoonbills</u> and exceptional views of several <u>Swallowtail</u> butterflies along with bonus <u>White Admiral</u>. A visit to Cley with Mr Barbato a couple of days later produced yet more <u>Spoonbills</u> plus a <u>Yellow-legged Gull</u>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkJHYSV19y7JV74skHJp6pbfR8kgjmbDZbdeziCmPcZi_vtPG1mQfsRoT-FM1KFsQLNwpR94ZUNIdQVNNKYnT89Dcmy04gEszhPE6WfBmlfwcCACRLlpb2vtrSGQAFq2VAEf029DmCf-I/s1600/FullSizeRender%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkJHYSV19y7JV74skHJp6pbfR8kgjmbDZbdeziCmPcZi_vtPG1mQfsRoT-FM1KFsQLNwpR94ZUNIdQVNNKYnT89Dcmy04gEszhPE6WfBmlfwcCACRLlpb2vtrSGQAFq2VAEf029DmCf-I/s400/FullSizeRender%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-winged Stilt, Potter Heigham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_s5Wb1gVTsgF-QxNdFZmNnTcGIDqfvsh1EJAR5V61-KmrQ5OZ11DyJsGQkfULe22Y01EIL-yXPU_6PhX_rDRJZHfUqiGdvdEiok5vzaFSSeubcaMzAMUYw-XQHuKkHPQKBCoRI7MKUkt/s1600/DSC_4800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_s5Wb1gVTsgF-QxNdFZmNnTcGIDqfvsh1EJAR5V61-KmrQ5OZ11DyJsGQkfULe22Y01EIL-yXPU_6PhX_rDRJZHfUqiGdvdEiok5vzaFSSeubcaMzAMUYw-XQHuKkHPQKBCoRI7MKUkt/s400/DSC_4800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swallowtail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCPjG3jzRctlJ7750Envt6ZXtFvGy0hHTVU-EzfkzBj_IfuAF3xxt7H6cZqfigKF2nJ6JxiY5c-OO8jUyTo9XoAZJdZPKuSAyqALoVPKvAmnp401vj-PqEgUQo7MoP_bkuRC0w_7iEpEq/s1600/DSC_4834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCPjG3jzRctlJ7750Envt6ZXtFvGy0hHTVU-EzfkzBj_IfuAF3xxt7H6cZqfigKF2nJ6JxiY5c-OO8jUyTo9XoAZJdZPKuSAyqALoVPKvAmnp401vj-PqEgUQo7MoP_bkuRC0w_7iEpEq/s400/DSC_4834.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Admiral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJcbfh69IJXpAAm-gSycgZjbH6df7Vsqj_kDqhN743JJg8tHc-Q-9szkN3QmS6qKRquVR2R9QMLxXHyMoiWZHZ-zvZzLdTqUejipTb1uxqCuJapG5PfOZC8CWahqimWIsdHGS4Q3jmKng/s1600/DSC_4946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="1023" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJcbfh69IJXpAAm-gSycgZjbH6df7Vsqj_kDqhN743JJg8tHc-Q-9szkN3QmS6qKRquVR2R9QMLxXHyMoiWZHZ-zvZzLdTqUejipTb1uxqCuJapG5PfOZC8CWahqimWIsdHGS4Q3jmKng/s400/DSC_4946.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill, Cley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyASeXmhzHaQtBtP31Gmugjap_iVrwUVjnDUeK6jHYqy9ULqAkv-YIh5dRl_MJ3PtRiOCIv7AXaoQ0dmY30GTC6EPqRMsCElg2AoxjWCYD2wWWpzRK5T0v9SkO1wCePUXC-onA1BTgmTs/s1600/DSC_4958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="652" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyASeXmhzHaQtBtP31Gmugjap_iVrwUVjnDUeK6jHYqy9ULqAkv-YIh5dRl_MJ3PtRiOCIv7AXaoQ0dmY30GTC6EPqRMsCElg2AoxjWCYD2wWWpzRK5T0v9SkO1wCePUXC-onA1BTgmTs/s400/DSC_4958.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow-legged Gull with Nikon V1 & 300mm PF +1.7 tc</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg705Pb0qqhMS3AbJxeX-RY0_Wi_kxeHtedEmaK4CcRfhFiVd7pREl-rN2t9IyBfgWAp-4Luyi_8l02F-Z0xH3eVBWDF_f93ELxf8wwcKQImWybDOhD7uKj0kr1INq8JC7VpDMVEsmGfTMg/s1600/DSC_4994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="533" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg705Pb0qqhMS3AbJxeX-RY0_Wi_kxeHtedEmaK4CcRfhFiVd7pREl-rN2t9IyBfgWAp-4Luyi_8l02F-Z0xH3eVBWDF_f93ELxf8wwcKQImWybDOhD7uKj0kr1INq8JC7VpDMVEsmGfTMg/s400/DSC_4994.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow-legged Gull with Nikon V1 & 300mm PF +1.7 tc</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXRJ6Z3G1Qc5AsSvKv2shJttiV4g8rwUqJyFhMp5EzR9XcNor2iPWF04CAAdmsUIia9K9SiUMC_5Q0TRR4lcyWA5QK6FBGpTviDI6Up8lNLtDO-yvttmlvShJK0heHWkCSUt0hzq82-9E/s1600/FullSizeRender-3+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="781" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXRJ6Z3G1Qc5AsSvKv2shJttiV4g8rwUqJyFhMp5EzR9XcNor2iPWF04CAAdmsUIia9K9SiUMC_5Q0TRR4lcyWA5QK6FBGpTviDI6Up8lNLtDO-yvttmlvShJK0heHWkCSUt0hzq82-9E/s400/FullSizeRender-3+edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow-legged Gull with phoneskope'd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A visit to my boyhood local patch, Holmethorpe Pits in east Surrey yielded four "patch ticks" as a sign of the times - with <u>Common Buzzard</u> and <u>Red Kite</u> seen, and a <u>Peregrine</u> chasing <u>Ring-necked Parakeets</u>! None of those species were there in the late 1980s or early 1990s when I was birding there, but nowadays they seem reasonably unremarkable.</div>
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<br /></div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-18504443834707430442017-05-30T22:18:00.000+07:002017-05-31T11:50:35.580+07:00Khao Yai quicky<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIK7Ml1UqXnBIx1krBIAu1cPDMTlWPKjp-97OV49kDqMg_VR_ZmHk3GwJ-w-6OGGaXcYWW-FYX0TZgj1M210UtPi7Az3ilVcL9ZQ1VeCoyFRWJ9NLLQxJH5SYSyF1ZPiSx9EsUhGfOY9F/s1600/DSC_6679-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIK7Ml1UqXnBIx1krBIAu1cPDMTlWPKjp-97OV49kDqMg_VR_ZmHk3GwJ-w-6OGGaXcYWW-FYX0TZgj1M210UtPi7Az3ilVcL9ZQ1VeCoyFRWJ9NLLQxJH5SYSyF1ZPiSx9EsUhGfOY9F/s400/DSC_6679-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A work retreat near Khao Yai gave me a welcome break from the hubbub
of Bangkok city life last week, and a few avian highlights.<br />
<br />
Driving along a quiet country road near my accommodation I came across a
<u> Barred Buttonquail</u> with a half-grown chick crossing the road - when a
vehicle came in the opposite direction the adult ran for cover but I was
surprised to see the chick take to the wing to avoid an untimely
demise.<br />
<br />
The grounds of my accommodation hosted several <u>Red-breasted Parakeets </u>
and <u>Spangled Drongos</u> each morning, but the main birding highlight was
the journey back to Bangkok with a detour into Khao Yai National Park
for a few hours.<br />
<br />
Even a short trip to KYNP can produce some exceptional wildlife, with
the highlights in my three hours being a male <u>Siamese Fireback</u> and a
male <u>Silver Pheasant</u> feeding together on the Radar Road, with a <u>Blue
Pitta</u> calling at the same spot. I also heard a further two <u>Blue Pittas</u>,
plus a <u>Hooded Pitta</u> elsewhere on the same road.<br />
<br />
The park also offered <u>Great</u>, <u>Wreathed</u> and <u>Oriental Pied Hornbills</u>, and I
may have heard the contact calls of <u>Austen's Brown Hornbill</u> (my Khao Yai
bogey bird!).<br />
<br />
One other highlight in the park was a close encounter of the needletail
kind, with a <u>Brown Needletail</u> passing so low and fast overhead as it
departed its drinking pool that I could hear the air whizzing through
