Friday 15/10/21 - Khueang Kham- Nong Hoi rice paddies, Yasothon

A two hour session yielded some 46 species: -

2 Lesser Whistling Duck

2 Cotton Pygmy Goose

Feral Pigeons 

2 Red Collared Dove

3 Spotted Dove

20 Zebra Dove

1 Plaintive Cuckoo

6 Germains Swiftlet

8 Asian Palm Swift

1 Little Ringed Plover

3 Common/Pin-tailed Snipe

2 Common Sandpiper

2 Wood Sandpiper

18 Asian Openbill

5 Great Egret

3 Intermediate Egret

25 Little Egret

4 Cattle Egret

15 Chinese Pond Heron

2 Black-winged Kite

1 Eastern Marsh Harrier (imm)

6 Brahminy Kite

20 Green Bee-Eater

1 Indochinese Roller

3 Malaysian Pied Fantail

20 Black Drongo

6 Brown Shrike

1 Racket-tailed Treepie

15 Large-billed Crow

3 Plain Prinia

2 Zitting Cisticola

2 Barn Swallow

2 Black-collared Starling

4 Common Myna

20 Great Myna

1 Oriental Magpie-Robin

3 Amur Stonechat

2 Pied Bushchat

3 Olive-backed Sunbird

30 Baya Weaver

10 Asian Golden Weaver

5 Scaly-breasted Munia

6 House Sparrow

3 Plain-backed Sparrow

12 Eurasian Tree Sparrow

4 Paddyfield Pipit

I dont normally input a full list of all the common stuff from Pauls observations but did this today to give a fuller picture- especially as this is a better than usual count for any site in Yasothon. Paul is presently looking out in particular for Pied Harrier on the local scene, as Pen thought she had a perched male recently while out driving on a shopping run.

Regards,

Mike P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11/10/21 Kut Chum local patch

During a brief mooch around the local patch Paul recorded the first returning wintering eastern stonechat in one of the rice fields. Ebird now calls this form Amur Stonechat, the fieldguide calls it Japanese Stonechat, and in the U.K. it appears to be called Stejnegers Stonechat. This is a common overwintering bird here and if we ever get back visiting there I shall just go with the flow and log it as Amur Stonechat accordingly.

12/10/21 Kut Chum local patch

Among some 26 species this morning Paul scored with two province firsts in the shape of 1 Eastern Crowned Warbler, (an overdue passage species for which we have been searching for some time) and an Indochinese Blue Flycatcher - better known previously under its former name - Hill Blue Flycatcher.

The local patch list is now up to 97 species and onto 185 species for the province (Yes I know- behind Elton and Pennington Flash, but this is Yasothon - a birding black hole until Paul and I started recording here).

Regards,

Mike P.

 

06/10/21 Kut Chum, Yasothon

Paul has noticed more snakes around/in the garden of late, - (this being a regular and quite normal feature during the current rainy season).The best recent record being a Spitting Cobra in the garden, with a smaller probably harmless species brought into the kitchen by the cats this morning. The cats appeared endlessly fascinated by it and gathered in a huddle close by as if seeking approval for their initiative.

Pha Nam Yoi Forest Park

Rather naughtily Paul and Pen drove over the border into Roí Et this morning to the above no hunting area of forest with its huge temple complex and recorded a dozen species there the best of which were:

1 Shikra, 6 Ashy Drongos (all of the pale form), 2 Black- naped Monarchs, 1 Asian Brown Flycatcher, 2 Hainan Blue Flycatchers, 1 Blue Rock Thrush, and best of the lot - his first ever Blue and White Flycatcher (male) a passage migrant through here and a possible province first record.

On the minus side the Black - naped Oriole from last week was not a first but a second for Yasothon province.

Regards,

Mike P.

 

 

 

 

26/09/21 Yasothon Pools

A visit this morning produced 26 of the regular species among which were a single Watercock and a Lesser Coucal, but also included more winter visitors - 5 Brown Shrikes and a seasonal first - an Asian Brown Flycatcher.

In neighbouring Roí Et province to the west the very active resident birder (Shaun Green) has recorded the first of the common wintering stonechats as a Stejnegeri. While wintering stonechats are very common across Pauls rice fields we have always simply recorded them as Eastern Stonechats in view of the acknowledged difficulty of differentiating between Maura and Stejnegeri, although on wintering range according to the field guide these birds should be of the latter (sub?)species. Just to complicate matters, the fieldguide gives them the name Japanese Stonechat.

Birding somehow seems to be ever more complicated (I hear some talk lately of splitting Dunnocks?!)

Cheers,

Mike P.

 

Thursday 23/09/21 - Kut Chum, Yasothon

Another window strike this morning,- Paul encountered a stunned accipiter outside the kitchen window which fortunately flew off once one of the cats started showing an unhealthy curiosity.

In gloomy wet conditions Paul managed a single quite good photograph before it departed, and I hope to have this here on the thread soon for comment. There is a degree of head scratching as regards identification as there are 4/5 small accipiters from which to choose in Thailand and in my opinion these birds can often be more readily identified in flight than when perched or grounded. 

As a starting point the possibilities are: Shikra, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Besra, or Eurasian Sparrowhawk. My own view is that it appears to be a juvenile, most likely of Shikra, (the commonest small accipiter here), based mainly on head, neck and throat pattern. Three obvious tail bars on show (as a minimum), combined with white vent/undertail coverts appears to be common to all 5 candidates, so is perhaps of little use.

Paul will solicit views from Thai birders but any thoughts anyone here may have are welcome.

Regards,

Mike P.

@from Paul: Having seen several both adult and juvenile Shikra before my own feeling is that this bird is too dark for Shikra but all suggestions welcome.

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Friday 24th of September 2021 12:48:43 AM

19/09/21 - Kut Chum, Yasothon

Paul found a new bird for the garden today in the form of a Hainan Blue Flycatcher lying dead beneath the living room window. He found the first province record of this fine species earlier in the year, and I once had a probable some years ago with rear views of a calling individual which denied me a clinching front view, and which I had to leave as unidentified.

No doubt the species will prove to be quite common with regular coverage of the local habitats.

Regards,

Mike P.

 

17/09/21 Yasothon Province

Driving locally yesterday Paul noted a roadside perched Rufous-winged Buzzard and managed a couple of opportunistic photos of this distinctive raptor. As he remarks, this is the closest one to the home patch which he has so far found after the first record for the province earlier this year. When we first saw one back in 2017 it was in Thailands eastern extremity in Pha Taem National Park by the Mekong river overlook and immediately reminded us of a pale-eyed outsize Kestrel.

Photos to follow hopefully.

Regards,

Mike P.

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Saturday 18th of September 2021 08:37:01 AM

photos of Barred Buttonquail...

03/09/21 Wednesday

-Chatted with Paul this morning. His foot is much better and he has been catching up on chores around the farm so birding has had to take a back seat for a while. As the main fields produce more than sufficient rice, his latest project (now underway) is to re wild the small higher fields and is planting hundreds of assorted native trees which in this climate will provide good habitat in a relatively short time frame.

Regards,

Mike P.

 

 

No updates to post over recent days as Paul is nursing a bruised and lacerated foot presently (due to birding in flip flops).

Cheers,
Mike P.

Monday 16/08/21 - Tambon Khueang Kham, Yasothon

Paul returned to this site yesterday hoping to obtain closer shots of the previous days Temmincks Stint but it had not returned after being flushed by the farmer. Paul had earlier managed a few very distant shots of it shuffling about on the mud but best of all (as it flew off) had captured a clinching rear view shot of quite plain brownish wings and the obvious clean white outer tail feathers.

As consolation however he found a new mix of additional species: - 2 Pacific Golden Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Marsh Sandpiper keeping company with the usual culprits - 7 Black-winged Stilts, a Little Ringed Plover, and 2 Common and 9 Wood Sandpipers and an Oriental Pratincole. The first three species again are new for the province, with potential though for many further additions over coming weeks.

Best Wishes,

Mike P.

