17FEB17: Thailand Day 2 -The Dump (Part 1 of 5)

So I woke up this morning with a vicious head ache.  Oh oh...  We had set aside 4 days in the Pak Thale area to give ourselves the best chance of observing Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank, Great Knot, and Asian Dowitcher - the four target shorebirds for the trip.  We had scored the SBSA, GRKN, and ASDO the previous day so the pressure was a little off.  We decided that we would go to the dump by the Abandoned Building area, then bird the Abandoned Building area, then Wat Komnaram, grab some lunch, bird Pak Thale, then finally hit the King's Project.

The dump is along the entrance road to the Abandoned Building area.  It's not a big dump as dumps go but it had been playing host to 2 less common birds - Rosy and Brahminy Starling.  We weren't there 5 minutes and Rick had already located the Rosy Startling.  Bob and I hustled over to where Rick was standing and we were able to get great views and photos of two birds.  Rick had thought there might be 3 (he was right, we had three on a different day).  Not bad for a whopping 5 minutes of birding! Here is a pic of them.  

Rosy Starling

We birded more around the dump where we saw an out-in-the-open view of a Greater Coucal, stunning views of a Green Bee-eater - yup, it's green, 

Green Bee-eater

a couple of Brown Shrike,

Brown Shrike

and an absolutely adorable Indochinese Bushlark.  This little guy was singing his heart out for us for about 10 minutes!

Indochinese Bushlark

I love dumps and this place was no exception.  There weren't any gulls here but that's OK, we rocked the songbirds!  

Moving down the road to the impoundments of the Abandoned Building area....

16FEB17: Thailand Day 1 -Bang Chak Fields

We made it to the Bang Chak field area around 4 pm.  The vast area is a collection of rice paddies that are in different states of the production cycle, wet, half grown, full grown, emergent, bare dry soil. It is within these paddies and along the roadside vegetation that we birded.  Our objective for this area was looking for "waterbirds, raptors, pipits, Bluethroats, weavers, etc."  So a couple of things went down here.  First, it was a wetland.  Rick had mentioned he had seen Pheasant-tailed Jacana here before - that's all I needed to hear.  Second were the swifts.  

Let's start with the swifts.  As I posted to my Facebook page, one of the bigger challenges for me in Thailand were identifying the swifts. Location and altitude play a part in ID but calls and plumage as well.  Here all these swifts are feeding and swirling around at 40 mph near dusk. Rick turns to me and calmly says "get dorsal shots". Over the course of the trip, I accumulated 1000s of in-flight swift photos for identification (and the challenge!).  The swifts in these fields were Germain's Swiftlets.  

Germain's Swiftlet - dorsal view

Germain's Swiftlet - ventral view

The other part of all this were the wetlands.  Rick and Bob were off sorting out weavers and I hung out by some prime looking wetlands.  As we were all doing our thing, the sun set in spectacular fashion over the rice fields.

Bang Chak Fields Sunset

Now it was pretty dim out - probably 20 minutes past sunset.  We were then treated to a pair of Bronze-winged Jacanas.  High ISO photo below.

Bronze-winged Jacana

What a fitting end to a perfect day of birding in Thailand!!!!

16FEB17: Thailand Day 1 - Mangrove Research Station- Part 3 - SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER

Let's get this out of the way and the story will follow!

Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Let me first start with pointing out a key to birding in Thailand - Nick Upton's ThaiBirding.com.  This website is a must read for any birder heading to Thailand.  It's great directions, complete checklists, and "where to bird" sections are unequaled.  So here is a view of the Research Station. 



We walked out the boardwalk and went to the viewing platform.  Our view was very good and the shade was definitely a plus.  Straight out was the Gulf of Thailand and to our left (east), the mouth of the Tha Chin River. We set up our scopes and our timing couldn't have been more perfect.  The tide was just falling, the longer legged shorebirds were already wading while the shorter legged shorebirds were swirling around in massive numbers.  A group of Whimbrel kept watch on top of several posts.  Then it began.  The hordes of shorebirds flooded the flats.  Thousands of them.

• Pacific Golden-Plover - 1000
• Lesser Sand-Plover - 9000
• Black-tailed Godwit - 800
• Great Knot - 125
• Curlew Sandpiper - 400
• Terek Sandpiper - 18
• Asian Dowitcher - 12
• Red-necked Stint - 90

I want to draw your attention to that last entry, RNST - 90.  Rick mentioned two things.

• There are more Red-necked Stint here than he has experienced;
• When we bird Pak Thale, we want to find groups of RNST to look for Spoon-billed Sandpiper.

