Tag Archives: birdwatching

Chaloem Phra Kiat Park: My little patch of green series

Posted on by

0

When: April 2024 Weather: Insanely hot 35C

Nikon P900

In Bangkok again for a weekend and stayed at the grand old lady Shangri La Bangkok which sits on the bank of the Chao Phraya River…

Our hotel overlooked the Chao Phraya River, which was quite pretty by night

Now as is my wont, whenever I travel, I’ll check out the neighbourhood around my hotel on Google Maps to find the nearest patch of green where I can take an early sunrise walk and do some birding if at all possible. A few weeks ago, I was also in Bangkok and had a most wonderful morning amble at the Santiphap Park…my little patch of green near the Sukosol hotel. So it was that I also found my little patch of green here, across the river called Chaloem Phra Kiat Forest Park. 6am saw me crossing the river on the bridge next to the Shangri….

This is the bridge at the end of which can be seen a tiny patch of green…bisected by the main road
there were some rather nice sculptures

This is a much busier park than Santiphap, and there were people jogging, playing badminton, and there were futsal pitches, and lots of activity areas…..did not bode well for birds…indeed, there were very few birds around…

I even had to shoot a sparrow…
and a house crow!
and then in a flash of black and white, a magpie robin busied itself at this hole in the branch…
it was feeding a chick!
and then another one posed with the twigs he had collected
another oriental magpie robin sang lustily
and on the walk back, a typical thai temple brightened up the skyline

Whilst this was a quiet littel patch of green, nevertheless it was an interesting way to spend an hour looking at life in a Bangkok Park….not the most productive birdwise but hey, you can’t win them all…

Birding Kabini/Nagarhole (2)

Posted on by

1

When: January 2024       Weather: Warm 20 to 25C

Nikon P900, Leica Q3, M9P, Sony AII, G70-400mm

Our last day we had one last safari to try and see the big cats again but alas, we were unlucky….but as we are also keen birdwatchers, we still had a great morning out in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve…

white fronted drongo…posing regally
common hawk cuckoo
a pair of red wattled lapwings were courting
and having some ‘afternoon delight!’
a lovely white bellied woodpecker entertained us
as did some bonnet macaques
A large male sambar deer watched us intently
a huge sambar deer watched us intently
a charming streak throated woodpecker with its green back…
streak throated woodpecker
the area around the Kabini backwaters was tranquil
and although we’d gotten good shots of the beautiful Indian Roller the day before, we couldn’t resist this charmer….
indian mongoose!
the african tulips attracted some chestnut bellied starlings
and the absolutely stunning plum headed parakeet!
the female plum headed parakeet should be called a grey headed parakeet!
and amongst all the parakeets and starlings I spotted this greenbird….I’d just photographed 3 different species of leafbirds in Sabah, Bornea a few months ago, so I was delighted that KC helped me identify this fleeting glimpse as a golden fronted leafbird..a lifer!
Three in one shot! A river tern at the back, a little ringed plover at the front and a paddyfield pipit in between…
another lifer..a white browed wagtail
Noisy Hill mynah
and just before we left, this magnificent crested serpent eagle posed
he gave us an action shot as he preened himself
and just ouside our resort, htis ashy prinia sang
and an open billed stork bade us farewell

So two nights and three days, 4 safaris yielded a beautiful sighting of a tiger and good views of various deer, elephants and gaur….but the birding was excellent and it made for an excellent trip overall!

Birding Kabini/Nagarhole

Posted on by

0

When: January 2024       Weather Cool 20-25C

Leica Q3, M9P, Nikon P900, Sony A7II

The second day we did two safaris: at 6am and 3pm to try and spot more tigers and leopards….alas we failed. We had engaged a company called Jungle Arc from Mysore to send a specialised guide to guide us for the 4 scheduled safaris but unfortunately they did not show up for 3 of the safaris and did not even bother to tell us they were not showing up despite receiving payment. Be warned..do not use them.

we didn’t get to see the much hoped for tigers nor leopards, but the other animals and birds made up for it…..the morning safari is cold so be well wrapped up….

grey wagtails by the water
grey langurs galore
another grey wagtail? but looks different from earlier one
velvet fronted nuthatch
jungle fowl
yellow footed green pigeon
jungle babblers were common
black headed ibis
The spectacular Indian Roller
blue tailed bee eater
greater cormorants
red naped ibis…a lifer
little ring plover
a large gaur came to drink in the pond
brahminy kite watched over us
white eyed buzzard….another lifer
paddyfield pipit

And back in the lodge grounds, we spent another fruitful hour or two before dinner…

the white cheeked barbet was very loud and noisy throught the grounds…
a coppersmith barbet was also active
oriental magpie robin
female paradise flycatcher…right behind our room
white fronted drongo
the day ended with a barbeque….
we managed to find the screesching barn owl in the trees…..

So no tigers nor leopards this second day but we still had an interesting day of birding….