its wings.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsRfdSynNaPWq815J_tNmhkSNcnuK2EOG7CJiSoLJjxKROT18YUKsZLI9_6lADUpayTjpWTLB3i23iq58om6TvandLVUCFTsqQYpanLztaFZhS8I62161nPsyD9J74C3EIbEN6W_MQVx3/s1600/DSC_6638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="507" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsRfdSynNaPWq815J_tNmhkSNcnuK2EOG7CJiSoLJjxKROT18YUKsZLI9_6lADUpayTjpWTLB3i23iq58om6TvandLVUCFTsqQYpanLztaFZhS8I62161nPsyD9J74C3EIbEN6W_MQVx3/s400/DSC_6638.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-24759809821427517152017-05-30T22:10:00.000+07:002017-05-31T11:48:41.735+07:00A slow spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Family commitments have kept my birding at bay over the spring, with occasional visits to Suan Rot Fai and the grounds of the Dept of Public Relations during April and early May.<br />
<br />
There were no real stand-out highlights in terms of rarities, but a nice trickle of <u>Mugimaki Flycatchers</u> throughout April (my first one actually on 31st March). The undoubted highlight of the spring was making a short visit to Suan Rot Fai and finding a single tree that simultaneously held a male <u>Blue-and-white Flycatcher</u>, a female <u>Mugimaki Flycatcher</u>, two <u>Eyebrowed Thrushes</u><span class="text_exposed_show">, a <u>Black-winged Cuckooshrike</u>, a <u>Taiga Flycatcher</u>, five <u>Asian Brown Flycatchers</u> and a <u>Brown Shrike</u>! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">Perhaps the most satisfying bird of the spring was finally nailing a <u>Kamchatka Leaf Warbler</u> in sub-song and calling regularly at the Dept of Public Relations on 5th May. </span></div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-79727774413216757582017-04-07T17:22:00.001+07:002017-04-07T17:22:17.193+07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've spent the last couple of days in <span class="st">Naypyidaw, capital of Myanmar - a strange city indeed which is mostly made up of huge conference centres for the Myanmar government to hold negotiating meetings with donors and investors.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">The resort where I have been staying has extensive grounds, which offered a few birds before breakfast on both my mornings here. The highlights were three endemics, all pictured below:</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok2G9zmJPYk6Jgdiu0hn-0hgiFkyTw2Jv3wZpDzJqmTRm4IgYdYX4ET225UN13Oga9RppK1Q4p1RnOX6tZlpEocAy1YHcQIjajwxQMUL0mdOy5EGB4nVLu7c96mhD3lMOclZrs6WBy6Bo/s1600/DSC_6264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok2G9zmJPYk6Jgdiu0hn-0hgiFkyTw2Jv3wZpDzJqmTRm4IgYdYX4ET225UN13Oga9RppK1Q4p1RnOX6tZlpEocAy1YHcQIjajwxQMUL0mdOy5EGB4nVLu7c96mhD3lMOclZrs6WBy6Bo/s400/DSC_6264.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-throated Babbler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtdY1zL6ujh4Sohx8hX4TBDMuOaXdJjyg5vagbJj5R_wO-fE4ewMi9q3caErDz8LKZcx8gzoQMWXTJOA-rLns0DCkewpWsEphH8NcTxq18yj35EYKk5_nkxS1-BMyEE8oUskHMCIVI72f/s1600/DSC_6229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtdY1zL6ujh4Sohx8hX4TBDMuOaXdJjyg5vagbJj5R_wO-fE4ewMi9q3caErDz8LKZcx8gzoQMWXTJOA-rLns0DCkewpWsEphH8NcTxq18yj35EYKk5_nkxS1-BMyEE8oUskHMCIVI72f/s400/DSC_6229.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burmese Bushlark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn8x-scl0zOC7y6agBeXxdDSbFz1dTHoJk7pW83WXISfzAtY_JaIkCqfJSowSmQ5sAxbZAJGm7-x5TRmQ9oDK_0wUBrVwf5pvTO_0tPJpSMNQYZ3XG2m2MpB4TT-MUgtXbdtDp_3kUmCq/s1600/DSC_6237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn8x-scl0zOC7y6agBeXxdDSbFz1dTHoJk7pW83WXISfzAtY_JaIkCqfJSowSmQ5sAxbZAJGm7-x5TRmQ9oDK_0wUBrVwf5pvTO_0tPJpSMNQYZ3XG2m2MpB4TT-MUgtXbdtDp_3kUmCq/s400/DSC_6237.jpg" width="383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burmese Bushlark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_3Vo8ic9JaYYAyZ3sXApf-nF7PoKvcacIqpFc3lofn5JTANODcs0TIUB-QY_6GxV9MtOsi08O66COQfEMPq0G7DLkl6UMwQfKyEeWuUiorfU-PS2oc2jjkQCkU8uN310qBWTkLBx8BsB/s1600/DSC_6271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_3Vo8ic9JaYYAyZ3sXApf-nF7PoKvcacIqpFc3lofn5JTANODcs0TIUB-QY_6GxV9MtOsi08O66COQfEMPq0G7DLkl6UMwQfKyEeWuUiorfU-PS2oc2jjkQCkU8uN310qBWTkLBx8BsB/s400/DSC_6271.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irrawaddy Bulbul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Other notables included <u>Oriental Reed Warbler</u>, <u>Black-browed Reed Warbler</u> and <u>Thick-billed Warbler</u> all in song, a <u>Wryneck</u> and a small <u>Reticulated Python</u> swimming across one of the resort lakes. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-75223233011649694102017-02-01T17:26:00.001+07:002017-02-01T17:29:21.493+07:00Winter on the patches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Non-birding commitments have meant that my forays to Suan Rotfai and the grounds of the Dept of Public Relations in recent months have been irregular and all too brief, and consequently I've had no time to post updates on sightings.<br />
<br />
Generally the birding has been quite slow, with no really interesting records - a product of my limited field effort for sure, but also we have been having an extremely warm "winter" with few days of cool weather that might have pushed birds southwards. The best has been a male <u>Verditer Flycatcher</u> at the Dept of Public Relations that graced a fruiting fig on the last day of 2016, whilst 6th January produced an <u>Eye-browed Thrush</u> and a pair of <u>Hair-crested Drongos</u> in Suan Rotfai.<br />
<br />
Below are a few images of my recent encounters.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeGU2POwLPcC5qPEeUvTrIqGGIJ2XrDlahoF5bGNBnHVLT7dsF38FWmwFyM-ycp5hcYFc5hnSPk13wgALhnm5AHHAKgOU76eYEsYaMhmkgMpBi_P4-dYweMW4O29Mycdy6JYcrQQJ7kXC/s1600/DSC_6062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeGU2POwLPcC5qPEeUvTrIqGGIJ2XrDlahoF5bGNBnHVLT7dsF38FWmwFyM-ycp5hcYFc5hnSPk13wgALhnm5AHHAKgOU76eYEsYaMhmkgMpBi_P4-dYweMW4O29Mycdy6JYcrQQJ7kXC/s400/DSC_6062.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian Brown Flycatcher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEYZ-lGoaY-JER-B0uz8frX0Q9X14OIBC0YJX42VFg-D6cvnmXeTcXyV5syW3yFDOM_ZVRPaGt76WNrdXWW5yCiaS6AxCMgBPUo5iUM03IQ1zrc6PnDt0gboosV0l5omPbtgYisS-nCCy/s1600/DSC_4173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEYZ-lGoaY-JER-B0uz8frX0Q9X14OIBC0YJX42VFg-D6cvnmXeTcXyV5syW3yFDOM_ZVRPaGt76WNrdXWW5yCiaS6AxCMgBPUo5iUM03IQ1zrc6PnDt0gboosV0l5omPbtgYisS-nCCy/s400/DSC_4173.