Friday 20th of January 2017 and I was out of bed 20 minutes past 5. It was still dark and I didn't leave home until 6 thirty. To find a taxi didn't take long and I was soon on Asoke on the way to the toll way. 6 thirty and there were already a lot of traffics on the roads.
It was still a wee bit dark when I arrived to Suan Rot Fai, but the sun was on the way up over the buildings. The tree tops were covered in sunshine and I saw a Asian Koel in one of the tree tops.
I could both hear and see many Asian Koels in the park. Maybe time for babies? I walked along the canal and I could see some White-breasted Waterhens on the otherside of the canal. I tried to take a picture, but it was to dark. The picture looked good on the camera screen. But with ISO 12800 I just knew that it would not look good FULL SIZE.
Asian Koel / นกกาเหว่า
White-breasted Waterhen
I continued along the green path and I crossed the new bridge over the “what used to be” the Kingfisher pond. Have not seen any Kingfishers here since they built the bridge. I went up on the bridge over the canal between Suan Rot Fai and Queen Sirikit park. I had decided to explore the west part of Suan Rot Fai so I would not cross the canal to the Queen Sirikit park.
But I wanted to go up on the bridge to check up and down the canal to see if there was any interesting birds. I spotted the White-breasted Waterhen and I had a few pictures before continuing to the new bridge over the canal between Suan Rot Fai and Queen Sirikit park. There is also a hide and some stumps where you can sit. I spotted a White-breasted Waterhen
I could see the Cattle Egrets on the grass field and they are still white, so no breeding plumage. I will go to have a picture later on, but first I will continue towards west on the green path.
Thai birder's hide - What a disgrace with all the garbage
Thai birder's hide - What a disgrace with all the garbage
I walked along the green path and when I could I walked along the canal. I saw a few hides that the Thai birdwatchers had built. They build a hide and then they put food to lure the Kingfishers to come to eat.
They even change the environment by putting up sticks and branches in the canal for the Kingfishers to come sit on, I call it cheating. And the garbage, what kind of people want to sit around in this shit.
There was a guy walking around setting up his shit, he had bird food in a plastic bottle that I never saw him bring to the bin when the bottle was empty. He looked grumpy when I walked by and he never said hello. He just wanted a picture of a Kingfisher never mind in what state he left the place in.
I was walking along the green path and I could hear the beautiful song from an Oriental Magpie Robin. The bird was sitting on the top of a dead tree singing. Maybe looking for a mate to have babies with.
Dead tree, exactly the place the Coppersmith barbets likes for their nests and I was soon seeing a Coppersmith Barbet couple looking for a place for their nest. I spent some time under the tree listening and looking at the Oriental Magpie Robin and the Coppersmith Barbets.
Oriental Magpie Robin / นกกางเขนบ้าน
Oriental Magpie Robin / นกกางเขนบ้าน
Oriental Magpie Robin / นกกางเขนบ้าน
Listen to the Oriental Magpie Robin's beautiful song
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Coppersmith Barbet - นกตีทอง
Coppersmith Barbet - นกตีทอง
I saw a Kingfisher and it looked like a Collared Kingfisher, blue and big. Not blue as the Common Kingfisher. I really didn't get any good look as the Kingfisher flew away. But I have never seen any Collared Kingfisher here in Suan Rot Fai before.
I walked to the end of the canal and I crossed a grass field to have a look at the Cattle Egrets. Egrets and herons, I will try to get head shots and then make a list of differences between the bills during breeding and non-breeding birds. And of course, also the breeding plumage. This is a project that will take quite some time as I need to be here to see them during the breeding in 2 months or so.
I walked back to the new bridge and I crossed the canal over to Queen Sirikit Park. I was soon passing two Pied Myna looking for food in the grass. I continued towards the nursery where they grow the baby plants that they are putting out in the park.
Pied Myna or Asian Pied Starling / นกอีแจว
Pied Myna or Asian Pied Starling / นกอีแจว
Pied Myna or Asian Pied Starling / นกอีแจว
Pied Myna or Asian Pied Starling / นกอีแจว
I was walking by an old tree and there were plenty Coppersmith Barbets and I saw 2 Olive backed Sunbirds landing on a big pink flower. Perfect, in the sun light and it was beautiful colours. I reached for my camera and BOOM! The birds was gone.
I saw Indian Rollers and many more beautiful birds during the morning birding. Not so many good pictures, but it had been a nice morning. But now it was time to go back home as I will meet my friends for lunch at 12.
