Visitors since 01/09/06

Suan Phuttamonton (Phuttamonton Park) is a very large park just outside Bangkok in Nakorn Pathom province, a few kilometres west of Bangkok's southern bus terminal.

Much of the park consists of open woodland with mown grass underneath the canopy, with pools, flower beds and gardens, although there are a few areas where the ground layer is uncut and insect diversity is fairly high, attracting a number of birds. Apart from birdwatching, this is a good place to have a picnic in a quiet corner of the park and it would be most enjoyable to cycle around.

The migratory periods of September-October and April-May usually turn up the most interesting species in Phuttamonton Park; a good number of species have been recorded here, and of course there are healthy populations of the more common parkland and open-country birds here too.

The only downside of Phuttamonton park is its distance from Bangkok's city centre.

Phuttamonton Park has a good number of common resident birds and is a good place for photographers to get pictures of species such as Indian Roller, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Coppersmith Barbet and Lineated Barbet.

This park has a resident population of Small Minivets which are usually quite confiding, making this one of the easiest places to find this bird close to Bangkok. Red-billed Blue Magpie can be found in the more wooded areas and on the un-manicured islands in the lakes there are small colonies of Black-crowned Night Herons, Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and a few Little Cormorants. Red-wattled Lapwings are very common breeding birds and it is nice to watch them with their young in April to June.

However, in migratory periods, particularly autumn, the scruffy corners of Phuttamonton Park play host to a number of interesting passage migrants including Ferruginous Flycatcher, Siberian Blue Robin, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Crow-billed Drongo and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. In fact for the keen and vigilant almost anything could turn up on passage.

Click here for a checklist of the birds of Suan Phuttamonton.

Unmown Lawn: Not quite unmown but certainly very irregularly mown and as such it attracts resident Paddyfield Pipits and wintering Richard's Pipits and Yellow Wagtails.

Waterbird Lake: Of all the lakes and pools at Phuttamonton Park this one has the most overgrown surroundings and plays host to a small colony of Black-crowned Night Herons. Small numbers of Little Cormorants can always be found here along with Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets and Pond Herons. On a couple of occasions I have seen a pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks here although the habitat is not exactly ideal for them.

Overgrown Area 1: A small patch of trees where the undergrowth is not cut back always seems to produce some birds including Drongos, Black-naped Oriole, Lineated Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet with Flycatchers and Warblers on passage.

Overgrown Area 2: This is by far the most overgrown and unkempt part of the park and it is worth sneaking around in the undergrwoth here. Resident species include Asian Barred Owlet, Green-billed Malkoha, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Red-billed Blue Magpie and Lineated Barbet but on migration anything can turn up here and in autumn it is particularly good for Pale-legged Leaf Warbler.

Overgrown Area 3: This area has some small, twisted tress with long grass underneath; an area which is relatively rich in insect life and consequently it attracts a few birds. On passage migration Asian Brown Flycatcher, Eastern Crowned Warbler and Arctic Warbler can be seen and winter visitors include Yellow-browed Warbler, Brown Shrike and Taiga Flycatcher. A few other common species occur here including Mynas, Common Iora, Spotted Dove, Coppersmith Barbet, Olive-backed Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Oriental Magpie Robin.

Taiga Flycatcher
(Photo by Peter Ericsson)

Although Phuttamonton Park is in Nakorn Pathom province, it is easily visited from Bangkok which obviously has an abundance of hotels: Bangkok Hotel Reservations. If for any reason one gets stuck in this area there are no doubt a few hotels in the surroundings; failing that just pull up a park bench and sleep with the tramps.

The park is huge and many areas are quite some distance from the few facilites available so it is a good idea to come armed with cold water and some snacks to consume while birding in the heat. However, a variety of snacks, drinks and simple meals can be purchased at the restaurant which is close to the main entrance.

There are a number of clean public toilets dotted around the park and for those who enjoy massed aerobics, anyone can join in the sessions in the early morning near the giant standing Buddha which is apparently the largest in the world.

Lillies