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April 2022
 Introduction
Thai New Year and I have planned to visit a few eBird hotspots in and around Bangkok during the holiday. And I will visit the below areas to see if there are any exciting birds. • Safari World (eBird hotspot: ) • Wat Hong Thong (Hong Thong Temple) (eBird hotspot: ) • Bang Pu--Recreation Center (eBird hotspot: ) • Chulalongkorn University (general area) (eBird hotspot: ) • Department of Public Relations (eBird hotspot: ) • Phutthamonthon Park (general area) (eBird hotspot: ) Guide
I don't use any bird watching Guide in / around Bangkok. eBird is a great help to find spots for bird watching in Bangkok Land transportation
Taxi is a very convenient way of getting around in Bangkok. I rent a car for full day if I have planned to visit a couple of areas in the same day. I ca keep my things in the taxi while I am walking around looking for birds. Trip Report
Safari World (eBird hotspot: )
Monday 11 April 2022 and I went with my friend to the Safari World. I discovered that Safari World is an eBird hotspot: so we went expecting nothing much. As soon as we came in we spotted thousands of Asian Openbill, Black-headed Ibis/ African Sacred Ibis and Painted storks. The Openbills where busy with their nests in the trees and the Painted Storks were feeding their young on the ground. I did not have any camera, not even my glasses so I could not see very much. I only had my mobile phone so the video of the Painted Stork feeding the young ones leave a lot to wish for. It was amazing to see all the birds nesting and I will come back with my camera as soon as I have time.
 Today's track at Safari World
Wat Hong Thong (Hong Thong Temple) (eBird hotspot: )
Wednesday 13 April 2022 and I was going to visit Wat Hong Thong with my friend. We were going to have a look for amulets and I went to pick him up in Bang Pu. Very close to the eBird hotspot: Bang Pu--Recreation Center. To reach the temple we just need to drive towards east on Sukhumvit Road and you can see the high riser at the temple from Sukhumvit Road. We have to drive through some salt pans to reach the temple I book a taxi with my LINEMAN app and the taxi arrived in a few minutes, Thai New Year and the roads are almost empty. The toll way are free as well so we made it to my friend in no time. I had asked the driver if he wanted to continue to the Wat Hong Thong / วัดหงษ์ทอง. It was not like he had much to do, and to take us is better than to drive around looking for passengers. Now he knew what to do for the next few days. He will take us around town for 1100 Baht and I accepted the offer. We took off and we followed Sukhumvit Road and we could see the high riser at the temple.  Arriving to the temple
 Entrance to the temple
 Nice mudflats around the temple
 Nice mudflats around the temple
I had not brought my camera so I could not see what kind of waders that was walking around on the mudflats. But I could see that it was Javan Pond Herons on the mudflats. It was low water and I regrated that I had not brought my camera but I made a mental note that it will be low water when I visit eBird hotspot: Bang Pu--Recreation Center tomorrow morning. I have already booked my taxi that will come to pick me up tomorrow morning at 06:00. Me and my friend were looking for the amulet shop and we were told that they were for sale at the entrance.  Walking around on the temple ground
 Asking good luck
 It is a nice area
 You can see this building all the way from Sukhumvit
 
 Today's track at Wat Hong Thong
We find the amulet place and we buy 3 amulets and a couple of the “holy” cloths. Walking back to the taxi and we have one Coppersmith Barbet singing from a tree outside the water shop. We get in to the taxi and we go to another temple on Sukhumvit Road. It is the temple where to monk that made my tiger amulet lived. This was 125 years ago so it is a very old magic. A famous amulet and everyone know the name of the monk, ลวงพ่อปาน. He is famous for making the เขียวเสือ amulet. We found the stall and we bought a couple of amulets and we were back in to the car. I started the eBird app but there was no birds at the temple so 0 birds reported.. We drove to Robinson and we had tea and coffee with a little bit of food before I returned back home with the taxi. +++++++++++++++
Thursday 14th of April 2022 and the taxi was here at 06:00 and we took off towards Bang Pu--Recreation Center. We stop at the first 7 Eleven to buy water and MAX. We take the highway and it is free today as well, and almost empty so we make it to eBird hotspot: Bang Pu--Recreation Center in record breaking time.
