Flamingo

Pond Heron sp
Suphanburi
Will have to wait a few months to know which pond heron

No new posts for a few days as internet has been out of action for five days, combined with celebrating our wedding anniversary, wife's birthday and nursing a hangover (rare these days). On both Saturday and Sunday morning I wandered around the local patch, the biggest surprise was shortly after arriving on Saturday morning a Flamingo flew over high heading south, it looked like a greater but views were distant. I do not know what the origins of the bird is, I don't think it is on the Thai list and it is most likely an escape, though it was fully winged and looked in good condition, I am sure many of the zoo's and bird parks in Thailand keep them, the nearest ones to Suphanburi I am aware are held at the bird park in Chai Nat.  

Otherwise birding around the local patch seem to have settled into fairly standard winter birding (though it is still 30 degrees or more daily), but with waters levels constantly changing throughout the winter no doubt a few surprises will appear. Best sightings over the two days were on Saturday two Freckle-breasted Woodpeckers, Watercock, Baillion's Crake, two Bluethroats and a two Red Avadavat and on Sunday three Painted Storks, four Painted Snipe, two Grey-headed Lapwing, Watercock and five Golden Weaver. Highest counts of commoner birds over the two days included three Black-caped Kingfisher, 5 Ruddy-breasted Crake, 13 Pintail Snipe, 11 Wood Sandpiper, two Green Sandpiper, eight Little Ringed Plovers, two Eastern Marsh Harrier, Bhraminy Kite, Siberian Rubythroat, four Yellow-vented Bulbul, 11 Pallas's Grasshopper, 30 Dusky and 35 Oriental Reed Warbler and 100 Baya Weaver.

Sailors, Sergeants, Knights and Emperors

Common Commander
Chiang Dao

A selection of Sergeants and Sailor and related butterflies from recent trips

Black-veined Sergeant
Mae Ping National Park

Common Jester
Chiang Dao

Common Lascar
Chiang Dao

Common Sergant
Chiang Dao

Indian Purple Emperor
Mae Ping National Park

Knight
Mae Ping National Park

Plain Sailor
Chiang Dao

Short-banded Gray Sailor
Mae Ping National Park

Hawkmoths

Acherontia lachesis

Having finally invested in all the so far published volumes of the moths of Thailand, I have started the huge task of putting names to some of the hundreds of photos which I currently have on file. I started with the hawkmoths believing these would be straight forward, they were a bit more of a headache than I imagined  but managed to name most. All photos are of moths attracted to light at Chiang Dao. Any identification mistakes are my own, if anyone has any identification comments I am more than happy to receive them.

Agris convolvuli

Daphinis hypothous

Ambulyx clavata

Ambulyx moorei

Hayesiana triopus
Found dead on road

Macroglossum sitiene

Megacroma obliqua

Poliana leucmelas

Psilogramma increta

Theretra clotho

Theretra nessus

Angonyx testacea

Acosmeryx shervilli

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler

Red-wattled Lalwing
Suphanburi

This morning visited the local patch for the first time in nearly a month, there was very little standing water left on site apart from one large fish pond, the site being dominated by a mono culture of waist high rice. There had clearly been an increase in the number of warblers, especially Locustella warblers with at least 12 Pallas's Grasshopper and 4 Lanceolated Warblers seen some of which were almost trodden on before flushing. Other warblers present included 20 Oriental and 8 Black-browed Reed Warbler, a Thick-billed Warbler and at least a dozen Yellow-browed. A few damp corners and ditches remained where there were still a few waders including 8 Pintail Snipe, 22 Common Snipe, 5 Wood Sandpiper, 30 Black-winged Stilt, single Little-ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. Other notable counts and species included 15 Common Kingfisher and 7 Black-capped Kingfisher, 3 Ruddy-breasted Crake, Whiskered Tern, 12 Yellow and 7 Cinnamon Bittern, 12 Plain-backed Sparrow and 8 Asian Golden Weaver.

Mae Ping National Park

Black-headed Woodpecker
Mae Ping National Park
by Michael Rooney

On Tuesday and Wednesday (November 13th and 14th), we spent two full days birding and butterfly watching in Mae Ping National Park mostly along the Thung Kik campsite road. On both days birding was often slow but over the two days we did manage to see most of the key species, one of the commonest birds was the stunning Black-headed Woodpecker, with around 25 noted on both days and many more heard. Grey-headed Parakeets were also fairly common on both days, especially along the first two kilometers of the road with around 20 noted, though getting good views was very difficult as birds zipped through the trees at a hundred miles an hour. Also seen along the Thung Kik road on the first day included two White-bellied Woodpeckers, Lesser Yellownape, Greater Flameback, two Red Junglefowl, three Thick-billed Green Pigeon, five Oriental Turtle Dove, two Rufous Treepie, three Red-billed Blue Magpie, several White-crowned Laughingthrush and three Black-winged Cuckooshrike. Mid day we spent a couple of hours at the campsite and track beyond, where two Burmese Shrikes, an Oriental Honey Buzzard and a Oriental Hobby were seen. Mid afternoon we decided to check out the Kor Luang Waterfall, though birding here was poor roadside birds on the way included three Rufous-winged Buzzard, a Collared Falconet and a group of four Crab Eating Mongoose crossed the road.    

Kor Luang Waterfall
Mae Ping National Park

Wednesday morning we were back in the park by dawn, just after the HQ three Red Junglefowl quickly crossed the track. We spent the entire day birding the Thung Kik Road and the side track to the Padam Padeang Ranger Station, a similar mix of birds to the previous day were noted, with a few additions, three Black Baza were in a dead tree at the start of the road, with a fourth a little further along and five Collared Flaconet were huddled together on a dead tree. Not far from here a group of around 15 Common Woodshrike were seen, along with a similar sized group further along the track. Three Burmese Nuthatch were seen at two stops and three Greater Yellownape were amongst a mixed group of woodpeckers which included two White-bellied Woodpeckers. Once again several Red-billed Blue Magpie and Rufous Treepie were seen along with good numbers of White-crowned Laughingthrush.

Tung Kik Campsite Road
Mae Ping National Park

Collared Falconet
Mae Ping National Park
by Michael Rooney

Additional species noted over the two days included Linneated Barbet, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Green-billed Malkoha, Blue-winged Leafbird, Greater and Lesser-racket Tailed Drongo, Black-hooded Oriole, Black-naped Monarch (very common), Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and Rufescent Prinia.

Mae Ping was also an excellent site for invertebrates with at least a dozen species of grasshoppers and crickets recorded and 60-70 species of butterflies including a bewildering number of blues.

Long Horn Grasshopper
Conocephalus melaenus
Mae Ping National Park

Blue Admiral
Mae Ping National Park

Black Stork

Sunday late afternoon whilst driving out of Chiang Dao we had two Black Storks fly low over the road just to the west of the town. These may have been the same two birds seen over Doi Lang earlier in the month and were an unexpected Thai tick. This morning we left Chiang Dao and headed towards Li and Mae Ping National Park, en route three Red-billed Blue Magpie flew across the road near Mae Ngat.

Grey-headed Lapwing and Oriental Skylark

White-vented Myna Chiang Dao

Yesterday spent the final couple of hours of the day, birding around the paddies south of Chiang Dao, all the usually species were seen including 9 Grey-headed Lapwing, two Oriental Skylark and half a dozen Wire-tailed Swallow. Also recorded were four Richard's, a Paddyfield and six Red-throated Pipit, Bluethroat, 15 Common Snipe, four Pintail Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Dusky Warbler, Wryneck and 30 Chestnut-tailed Starling.