Sunday, October 27, 2013

White-rumped Sharma

I've seen White-rumped Sharmas several times in Suan Rot Fai, but have always been rather suspicious about their origin, mostly because there used to be a pair in The Ramble, of which the male had a "gammy" eye, which I put down to captive origin.  This bird and the Park's proximity the the weekend market (which sadly still hosts some trade in wild birds) has always left me in little doubt that Sharmas in the park were wire-hoppers.

However yesterday (26th) I ran into one, a 1st winter bird from what I could tell, in the grounds of the Ministry of Public Relations. It made me think a little bit more carefully about the species' potential for natural occurence.  Round (2008) states that White-rumped Sharma is resident on the Bangkok area, and I found myself thinking that I had no reason with this bird to suppose that it was anything other than a wanderer.  My suspicion therefore is that some genuinely wild birds do occur.

Other migrants seen during the walk included three Ashy Woodswallows, two Asian Brown Flycatchers, one Eastern Crowned Warbler, two Ashy Drongos and one Brown Shrike.

No comments: