I’ve been trying my luck at the White’s Thrush which I didn’t manage to see last year. This year is looking like more of the same but I’m seeing some other cool birds at Phutthamonthon anyway. In the past 3 days, I put in 12 hours and I don’t really expect to see White’s Thrush anymore, it’s too good at hide and seek.
Yesterday’s reward for spending so much time at the park was a hard-to-come-by migrant at this time of year, Green-backed Flycatcher. I managed to find it just before the heavy rains stormed in (and it was nowhere to be found after this).
Today my family were around the area so I used the opportunity for a couple hours at the park again. I wasn’t going to checklist but after stumbling across another Violet Cuckoo, I had to! The Violet Cuckoo was showing very well amongst the flock of Minivets.
Skipping back to yesterday, I wasn’t feeling hopeful for White’s after arriving at 9am. They were cutting the grass around all the potential areas which means it would’ve been disturbed 100%. I felt better after seeing my first Reticulated Python, it was trying to eat a Striated Heron. After this exciting sight I saw a patch tick in the form of an Oriental Darter.
Back to today, alongside Violet Cuckoo, Asian Emerald Cuckoo was also present and I took probably my favourite picture this year. Partly due to the fact I didn’t notice that the Lesser Racket-Tailed Drongo was in the same frame. I’ve been fortunate to have encountered the Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo pretty much every visit since trying to find White’s Thrush. It’s usually with the large mixed flock of Minivets and Drongos. The Chrysococcyx Cuckoos often not too far away.
I hadn’t seen the Oriental Scops-Owls for a while but today ended that drought and it was nice to see them again. In the 2 hours I was there I saw a lot of birds, other notables include Orange-headed Thrush and Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, photos of the latter can be found on my iNaturalist.
Returning home, I went to quickly seek out the Large Blue Flycatcher at Rotfai Park. Sadly, it seemed to have left the site, but I did see an Orange-headed Thrush. The highlight, though, was a super confiding Malayan Night-Heron. The guards told it to smile when I took its picture.
Because it was so friendly I managed to document it with a short video:
The past week or so has been very action-packed at mainly Phutthamonthon Park. I wonder if a White’s Thrush is on the horizon, I won’t hold my breath!
All images and video © 2022 Sam Hambly.
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