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 →
Autumn is approaching and some early migrants have already arrived in my local patch. Snipes are among the first waders that usually turn up. I think it's a good time to review the identification of the 3 extremely similar species that can be found in Thailand. From left: Pin-tailed / Swinhoe's / Common Snipe The... Continue Reading →
Throughout the whole July 2021, I visited the vast area of rice fields in Inthakin Subdistrict (Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai) almost daily. It is a new area which I had never explored before even though it's only about 4 km away from my house. The area was recommended to me by a local birder... Continue Reading →
Cinnamon Bittern (Ixubrychus cinnamomeus) is one of the common breeding visitors in northern Thailand. They can be frequently seen while flying over wetlands and rice fields during wet season, but proved to be quite difficult to find when on the ground. This year, I had my first sighting of this species on 2 May 2021... Continue Reading →
It's mid rainy season in Thailand and the ideal time for some farmland/wetland birding. Here in Chiang Mai, there are quite a few breeding visitors that can be seen regularly during the wet season in wetlands and farmlands, such as Cinnamon Bittern, Black Bittern, Oriental Pratincole and Watercock. Some other sedentary species also become much... Continue Reading →
Since my first observation of the Blyth's Pipit (Anthus godlewskii) at Mae Faek on 17 March 2021, I had been visiting it as often as possible. Towards the end of its stay, I went to observe it daily in the morning and evening. Eventually, it was last seen in the evening of 2 May 2021... Continue Reading →
Between January-March 2021, I had the opportunity to observe a flock of up to 10 Sykes's Short-toed Larks (Calandrella dukhunensis) that came to roost at Mae Faek along with the pipits every evening. This migratory lark is normally a very rare winter migrant, but I've observed an influx of this species both in the winter... Continue Reading →
Blyth's Pipit (Anthus godlewskii) is the rarest large pipit in Thailand, and probably the trickiest one to identify among the 3 similar species. It was first recorded in Thailand at Khao Yai National Park by a visiting birder, then followed by a single bird found in Samut Prakan on 29 October 2014, and a bird... Continue Reading →
Following my earlier post on the Richard's Pipit, let's now explore a similar species which can be commonly seen in Thailand and many parts of Asia. The Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus) is a common resident bird throughout Thailand. It's one of the most common birds in farmland and grassy habitats, so it's the default large... Continue Reading →
Back in January 2021, I accidentally discovered a roosting site of pipits and larks at Mae Faek (San Sai district, Chiang Mai). It's a large abandoned area of dry land that was piled up and surrounded by rice fields. I heard that it was supposed to become a longan-drying factory, but that never happened. After... Continue Reading →
