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   So I called the Chanthaburi CBT Travel, a company I found on the internet and I booked two days with the Red Hawks as they call the Brahminy kite in Chanthaburi. I booked 2 nights at the D Varee Diva Rimnaam hotel in Chanthaburi. Plus a car and driver for 2 days as I want to go look for birds at the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary. A place I found thanks to Nick Upton's excellent web page thaibirding.com by Nick Upton Anyway, I asked for them to arrange for me to go yesterday, but I changed my mind. Coming back home from Europe and I bought a new video camera, the Panasonic HC-W585 and a new Canon Lens, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and I wanted to try them first. So the plan was to go to Suan Rot Fai yesterday morning to try my new equipment.  Buying fruit
 Healthy food is coming up
 Fruit salad is ready
My alarm went off at 4 but I didn't got out of bed until 6 twenty when the taxi driver called. World’s quickest breakfast and a quick shower and I was down on the parking lot just after 7. We left for Hotel D Varee Diva Rimnaam in Chanthaburi. We will make a stop at Bang Pra Non-hunting Area, in the Chonburi province. We will pass the area on our way to Chanthaburi. Bang Pra Non-hunting Area is yet another birding site I found thanks to Nick Upton's excellent web page thaibirding.com by Nick Upton  7 is closed for the first time ever
We stopped at 7 Eleven for some refreshments for the trip to Chanthaburi. And I was surprised, the door didn't open and it was dark inside the shop. There was a notice on the door saying “ไฟดับ ”, black out and they could not open. Well, we will stop on the Bangkok - Chonburi motorway to buy the refreshments. Light traffic as soon as we had put Bangkok behind and we were making good speed. We made a quick stop at the service point on the Bangkok - Chonburi motorway. I expect to be at the hotel in Chanthaburi between 12 to 1 o'clock so I don't have very much time to look for birds at Bang Pra Non-hunting Area  Some refreshments for the trip
Bang Pra Non-hunting Area
Will be updated with pictures when I'm coming back here
We arrived to Bang Pra Non-hunting Area around 9 o'clock and according to the map on thaibirding.com there should be a parking lot. But we were stopped by a guy trimming the vegetation. He told us to drive back and park the car before the boom. I spotted an Asian Openbill Stork sitting on a branch just next to the parking area. We walked along a bricked walk path and there was a lot of people fishing and there were some noise. But there were many birds. I saw that the taxi driver came walking after me and I was not happy about it. I want to be alone and quiet. But as with his friend, that use to take me birding, they are excellent in spotting birds He pointed in to the bushes and he said that there was a big bird. I looked but I could not see anything in the dark. When the bird moved I saw that it was a Green-billed malkoha.  Drive slowly our you miss the dirt path down to the Bang Phra Reservoir
 Drive slowly our you miss the dirt path down to the Bang Phra Reservoir
 We could not continue on this dirt road
 Asian Openbill Stork - นกปากห่าง
 Bricked walk path
 Picture towards the north from the walk path
 Picture towards the south from the walk path
 Picture towards the north from the walk path
 Green-billed Malkoha / นกบั้งรอกใหญ่
 Green-billed Malkoha / นกบั้งรอกใหญ่
 Green-billed Malkoha / นกบั้งรอกใหญ่
 Egrets
 Common Kingfisher
 Green Bee-eater - นกจาบคาเล็ก
 Green Bee-eater - นกจาบคาเล็ก
 Malaysian Pied Fantail, Rhipidura javanica, นกอีแพรดแถบอกดำ
We walk back to the car and we continue down the dirt road where we had not been allowed to drive. On the right side we have the Bang Phra Reservoir and on the left hand side we have a small pond. At least I think it is a pond as the area is covered with vegetation. We make a quick walk down the dust road and we turn around, we need to leave or I will miss the kites in Chanthaburi. So we left Bang Pra Non-hunting Area. I had not had any time to explore the area so I will have to come back. A lot of birds but I had to “RUSH” through the area as we didn't had any time. Maybe next holiday, December/ January and it will be cool and nice to walk around here. I have planned to stay in Thailand my next holiday. I'm kind of feed up with travels now, the older I get the more comfortable I am staying home.  Asian Openbill Stork - นกปากห่าง