 

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 04:18:43 PM

Hi Mike,
I wondered what input you were looking for. Did you mean theres a chance it might not be a Cinnamon Bittern, b cause it certainly looks like one judging by the images alone.
Cheers

Saturday 14/08/2021

Tambon Song Pueai (canal bridge) Yasothon.

A great find this morning by Pen whilst out driving with Paul; - she drew Pauls attention to a party of 5 bee-eaters which they identified as Blue-throated, comprising 2 adults and 3 juveniles. These are rare passage migrants in the Isaan region and new for Yasothon province. The last record this far east apparently was 16 years ago in Mukdahan.

Regards,

Mike P.

 

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Sunday 15th of August 2021 09:37:37 AM

Thursday, 12/08/21

Yasothon Pools hosted four Whiskered Terns this morning, one of which was an adult moulting out of winter plumage. Im pretty sure that these are site firsts for Paul.

As regards Yasothon Province as a whole, he has now added 55 species to the list since the turn of the year, and since early 2017 between us we have boosted the province list by 114 species which demonstrates what a birding backwater this was up to that time.
Paul has photos of a small bittern species from the same Yasothon Pools site earlier this week which is puzzling us as it appears to be far too dark for either Cinnamon Bittern or Yellow Bittern and on probability is possibly a juv. or female Black Bittern, though we are puzzled by the extent of white spots on the very dark mantle with stronger white streaking on the shoulders, and sporting a blackish cap. (The bill and facial pattern broadly follow the typical small Bittern format shared by Black, Cinnamon, Yellow, and Schrencks Bitterns). 

He regularly sees Black Bitterns locally (even flying several times recently over the garden compound) but has no experience of juvenile plumages, and I have yet to see the species in Thailand as I have never visited in summer when they are breeding in the country. Neither of us has any experience of Schrencks Bittern which we discount as very unlikely here in late summer. I have asked him to mail me photos and I shall TRY to get them onto this thread for opinions please.

Best Wishes,

Mike P.

P.S.

(A Whiskered Tern in GM again would be welcome).

 

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Friday 13th of August 2021 11:33:38 AM

Friday, 23/07/21

Paul headed east for a mornings birding at several sites in Amnat Charoen, adding a few more species to his personal list for this province, the best of which were 2 Racket-tailed Treepies, 4 Wire-tailed Swallows, a Little Spiderhunter, and found yet another breeding site for Blue-winged Pitta (1 seen).

Sunday, 25/07/21 - Huai Aeng

Lured west into Roí Et province by a report by the leading patch worker there, Paul caught up with the target 3 Painted Storks there, and was rewarded by early signs of wader movements with 9 Black-winged Stilts, 5 Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Wood Sandpipers, approximately 300 Oriental Pratincoles ( many of which were juveniles), and best of all - a River Lapwing.

This morning, Tuesday 27/07/21

 Khok Yai Reservoir, Yasothon, - 3 Common Sandpipers.

Regards,

Mike P.

Wednesday 21/07/21

Paul related a little story this lunchtime:-

He had had a drive out to Yasothon Pools yesterday and had noted a Grey Heron on site about half a mile away, (unusual in the summer), so had walked back to his car to get his tripod, intending to take some photos. To his surprise the tripod wasnt there in the back where he normally kept it.

He phoned Pen back at home and after a quick but thorough search she confirmed that it wasnt there either. Thinking back, Paul realised that he had last used his tripod whilst photographing a Yellow Bittern four days previously over in Roí Et province, so he drove west into Roí Et and began retracing his movements searching the rice fields and wetland habitats but without any luck at all.

He returned home annoyed with himself for being so careless. The tripod would cost about £800 to replace, but more than that it had been with him in around 45 countries over the last 17 years and so meant a lot to him.

On arriving home, feeling really down, Pen took things in hand -Come on, well go back and find it!

They drove back the 80 kilometres into Roí Et and knocked on the door of the first house in the first village in that area. There they were told that a local man on a motorbike had been all round the lakeside villages asking people if they knew anything about a strange object that he had found in the marshes and he also left his name and address in case anyone should come looking for it!

