plumbeitarsus

Things looked promising today when I had 2-3 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters over the house at lunchtime, but a late afternoon trip to Suan Rot Fai produced only a couple of migrants through one of them, a well-marked Two-barred Greenish Warbler was a patch tick. This is the seventh species of phyllosc that I have seen on the patch (the others being Radde's, Dusky, Yellow-browed, Arctic, Eastern-crowned and Pale-legged).

The only other notable birds at SRF were a Blue-tailed Bee-eater heard overhead and a Brown Shrike heard calling just before dusk.

Never a frown with Asian Brown

Walked around the Ministry of Public Relations this morning and picked up my first Asian Brown Flycatcher of the autumn, along with the first Arctic Warbler I've seen for a week.

Masked Finfoot: The movie

Love these birds...

Drown Shrike

Got to the Patch late afternoon just as the heavens opened. Took shelter until the rain had eased and decided to try SRF's ornamental gardens on the basis that this aea has a lot of open trees where birds might sit up to dry off.  The only bird of note was s very wet adult Brown Shrike, I have no doubt that there was a lot more around, but by the time the rain had stopped I had less than 45 minutes light, so my chances were pretty slim. Better luck tomorrow I hope.

Grilling phylloscs

Early morning had me trying to get good views of another phyllosc at the Ministry of Public Relations, but the hyperactive little bugger was really giving me a headache. Either and Arctic or a Two-barred Greenish, watching it in strong sunlight made the plumage tones look really quite yellow and green (not the subdued olives I am used to seeing in Arctics, but most of those I have seen recently have been in areas of heavy shade). With such brief views and the bird not calling I was left undecided.  2BGW passes through Bangkok in small numbers, especially in autumn, but it's not something I have seen on either in my two local birding areas, so I'm very keen to score an indisputable bird.

Eastern Crowned Warbler

A walk around the Ministry of Public Relations provided my first two Eastern Crowned Warblers of the autumn, along with a third phyllosc which wouldn't give itself up, but left me thinking it might have been a Two-barred Greenish...

A fall on the patch

Common Kingfisher, the first of the autumn

0620-0920 in Suan Rot Fai indicated that a significant fall of migrants had occured as a result of a torrential downpour overnight.  I was joined by Gerry Brett who was passing through Bangkok (see his excellent blog from western Thailand here).  I was able to show him some of the eight Yellow-rumped Flycatchers that were present, two of the three newly arrived Common Kingfishers, one of the six Brown Shrikes, and at least three of the 10 Arctic Warblers that had arrived.  I also had a group of at least three Blue-tailed Bee-eaters pass through. In terms of numbers of migrants this was my best day on the patch for a very long time - there must be other species lurking, but we didn't connect if they were.

 One of eight Yellow-rumped Flycatchers

The first Brown Shrikes of the autumn - not one, but six!

One of ten Arctic Warblers seen this morning