When: November 2022, Weather: Warm 25-30C. Nikon P900, 950, Leica Q and M11
Our final morning, we set off early for the summit to view the sea of clouds and do a bit more birding….it was a long 2 hour drive up the peak….
When we approached the summit, there were way too many people (it was a sunday after all) but our guide brought us to the end of the road where the King has his holiday residence….here the view of the clouds was good without the crowdsthe road at the top of the mountainfirst bird was this rather large dollar birdand from a gazillion miles away this charming red rumped parrot hoppedyellow browed warblerA green eared barbet which I initially mistook for a lineated barbetand just before we descended, this lovely female white throated rock thrush entertained me for a few minutesblack throated sunbird
As we descended, we stopped off a a trail to try and find some of the larger hornbills, we soon heard them calling…and found several great hornbills perched on a high tree….they however took off quickly with loud whooshes from their great wings…a fitting farewell to a few great days in Kaeng Krachan National Park, in Thailand. Recommended
When : November 2022 Weather: Warm 25-30C Nikon P900, P950, Leica Q and M11 After our day’s birding in Ban Krang, we headed off to the Boathouse Restaurant located on the lake’s edge to have dinner and watch the sunset….
When: November 2022. Weather : Hot 25-30C. Nikon P900, Nikon P950. Leica M11/35 Summilux With our ranger guiding us, we set off from Nana Resort to the Kaeng Krachan National Park (KKNP) about 730am and the weather soon got a … Continue reading →
Nikon P900, Nikon P950, Leica Q, Leica M11/35mm Summilux
After our meeting in Bangkok(BKK), we spent two nights at the Nana resort just outside Kaeng Krachan(KK) National Park, a 3 hour drive from Bangkok. Just an hour outside BKK, we stopped for lunch at an unpretentious but very good seafood restaurant called Daeng Seafood restaurant….as good as it was unexpected! We had a veritable feast at very reasonable charges…
Daeng Seafood restaurant, apparently former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dines here regularlywonderful prawn dish….don’t miss this restaurant if your’re driving to KKNP
Replete, we drove on another 1.5 hours to the KK Park area where we arrived at the Nana resort, our home for the 2 nights…the greenery around us boded well for the birding….
Nana Resort Kaeng Krachan, nicer than we expected!A beautiful river runs alongside the resort and the sight of several oriental pied hornbills in flight over the river was a welcome sight. They were also commonly seen around the resortOriental Pied Hornbills were easily seenthe resort grounds were pleasant enough with a butterfly enclosurewhich housed some lovely butterfliesRed collared doves were plentiful in the evening lightchinese pond herongreen bee eaterSiamese pied starlingstreak eared bulbulat breakfast the next morning, this beautiful Black Baza watched over us from afarhis mate wasn’t far awaySooty headed bulbulBarn swallows
So this was a reasonable start to our stay in Nana Resort and a few birds before the serious birding started the next day….
A number of common birds are often seen in the Linear Park area near my home in Singapore…
red wattled lapwingblue throated bee eaterwhite throated kingfisher
Some days we just hang around our garden where olive backed, crimson and brown throated sunbirds are frequent visitors….on this particular afternoon, my wife called me to the window to look at something in the garden….
a greyish, yellow and olive bird was skulking amongst the leaves…I thought just a common olive backed sunbird…he then showed himself a little more…..a long decurved beak and partial white eye ring…not typical of the smaller sunbirdhe then hopped over to our bird bath which had been sorely underused since we set it up…He posed willingly….the long decurved beak, incomplete eye ring, whitish throat with yellow body confirmed this was the Little Spiderhunter….The smallest but commonest of the three spiderhunters we see in Singapore, it is not that commonly seenHe checked out the bird bathand hopped in for a bath on this hot dayHe liked my misting system for the plants and perched for a while preening himselfSuch a delight to have this uncommon spiderhunter visit us in our garden!
As I’ve noted in previous blog posts, we sometimes don’t need to venture far to birdwatch….our own backyard sometimes suffices!
A short 4 day visit to Milan started when we landed at Malpensa and picked up a car to take a drive to the nearby Lake Maggiore, less than an hour away. The sun was shining as we descended the hilly road into Stresa and the lake was stunning in it blue green colour. The Borromean Islands were easily seen from the shore and we decided to spend a few hours exploring Stresa rather than being stuck on a boat cruising between the islands…
The railway station in Stresa where we parked in a free white parking lot…..there’s plenty of parking here and it’s an easy walk into town…The streets of Stresa were lined with interesting little shopsthe view from Stresa across Lake Maggiore towards Pallanzathe pier where all the boat operators dock and not far from the shore, our view of the Isola Madre, the largest of the Borromean Islands where there is a botanic garden….Enjoying the view towards Isola BellaNear the jetty a cormorant posedFrom the cormorants we saw in Bangalore a few weeks ago to the Cormorants here in Italy….such an adaptable birdCoot on the waterCrow posingA rather smart sea gull on the pierAfter a few hours in Stresa, we headed back to Milan to our hotel, the Melia Milano…..
I was concerned about whether I could park the hire car easily in Milan but as it turns out, there were plenty of nearby blue paid parking lots at 2 euro an hour and we just used the metro whilst in Milano.
of course no visit to MIlan is complete without visiting the church where…the Last Supper mural by Leonardo da Vinci is….Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
Just a short trip to Milan which is always interesting and the visit to Lake Maggiore was the icing on the cake.
When: 7am August 2022 Weather: Cool 20C Nikon P50 In Bangalore for a weekend conference and my hosts very kindly arranged this bird outing with a local guide and nature reserve staff. Only 20 min from the Sheraton Grand Hotel … Continue reading →
When: Late July 2022 Weather : 20-30C Nikon P950 Leica SL2S Staying at the Schlosshotel Kronberg just outside Frankfurt city for retreat was perfect for me as it was set in beautiful grounds with a golf course around it and … Continue reading →
When: Late July 2022. Weather Cool 18C Time 7am Nikon P950 Leica SL2S 35mm Apo Summicron With a few hours free in the morning, we set off to bird at the Altkonig area in the Taunus mountain range, barely 20minutes … Continue reading →
When: Late July 2022. Weather hot: 20C blazing sunshine. Time: 0830 to 1030 Leica SL2S 35mm Apo-Summicron SL Arriving in Frankfurt airport at 0645am meant I had a few hours to kill till I could check in at my hotel … Continue reading →
The Natural Traveller 