Following directions given, Pen (with Paul in tow) found 4 fishermen in a boat, one of whom turned out to be the finder of Pauls tripod. The man had sat by the tripod for two hours after finding it in case the owner should return before deciding to take it home, where it now was. The man declined to accept any money, - for him this was just normal behaviour on his part. At his home in one of the nearby villages Paul gratefully accepted the return of his tripod and did manage to at least press upon the family 1000 baht for the 3 smiling children there.

Paul was pleased beyond measure, not just at the return of his tripod but more about what this says about the people of Isaan and how fortunate he is to live among them, and indeed to be married to one as well.

Regards to all,

Mike P.

 

 

Friday 09/07/2021

With no migration yet Paul has been enjoying some easy list building and site exploration in neighbouring provinces Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani to the south and east of Yasothon.

Attached (provided I dont mess it up!) is a decent record shot of a Crested (= Oriental) Honey Buzzard which he photographed recently in April in Pha Taem Nat. Pk. Ubon Ratchathani. This species may be of interest to those of you who possibly have seen this species in Israel where it is noted annually these days in small numbers amid hundreds of thousands of migrating Honey Buzzards, after famously being recorded as a West Paleactic first in 1994 by Hadoram Shirihai whilst photographing migrants from a mountaintop hide above Eilat.
Groundbreaking i/d papers by Dick Forsman and Hadoram were published highlighting the key differences from Honey Buzzard, these mainly centred upon Crested Honey Buzzard showing six rather than five distinct primary fingers lack of blackish carpal patches on the underwing, and birds being 5/10 % bulkier than Honey Buzzards.

I have found that the main confusion species in Asia can be the similarly sized Changeable Hawk -Eagle, especially when briefly glimpsed passing overhead through trees, when birds often end up as raptor sp !

Regards,

Mike P.

 

A dragonfly species which I photographed on the floor of Paul and Pens kitchen in 2018 has been identified as a female of Neurothemis tullía (with a few English names :-Blackspot Widow, Pied Percher, etc.)

Thanks are due to Richard Gabb for his help and expertise. I recall seeing the species regularly on my riverside morning walks. In terms of its habitat preferences, Richard tells me that it haunts pond edges in lowland areas, and open wasteland.

Regards,

Mike P.

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Friday 25th of June 2021 06:39:15 PM

24/06/2021 Thursday

Yesterday Paul undertook a shortish jaunt into Mukdahan province immediately to the north of Yasothon. Mukdahan is arguably the least enthralling birding destination in Thailand. We were last there on an exploratory basis in Phu Mu Forest park when we recorded a thrilling 6 species and vowed never to return. Ironically our record of a Green- billed Malkoha was a province first.

However there are other sites;- Paul visited several new areas which included Phu Sa Doi Búa National Park, Phu Pha Thoep National Park in the morning and later several sites which he had identified as worthy of a look- Tambon Na Si Nuan Chang Wat, Nong Lom Noi, and Tambon Lao Mi. He recorded in total 41 species new for his own list for the province, three of which (Cinnamon Bittern, Little Spiderhuner, and Plain Flowerpecker) had never previously been noted in Mukdahan. The effect of this lifts Mukdahan into 75th place in the national rankings!

Earlier in the year (February) Jan Peter Kelder, another European expat, had added no less than 20 new species to the province list, and Wachara Sanguansombat a further 6 species. No doubt further exploration will pay dividends.

Among Pauls sightings yesterday the most noteworthy were probably Wire-tailed Swallow, Eurasian Jay (white-faced form) White-throated Kingfisher, Lineated Barbet, and the eternally underwhelming Plain Flowerpecker.

Regards,

Mike P.

June 2nd Wednesday

Regarding the wider scene in Thailand, the current leading year lister for 2021 (ie on the Ebirder recording setup) is Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok who has uploaded some mouth watering superb photos of the scarce Rufous-bellied Eagle at the nest with young. He also obtained a flight shot of the adult which certainly is the finest depiction of this species that I have ever seen. He also uploaded excellent photos of Golden-throated Barbet, the quite common species to be seen in the Doi Pha Hom Pok Nat. Pk which we visited back in 2019.