The four of us birded.  Even Na was either looking through my scope or Canon PowerShot.  After a bit, Nok arrived with food - a lot of food.  She had a chicken, mango, dragon-fruit, a watermelon, and a whole bunch of other goodies.  Thank you Nok!  Nok introduced us to some long time friends and after a brief visit, we got back to scoping the shorebirds.  

We had been out there about 2 hours and the birds were getting further away.  Bob went for a stretch back down the boardwalk and Rick sat for a second to down some food.  I kept scanning.  Then it happened.  About 100 yards out, I saw this peep, butt to me, and when it put it's bill down to feed I saw the diagnostic spatulate bill.  It looked like this:

Spoon-billed Sandpiper

I yelled SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER!  Rick got on it quickly.  I let out some kind of primal "YEA" scream and Rick said, "Careful, you don't want to scare the bird!"   Bob hustled back and saw it through my scope before getting it in his own.  I was shaking.  I walked a little back down the boardwalk and got on my haunches to collect myself.  After a bit, I made it back to my scope and marveled at this unique and sadly diminishing species.  Rick indicated that this was the first time he has had SBSA at this spot (eBird and Nick Upton's site do not mention it).  

To beat it all, the bird was actively feeding.  It would walk around a little bit and find a mud puddle and then turn one way or the other and reach down with its bill and sift the water - not unlike how Roseate Spoonbills feed.  It was a little lighter in color than the RNST, had a well defined eye line, and it was shaped much differently.  This bird was an unbanded/unflagged bird.  We watched it, photographed it, enjoyed it for about 1/2 hour - it was our own private show.  Rick was creaming it with his hand held iPhone 6 and Kowa.  Just amazing pictures.  I put up my phone, with its scope adapter, on my Vortex and I couldn't even find the bird let alone digiscope it.  (More to come on Rick's digiscoping abilities...)  The SBSA flushed a few times.  We relocated it until ultimately we lost track of it due to the extensive, sun-shimmering flats.  

Rick said we should probably get going to make it to the fields of Bang Chak to give us enough light to bird.  So off we went.  Out of the 1000s of amazing shorebirds on the flats, we had the good fortune of viewing a Spoon-billed Sandpiper.

16FEB17: Thailand Day 1 - Mangrove Research Station - Part 2

First, let's take a look at the Mahachai Mangrove Research Station:

Mahachai Mangrove Research Station

The little area around the blue map point is the actual Research Area.  To the west of the Center, are a series of impoundments that hold roosting shorebirds and waders.  This is where we ventured off to.

As we walked down the road, I heard a familiar "quok" call and was able to get my glass on a Yellow Bittern.  Bob and I lingered there for a bit and then headed into the main area.  Some of the first birds that we saw were Intermediate Egret, Gray-headed Lapwing, Long-toed Stint, and both Little and Indian Cormorant.  I had Kona moment.  I asked Rick if he knew why they called it Intermediate Egret, and, in a voice like he was pointing out the obvious (which he was), it is Intermediate in size between Little and Great Egret.  A brief explanation of "Kona Moment".   When Thomas was 8, he won a free trip to Hawaii to play in the Pokemon World Championships.  While getting coffee one morning, I looked at the selection of coffee on the blackboard and lo and behold, they served Kona coffee.  I put two and two together and BOOM!, I was on Kona and this is where Kona coffee comes from.  So, Kona Moment = (Finally) Recognizing the Obvious.

Intermediate Egret

Gray-headed Lapwing

Long-toed Stint

There were birds just about everywhere we looked.  Many shorebirds of various species.  High in number were Pacific Golden-Plover, Lesser Sand-Plover, and the ever present and beautiful Black-winged Stilt.  We spent a fair amount of time birding the impoundments.  A typical berm looked like this:

Roosting Shorebirds

It was getting near lunch time and Nok called.  Yup, she was bringing food for us!  She is the best!!!!  We finished up and walked back.  That's when Rick suggested that we hang for a little bit, the tide was high and we might get some good views of shorebirds as they pile out onto the flats to feed as the tide falls.  It would also be good to have lunch on the viewing platform because it was shaded.  A good idea that turned out to be a amazing idea.  

Part 3 next....

16FEB17: Thailand Day 1 - Mangrove Research Station - Part 1

First full day of birding and the itinerary that Rick put together had us starting here at the Ao Mahachai Mangrove Forest Natural Resource Study Center. We started birding by visiting a secluded watering station put out by the staff to the left and back of the center near the bathrooms.  We quietly put ourselves in position and sure enough, the birds came.

Oriental White-eye

Golden-bellied Gerygone

Common Iora

Yellow-browed Warbler

We birded the road and mangrove to our east as we headed towards the impoundments and were treated to Ashy Drongo, Racket-tailed Treepie, and Collared Kingfisher.  The real treat was this beautiful adult Brahminy Kite that came in and landed on top of a pole.  It preened and gave us a great show before taking off and soaring above us.

Adult Brahminy Kite

We then started down the road to the impoundments where roosting shorebirds, waders, and other goodies awaited us.

15FEB17: Thailand 0.5 - Dinner at the Pae Poh Kaew

After a fun afternoon of birding at the Sampran Resort, we headed into the resort to freshen up and go to dinner.  Nok's sister Nui, her husband Noy, and children met us in the hotel room.  Nui was a real sweet heart.  We piled into the Fortuner, nine of us, and headed out to eat.

Pae Poh Kaew is located on the Tha Chin River, upstream from the resort.  It was a nice affair with a good breeze and great company.  We were sitting there and I could of sworn I heard something familiar.  It was.  Across the river, there was a function going on and the music was "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young.  It was surreal.

I ordered some seafood soup (Tom Yum) and rice.  Note to newb travelers like me, when going to Thailand, when you order any chicken, fish, etc, it is cut up into small pieces - bones and all.  Good thing to know.  Now comes the wonderful Nok factor.  She saw that I liked chicken and we had talked about eating oysters.  So what happens next?  Nok pulls out this half fried chicken from a bag, some other kinds of Thai specialties, and has the waiter bring me a giant iced bowl of raw oysters!  

Tomorrow, Mangrove Research Station!

15FEB17: Thailand Day 0.5 - Sampran Riverside

Sampran Riverside is a sprawling 70 acre resort on the outskirts of Bangkok.  Here is a link:  http://sampranriverside.com/.

It is really beautiful and when we arrived at around 1500, I was glad that Rick had set aside time to bird.  We checked in and got right back out onto the grounds.  We birded.  It was awesome.  Coppersmith and Lineated Barbet, Ashy Drongo, sunbirds, Asian Koel, oh my!

Asian Koel

Ashy Drongo

The central lands of Thailand are low and subsequently went.  The Tha Chin River is a major feature of this area and the resort bordered on it.  We made our way down to the river towards dusk.  We stood on this platform with the water and vegetation going past us.  It was weird and made me a little motion sick.

Towards dusk, Rick spots a bird flying cross river and yells Cinnamon Bittern!  Oh, I think I am loving Thailand...

Cinnamon Bittern - Record Shot

15FEB17: Thailand Day 0.5 - Bangkok

We landed in Bangkok late morning.  As we were getting off the plane, Rick started rattling off birds he'd seen upon landing, Little Egret, Asian Openbill, Pond-Heron.....  he had a window seat!  We got through customs pretty quickly.  We were meeting Rick's and Nok's friend Na.  Na is a Bangkok taxi driver and we secured his services for our trip.  Why?  Well, driving is on the opposite side of the road than America, we can't read signs, and he's an amazing driver.  I will have a whole lot more on Na later on...

We picked up our vehicle, a white Toyota Fortuner!  Next stop was a bank to exchange our USD for Thai BAHT. As we drove, I took it all in. I had read about Bangkok and heard negative things about it.  Boy, I was wrong.  It was clean, organized, well structured, and the people were not Massholes.  It was a long ride to bank (at least it seemed long) and one thing became evident as we got on the surface roads - motor bikes are THE mode of transportation.  Here's a couple with a side car to sell cooked food!

We made it to the bank and thanks to Nok's ability to speak two languages, we were able to fairly quickly exchange our money.  I converted $1000 USD and Rick and Bob did similar amounts.  Those sums of money in Thailand are large and it took a little time but it was all good.  I was the last one to meet with the banker and as I came outside, Rick and Bob let me know they had Red-whiskered Bulbuls.  We were all hungry so we drove around a little bit to find a place to eat.  In Thailand, everywhere is a place to eat.  There are shops and restaurants everywhere.  It is an open market-type society.  You rent a little space, ply your wares, and make a living.  Pretty nifty.  The restaurants were mostly open air and served Thai staples.  Rice, soup, chicken, pork, everything!

We found a place and went in.  Nok and Na are talking away, Rick is filling us in on what's on the menu, and I was just taking it all in.  The sights, sounds, and smells.  All good stuff.  I ordered some sticky rice with chicken and we shared some papaya salad.  The service was insanely quick.  The food was fresh and extremely well prepared.  It was amazing.  And it was about $4 USD per person.  Yikes!

