My last morning in Chiang Mai

 Thick-billed Warbler

 Brown Shrike in the mist

 Tree Sparrow

Common Myna

My last morning down at my adopted patch resulted in another lifer - this time a Thick-billed Warbler. I am sure that I glimpsed one yesterday, but today's bird stood right out in the open churring away. Superficially, it looked like one of the many similarly coloured Streak-eared Bulbul that also hung out in the scrubby bushes. However, closer examination revealed that this bird had the typical reed warbler look. What struck me apart from the sheer size of the bird was its rounded reddish tail, plain face with black beady eye and its white throat. I was well happy with another self found lifer to the list.

My parting gift from my trusty patch was another brief look at an Asian Barred Owlet. As soon as it was aware that I was trying to train my camera in its direction it bolted.

For those interested I have drawn up the list of species that I saw at my patch over three mornings. Meanwhile, I am travelling south to Hua Hin. Check in again tomorrow.

My Chiang Mai patch list

Little Egret - a couple seen over the three days.
Chinese Pond Heron - frequently seen.
White-breasted Waterhen - frequently seen along the watercourse.
Common Moorhen - commonly seen often with the waterhens.
Feral Pigeon - common.
Spotted Dove - common.
Peaceful Dove - 1 seen today. Probably far more common.
Greater Coucal - commonly seen.
Asian Koel - commonly heard.
Green-billed Malkoha - several seen feeding in the trees yesterday.
Himalayan Swiftlet - commonly seen.
Asian Barred Owlet - seen 2 occasions perhaps indicating resident bird.
Collared Kingfisher - 1 briefly. Supposidly a summer visiter to the region.
Barn Swallow - commonly seen.
Wire-tailed Swallow - commonly seen.
White Wagtail - 1 pair seen daily.
Red-whiskered Bulbul - commonly seen.
Streak-eared Bulbul - commonly seen.
Common Stonechat - a female seen on a couple days. Buffy rump & longish tail.
Plain Prinia - commonly seen.
Common Tailorbird - 1 male seen yesterday.
Thick-billed Warbler - at least 1 obliging bird seen today.
Dusky Warbler - commonly heard, rarely glimpsed apart from 1 obliging bird yesterday.
Two-barred Greenish Warbler - 1 watched yesterday.
Yellow-browed Warbler - commonly seen and heard.
Taiga Flycatcher - at least 1 seen daily.
Oriental Magpie Robin - regularly seen.
Brown Shrike - at least 1 really obvious bird seen daily.
Black Drongo - seen reasonably often.
Black-collared Starling - a few birds seen yesterday.
Chestnut-tailed Starling - a few overflying flocks encountered every morning. A beautiful bird.
Common Myna - commonly seen.
White-vented Myna - commonly seen.
Tree Sparrow - very commonly seen.
Baya Weaver - 1 seen on the first two mornings.
Scaly-breasted Munia - commonly seen.

36 species including 2 lifers

A lifer on my patch!

Barn Swallow

Dropped into my Chiang Mai local patch this morning and effectively saw the birds that I saw yesterday. All was pretty quiet at first sight. I did enjoy prolonged views of a Dusky Warbler in a tree. This was a feat that was nigh on impossible yesterday when I spent the best part of three hours just catching the barest of fleeting glimpses of this unobtrusive warbler.

I decided to move on after about an hour to explore another section of my patch that snaked to the west following the meander of the lily clogged stream that ran through the heart of the area. After being woofed at by a gang of Thai dogs I settled in an area of open woodland that also stank to high heaven of human faeces. Perfection!

I was rewarded with several Black Drongos, Asian Koels large pheasant-like brown and black cuckoos and a hunting Brown Shrike. I managed to score a lifer in the shape of several Green-billed Malkoha - another large though gaily plumaged cuckoo with a lime green bill.

Tomorrow's my last day in the city before journeying south to Hua Hin on the coast. So, that will be one last morning on my patch. Let's hope it's a good one.....

Happy New Year - from my temporary local patch in Chiang Mai!!

Firstly, I would like to wish all the followers of this blog and anybody else not indulging in the pleasure in reading this entry a very special, very healthy and a prosperous (both in wealth and birds) 2013!