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>leucogenis</i> Ashy Drongo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RK3b09IQyJSfMxVnpi1akbOqrkb8lGkAj0gvQqSn8Po-X3MRmdXzgHStWf-7dbYobYM_xvabt_csXKDNMHMzUdPIYXO_CfHnjmoL0_YHYZVlvnaoCI-QHyEUCwuCgHOITu8J0JYAOzwy/s1600/DSC_5947-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RK3b09IQyJSfMxVnpi1akbOqrkb8lGkAj0gvQqSn8Po-X3MRmdXzgHStWf-7dbYobYM_xvabt_csXKDNMHMzUdPIYXO_CfHnjmoL0_YHYZVlvnaoCI-QHyEUCwuCgHOITu8J0JYAOzwy/s400/DSC_5947-2.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Shrike</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLX3k7K0XmMYCKzcVl3V1AvHz6noSVzcmqDuDufvfA9EdhydrWuThTqxsStUbs9SBDaHgwyLhrgCAYqMkPZWo4jTZgxkqecXhE__qlWDIdlUBIRSzWMc45KrVavLN9zcNPBrGLC4kaCC9/s1600/DSC_5958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLX3k7K0XmMYCKzcVl3V1AvHz6noSVzcmqDuDufvfA9EdhydrWuThTqxsStUbs9SBDaHgwyLhrgCAYqMkPZWo4jTZgxkqecXhE__qlWDIdlUBIRSzWMc45KrVavLN9zcNPBrGLC4kaCC9/s400/DSC_5958.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This unfortunate Brown Shrike was present from late Oct until early Jan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3lRmtemKgiYf7uoCSL4Oy6IGQuGTxeVZI91NoV7hfxctZ8elpcLRMeXGlT1LbsoG9upInY8gw0waKTl-OAonRg96BqyesyHpB87QeexYxbZk6xG9q95GNUCPA8BZ-axJ4bO2nMO5Vsnu/s1600/DSC_6043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3lRmtemKgiYf7uoCSL4Oy6IGQuGTxeVZI91NoV7hfxctZ8elpcLRMeXGlT1LbsoG9upInY8gw0waKTl-OAonRg96BqyesyHpB87QeexYxbZk6xG9q95GNUCPA8BZ-axJ4bO2nMO5Vsnu/s400/DSC_6043.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All my recent mid-winter PLLW/Saks have proven to Sakhalin on call</td></tr>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-18643220883229935132017-01-25T20:25:00.003+07:002017-01-25T20:25:41.229+07:00Mae Sot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I worked in Mae Sot (on the Thai-Myanmar border) on Monday and Tuesday this week. This gave me the opportunity to check out the fields behind Mae Sot Airport, giving a nice selection on wintering migrants.<br />
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These included three <u>Brown Shrikes</u>, at least four <u>Siberian Rubythroats</u> (heard), three <u>Bluethroats</u> in one area of recently burnt stubble that also held a flock of at least six <u>Amur Wagtails</u> and five Eastern Yellow Wagtails.<br />
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I also came across three <u>Red-throated Pipits</u> and <u>Paddyfield</u> (at least four birds) and <u>Richard's Pipits</u> (two birds). The latter two species offered opportunities for photographing and comparing them - Richard's being substantially bigger, longer tailed, heavier billed and generally more robust.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8obNnbtwSt2YS1AzlTsizrw45DWeFB7M3yvhWaSeVokU0RCfQ_xRQyq-inUw5LqGaygkQ6MWT-lM_Jye9aXVxdjLnCTtqikLmKLRkAgJkPOM72ExNkC5MXZNSTa4RH4ARjKIYLj-w-Ap/s1600/DSC_4330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8obNnbtwSt2YS1AzlTsizrw45DWeFB7M3yvhWaSeVokU0RCfQ_xRQyq-inUw5LqGaygkQ6MWT-lM_Jye9aXVxdjLnCTtqikLmKLRkAgJkPOM72ExNkC5MXZNSTa4RH4ARjKIYLj-w-Ap/s400/DSC_4330.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">adult Brown Shrike</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcI6TV3jqgFmTQDeXDurANo4EYXuGtfb8X4-orz-fl73Ef2ITII0cNgRIYWFWqigofia-qxgnW_0bJ7YaZGgHMyT9YiAzVT18yLRDtE7zbn_LtAf_44fHU__6J5BX3oc_95RhbNyZjtlV/s1600/DSC_4259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcI6TV3jqgFmTQDeXDurANo4EYXuGtfb8X4-orz-fl73Ef2ITII0cNgRIYWFWqigofia-qxgnW_0bJ7YaZGgHMyT9YiAzVT18yLRDtE7zbn_LtAf_44fHU__6J5BX3oc_95RhbNyZjtlV/s400/DSC_4259.jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluethroat</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi-eyHTcQK1TtXvwolOREHkUwgrFiwKdsEcS5rpQYTMRQM2ql19kiCn3e1t_jgUeH5ZW8hkGC8yS4JRil66vXThgwCKcLORPlyGAw3IzsC2kgOSnyvhxY0cBmYkgE42eAHkN47IjJS-UM/s1600/DSC_4256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi-eyHTcQK1TtXvwolOREHkUwgrFiwKdsEcS5rpQYTMRQM2ql19kiCn3e1t_jgUeH5ZW8hkGC8yS4JRil66vXThgwCKcLORPlyGAw3IzsC2kgOSnyvhxY0cBmYkgE42eAHkN47IjJS-UM/s400/DSC_4256.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amur Wagtail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lPqAaQdONnFp3JEh12Ykb5_wQMmpXgdBERmKPlY4QPlR1D0-kvLEiFzOPrjKKIFxaYe52GR9wky1TEGlIrx2x3DouJ32_tR_ErU6dUJduRUDr1GCDuxFwpSn95WLg1W3P64bPxZ4sVni/s1600/DSC_4229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lPqAaQdONnFp3JEh12Ykb5_wQMmpXgdBERmKPlY4QPlR1D0-kvLEiFzOPrjKKIFxaYe52GR9wky1TEGlIrx2x3DouJ32_tR_ErU6dUJduRUDr1GCDuxFwpSn95WLg1W3P64bPxZ4sVni/s400/DSC_4229.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddyfield Pipit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM57LRuzNGSe89Hq8fCChy7s7bb5yNohHHGk6GOMHa_Ik5bI3wMjRZ7F0ws1C-ZqYICCt0FS1nXyk4bY5-_8Uw0zkpdcZnjr1pQtFrRa7b5TMtoG-6PjIRkIzvd3_xaLtb4YpBovJOWVQV/s1600/DSC_4281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM57LRuzNGSe89Hq8fCChy7s7bb5yNohHHGk6GOMHa_Ik5bI3wMjRZ7F0ws1C-ZqYICCt0FS1nXyk4bY5-_8Uw0zkpdcZnjr1pQtFrRa7b5TMtoG-6PjIRkIzvd3_xaLtb4YpBovJOWVQV/s400/DSC_4281.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard's Pipit</td></tr>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-27220443659281030442016-12-15T21:10:00.005+07:002016-12-15T21:10:45.600+07:00Mae Sariang<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A work trip to Mae Sariang (Mae Hong Son province) this week got me out of the city and I brought my binoculars in case I managed to sneak in a few birds between meetings.<br />
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Actually the trip gave me a couple of notable records - firstly and I think bizarrely - I saw three <u>Java Sparrows</u> on top of Don Muang airport car park in Bangkok - I have never seen this species before, anywhere! Whether I can tick this feral population is another matter, but you can i agine my surprise as I dragged my suitcase from car to terminal!<br />
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When I got to my hotel in Mae Sariang I went for a stroll along the river below my room and found a real, genuine Thailand tick in the form of a <u>Green Sandpiper</u> feeding on a shingle bank - a seemingly sparsely distributed winter visitor to northern Thailand. This bird was in the lose company of three <u>Amur Wagtails</u>, two <u>Common Sandpipers</u> and three <u>Little Ringed Plovers</u>. So with <u>Siberian Rubythroat</u>, <u>Thick-billed</u> and <u>Dusky Warblers</u> calling as they skulked unseen in the undergrowth, this makes a very pleasant place to explore out between meetings.<br />
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On my second day checking this area I added <u>Wire-tailed Swallow</u> (three birds feeding at close range along the river) and a <u>probable Asian House Martin</u> (poor views in bad light) as well as <u>Common</u> and <u>Black-capped Kingfishers</u> and a group of small starlings (presumably Chestnut-tailed or White shouldered).<br />