 Asian Openbill Stork - นกปากห่าง
 Asian Openbill Stork - นกปากห่าง
 Asian Openbill Stork - นกปากห่าง
 Pond covered with vegetation on our left hand side
 The lake on the right hand side
 There are benches to sit down along the dust road
 A Cormorant
 Egret
 Walking back to the car
 Spider webs between the wires
 Spider webs between the wires
We were soon on the highway again and I was hoping for us to be in Chanthaburi before 12, but it is longer than I thought between Bangkok and Chanthaburi. We left the highway and we drove along road # 344 towards Chanthaburi. We drove through the country side and it is beautiful to look at, same as back in the Bang Pra Non-hunting Area, and the rest of Thailand. Beautiful until you discover all the garbage that are thrown all over Thailand. And as we were on the country side there were warning signs for wild elephant crossing the roads. And I was in the back seat looking out for elephants. I have only seen one elephant in Thailand and I would like to see one more, or many more.  Warning for elephants crossing the road
We reached road #3 and we turned left towards Chanthaburi. Highway again and no more elephant signs. We reached the hotel just before 1 o'clock. I was hungry and I had 2 hours before the car would come to pick me up. I checked in and I went to m room and I was pleasantly surprised, it was a very nice room. But this was expected when I pay 120 US per day. My room was next to the river and as I was on the 4th floor I could see the birds in the tree tops outside my balcony. Yellow-vented Bullbulls and small Tailorbirds singing away. I had a shower and I went to the restaurant. Pleasantly surprised again. They had a proper tea pot and the food was OK. So the hotel was OK and I will stay here again if I ever come back to Chanthaburi.  My hotel room at Hotel D Varee Diva Rimnaam, Chanthaburi
 My hotel room at Hotel D Varee Diva Rimnaam, Chanthaburi
 Many Yellow-vented Bullbulls in the trees outside my balcony
 Balcony
 Bathroom
 Proper pot of tea in the restaurant
The taxi was 15 minutes late and I asked the driver how old he was. - 32 years old - YEAH! Then you should know how to tell the time. We leave for the boat that will take me out to see the Brahminy kites, called Red Hawks in Thailand. เหยี่ยวแดง เหยี่ยว= Hawk แดง= Red We stopped at a minimart to buy some drinks. Good to have if it gets hot on the boat. We met the “Captain” and we drove to a park where the Captain would pick me up. We parked in the park and we could see the “Captain” coming down the river in the boat. And I was happy to see that the boat had a canvas. So there was a place to take cover if it would start to rain.  “Captain” coming down the river
 “Captain” coming down the river
 Boarding the boat and the driver will wait for me in the park
   Steaming towards the Brahminy kites
We left the village behind steaming down the river and we could soon see the Brahminy kites. Captain had a bucket of small pieces of meat that he threw in the river and the Brahminy kites came to eat. Together of course with some black crows. If you ever come here, unless you are a very experienced photographer of birds in flight, I strongly recommend at least 2 days. Most of the pictures went straight to the garbage as it is very hard to get the flying kites on picture. Well, to get them on picture is easy enough, but to get them in focus is another story. Pictures or not, it was a beautiful day on the water and I enjoyed the sight of the Brahminy kites, a fantastic experience that I can recommend others to come and watch.  Brahminy kites flying over the river
 Brahminy kites flying over the river
  Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Juvenile Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Brahminy kite - เหยี่ยวแดง
 Gloom and grey for long as I could see
 Going back to the car
 Going back to the car
Back at the car and we returned to the hotel. It had been a beautiful afternoon on the river and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow afternoon. And if you are thinking about coming here, I can really recommend it. You just follow the list below and you're soon on your way.
Will I get better pictures tomorrow, click HERE to find out Nigel Farage explains why gangs are torching Sweden (with Tucker Carlson)
    
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