For the last few days I have been experiencing the delights of Bangkok and latterly Chiang Mai. The former city I had experienced before last Christmas but Chiang Mai, up in the north, was a new thing for me. Aside from the usual temple visits and general sightseeing I've also been getting some birding under my belt. Visits were made to Doi Inthanon National Park, home to Thailand's highest mountain peak, led by Neil Scott who for the summer months of the year is the warden of the Natural Trust's Scolt Head Island Reserve in Norfolk (http://norfolkbirderinthailand.blogspot.com/). I also went to Huay Teung Tao, a large recreational area fairly close to Chiang Mai that is owned by the military. Finally, yesterday I was reunited with my old Bangkok based friend, Dave Gandy (http://bangkokcitybirding.blogspot.com/), who took me around Doi Suthep - again close to the heart of the city - packed with people and a couple of good birds  including Martens's Warbler, a bird I had never heard of before!

Today I visited a patch of land 10 minutes from my hotel in east of the city, east of the River Ping. At around 10 acres, it is surrounded by humanity with all it's garbage. The site has a lily choked stream running through it and on either side of its banks is scrubby land with a few large trees. 

 The ugly housing block that presides over the eastern end of my nameless patch

 The lily choked water course

I got there at dawn this morning and had an array of species. Wire-tailed and Barn Swallows swilled overhead alongside Himalayan Swiftlets. White-breasted Waterhens and Moorhens frequented the marshy bits. I even found a Asian Barred Owlet briefly before it saw me and powered off ploughing into a nearby tree sending every other bird piling out in the opposite direction!

 White Wagtail 

 Taiga Flycatcher

 A female Stonechat

 An immature Scaly-breasted Munia

 A non-breeding male or female Baya Weaver

Black Drongo

I'm loving my temporary patch complete with barking dogs and litter. I'll be back in the morning!

Chiang Mai Urban Birding

 Female Olive-backed Sunbird

 Spotted Dove

 Asian Palm Swift

 Oriental Magpie Robin

 Brown Shrike

Yellow-browed Warbler

More details to follow tomorrow......promise!

First days in Chiang Mai

 Asian Barred Owlet

 Chestnut-tailed Starling

 1st winter Taiga Flycatcher

 Yellow-browed Warbler

 Asian Emerald Cuckoo

 Olive-backed Pipit

 Common Myna

Ashy Wood Swallow

Some of the delights that I have been ogling at since my arrival in this quite cool and arty city in northern Thailand.

More tomorrow.

Christmas in Bangkok

 Asian Koel

 Asian Open-billed Stork

 Asian Brown Flycatcher

 Peaceful Dove

 Whiskered Tern

 Brown-headed Gull

 Little Egret

 Coppersmith Barbet

female flycatcher sp

I've run away. I've escaped the torrential London rain, grey skies and wind to migrate east to Thailand. Billed as a bit of rest and relaxation I will spend Christmas in Bangkok then on Boxing Day fly north to hang out in Chaingmai for a week. Thereafter, I will fly back to Bangkok then head to the coast at Hua Hin to chill for a further three days before heading back to Blighty. Whilst in Hua Hin I plan to head up to Pak Thale to see if I can spy an ultra-rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper or two. So keep tuned.

Today, I went to Suan Rot Fai a 60 hectare park that is also the local patch watched by my mate Dave Gandy, an ex-pat that has been residing in Bangkok for a number of years now. We had a good selection of birds during our morning stroll including Black-naped Orioles, Yellow-browed Warblers and Black-collared Starlings.

We also refound a strange female flycatcher that Dave had found a few days previously. This may not mean much to many of you reading this but it could be a female of the following species: Hainan Blue, Blue-throated or Hill Blue Flycatcher.

What do you reckon?

Bye Bye Bramble

 The scene adjacent to the embankment area

 Shaved to the fence

 Looks pretty severe but it will grow back

A bit of work is going to carried out at my beloved patch over the next few months largely designed to make the place more attractive to wildlife and the users of the area. 

The powers that be claim that the grassland area will be made part of the local nature reserve in the New Year. I dearly hope that happens so that the breeding Meadow Pipits have a bit more protection. We have the closest colony of this essentially rural bird to central London.

I'm so proud to have them breeding on my patch.