Birds!

Good birding. Got one!

Finally! After almost two months of crappy birding, things seem to be turning around a little. I have no idea of the reason for this, other than maybe the Thais don't eat every single bird in the area (unlike China, Laos, and Cambodia). I know that's a gross overstatement, but it certainly has seemed that way sometimes. There have been maybe 3 or 4 species to be seen in most cities we've been in (sometimes even less -- just Eurasian Tree Sparrows). Things started to turn around in Bangkok, where in addition to the regulars (Common Myna, Rock Pigeon, and Tree Sparrow), I also saw Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers, Coppersmith Barbets, and Large-billed Crows. Oh, and I totally forgot to mention what my first bird in Thailand was -- right when we crossed the border from Cambodia; White-bellied Sea-Eagle!

We've travelled through hundreds of miles of rice paddies and fields since we left Beijing, and most of them (except around Dali, China) have been virtually empty of birdlife. Yesterday we were heading from Pak Chong to Ayuthaya on the train (more on that in the next post), and suddenly I saw a few large birds out in the fields. Then a couple birds on the telephone lines. Then some large birds in the trees -- there were birds everywhere! Birding from a moving vehicle is fairly difficult (obviously), but the next 30 minutes until we stopped in Ayuthaya were the most productive birding I'd done the entire trip up to that point. There were all sorts of goodies; Javan Pond Herons, Asian Openbills (a type of stork), Black-winged Stilts, Drongos, Indian Cormorants, Great Egrets, White-vented Mynas, Indian Rollers, etc, plus a whole slew of birds I simply couldn't ID at 55 kilometers an hour. I was thrilled, needless to say.

Ayuthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand (Siam), and there are ruins all over the town. We were wandering around last night (literally, since we were lost), and a Collared Scops-owl chattered from the antennae of a house across the street. Then he sat there and let us both get a great look at him!

Today, we checked out some of the ruins in the center of town, which are very well situated in a vast "historical park" of trees and ponds and grass. The birding continued to be great, with Lineated Barbets excavating nest cavities, Red-collared Doves, Common Ioras, Indian Rollers, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Pied Fantails, Oriental Magpie-Robins and more. Ah... I'm happy.

We're heading north tomorrow night, enroute to Chaing Mai and Chiang Dao. I'm hoping the birding continues to be good.

Alrighty. 'Nuff said.

=Matt!


Cool bus.