I called my taxi driver when I was in the back of a taxi going back home. He will come to pick me up tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock so we can go birding in Moo Ban Pramong. I really hope to see a Stork-billed Kingfisher there. Last time I saw a lot of Kingfishers but not the Stork-billed.
I was at Terminal 21 for lunch with my friends. The place where we should meet was full so we had to go next door to Moom Muum Park, มูมมาม พาร์ค. I have been there a few times before and the food is excellent. I always ask for the avocado salad and a salmon salad with a bowl of salmon on the side. Then I mix everything to a special Aladdin salad. Very good.
I made a different manoeuvre today, I started with a smoked salmon pizza, the best smoked salmon pizza I have ever had. We were 5 grownups and 2 twin girls 15 months old that entertained us. We had a few pots of tea after the food talking about the good ol' days.
Moom Muum Park, มูมมาม พาร์ค
Moom Muum Park, มูมมาม พาร์ค
+++++++++++++++
Saturday 21st of January 2017 and I was out of bed 20 minutes past 5. The taxi will be here at 6 so I had the quickest good morning teas I have ever had. A quick “Oatmeal & Flaxseed Surprise”and I was ready to go.
Well, I was 5 or 10 minutes late and when I came down the driver was there looking for me. He has sent an SMS at 05:59 and I called him to tell him that I needed 1 more minute. We were soon on our way and the traffic was quite light as we had expected 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning.
It was dark when we left but the sun was soon coming up so I hope that we will have light enough for photos when we arrive to Mo Baan Pramong. We arrived to Mo Baan Pramong and we drove down past the whale watching place until we came to the dead end.
We made a U-turn and we drove back past the whale watching place. We continued towards west and we drove slowly. We saw many Common Kingfishers and of course, many Egrets and Herons. Some of the Herons had started to change to their breeding plumage. So if we come back in 2 months here will be many beautiful herons. By then I will not be home, but they should still be in their breeding plumage when I'm back home from Roy Mærsk.
We drove along and damn, I was angry with myself. Sitting in the back fumbling around and when I see a bird I get excited. I start to take pictures, and my fumbling around and the dial have moved to shutter speed 1/2500 and thus the ISO speed was set to millions and it was only grainy pictures I got out off it. Several incidents like this when we drove along looking for birds.
Great Egret
Common Kingfisher / นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา
Common Kingfisher / นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา
Common Kingfisher / นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา
Common Kingfisher / นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา
Black-capped Kingfisher hiding in the trees
Black-capped Kingfisher hiding in the trees
Collared Kingfisher
Juvenile Scaly-breasted Munia / นกกระติ๊ดขี้หมู
Pond Heron
Common Kingfisher / นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา
Pond Heron
I think this is a Common Redshank
Black-winged Stilt
Waders that I have not tried to identify
Waders that I have not tried to identify
Pond Heron
Male Asian Koel / นกกาเหว่า
Female Asian Koel / นกกาเหว่า
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Black-capped Kingfisher
Cormorant
We stop to have a look around
We stop to have a look around
We stop to have a look around
Fish farms
Collared Kingfisher
Striated Heron - นกยางเขียว
Striated Heron - นกยางเขียว
Striated Heron - นกยางเขียว
Striated Heron - นกยางเขียว
Striated Heron - นกยางเขียว
Striated Heron - นกยางเขียว
We see a Collared Kingfisher on the way back home to Bangkok
It was a very nice day with gorgeous weather, nice and cool. We saw many birds and now I'm thinking about buying a bird book for my driver. He has really turned keen on the birding and he is keeping his eye out. We drove back to Bangkok after a few hours and I started to prepare my bag for the week in Manila.
I will pack my underwater camera just in case the whale sharks show up in Donsol. I called them yesterday and this year have really been bad, not many whale sharks at all.
I took a taxi to Ramintra to meet my friends and to have dinner. It took about 1 hour to get there. They were about to close down the gym when I arrived and we were soon on our way to my friend's house. Another friend was there cooking, I never understood if he was training as he is about to open a restaurant.
I suggested that he should have some Swedish/ Thai fusion food. To open a Thai restaurant seems futile to me as here is already millions of Thai restaurants in town. I have not seen any Swedish/ Thai fusion restaurant in town.
Chaiyasit Gym
Chaiyasit Gym
We end up at a Japanese restaurant
Well, time for my ECDIS course in Manila, the will come to pick me up at 6 o'clock in the morning. My flight is leaving at 09:45 and we just need to click HERE to find out how this turns out.
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!