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Not proper birding by any stretch of the imagination, but better that being stuck at my desk in Bangkok.</div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-5758117500326597172016-10-26T20:39:00.001+07:002016-10-27T06:44:57.033+07:00Stejneger's Stonechat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A morning birding around Mae Sot last week gave me the opportunity to photograph this male <u>Stejneger's Stonechat</u> - a form (species?) of Siberian Stonechat that has got many european birds's interested this autumn, and is the default winterer here in Thailand.<br />
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<i>Marus</i> only occurs in northern Thailand, where it is resident at high altitude.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj753dJtkx19u-G7DIxLJhdJEk5zHCEuctjoXTxgEWVxSM13gaCtsi742zrdJiEWnCcCmOXIZ3YH7Pau5fspnZ2xKKY45CBbE2oLROTHQxpUCxO_XCYcRmZp0wXB8Md5giZTb2SWDZTe1SR/s1600/DSC_4036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj753dJtkx19u-G7DIxLJhdJEk5zHCEuctjoXTxgEWVxSM13gaCtsi742zrdJiEWnCcCmOXIZ3YH7Pau5fspnZ2xKKY45CBbE2oLROTHQxpUCxO_XCYcRmZp0wXB8Md5giZTb2SWDZTe1SR/s400/DSC_4036.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stejneger's Stonechat</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsrTMhYbL9Pa73DXtbrrf5hTiEFVAO9xzNqti-FUSg1Rwwhnf9bR7vQ5ydpiIaTipIwLwy6FxcRh3Ds0DcT6qGaCDf3N75vH7nmmfk8qkaVJS1UFP-AndfGLIlLLE44vPb16EfACFch2m/s1600/DSC_4024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsrTMhYbL9Pa73DXtbrrf5hTiEFVAO9xzNqti-FUSg1Rwwhnf9bR7vQ5ydpiIaTipIwLwy6FxcRh3Ds0DcT6qGaCDf3N75vH7nmmfk8qkaVJS1UFP-AndfGLIlLLE44vPb16EfACFch2m/s400/DSC_4024.jpg" width="381" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84iG8upOzDxz0Xz35T7_8Io6UD8bIsmrUfzYNOrBFZbPaqJp118fvKLYYu5RBkw7VN-k3HoP3wLpjDmP0gU287ofyqk80TuVY6cciRqwnm_KnelIzxWNSHILdvimsJClJaeHCgdsFHCil/s1600/DSC_4073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84iG8upOzDxz0Xz35T7_8Io6UD8bIsmrUfzYNOrBFZbPaqJp118fvKLYYu5RBkw7VN-k3HoP3wLpjDmP0gU287ofyqk80TuVY6cciRqwnm_KnelIzxWNSHILdvimsJClJaeHCgdsFHCil/s400/DSC_4073.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The fields around Mae Sot where pretty productive with <u>Pied Harrier</u> (2 males), two <u>White-shouldered Starling</u>, <span class="text_exposed_show">at least seven <u>Siberian Rubythroat</u>, a <u>Two-barred Greenish Warbler</u>, three <u>Black-browed Reed Warbler</u>, two or three <u>Thick-billed Warbler</u>, four <u>Red Avadavat</u> and 15 <u>Black Drongo</u>.</span> <br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-78159909254699901522016-10-13T22:00:00.001+07:002016-10-13T22:00:07.073+07:00(very) local goodies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Early morning birding at the government compound near my house produced a few migrants this morning, with two <u>Ashy Drongos</u> of the uncommon<i> mouhouti</i> race which I only ever see in Bangkok as a passage migrant.<br /><br />
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I then picked up the soft "tack" call of a <i>Cyornis</i> flycatcher, which eventually revealed itself to be a female <u>Hill Blue Flycatcher</u> - a rare passage migrant in Bangkok. <br />
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Whilst trying to relocate the Hill Blue Fly I found a <u>Paradise Flycatcher</u>, which gave poor and distant views but from the images I got of it, appears to be a <u>Blyth's</u> (identified by the greyish throat, which would be blackish in Amur PF). The same small group of trees also held single Arctic Warbler, Taiga and Asian Brown Flycatchers.<br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-4769316450792054122016-10-10T16:28:00.006+07:002016-10-10T16:28:37.147+07:00Incidental birding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Work and family commitments have kept me away from any dedicated birding odf late, so I have had to make do with slim pickings - but any free moments have been rewarded - these included migrating <b><u>Ashy</u></b> and <u><b>Crow-billed Drongos</b></u> near my house, whilst a weekend at the beach at Hua Hin managed to produce an impressive migrating flock of 60 <u><b>Grey-headed Lapwings</b></u>, two <u><b>Hoopoes</b></u> and an <u><b>Amur Wagtail</b></u> whilst lazing in the pool! This morning I was at a major "spaghetti junction" in the centre of Bangkok doing the school run when I spied a <u><b>Paradise Flycatcher spp</b></u> sallying between two highway ramps!<br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-60957995131958970982016-09-28T17:04:00.002+07:002016-09-28T18:14:11.435+07:00Scarce and hard to ID migrants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1CY Dark-sided Flycatcher</td></tr>
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A very productive morning at Suan Rotfai from 0630-0915 hrs, with one of the first birds encountered being a <span class="text_exposed_show"><u>Two-barred Greenish Warbler</u> that called whilst flying from one clump of trees to another, and uttered another couple of calls once perched, hidden in the foliage.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Soon afterwards I heard an </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><u>Amur Wagtail</u> call as it went high over the park, and then was alerted by the call of a pair of <u>Grey-headed Lapwings</u> (only my 4th patch record) that I eventually saw twice going over the park. Once the sun was properly up my attention turned to passerines and I soon found an </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><u>Arctic Warbler</u> (sound-recorded, ID confirmed as <i>borealis</i>), followed by </span></span><span class="text_exposed_show">my first <u>Taiga Flycatcher</u> of the autumn and a pair of <u>Sakhalin Leaf Warblers</u> (ID'd on call) and two </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><u><span class="text_exposed_show">Common Kingfishers</span></u>. Further on along the canal zone I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye - an apparent Asian Brown Flycatcher, but given that the bird had dropped out of a large, bare, dead tree I was suspicious that it might be a <u>Dark-sided Flycatcher</u>; my suspicions were confirmed from record shots of the bird in deep gloom (the power of digital photography!) before it gave slightly better views - a scarce autumn migrant and the only 1st calendar year bird that I have ever seen! Whilst waiting for it to reappear I also picked up a female-type <u>Yellow-rumped Flycatcher</u>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rather blurry Sakhalin Leaf Warbler</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Heading back towards the park gates I checked another couple of areas and was rewarded with a </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><u>Alstrom's Warbler</u> - a scarce autumn migrant here, as well as more usual fare in the shape of two </span><u>Asian Brown Flycatchers</u>, two <u>Brown Shrikes</u>, </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">1-2 <u>Black-capped Kingfishers</u></span> and a pair of </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><u>Eastern Crowned Warblers</u></span> one of which was poorly-marked </span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">(hardly any yellow in the vent)</span>, poorly seen and hence very confusing. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Not a bad start to the day!</span></div>
David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-48148655341995185722016-09-22T13:54:00.003+07:002016-09-22T13:56:59.688+07:00Hainan dipping blues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A bit of dirty twitching after work at Suan Rotfai yesterday (21st) turned into dirty dipping when the targeted <u>Hainan Blue Flycatcher</u> did not materialise - it had been seen earlier in the day by other regulars but decided to depart before I could get there. I thought that it was supposed to be a dowdy female but <a href="https://www.facebook.com/One.wilawan/media_set?set=a.1311013618939188.1073742018.100000916871270&type=3" target="_blank">saw images of it on-line</a> when I got home, it was in fact a stonking male. Ouch, that would have been a juicy patch tick.<br />
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For my troubles, I did manage to find a (silent) <u>Sakhalin/Pale-legged Leaf Warbler</u>, which was my first of the autumn. I also had a cunning plan to check the now floodlit areas of the park after dark in the hope of snagging myself a migrant Grey Nightjar (another much overdue patch tick) but the heavens opened after I got glimpses of a <u>Drongo spp (probably Crow-billed)</u> leaving myself and a dozen joggers to spend the next hour and a half sheltering from the downpour in the gents toilets!!!!<br />
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This morning (22nd) I made a return to the park for 90 minutes, with the Hainan Blue confirmed gone I sought out my own birds and managed a reasonable haul of common migrants: two confirmed <u>Pale-legged Leaf Warblers</u> (both calling and one responding to playback), a single <u>Arctic Warbler</u> (which remained silent but came in to check out <i>borealis</i> play back having completely ignored Kamchatka LW payback), two female-type <u>Yellow-rumped Flycatchers</u> and two <u>Asian Brown Flycatchers</u>.<br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-18366282466646760682016-09-19T16:32:00.002+07:002016-09-22T13:55:07.047+07:00Unshrike-like Shrike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I checked Suan Rot Fai's "Secret Garden" area this morning, with a limited number of migrants found - single <u>Eastern Crowned Warbler</u> and <u>Asian Brown Flycatcher</u>, but the highlight was a juvenile <u>Tiger Shrike</u> seen a couple of times, but often elusive.<br />
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Whilst Tiger Shrikes look pretty much like any other <span class="st"><i>Lanius</i> their behaviour sets them apart - sticking to the understorey or within the cover of the canopy, and often flicking the tail up and down whilst also fanning and closing it. Today's bird spent a few minutes foraging inside an area of rather dense scub, acting more like an <i>Acrocephalus</i> warbler than a shrike!</span><br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-70822741644548808962016-09-17T22:00:00.000+07:002016-09-17T22:00:12.784+07:00Black-backed Kingfisher<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After returning from the UK, one of my first duties was to do the school run on the morning of Thursday 14th September. Fortunately my goddaughter's school is close to Suan Rot Fai, so it was a minor detour for me to stop by and catch up with this migrant Black-backed Kingfisher. This absolutely stunning bird was offering point-blank views to anyone who cared to attend. <br />
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The pictures were taken with my Nikon V1 matched with the Nikkor 300mm f4 VR PF lens, and speak for themselves...<br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-90300027282623963752016-05-28T19:15:00.001+07:002016-06-07T22:07:11.721+07:00Hell in Paradise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The recent split of Asian Paradise Flycatcher into three species caught me and a fair few others unawares and has sent us scurrying off to figure out if we have seen all three, which are:<br />
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<u><b>Amur Paradise-Flycatcher</b></u> <i>Terpsiphone incei</i> (monotypic)<br />
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<u><b>Blyth’s Paradise-Flycatcher</b></u> <i><i>Terpsiphone affinis </i></i><br />
<i><i>(includes </i></i><i>burmae, indochinensis, affinis, nicobarica, madzoedi, australis, borneensis, procera, insularis, sumbaensis</i>, and <i>floris)</i><br />
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<u><b>Indian Paradise-Flycatcher</b></u><i><i> <i>Terpsiphone paradisi</i> </i></i><br />
<i><i>(includes </i></i><i>leucogaster, paradisi, ceylonensis</i>, and <i>saturatior)</i><br />
