Whilst staying at Ao Nang, Krabi,
my girlfriend, Srasri, and I decided to go for an evening
paddle at Hat Nopparat
Thara to wade out to one of the small islands there
and to watch the sunset. When we arrived the tide was coming
in, but it was still possible to get all the way out to the
nearest island. I took my binoculars as I'd heard reports
of small numbers of Pale-capped Pigeon roosting on the islands.
Bird
Watching Trips:
Southern Thailand trips are usually best between February
and June but combining birding with a beach holiday
is always possible and a few day trips from either Phuket
or Khao lak can usually turn up some excellent birds.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
We arrived by car and as I was waiting for Srasri to change
into her swimsuit I watched the ubiquitous Eurasian Tree Sparrows
jumping around in the company of a few Common Mynas. To my
amazement, as the sparrows were fighting over some scraps
of food left by nearby picnicers, a small male Japanese Sparrowhawk
swooped in low through the trees but aborted its effort when
it realised it was surrounded by noisy people!
Finally we
were ready to get out onto the beach where we quickly spotted
a Common Sandpiper and a single dark form Pacific Reef Egret
by the water's edge. As we waded towards the nearest offshore
island Srasri spotted a Brahminy Kite overhead. The water
started to get a bit deep, and with the tide coming in we
decided to stop where we were and swim. However, my attention
was quickly drawn by a small party of pigeons flying in from
the North. Unfortunately I couldn't identify them but waited
in hope of more coming in. I wasn't disappointed as a few
more arrived from the same direction and this time a caught
sight of the pinkish cap of a Pale-capped Pigeon as it landed.
As I was celebrating this sighting Srasri called to me to
say that there were some birds coming from behind us. As they
flew past we could quite easily see, without the use of binoculars,
that these too were Pale-capped Pigeons; eight more birds
in fact.
Over the next half an hour we counted a minimum of 27 individuals
of this species flying to this island to roost. Most of these
birds came so close that we were easily able to observe and
count them as we swam in the warm water; the setting sun added
to the atmosphere as did the harsh call of a Collared Kingfisher.
At around 6.30pm we walked back to the car where a Large-billed
Crow seemed to be waiting to see us safely off to Ao Nang
for a shower and dinner.
Nick Upton
Species list
Feral Pigeon Spotted Dove Zebra Dove Pale-capped Pigeon Common Sandpiper Pacific Reef Egrey Japanese Sparrowhawk Brahminy Kite
Collared Kingfisher Pacific Swallow Streak-eared Bulbul Large-billed Crow Common Myna Oriental Magpie Robin Olive-backed Sunbird Eurasian Tree Sparrow
If you are interested in arranging a bird
watching tour you can see some suggested itineraries here
- Birdwatching
Trips - and you can contact me at the above email address
to discuss the best options.
Central
Mongolia , 20th May-3rd June 2021 - Black-billed
Capercaillie, Oriental Plover, Henderson's Ground Jay, Azure
Tit, Pallas's Sandgrouse: Contact
me for details
Thailand
Raptor Migration, 26th Oct-5th Nov 2021 -
Black Baza, Grey-faced Buzzard, Pied Harrier, Lesser Fish
Eagle, Spoon-billed Sandpiper: Contact
me for details
Central
Mongolia , 20th May-3rd June 2021 - Black-billed
Capercaillie, Oriental Plover, Henderson's Ground Jay, Azure
Tit, Pallas's Sandgrouse: 
Thailand
Raptor Migration, 26th Oct-5th Nov 2021 -
Black Baza, Grey-faced Buzzard, Pied Harrier, Lesser Fish
Eagle, Spoon-billed Sandpiper: 
South
Korea, 5-17th January 2022 - Steller's Sea
Eagle, Relict Gull, Red-crowned Crane, White-naped Crane,
Baikal Teal, Solitary Snipe, Asian Rosy Finch: 