Bang Pu--Recreation Center (eBird hotspot: )
I get out of the car, I have paid for the whole day so the taxi will stay with me, very convenient, I keep my “drinks” and equipment in the car while I walk around looking for birds. I walk on the walk path along the mangrove and there are plenty Fantails and I can hear the Collared Kingfisher everywhere.  Fresh access to the canopy walk
I end reach the end of the walk way and I see that the canopy walk is upgraded and I go up to have a walk across the mangrove, but the gate is closed so I have to go down again and walk back the same way I came. I spot 2 Common Iora but no pictures, actually I never got any pictures, at least not any good ones. The first picture I got was a Collared Kingfisher calling from top of a tree. I also managed to get a recording.  Greater Coucal
Listen to the Collared Kingfisher
 Listen to the Dark-necked Tailorbird
 I also managed to get a recording of one Dark-necked Tailorbird and there were two Collared Kingfishers in the tree a bit from the Dark-necked Tailorbird tree. But I fail to get any recording. I continue towards the taxi and I get out on the pier to see if there is any mudflats. The water was on the way out when I came and when I walk along the walk path and I flush hundreds of waders resting in the mangroves waiting for the low water so they can go look for food o the mudflats. I could not ID any of the flying waders but I hope to see them on the mudflats.  Collared Kingfisher / นกกินเปี้ยว
I walk out on the pier and I pass a couple of egrets and Javan Pond Herons. The water is on the way out so no mudflats yet. I had seen huge groups of Brown-headed Gull flying over me when I was in the mangroves so I expected them to be at the pier. One of the attractions here is to have the Brown-headed Gulls eating from your hand. They sell food at the pier and you hold up the food and the gulls grab it from your hands.  Walking out on the pier
   Plenty gulls and terns
 Plenty gulls and terns
  Brown-headed Gull / นกนางนวลธรรมดา
 Brown-headed Gull / นกนางนวลธรรมดา
 Brown-headed Gull / นกนางนวลธรรมดา
  Whiskered Tern / นกนางนวลแกลบเคราขาว
 Whiskered Tern / นกนางนวลแกลบเคราขาว
 Whiskered Tern / นกนางนวลแกลบเคราขาว
 Whiskered Tern / นกนางนวลแกลบเคราขาว
There were a lot of Brown-headed Gulls at the pier and there were also quite many Whiskered Terns and I tried to get pictures of birds in flight. Not so easy with the small terns but it was fun to watch the birds flying around. I want to get to the west part of the hotspot and I walked back to the taxi. The Driver showed me a picture and asked if it was a kingfisher. I told him that it was a Blue-winged Pitta and I asked where he took the picture. He had been behind the building where we were parked and he had spotted the bird. We went to check out the area and there were a couple of other bird watchers. I took a seat and there was four Racket-tailed Treepie and four Swinhoe's White-eye.  Swinhoe's White-eye
 Swinhoe's White-eye
  Racket-tailed Treepie / นกกาแวน
 Racket-tailed Treepie / นกกาแวน
  Blue-winged Pitta / นกศิวะปีกสีฟ้า
 Blue-winged Pitta / นกศิวะปีกสีฟ้า
 Blue-winged Pitta / นกศิวะปีกสีฟ้า
 Blue-winged Pitta / นกศิวะปีกสีฟ้า
 Blue-winged Pitta / นกศิวะปีกสีฟ้า
 Blue-winged Pitta / นกศิวะปีกสีฟ้า
I did not have to wait for long before the Blue-winged Pitta showed up and I got a few pictures. I will have to come back for the Swinhoe's White-eye as the light is very poor and I will most likely have to use a flash. Too much grain in the pictures as I had to use a crazy ISO speed. I left and I walked back to the taxi and we continued towards the western part of the area. I have been here many times and I always walk around, this time I will try to go there sitting in the taxi. Walking and you scare all the birds. And yes, my taxi plan paid off immediately. We spotted a White-breasted Waterhen family and they would have taken off instantly if I had been walking. We managed to come quite close to the birds. First they walked away when we stopped, but they came back a few seconds later as they did not bother with the car.    White-breasted Waterhen / นกกวัก
 White-breasted Waterhen / นกกวัก
 White-breasted Waterhen / นกกวัก
 Red-necked Stint
 Red-necked Stint
 Red-necked Stint
 Pond Heron
 We also spotted one Plaintive Cuckoo sitting on a wire. Lucky to see this one as it was behind bushes along the road, but I managed to catch sight of the bird through an opening in the vegetation. Too far away for any good pictures but anyway, I had seen the bird that have been heard all over the area. And it is very easy to recognize the bird song. Have a listen to my previous recordings of the Plaintive Cuckoo / นกอีวาบตั๊กแตน below. Listen to the Plaintive Cuckoo
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Well, I don't know, does the Cuckoo sound sad?
