There were so many incredible bird sightings in Thailand over the past winter. It's impossible to choose which one was the best, but the sighting of a Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) at Doi Inthanon has got to be a personal favourite. There are few reasons why I was particularly excited about this sighting. First, I... Continue Reading →
Locustella Warblers
"What's your favourite bird?" has to be one of the most frequently asked questions that birders receive. Personally, it's impossible for me to choose just one bird. I can tell which groups of birds are my favourites though, and Locustella warblers are one of them. I instantly fell in love with these mouse-like birds when... Continue Reading →
Umber Flycatcher
The discovery of Umber Flycatcher in Thailand was a big surprise. This cryptic and little known bird was previously thought to occur only in the lowland forest of Borneo. However, photos of a bird from Perdik posted in an excellent blog by Dave Bakewell in 2013 spiked our interest in this species. Finally, photos of... Continue Reading →
Amur Stonechat
Finally, eBird has followed the split of Saxicola stejnegeri from S. maurus. The newly split species is now called Amur Stonechat, and it is considered to be the default species wintering in Thailand. However, the identification between Amur Stonechat and 'maurus' Siberian Stonechat is still rather poorly known. Throughout the past spring, I focused on... Continue Reading →
Identification of harriers in Thailand
Following up on my recent post about roosting behaviour of the harriers in Chiang Saen, in this post, I'd like to focus more on the identification of the 4 species that can be regularly seen in Thailand. These 4 species include Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus), Western Marsh Harrier (C. aeruginosus), Pied Harrier (C. melanoleucos),... Continue Reading →
Roosting behaviour of harriers at Wiang Nong Lom
The harrier roost at Wiang Nong Lom, located between Mae Chan and Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai, is the most well known roost of wintering harriers in Thailand. Since I visit Chiang Saen almost monthly, I always visit the roost during winter months. I have observed 4 species of harriers roosting at the site... Continue Reading →
Notes on the Mae Faek Swinhoe’s Snipe (2021)
Since my first sighting of a Swinhoe's Snipe (Gallinago megala) at Mae Faek in 2004, it has become my annual challenge to find more, particularly during the autumn migration. So far, I have recorded 3 Swinhoe's Snipes, all within Mae Faek area. This year, I was very happy to find one bird on 25 September... Continue Reading →
Eastern Yellow Wagtails
Continuing from my previous post about juvenile Eastern Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla tschutschensis), in this post, I'll share some of my images and notes about the adult in breeding plumage. Over the last spring, I was able to observe many adults that were passing through Mae Faek paddies. They normally gathered in big flocks at dusk... Continue Reading →
Juvenile Eastern Yellow Wagtails
There have been quite many Eastern Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla tschutschensis) passing through my local patch since late August. Most of them were either in non-breeding or juvenile plumage. It's always fun to see the variation of both plumage. In this post, I'd like to share some photos of the juveniles that I've photographed and some... Continue Reading →
Identifying subspecies of Little Ringed Plovers
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) is one of the most common and widespread waders in Thailand, so as in many places throughout Asia. Two subspecies are recognised in Thailand; the resident C. d. jerdoni and the migratory C. d. curonicus. I'm lucky to be in northern Thailand where both subspecies can often be seen side... Continue Reading →