A Thai Birder in Norfolk

Wednesday flew back to the UK alone thanks to Kingfisher Airlines, I had a return flight booked with Kingfisher, but this shambolic company canceled my flight and offered me a crazy alternative which also got canceled. Eventually thanks to Trailfinders Ltd I managed to arrange a return flight with Etihad, which were excellent despite reports to the contrary. Arrived at Heathrow early Thursday morning and then headed to visit the folks in Nottingham. On the bus journey up I was amazed how many Common Buzzards I saw along the M25 and M1 with at least 40 noted, just ten years ago I would have been lucky to see any.

Monday I head back to Norfolk and hopefully on the afternoon tide out onto Scolt Head Island, Norfolk for six months. Posts will probably become a little more erratic and selective due to work commitments, but I will try to update the site at least once a week. 

Anhinga

Monday morning saw the final visit to local patch before heading back to the UK for another six month stint. Star bird this morning was a single Oriental Darter flying over, a new bird for the site. Good numbers of waders remained with  totals of 300 Black-winged Stilt, 200 Marsh Sandpipers, 55 Wood Sandpipers, nine Greenshank and two Green Sandpipers. A male and female Eastern Marsh Harrier quartering the paddies flushed several Pintail and Common Snipe. Several breeding plumage Taiga Flycatchers were present as well as at least a dozen Dusky Warblers including some in song. Otherwise the site was fairly quiet, with only other birds of note three Purple Herons, two Watercock, two Siberian Rubythroat, two Bluethroat and six White-shouldered Starlings.  

Oriental Cuckoo

For the first time in a week I hit the local patch on Sunday morning, one of the first birds I saw when turning down the track was a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo which I guess was different from recent birds. Fewer Black-naped Orioles were present with just two noted. A dozen Whiskered Terns fed over the fish ponds including several nearly in full breeding plumage. In a soon to be cleared area of scrub, two migrant Oriental Cuckoo's were present along with a Two-barred Greenish Warbler, four Yellow-vented Bulbuls and a Siberian Rubythroat.

There were more waders than previously due a fresh release of water onto to several paddies, with a single Spotted Redshank, 125 Marsh Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers, 30 Wood Sandpiper, 20 Little-ringed Plover and 150 Black-winged Stilts. Migrant warblers seemed to be much reduced in number with low totals of Dusky, Black-browed Reed and Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers. Also present were six Yellow and three Cinnamon Bittern, a Baillon's Crake, Bluethroat and 30 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters. In scrub and trees outside the house a flock of nine Ashy Minivet was a nice surprise.

Blue and White Flycatcher

Saturday morning I only had time for a short walk around the temple before starting the journey back towards Suphanburi and ultimately at the end of the month the UK. Birding along the road and the temple car park, there was a similar range of species as seen over the previous few days with a few exceptions. Star of the morning was a stunning male Blue and White Flycatcher probably of the nominate race cyanomelana this was only the second time I have seen this species, the previous one was at Doi Suthep around nine years ago. In a quiet corner of the car park an Emerald Ground Dove showed well, as did a pair of Sultan Tits high in the treetops. Along the road back a Blue-bearded Bee-eater sat out in the open on roadside wires.

Blue-bearded Bee-eater

Also seen over the morning were Rufescent Prinia, Rufous-fronted Babbler, three Pin-tailed Green Pigeons, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush and a Radde's Warbler.

Orioles and a no show Pitta

 Black-hooded Oriole

I spent Friday morning from first light birding around the temple at Chiang Dao, many birds were in song, one of the commonest species was Paradise Flycatchers with at least nine seen and further ten or more heard. There were plenty of Orioles around with at least nine Black-hooded, three Black-naped and a single Maroon.

Maroon Oriole

A Grey-backed Shrike was at it's usual hangout in the car park and many cuckoo's were calling with Drongo, Banded Bay, Plaintive, Indian, Violet and Large Hawk all heard. A dozen Striated Yuhinas were also present as well as a good selection of bulbuls and a few Asian Fairy Bluebirds. A small party of birds was present in the gully at the start of the steps, which included a White-throated Fantail, Buff-breasted Babbler and two Black-throated Laughingthrush. The daily pair of Streaked Wren Babblers were still present on limestone higher up the steps and two Bay Woodpeckers called noisily but failed to show. I dropped down into the gully and walked several hundred meters along it, after a few minutes a Rusty-naped Pitta called several times but after half an hour of sitting around waiting failed to show. Whilst hanging around a White-crowned Forktail flew past and a steady trickle of birds flew into drink in a tiny puddle with Siberian Blue Robin, Striped Tit Babbler and Brown-cheeked Fulvetta all noted. Returning to the temple steps I nearly stepped on the crazy Silver Pheasant which took a dislike to my tripod and spent the next ten minutes pecking the hell out of it. Back along the temple steps a Speckled Piculet was present and a Collared Owlet called from the jungle nearby. Returning to the Bungalows two Puff-throated Babblers fed along the drives verge and a pair of Striated Swallows rested on the restaurants roof.

Nightjars

On Thursday evening I spent a couple of hours around dusk watching nightjars and looking for owls around Wat Tham Pha Plong, Chiang Dao. Well before dusk a Brown Hawk Owl called non stop from alongside the road and as dusk approached many Asian-barred Owlets made their presence heard. At dusk at least six Large-tailed Nightjar and two Great-eared Nightjars showed reasonably well near the wildlife HQ, where a Grey Nightjar was also heard. Several Mountain and Collared Scops Owl were calling around the temple car park and nearby forest, along with at least three Blyth's Forgmouths none of which were seen. As I wandered back to Malee's the Brown Hawk Owl was on a telegraph pole just at the end of the drive and a Banded Bay Cuckoo sang loudly in the dark.

Naturetrail

Shortly after first light on Thursday morning I was on the naturetrail which starts opposite the wildlife sanctuary HQ at Chiang Dao, the start of this trail has been a regular stakeout for Rusty-napped Pitta for at least 15 years (though seems to be much harder to see here in recent years) and for Hooded Pitta later in the year. Despite spending four hours on the trail, once again there was no sign of any pittas. Long stretches of the trail were bird free, there was just enough birds present to maintain interest. A pair of Streaked Wren Babblers were present on limestone near the start of the trail and two partridges almost certainly Scaly-breasted quickly ran away. Two Siberian Blue Robins and an Asian Stubtail were noted in a gully which runs along the side of the trail and in bamboo near the summit, several Hill Blue Flycatchers, White-rumped Shamas and an obliging Bamboo Woodpecker were present. On the walk back down towards the cave a group of Lesser-necklaced Laughinghtrush were present in bamboo along with at least three Grey-crowned Warblers. There was plenty of birds around the quieter parts of the cave area, including a Sulphur-breasted Warbler, two Asian-barred Owlets, Violet Cuckoo and two Asian Brown Flycatchers. Also recorded during the morning were Emerald Ground Dove, Linneated Barbet, Great Iora, Red Junglefowl, Buff-breasted babbler, Rufescent Prinia, Yellow-bellied Warber, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Black-throated and Ruby Cheeked Sunbird.