Stejneger's Stonechat

A morning birding around Mae Sot last week gave me the opportunity to photograph this male Stejneger's Stonechat - a form (species?) of Siberian Stonechat that has got many european birds's interested this autumn, and is the default winterer here in Thailand.

Marus only occurs in northern Thailand, where it is resident at high altitude.

Stejneger's Stonechat

The fields around Mae Sot where pretty productive with Pied Harrier (2 males), two White-shouldered Starling, at least  seven Siberian Rubythroat, a Two-barred Greenish Warbler, three Black-browed Reed Warbler, two or three Thick-billed Warbler, four Red Avadavat and 15 Black Drongo.

(very) local goodies

Early morning birding at the government compound near my house produced a few migrants this morning, with two Ashy Drongos of the uncommon mouhouti race which I only ever see in Bangkok as a passage migrant.

I then picked up the soft "tack" call of a Cyornis flycatcher, which eventually revealed itself to be a female Hill Blue Flycatcher - a rare passage migrant in Bangkok. 

Whilst trying to relocate the Hill Blue Fly I found a Paradise Flycatcher, which gave poor and distant views  but from the images I got of it, appears to be a Blyth's (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.

Incidental birding

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 Ashy and Crow-billed Drongos near my house, whilst a weekend at the beach at Hua Hin managed to produce an impressive migrating flock of 60 Grey-headed Lapwings, two Hoopoes and an Amur Wagtail 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 Paradise Flycatcher spp sallying between two highway ramps!