22-23rd of September, 2-25

After a week of whale watching in the inner Gulf of Thailand, Robert and Vicky from Tasmania were ready for two days of birdwatching with me.

I picked them up at 5 am and we ‘set sail’ for Bang Phra area of Chonburi.

The landscape at Bang Phra is varied. Open woodlands, scrub, grasslands, golf courses, secondary growth etc. We did several stops within the general area and ended up with quite a nice array of birds: Chestnut-capped Babbler (a great bird not found in Bangkok), 4 different Bee-eaters: Green, Blue-tailed, Blue-throated and Chestnut-headed.

Red-breasted Parakeets and Hill Mynas still thrive in the area. So does Lineated and Coppersmith Barbet with the occasional Blue-eared attending the morning chorus.

The regular Plain and Yellow-bellied Prinias roam about with the addition of Grey-breasted Prinia, another not found bird in Bkk.

For some reason the normally common Hoopoe was not seen but while looking for it an Asian Barred Owlet called and we ended up with good looks of a pair.

We left the area and went 30 minutes further South. At Thumpratoon temple there is a permanent hide which normally has an assortment of birds visiting. But today the sun wasn’t out so hardly anything showed. We gave it 45 minutes and then decided to move on.

A photographer showed up before we left and he said that birds are best after 3 pm. Good to know.

Lunch at a lovely restaurant by a body of water. The food here at Kroa khun yai is very good.
White munching away I spotted a Common Torrent Hawk (dragonfly) patrolling the waters.
A picture would seal a new species for me but I decided not to try as it would have taken too much time. Instead I returned on my own a couple of days later and focused on the dragonfly with some pictures taken. While doing so a pair of Pied Hornbills appeared. A Stork-billed Kingfisher dashed across the adjacent gardens and a strong flash of blue from a Blue-winged Pitta likewise brightened my senses.

After lunch it was time for a visit to Klong Tamru mangroves for some wader watching.

There was heavy construction going on. I was told a new road is being built. Still there were birds about: Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Stork, Long-toed Stint, Brahimy Kite, and a bunch of common waders.

The afternoon was spent at Bang Pu recreational area. We were lucky to see the very first Brown-headed Gull for the season. An Asian bird that was new for Robert and Vicky.

From the watchtower we had fantastic views of huge flocks of Black-tailed Godwits, Painted Storks, and best of all 2 Asian Dowitchers! Also Pacific Plover, Tibetan Sandplover, Common Redshanks and more.

After that it was time to go back to the hotel after a long day in the field.

Day 2.

Pick-up at 5:45 as we had a shorter drive to visit my home patch, Lat Krabang.

The area is constantly changing as it is being developed and the farming of rice goes through its cycles. Not all migratory birds are back yet and the area was void of reed warblers and other smaller passerines normally about. But there was plenty to keep us busy for several hours.
Bronze-winged Jacana, Yellow Bittern, Greater Painted Snipe, Oriental Pratincoles, Asian Golden and Streaked Weavers, Brown Shrike, Little Grebe, Zitting Cisticola, Red-wattled Lapwings etc
Lam toi ting is an area not so far from Lat Krabang. It is still withing the boundaries of Bangkok and offers some good birding. As we drove through the landscape we came across a field with some stunning Gray-headed Lapwings as well as 22 Black-headed Ibises. The largest group I have seen.

At LTT we got Black-winged Kite, White-throated Kingfishers, Indian Rollers, plus many common birds
.
Lunch at a restaurant in Lat Krabang and then off to the King’s Park in Suan Luang.

I wanted to show them Spotted Owlets and it worked out very well. Plus Robert got to photograph Northern Treeshrew and other park birds.

The drop off was a little earlier today as tiredness from the day before started to set in.
It was two good days with hardly any rain though skies were gray.

Details of each site and what was seen can be found here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/414111