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I was fortunate to be aware that most of the Paradise Flycatchers that I see passing through Bangkok are <i>incei</i> (= Amur), but had also seen a <i>indonchinensis</i> (= Blyth's) there in winter 2014/15, with another in Feb 2016. It seems that <i>saturatior</i> Indian Paradise Flycatcher winters in southern Thailand (Round, 2008), although there is some debate about whether <i>saturatior </i>should be considered to be part of the Blyth's group, rather than Indian. My interpretation is therefore that in Bangkok Amur is an autumn passage migrant, whilst Blyth's is the common Paradise Flycatcher in Thai forests year-round, with mid-winter wanderings further afield, eg.into Bangkok. <i>Saturatior</i> (Indian?) needs to be looked for in peninsular Thailand in winter and on passage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUai1YJrJHnEbzNV0MRKfaeayEflkpcXE1vmPxvOKhIuCIyUY9j4D0tQNNbW2o_17i9zCDZMooWrJuHI11MDn9SUDbUAkKEPoKx4WuuHEL2GiuX1Ya3zgk0b-3k6LkmhDvwfIsXbdgB1Jl/s1600/Amur+Paradise+Fly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUai1YJrJHnEbzNV0MRKfaeayEflkpcXE1vmPxvOKhIuCIyUY9j4D0tQNNbW2o_17i9zCDZMooWrJuHI11MDn9SUDbUAkKEPoKx4WuuHEL2GiuX1Ya3zgk0b-3k6LkmhDvwfIsXbdgB1Jl/s400/Amur+Paradise+Fly1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">adult female Amur Paradise Flycatcher, Sept 2008</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lnLf3h7ryhP4DApKN1UWSoymVll7UbUVUkz-TWIl0AMQoZwyEhYIjbgSXM_BlpmbNg7l8epbhIJlvJaudkQxIYlDTl37rERPF3-jzefH9N4sgoqa4zIqL7BsQHa2pdvYQDxPfRdOE1Ln/s1600/Amur+Paraside+Fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lnLf3h7ryhP4DApKN1UWSoymVll7UbUVUkz-TWIl0AMQoZwyEhYIjbgSXM_BlpmbNg7l8epbhIJlvJaudkQxIYlDTl37rERPF3-jzefH9N4sgoqa4zIqL7BsQHa2pdvYQDxPfRdOE1Ln/s400/Amur+Paraside+Fly.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">adult female Amur Paradise Flycatcher (same individual as above)</span></td></tr>
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</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">The bird in the two images above was the first Paradise Flycatcher I saw when I started working my patch, eight years ago. At the time Phil Round commented: "The blackish throat contrasting with the grey breast and belly tells you that this is the migrant race, <i>incei</i>. Clearly bluish bill and orbital indicates an adult (greyish, bill flesh-based in 1Y), so presumably a female.</span>" </span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0u0_tl9y-lxZES7ZX9jWZDVdVxlJyHBcZ_vkjwonEmu22_8f8J74hDJLPgicLHG-Tcz-QWeFRWm0E3PhDqZi4-EBgKfeiaHLD2zQf-Nb2NrEyopqEfGDaxYaDfGx87Nk_voknY3eHl9XZ/s1600/DSC_2947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0u0_tl9y-lxZES7ZX9jWZDVdVxlJyHBcZ_vkjwonEmu22_8f8J74hDJLPgicLHG-Tcz-QWeFRWm0E3PhDqZi4-EBgKfeiaHLD2zQf-Nb2NrEyopqEfGDaxYaDfGx87Nk_voknY3eHl9XZ/s400/DSC_2947.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Calendar Year Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher, Feb 2016</td></tr>
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The Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher above is a 2nd calendar year (ie, 1st winter), aged by its flesh-coloured base to the bill. The grey throat, with black limited to the crown identifies it as <i>indochinensis</i>.<br />
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It is important to note at this point that the upperpart colouration is pretty similar in both these birds, but in adult males, Amur is distinctly brighter than Blyth's.<br />
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From memory, I have never seen a Paradise Flycatcher in Bangkok on spring passage, and if I were to do so I would examine it <i>very</i> carefully as it seems that this is by far the best time of year to find Japanese Paradise Flycatcher - a scarce migrant in eastern Thailand, and pretty much a vagrant elsewhere in the country. Round (2008) notes that (at that time) Japanese Paradise Flycatcher was "only known from one record in the Bangkok area, and relatively few others nationwide" and called it "a very rare spring and autumn passage migrant", furthermore noting that many claims of Japanese might be erroneous. Recent migration studies on Koh Man Nai have demonstrated that Japanese Paradise Flycatcher is actually a more regular spring bird than thought back in 2008, but I am only aware of one more Bangkok record (also in spring).<br />
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So, I was happy with having determined that both Amur and Blyth's Paradise Flycatchers occur on my patch, and that I'd need to look carefully at any spring Paradise Flycatcher to see if I could snag myself a Japanese scarcity.<br />
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Then on 19th September last year I photographed the bird below. It was the second of two sightings I had of Paradise Flycatchers in the park that morning, but both were very brief encounters, with this bird offering itself for these images and then promptly disappearing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysAQnLnoiKtKpp2iYt8wWzdvW9t5kTHHW7TbMkt7H9F6pFa1eoy2kYCgMAG9SoibhxuXs9JFdgUTfWAPRdzbYd_NobvhQ5HVMHsklkE7UNcY3bSiOYXzB0MKE3nWyrZMlZ30uECCciFEu/s1600/1cyJapanese19thSept2015+SRF-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysAQnLnoiKtKpp2iYt8wWzdvW9t5kTHHW7TbMkt7H9F6pFa1eoy2kYCgMAG9SoibhxuXs9JFdgUTfWAPRdzbYd_NobvhQ5HVMHsklkE7UNcY3bSiOYXzB0MKE3nWyrZMlZ30uECCciFEu/s400/1cyJapanese19thSept2015+SRF-B.jpg" width="393" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh-7tVR6ZwQRI5ZfrM-WSXW_qah6Tcax-oc3i8j6F7uqn5vVaGJZBLdB7A6FVHlqesft3iSJ47ATQxaNCZVYyy5P_Hvz-7BxTCbAEPI6wAQ5yvYjvXAPS_PzwQ6XG7F4Gfb1ze9wvdOs6/s1600/1cyJapanese19thSept2015+SRF-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh-7tVR6ZwQRI5ZfrM-WSXW_qah6Tcax-oc3i8j6F7uqn5vVaGJZBLdB7A6FVHlqesft3iSJ47ATQxaNCZVYyy5P_Hvz-7BxTCbAEPI6wAQ5yvYjvXAPS_PzwQ6XG7F4Gfb1ze9wvdOs6/s400/1cyJapanese19thSept2015+SRF-A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At the time I figured: September = Amur and thought no more about it. However a few months later Dave Sargeant was reviewing his and other images of Paradise Flycatchers to try to work out which ones he has seen, and contacted me to ask if I thought this bird might be a Japanese Paradise Flycatcher because he considered it to be rather dull. To my mind the ID criteria of 1st winters was that Japanese should have significantly duller upperparts than Amur or Blyths, and whiter under parts, but knowing that this was a tough bird to claim I was extremely cautious. In due course I posted the images on a couple of forums, where other well-respected birders, including Andy Pierce and Dave Bakewell were supportive of a Japanese diagnosis, though one experienced ringer was less convinced. However, with ringers on Koh Man Nai having handled more JPFs this spring there is now a unanimous consensus that <u>this is indeed a Japanese Paradise Flycatcher</u>, based upon the combination of non-rufous upper
tail and what can clearly be seen to be uniform sooty blackish
primary coverts (compare the primary coverts with the Amur at the top of this post).<br />
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Needless to say, I will be looking extremely carefully at all the (spring, autumn, mid-winter) Paradise Flycatchers I see in future!<br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-16508761741368254202016-05-26T11:53:00.002+07:002016-06-07T22:10:28.021+07:00A whale (and shearwater) of a time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Sunday 22nd May I finally got around to taking one of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WildEncounterThailand" target="_blank">Wildlife Encounters Thailand</a> trips to look for Bryde's Whales in the inner Gulf of Thailand.<br />