I like the sound of the Plaintive Cuckoo / นกอีวาบตั๊กแตน and it is nice walking around looking for birds while listening to the singing. We spotted one Great Egret just before we were about to leave the area. I was about to take a picture when the egret jumped out in the water to catch a fish. I discovered one Bar-tailed Godwit on the other side but a little too far away for pictures, and twigs in front of the bird ducking up the focus. But I need one picture to help me ID the bird when I come back home.   Great Egret / นกยางโทนใหญ่
 Black-tailed Godwit - Poor picture, for ID purpose only
 Black-tailed Godwit - Poor picture, for ID purpose only
We left Bang Pu--Recreation Center to drive in to Bangkok City Centre and I eBird hotspot: I never heard of before, Chulalongkorn University (general area) Thai New Year and the roads are empty and it is a joy to travel the streets of Bangkok. I started my eBird app exactly 40 minutes after having stopped the app back in Bang Pu. Chulalongkorn University (general area) (eBird hotspot: )
I stepped in through the gate, well, it was more like I had to “slide” in as the gate was not fully open and I was instantly disappointed. The area was a huge open lawn and there was a pond at my end and it did not look like much. And all I could see was Mynas and Pigeons. Where have they seen all the birds that have been reported in eBird?  Chulalongkorn University - Pond at the gate
 Chulalongkorn University
 Some flower reaching the other end
 There are also water at this end of the park
I had already made a mental note to not bother coming back again
 It is not getting more exciting than this
   Common Myna
  Black-collared Starling / นกกิ้งโครงคอดำ
 House Sparrow
 Today's track at Chulalongkorn University
We left Chulalongkorn University and I have planned to visit one more eBird hotspot: here in Bangkok City Centre before going to Phutthamonthon Park. We drive towards Department of Public Relations. The eBird hotspot: Department of Public Relations is one of few hotspots marked with yellow in the city of Bangkok, 123 species observed so this was a place I wanted to visit. Chulalongkorn University is also a yellow hotspot with 152 species observed, but where did this get me? Department of Public Relations (eBird hotspot: )
We arrived to the Department of Public Relations and they did not let us pass the gate. I looked inside and it was for sure not looking like a birding hotspot. We asked the security and they told us to try behind the Department of Public Relations We drove to the back and there were some trees and a pond. But I don't know if this is the area as there are buildings everywhere and people that scare the birds. I will ask someone about this area and I might come back to have a look. We leave the area and we cross the River to go to the Phutthamonthon Park, last spot for today. Phutthamonthon Park (eBird hotspot: )
 Phutthamonthon Park
And again, we were not allowed to enter through the south gate. Same as two years ago, but then it was for Covid. We have to go through the north entrance. This area of the park is for accessing the holy site. I want to get down to the SE corner and the east side. This is where the action is, and to walk several kilometres in the blazing sun, well, no thanks. Back in the days we used to park the car at the ponds and then we could walk out in the wilderness. At least then the SE corner of the park was pretty much unmaintained and we spotted a lot of birds there. But we have to stay in the PIC NIC corner of the park and I really did not expect any excitements.  Striated Heron
 Striated Heron
  Red-wattled Lapwing / นกกระแตแต้แว้ด
 Red-wattled Lapwing / นกกระแตแต้แว้ด
 Today's track at Phutthamonthon Park
And we can see that it is only the NE corner available by car. Back in the days we could drive to the SW corner and park the car. Then we could walk in to the wilderness. To reach this area now we have to trot for kilometres in the blazing sun and pounding heat. Anyway, we drove back to Sukhumvit and I could have my diner, spinach salad. Very healthy and no carbs. Tomorrow it will be New Year Food and the plan is to go back to Bang Pu--Recreation Center on Saturday morning with a flash to see if I can get any pictures of the Swinhoe's White-eye.  +++++++++++++++
Friday 15th of April 2022 and I bought pasta making equipment to my Kitchen Aid last time in Sweden. And looks like it will be a long time before I find use for it. When my blood sugar are down too next to nothing that will be. But I have friends coming over to cook Thai food and I will take this opportunity to test my pasta machine.