As we were going down the street from the restaurant, Na stops the car and Nok jumps out.  She had heard that I liked coconuts so she had seen a coconut seller.  She buys some coconuts, he lopped off the tops with his machete, and boom, I was drinking sweet coconut milk.  If you tell Nok you like some kind of food, she will get it for you - immediately.  More to come on that when we have dinner later that night.  But, it must be said, Nok is the best, most kind-hearted woman.  She really wanted to make sure we were taken care of.  Thank you Nok!

Next stop, Sampran Riverside Resort!

15FEB17: Thailand Day 0.5 - Hong Kong Airport

So we landed in Hong Kong after a 15+ hour flight.  This being my first time in Hong Kong, I was immediately amazed at the tall mountains surrounding the airport.  Nok, Rick, Bob, and I headed to our connecting gate but not before we pulled out our binoculars and me my camera.  While on our way, we spotted our first birds of the trip.  White Wagtail.  They were flitting along the cement, one clearly the black backed race.  Then we noticed some myna's.  A pair were checking out some areas at the end of a jetless boarding walkway.  I snapped some photos and Rick said we need check the undertails to make sure the ID was correct.  Boom!  Crested Myna.  Life bird for me (no Rick, not a lifer, not yet).  I was able to take a couple of pics that were half marginal in the early morning light through the thick airport glass.  Rick indicated that these would be tough to get in Thailand so we were pretty lucky.  Here ya go.

Crested Myna

Crested Myna

As we got to our gate, we settled in like every other birder would do and started scanning.  I was particularly interested in checking out the ridge line for raptors moving in the morning while Rick was scanning the ocean which was pretty far away.  I had squat but Rick called out raptor and it turned out to be an Osprey.  We then picked up some larids moving over the water towards a little island/peninsula but they were far too far to discern.

We continued our scanning and I picked up a flock of small birds.  There were 4 in the group and they turned out to be Eurasian Tree Sparrows.  Had seen one in Massachusetts before (providence questionable) as well as some on a business trip to Poland.  These eventually came in and landed on a jet way and I got some more marginal shots.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

A little later on I picked up a small ground bird (pipit) way out on the tarmac but it was just too far for even the camera to do anything with.  It went unidentified.  We got called to board the plane for our three hour flight to Bangkok.  

The game was on!  Next up, Bangkok!

Thailand 2017 - Home:

Thailand 2017 - Home:

Landed at Boston Logan last night around 2030 on 02 March 2017.  What an amazing trip.  I will go through a day by day blog of our experiences for the fourteen (14) days we birded.  I really wanted to do it real time but birding, getting the flu, and sketchy internet made it prohibitive.

I will say here at the end that it was a trip for the ages.  Having never had the chance to bird out of the US (really not much at all), this was a huge step in destination birding.  Without Rick and Na, I would have been lost.  Rick for his amazing abilities and local knowledge of the birds and for Na - the man.  He is a hard working taxi driver in Bangkok and was our driver, helper, and friend throughout the trip.  Without him, we would have been screwed.

I haven't tallied up my final species listing but will.  I'm not a huge competetive lister so that isn't as important to me.  What is important to me is having quality birding experiences with true friends.  I've learned only a fraction of the birds of Thailand but that is the allure.  I will head back, I will be better, I will be more prepared, I will contribute.  Will I go with a guide?  Probably not.  Will I need a trusted friend to drive?  YES.  Will I want to go back with Rick and Bob?  Absolutely.  Rick's style of jungle birding is hard work, learning, and patience.  It was hard for me to adjust to this in the beginning because - 

1. I don't know the birds, 
2. I had to learn to bird the second and third layers of the forest and not expect birds to prance out on the road.  
3. The birds are spread way out.  I have the patience of a rock but for Kaeng Krachan, I was sick with the flu and just couldn't stay in one spot, erect, for long periods without getting dizzy.  Next time, shots, flu shots, etc.

Right now I am down loading to my computer over 20,000 RAW photos and HD videos of the trip.  I have them separated by date and will sort by location.  I will try to recreate our trip as best as possible using the photos, my notes, my memories and the fantastic checklists put together by Rick.  I must confess that 3 days in Pak Thale and the first 3 days of Kaeng Krachan will be a blur to me.  My fever was tough and some of the trip was a blur in those areas.

Hope you have the patience to wait for me to lay this trip out from the perspective of a newb.  It should be fun and I can't wait to share my experiences with all my friends.