A New Favourite

Didn’t have the motivation to finish the piece on my 3 day trip to Chiang Rai. Since I did post most of the relevant pictures on my twitter. Maybe I’ll finish it off later but now I’m more compelled to write about my new favourite park in Bangkok. I only recently went to Benjakitti for the second time, 2 weeks ago, and the past 2 days I’ve spent nearly 10 hours here and have gotten the hang of the place.

2 Weeks ago, the major highlight was this Black Bittern, upon returning yesterday, I managed to see it again! And today, I did see it briefly in flight. I must be quite lucky with this bird, as nobody else has sighted it since it’s been here, and I’ve seen it 3 out of 3 times.

The second sighting of Black Bittern was an unforgettable one, as it consumed a medium-sized fish before disappearing into the reeds. It sort of climbed into them.

Black Bittern, amazing sighting from yesterday.

Yesterday I also saw Cinnamon Bittern and Yellow alongside the Black. This Bangkok park holds all three!

As well as the Bitterns, the park holds a healthy number of Reed Warblers. In the past 2 days I’ve witnessed many Black-browed Reed Warblers, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Thick-billed Warbler and Oriental Reed Warbler without too much trouble. It will stay an incredible place for them if they don’t keep cutting down the reeds, which they happen to do. I’m still listening out for a Lanceolated Warbler here at the park but it’s been recorded by others.

Yesterday’s Oriental Reed Warbler sighting.

Weather has been absolutely amazing recently with cool winds and overcast middays, so I picked a good time visit. Today, I was going to twitch the Chinese Blackbird at my old favourite park but it wasn’t showing today, unfortunately. But they day was well spent at my new favourite park. What initially sparked the interest to this park in the past week was sighting of Garganey. I haven’t found any but found a lot of other birds!