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The boat goes out from Khok Kham, just about a ten minute drive from where Bangkok's closest Spoon-billed Sandpipers usually spend the winter (and given that the boat trips run through from now until January, birders could probably combine the two).<br />
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Before jumping on the boat I had an hour checking for waders at Khok Kham - most areas I looked at were pretty quiet, but the Mangrove Research Centre held a flock of at least 16 <u>Asian Dowitchers</u>, plus four <u>Whimbrel</u>, a few <u>Common Redshank</u> and <u>Black-tailed Godwits</u>.<br />
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On the boat I met Aussie-based birder Andrew Sutherland and Khun Tour, a dynamic young Thai mammalogist and birder who has established this as the only company offering whale watching in the inner gulf. We spent much of the journey out sifting through flocks of terns - <u>Little</u>, <u><i>longipennis</i> Commons</u>, and <u>Whiskered</u> dominated closer to shore, but as we got further out we encountered larger numbers of <u>White-winged Black Terns</u> and a couple of unexpected bonuses in the form of one or two <u>Lesser Crested Terns</u> and three <u>Bridled Terns</u> and also came across a couple of pods of <u>Irrawaddy Dolphins</u>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghCDc2JMX2cWqK2szk8WBhMVB1npmMh9xpC7e_olja-eiviNTotkdn32x4EiSHz41-RJnQp68FGthDFnwQGs7i6BTQ_oT64n5HwHVKZ8PIL71ZZPC0pYEcIILZn0SWH_Ad5DZgxpNd1OE/s1600/DSC_5040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghCDc2JMX2cWqK2szk8WBhMVB1npmMh9xpC7e_olja-eiviNTotkdn32x4EiSHz41-RJnQp68FGthDFnwQGs7i6BTQ_oT64n5HwHVKZ8PIL71ZZPC0pYEcIILZn0SWH_Ad5DZgxpNd1OE/s400/DSC_5040.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LCT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1McprpWpWb2-csy9GnjWFlnHxWmqp1a2VbawRZ-b4PhrDgh1OvidoEzpRSmjrVAVSXa3awOhppI94r9I-YCQo1Y2leM-dpF3WiWMvk2mNm8Yo-7OSDK_sv67lExAs2W-3Eojr4NuphIg/s1600/DSC_4796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1McprpWpWb2-csy9GnjWFlnHxWmqp1a2VbawRZ-b4PhrDgh1OvidoEzpRSmjrVAVSXa3awOhppI94r9I-YCQo1Y2leM-dpF3WiWMvk2mNm8Yo-7OSDK_sv67lExAs2W-3Eojr4NuphIg/s400/DSC_4796.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridled Tern</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVZSAfR1eJOqM46qRMPPic41s6vl4eQakeYhqbIgHOV7V8-vORtewXmvszHDJxhBx7-nvkQPhJMZDlCWc08tyTzxMhxSDK3DDqN7oD8DdmisIUUPrmxM8kIjklRyeotkhuDc0bpH-xMbk/s1600/DSC_4995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVZSAfR1eJOqM46qRMPPic41s6vl4eQakeYhqbIgHOV7V8-vORtewXmvszHDJxhBx7-nvkQPhJMZDlCWc08tyTzxMhxSDK3DDqN7oD8DdmisIUUPrmxM8kIjklRyeotkhuDc0bpH-xMbk/s400/DSC_4995.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whiskered Tern</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnh_23hQcjG4EGsgwdo22eZMM21wIusVXGXlb_wWZwJjVu40kKlbh7lYfpVNZLBOdtHgs3tbqqGY4jt1GIhJPFg5NAfJftiJIAgcDwMHdx0DGf7uqIEJirmA5mIgrPR3DLJMC-FiHnzSA/s1600/DSC_5086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnh_23hQcjG4EGsgwdo22eZMM21wIusVXGXlb_wWZwJjVu40kKlbh7lYfpVNZLBOdtHgs3tbqqGY4jt1GIhJPFg5NAfJftiJIAgcDwMHdx0DGf7uqIEJirmA5mIgrPR3DLJMC-FiHnzSA/s400/DSC_5086.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WWBT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Eventually, after some six hours searching we located our main quarry - a <u>Bryde's Whale</u> mother and calf. They were a long way off, and bizarrely as we watched them through our binoculars we could see the distant skyline of downtown Bangkok in the background!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXb84_fjWaPPPssANUJDZ1TSMzDYWuCN2dMEXU9w1CiKq1sP4BhXXMGPe05Z93Uubarih0VfWI6GzW18gbbqntQbrPCyn05yjdVZUPev7q8_m4TInh0mfmje41pfQQn4zhWPb2E7aYIhT/s1600/DSC_4662-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXb84_fjWaPPPssANUJDZ1TSMzDYWuCN2dMEXU9w1CiKq1sP4BhXXMGPe05Z93Uubarih0VfWI6GzW18gbbqntQbrPCyn05yjdVZUPev7q8_m4TInh0mfmje41pfQQn4zhWPb2E7aYIhT/s400/DSC_4662-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">open-mouthed Bryde's Whale (far left) with Bangkok skyline</td></tr>
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The boat was duly pointed in their direction and we headed towards them. Whilst scanning to look for the open-mouthed mother re-surfacing I noticed what looked like an all dark "duck" on the water... I thought it must just be a piece of wood coincidentally positioned to look like a bird, but as we got a bit closer I could see that it was indeed a bird. I was trying to figure out what it was, being reminded of an all-dark juvenile skua, and so called to Andrew to get onto the bird. I banged off a couple a very distant record shots and zoomed them on the back of my camera where I could see a tell-tale tubenose: it was a shearwater, and thus whatever species it was it was a pretty rare bird in Thai waters!!!<br />
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The boat detoured towards it, and within a couple of minutes we were alongside what was identified as a <u>Short-tailed Shearwater</u>, only the 8th record for Thailand!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51oCe43XxWM7-Y59jLc4Zq202PY94DOQ4kaUyfOkSz2E_gs2TwHC3rLPxcTGt8-GXVgkEzNFPFFPqyUe5MUD6oSGDVvASo6f6WvYsYtPLOBfwF39-XgJFxNd6z7xP6_9P7GNkpaDWqk57/s1600/DSC_4748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51oCe43XxWM7-Y59jLc4Zq202PY94DOQ4kaUyfOkSz2E_gs2TwHC3rLPxcTGt8-GXVgkEzNFPFFPqyUe5MUD6oSGDVvASo6f6WvYsYtPLOBfwF39-XgJFxNd6z7xP6_9P7GNkpaDWqk57/s400/DSC_4748.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short-tailed Shearwater</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggF-Jesmb2K5Skp43KiMPbnqwwXeQ4PTAEBi-2igtOBRNCvkLZGFPMhCVXEL0jIPFPperlV-9VN5frTwDnNcyjwnl6mKuWAOstHbR0eWOaOrbgm20vubn0hu8zWAcWqu8966WCdh1J7FRw/s1600/DSC_4752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggF-Jesmb2K5Skp43KiMPbnqwwXeQ4PTAEBi-2igtOBRNCvkLZGFPMhCVXEL0jIPFPperlV-9VN5frTwDnNcyjwnl6mKuWAOstHbR0eWOaOrbgm20vubn0hu8zWAcWqu8966WCdh1J7FRw/s400/DSC_4752.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dusky underwings exclude Sooty Shearwater</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1HUV7wHiJSMnBQl7T4jYjjkKFR6PorR4zfQiGejfEVvjR7l2cp1dSniGzxwwdsgfJJidaZLgZRBwTvupzQmCpivRjCtgpY14SEK0i27RU_c7_I6Vp6ZykFiLc-pxhIR_U8VxxJFtLNxe/s1600/DSC_4762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1HUV7wHiJSMnBQl7T4jYjjkKFR6PorR4zfQiGejfEVvjR7l2cp1dSniGzxwwdsgfJJidaZLgZRBwTvupzQmCpivRjCtgpY14SEK0i27RU_c7_I6Vp6ZykFiLc-pxhIR_U8VxxJFtLNxe/s400/DSC_4762.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">foot projection is also an important ID feature</td></tr>