I have been enjoying his recent article on the separation of Blyths, White-tailed, and Claudias Warblers in the field and realised that a lilting song I was hearing repeatedly on our last trip was that of Blyths Warbler and not of Claudias Warbler as I had thought.

As regards the relatively less exciting lands in the Isaan region, Paul has added a few more species to his Roí Et list and for Yasothon a new species in the shape of White-bellied Erpornis (formerly known as White-bellied Yuhina).

Cheers,

Mike P.

20/05/2021- Yasothon Province

A return visit to the Bhoong Khla Community Forest site in the provinces eastern extremity on 19th proved fruitless.

Paul had some days previously heard vocalisations from an unidentified woodpecker which he had hoped to track down, but it was not to be. By way of consolation, on 20th while out shopping he discovered a Golden-headed Cisticola singing behind his local Tesco Lotus in Kut Chum, and later a Black Bittern which flew over the garden compound in the late afternoon, - both local patch ticks.

Regards,

Mike P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, 07/05/21

-Chatted with Paul this morning, mainly exchanging bird news as to whats around in UK, and my 7 hour stint yesterday morning at one of my local sites in Co. Durham, just missing by two species my best previous morning count.

He has discovered yet another site in Yasothon for more Blue-winged Pittas and managed some record shots taken in the deep forest shade of an individual bird bathing in a small shallow pool amid the leaf litter. Although the photos as such would be seen as rather poor, one shot shows clearly what he described to me. After bathing, the bird did a complete back flip which would do credit to Tom Daley, and he has managed flukily to capture it horizontal to the ground and upside down in mid air.

Regards to all in GM,

Mike P.

 

 

23/24th April,

The COVID situation in Isaan region is not as dire as in the Bangkok environs, and accordingly Yasothon and its nearest provinces are not designated as red zones. The effect of this is that although everyone has to wear masks (even in cars) travel into Yasothons immediately adjacent provinces is allowed for the present.

Paul ventured for the first time into Si Sa Ket province immediately south from Yasothon to spend a couple of days birding the Huai Sala Wildlife Sanctuary, closeup against the Cambodian border. He recorded an enjoyable 75 species exploring new sites and although he saw no new species for his Thailand list, he did record species he has yet to find in Yasothon such as Large-tailed Nightjar, Dollarbird, and Racket-tailed Treepie (though he may now have recorded the latter in Yasothon, - Im not quite sure offhand).

Si Sa Ket does have hidden gems with resident Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo seen recently, as well as Japanese Thrush possible in the winter months, and with patience Great Slaty Woodpecker is a realistic expectation.

25/04/21 - Back on home ground yesterday a site which Paul has been watching regularly of late, Huai Thom produced a Little Cormorant, generally a common enough species, but another first for Yasothon Province with a nice support cast of 3 Oriental Darters, 12 Oriental Pratincoles, and a distinctive looking Little Ringed Plover.

His photographs show a flooded area with rotten emergent tree stumps dotted across a lake setting with Darters and Cormorant looking completely at home. The Little Ringed Plover photographs show a long legged creature with an extra large eye ring and a black well defined collar of even width (rather like a thick hoop). The bird would certainly stand out from the crowd in a European context, and I assume is of a different sub species.

Regards,

Mike P.

-- Edited by Mike Passant on Monday 26th of April 2021 10:55:14 PM

Saturday 17/04/21

Depressing news from Paul in Kut Chum this morning;- a resurgence of COVID infections across Thailand, seemingly radiating out from Bangkok and coinciding with Thai New Year celebrations (with many people travelling accordingly) has resulting in a sudden lockdown by way of response.

Pauls birding is therefore limited to Yasothon province for the time being. As the only active resident birder in the province his local patch work can carry on for the present subject to commonsense distancing disciplines.

Though Barb and I have now had both our vaccinations a visit to Thailand looms no nearer......

Regards,

Mike P.