My friend arrived and we got started with the pasta dough. I looked up the recipe on the computer every now and then to refresh my memory. Last time we did pasta we did not have any machine and we ended up throwing all the pasta and we cooked spaghetti that I have instead. 6 dl flour and 6 eggs + a little olive oil and we did the dough. We put the dough to rest for 30 minutes. We prepared the dough for the machine and then we started the pasta machine.  Korv Stroganoff
I was a little sceptic when we were ready with the pasta but it smelled like spaghetti when I put it in boiling water. I started to prepare the Korv Stroganoff when I started to heat the water. My friend had prepared the Falu Korv and onions when she arrived. So everything was chopped and ready for me. So it was just for me to put everything in the frying pan. Korv Stroganoff and the pasta was ready about the same time. The pasta tasted very good and we were pleasantly surprised. Food on the table and we dug in.  Food is ready
 Homemade pasta
 Homemade pasta
 Homemade pasta
The food tasted very good and I had a wee bit too much. One hour after the meal my blood sugar was 164. Two hours after and it was 185 and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had gone down to 147 four hours after the meal. It is too high, but I had expected the sugar to go crazy, and I was happy to see that the sugar level started to went down again. Well, off to bed early as I will go to look for the Swinhoe's White-eye. I was not happy with my pictures from the last visit and I will bring my flash tomorrow to see if I can get any nice pictures. +++++++++++++++
Saturday 16th of April 2022 and reaching eBird hotspot: Bang Pu--Recreation Center and I started my eBird app at 07:00. And I was lucky, I was alone behind the building and I took a seat in front of the bird bath. Really not many seats so if we are 3 or 4 watching birds here there is nowhere to sit.
Did not take long before the Golden-bellied Gerygone showed up for the morning bath. There was the Oriental Magpie Robins coming for bathing and of course, the Malaysian Fantail. I could hear the Collared Kingfisher, Coppersmith Barbet, Plaintive Cuckoo and of course the Asian Koel.  No people watching birds
 No people watching birds
 The bird bath
 Oriental Magpie Robin bathing
 Swinhoe's white-eye and Oriental Magpie Robin bathing
  Swinhoe's white-eye / นกแว่นตาขาวหลังเขียว
 Swinhoe's white-eye / นกแว่นตาขาวหลังเขียว
  Golden-bellied gerygone / นกกระจ้อยป่าโกงกาง
I was joined by another bird watchers after 90 minutes or so and a little later a second bird watcher came along. We were soon tree bird watchers. It started to get hot and I was lucky that I had brought a drink with me. I started off taking pictures using my flash but the batteries ran flat after just a few pictures. I will use my POWEREX Pro batteries from now on, very expensive but they are fantastic. Rechargeable but a special charger needed, but it is worth it. BAAM! And the flash is charged and you can just continue taking pictures. I had a pack with 4 new batteries and I was stupid to load the flash with them. Took forever to charge the flash and after a while the battery was totally empty. So tomorrow I will bring my POWEREX Pro and I will enjoy a full da using my flash.   Oriental Magpie Robin fresh out of the bath
  Scaly-breasted Munia / นกกระติ๊ดขี้หมู
  Racket-tailed Treepie / นกกาแวน
 Racket-tailed Treepie / นกกาแวน
Listen to the Racket-tailed Treepie
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
  Female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher / นกจับแมลงตะโพกเหลือง
 Female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher / นกจับแมลงตะโพกเหลือง
  Dusky Warbler
I turned off my eBird ap at 11:00 and I walked out to the street and the taxi that I had ordered via LineMan. I went to pick up my friend and we had lunch at Robinsons before I returned home to have a look at today's pictures. I had tea and chicken (ONLY) and my friend ate all the good stuff. He had never been eating Chicken Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup) Add a plate of steamed rice in to the soup and you have something that is really good.
 Lunch at Robinson
 Eating ข้าวซอย
 Lunch at Robinson
+++++++++++++++
Sunday 17th of April 2022 and I started my eBird app at 07:00 and I was alone at the bird bath. But it did not take many minutes before I was joined by two other bird watchers. And we were soon 5 bird watchers sitting in front of the bird bath.
I stayed for 2 hours before I decided to go back home. And my batteries were flat, imagine my disappointment when I was going to fire up my flash just to discover that the batteries was empty. I was puzzled. Did I bring empty batteries instead of the fully charged? I tried to order batteries with the GRAB app but they did not have any drivers available so this was very disappointed.  Plenty people watching birds today
 Fantail
 Treepie
+++++++++++++++
Tuesday 19th of April 2022 and my friend and I went to check out the eBird hotspot: “Safari World” again. We visited back on the 11th of April, but then I had no camera or my glasses. So I brought my glasses and camera when I went for the gym. First a session of yoga and some boxing.
There was not so many Painted Storks feeding their young today. Most of the young Painted Storks were now taking care of them self. But there was still a couple of adults feeding their young. I took a video of the feeding I could see, but most of the young were foraging by themself. We see one foraging at the end of the video below. Asian Openbills, could see some young birds by them self on the ground. In the nest I could see anything from sitting on eggs to quite some big babies. So they are in all stages. And many Openbills were collecting material to improve their nests. Maybe to build nest, but the Asian Openbill I spotted with nesting material all landed on existing nests.