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We eventually caught up with the whales, who showed pretty well too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2JRtYGVKPgnX3Q74Pe7_UwROmEBfX3S_51ud7CHAz8zaLGhya7VBtJ8EoE5phj6dEge-HztKp5usTnT5UuKMeSrVO1JNRJwi2V8IaCxH7q0tmOvw1QgB90230fkpNe7vuBxJMnB53AZj/s1600/DSC_4978-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2JRtYGVKPgnX3Q74Pe7_UwROmEBfX3S_51ud7CHAz8zaLGhya7VBtJ8EoE5phj6dEge-HztKp5usTnT5UuKMeSrVO1JNRJwi2V8IaCxH7q0tmOvw1QgB90230fkpNe7vuBxJMnB53AZj/s400/DSC_4978-2.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqZSMB53-1odMRmAy8NsbOg_k9EimYi1YmRaFxjvMcMRMCDYfCRZBY005SopyPRyobmG1qtVP3hltesAcfOwsxGYUu9G47nhW5E7hf5UlLB2XsP3JJIkuXp7CUW8trs-c_ohWwfxKdKXZ/s1600/DSC_5001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqZSMB53-1odMRmAy8NsbOg_k9EimYi1YmRaFxjvMcMRMCDYfCRZBY005SopyPRyobmG1qtVP3hltesAcfOwsxGYUu9G47nhW5E7hf5UlLB2XsP3JJIkuXp7CUW8trs-c_ohWwfxKdKXZ/s400/DSC_5001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7852082771609620850.post-39134765581427190702016-05-23T22:14:00.002+07:002016-06-07T22:11:38.279+07:00Laem Pak Bia - 17th May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On my way back from Cha-am I visited Laem Pak Bia, focusing my time on the Royal Project.<br />
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On my way into the project I came across a showy group of <u>Blue-tailed Bee-eaters</u>, and soon afterwards I located a full breeding plumaged <u>Indian Pond Heron</u> which was flushed by a motorbike before I could get any photos of it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRa-Lmd7f3ZC4Vl-DaVh61Phc1YTa_0ioTcYSvQVmFFZQABmWMQ-HozrPqnTWwkliptasLzSQPrUq8i7YDf3TtAHkUHyjKNEM_8XmB-O2rny7mv7vVLc5yt-XQbIC0URilbtKEGg6etis/s1600/DSC_4161-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRa-Lmd7f3ZC4Vl-DaVh61Phc1YTa_0ioTcYSvQVmFFZQABmWMQ-HozrPqnTWwkliptasLzSQPrUq8i7YDf3TtAHkUHyjKNEM_8XmB-O2rny7mv7vVLc5yt-XQbIC0URilbtKEGg6etis/s400/DSC_4161-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue-tailed Beer-eater</td></tr>
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I spent a long time looking through the herons trying to relocated the IPH, but actually ended up finding a second IPH (in less pristine breeding plumage), after photographing a few <u>Javan Pond Herons</u>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XsVN5M7TxezTULjISWB_YF3l7PhyBDfyGvaYQk_ZakMuJzuK7h13qd2Y5WEI9neItRmw-s7XAS_zuKK87h56AK1iQWqOKdqGvZOf_8yM3dFVyiDRVCC5IvSjN52m0lrnZFSZxHv8lE2U/s1600/DSC_4077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XsVN5M7TxezTULjISWB_YF3l7PhyBDfyGvaYQk_ZakMuJzuK7h13qd2Y5WEI9neItRmw-s7XAS_zuKK87h56AK1iQWqOKdqGvZOf_8yM3dFVyiDRVCC5IvSjN52m0lrnZFSZxHv8lE2U/s400/DSC_4077.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Javan Pond Heron</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAdkM7qatBuxbS5gkBQ3sd5JZbWQQLSxTQ_48VovFcKPtXUP2PrSM0F8rpbK0PwkiLZ4I7VC8kNcAfuAGZWrmy9roAAwAr_jHNLG91yxkc6HtPRBlnUlYUhsDMID9iwJhTREfUjrNGgj-/s1600/DSC_4219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAdkM7qatBuxbS5gkBQ3sd5JZbWQQLSxTQ_48VovFcKPtXUP2PrSM0F8rpbK0PwkiLZ4I7VC8kNcAfuAGZWrmy9roAAwAr_jHNLG91yxkc6HtPRBlnUlYUhsDMID9iwJhTREfUjrNGgj-/s400/DSC_4219.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Javan Pond Heron</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCBk7LjQxoSXTOIIaYgdLiNOtu5GpoO-PVdzIJNQ6ppxgJdkLMfoiJl8Rkor8zPYAymeCM7VAviXpWozI3S5hu3dP9wYwmIOtxkB2mcdNoRLJuRVOpv2KYPXZSP88iVzhms4-v9pqGDAW/s1600/DSC_3440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCBk7LjQxoSXTOIIaYgdLiNOtu5GpoO-PVdzIJNQ6ppxgJdkLMfoiJl8Rkor8zPYAymeCM7VAviXpWozI3S5hu3dP9wYwmIOtxkB2mcdNoRLJuRVOpv2KYPXZSP88iVzhms4-v9pqGDAW/s400/DSC_3440.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian Pond Heron (bird number 2)</td></tr>
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The ponds in the Royal Project were also very productive for terns, with 20 or so <u>Caspian Terns</u> feeding and 40-50 Whiskered Terns, plus a lone <u>White-winged Black Tern</u>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvGl7YhkfHe7XT6LBasAXeLsCLRsWtxWcgOhmFy16p5e_9plD6tiiKHnfTeGejhdn68HfkB-PAraEtUFOXltacTpWGvJb3SMxYPxLegY6Hejd6FhCqYYDJJKTJBNpUhIkq4R6xMTVWBCg/s1600/DSC_4099-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvGl7YhkfHe7XT6LBasAXeLsCLRsWtxWcgOhmFy16p5e_9plD6tiiKHnfTeGejhdn68HfkB-PAraEtUFOXltacTpWGvJb3SMxYPxLegY6Hejd6FhCqYYDJJKTJBNpUhIkq4R6xMTVWBCg/s400/DSC_4099-2.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whiskered Tern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUWyIYTHpH1RPnNPe2nyGJ-uOY8Qj6O5feGuAK4o4ZflCYVD4pyJ8_bKKM3K4JnOcc0oVHqe_OCSk2IFCmpp5gX1WVgODFnh4gzxyOWTED9RV92mWJLgXg0Nar1S9WKBysimukp4OIkIw/s1600/DSC_4115-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUWyIYTHpH1RPnNPe2nyGJ-uOY8Qj6O5feGuAK4o4ZflCYVD4pyJ8_bKKM3K4JnOcc0oVHqe_OCSk2IFCmpp5gX1WVgODFnh4gzxyOWTED9RV92mWJLgXg0Nar1S9WKBysimukp4OIkIw/s400/DSC_4115-2.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caspian Tern</td></tr>
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Passerine interest came in the form of an "<u>Arctic-type" Warbler</u>, which given the late date could well have been an Kamchatka Leaf Warbler, but remained stubbornly silent. I also found a late <u>Oriental Reed Warbler.</u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNROQ7FT01jpX8Tbg_7GzouNEHdKsoOshyphenhyphenNNACK-En-qLhwSV72QabzB-jW9GF0J4D2AzUfEOjCkoeERgX7LDTr45Fa1vKpOxMO-j6Zk90iYt1ukj0FxZ48VjstQH3CJFdMNfsu3BBn2Z/s1600/DSC_4190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNROQ7FT01jpX8Tbg_7GzouNEHdKsoOshyphenhyphenNNACK-En-qLhwSV72QabzB-jW9GF0J4D2AzUfEOjCkoeERgX7LDTr45Fa1vKpOxMO-j6Zk90iYt1ukj0FxZ48VjstQH3CJFdMNfsu3BBn2Z/s400/DSC_4190.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Warbler (probably Kamchatka?)</td></tr>
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On the way home I checked the area where I had seen the Australian-flagged <u>Curlew Sandpiper</u> and indeed it was still present in the company of more than 100 <u>Red-necked Stints</u> and a group of at least 200 <u>Painted Storks</u>.<br />
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David Gandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10845634673231773619noreply@blogger.com0