Asian Openbill with nesting material
Asian Openbill collect nesting material
 Many Asian Openbills in same tree- Siting on eggs and some nest with babies
 Asian Openbill sitting on egg
 Asian Openbill sitting on egg
 Asian Openbill sitting on egg
 Asian Openbill with baby
 Asian Openbill with babies
 Asian Openbill with babies
 Young ones in the nest
  Spot-billed pelican / นกกระทุง
 Spot-billed pelican / นกกระทุง
 Spot-billed pelican / นกกระทุง
  Great White Pelican
 Great White Pelican
There are also hundreds of Spot-billed Pelicans in the area and we noticed one white pelican and it turned out to be a Great White Pelican. We also spotted Moorhen babies, but no good pictures. The Red-wattled Lapwing were sitting on eggs as well, so there will be many babies in the area soon. Of course, there were many Mynas in the area.     Oriental Magpie Robin / นกกางเขนบ้าน
   Little Cormorant / นกกาน้ำเล็ก
  Indian Cormorant / นกกาน้ำปากยาว
 Indian Cormorant / นกกาน้ำปากยาว
 Indian Cormorant / นกกาน้ำปากยาว
 Indian Cormorant / นกกาน้ำปากยาว
Javan Pond Heron / นกยางกรอกพันธุ์ชวา
 Little Egret / นกยางเปีย
 Great Egret / นกยางโทนใหญ
 Great Egret / นกยางโทนใหญ
   Black-crowned Night Heron / นกแขวก
   Black-headed Ibis / นกช้อนหอยขาว, นกกุลา
 Black-headed Ibis / นกช้อนหอยขาว, นกกุลา
 Pelicans and Openbills in the tree
 Juvenile Pained Stork, just learn to find food for it self
 Juvenile Pained Stork, just learn to find food for it self
 Bringing food for the babies
 Black-winged Stilt / นกตีนเทียน - Sitting on eggs
 Black-winged Stilt / นกตีนเทียน - Sitting on eggs
 Black-winged Stilt / นกตีนเทียน - Sitting on eggs
 Black-winged Stilt / นกตีนเทียน - Sitting on eggs
 Today's track at Safari World
 Time had passed very quickly and it was time for my friend to go back to work and I went back home. My plan is to go visit the eBird hotspot: Bang Pu--Recreation Center tomorrow. And I will bring my equipment to the gym and I go straight from the gym to Bang Pu--Recreation Center. +++++++++++++++
Wednesday 20th of April 2022 and I booked a taxi with the LineMan app. I have been visiting the bird bath at Bang Pu--Recreation Center early mornings and today I want to visit mid-day when it is really hot as I expect a lot of birds coming to cool down in the bird bath.
And I expect to be alone middle of the week day. There was one birder sitting there when I arrived but he was soon leaving. There were many birders passing the area and they were all in a hurry.  Streak-eared Bulbul / นกปรอดสวน
 Oriental Magpie Robin / นกกางเขนบ้าน
 Oriental Magpie Robin / นกกางเขนบ้าน
There was not many birds to be seen at the bird bath. This was a disappointment as I had expected many birds to come for a “swim” to cool down in the heat. Several birders passed walking towards the sea front so there is for sure a special bird in the area. One birder came and he set up his equipment next to me. We had a chat and he spoke with some passing birders and it seems like there is a Japanese paradise flycatcher in the area. He asked me if I wanted to join but I did not fancy to be in a crowd. But a few minutes after he had left I decided to give it a try and I walked after him. And I was in for a surprise, never seen so many birders before. There was about 20 birders with their cameras pointing up in the trees.  Plenty birders at Bang Pu
 Plenty birders at Bang Pu
  Japanese paradise flycatcher / นกแซวสวรรค์หางดำ
 Japanese paradise flycatcher / นกแซวสวรรค์หางดำ
 Japanese paradise flycatcher / นกแซวสวรรค์หางดำ
I was very lucky, I got pictures of the bird after just a minute. I spoke with some of the birders and they had spent a long time and still no pictures. I was happy with the pictures and I walked back to the bird bath Back at the bird bath and there was not many birds. I was joined by three other birders that had given up on the Japanese paradise flycatcher. Now we were hoping to see the bird coming here for a swim. I got a picture of the Scaly-breasted Munia but I failed to get any good pictures of the Swinhoe's White-eyes coming to play in the water. I could hear the Collared Kingfishers from the mangroves but I could not see any of them. 
 I booked a taxi with the LineMan app and I went to have a late lunch with my friend. Last birding in Thailand before flying to Europe to look for birds in the Danube Delta. Click HERE to find out all about that adventure.
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