Arlo & Mum Since my daughter Louise gave birth to my first grandchild "Arlo Thomas" in February, Elena and I decided to visit and make his acquaintance on the beautiful island of Koh Lanta in Southern Thailand. Louise and Wade work here as diving instructors. It is a popular SCUBA destination for those who love warm, clear waters, coral reefs, stunning beaches and amazing marine life, including all those brightly colored reef fish but also huge manta rays and whale sharks. Arlo is a delightfully happy boy with a ready smile, probably because he has the perfect Mum.
This is a wildlife/bird blog however so I will post more family photos in the unwinged gallery and continue here with photos of some of the incredible birds of this region.
This is a wildlife/bird blog however so I will post more family photos in the unwinged gallery and continue here with photos of some of the incredible birds of this region.
Koh Lanta
Indian Roller - coracioas benghalensis Our little rented villa turned out to be the perfect residence for bird watching, it being in open woodland on a hill overlooking the sea. Our first hour every morning was spent birdwatching from the comfort of our own balcony. The first bird to mention is the lovely Indian Roller, a common resident of most gardens and a bird we were to see regularly across Thailand and Vietnam.
Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo - dicrurus paradisius It was fun watching our resident pair of Greater Racket Tailed Drongos routinely chasing the Greater Coucal out of "their" tree every morning. The Coucal never seemed to tire of this game but he always backed down in the end.
Drongos, Coucals and Indian Rollers are all common in this region which is interesting as they are all quite large, striking birds. We were to come across other Drongo species and the Lesser Coucal later, but none are as common as their larger more spectacular cousins. I never tired of watching the Drongos with their elongated racket shaped tail feathers. They enjoyed clinging to the trunk of their palm tree for some reason I could never fathom, it was not to feed, or to nest and it looked uncomfortable but they spent quite long periods just clinging to the smooth tree trunk, strange?
Drongos, Coucals and Indian Rollers are all common in this region which is interesting as they are all quite large, striking birds. We were to come across other Drongo species and the Lesser Coucal later, but none are as common as their larger more spectacular cousins. I never tired of watching the Drongos with their elongated racket shaped tail feathers. They enjoyed clinging to the trunk of their palm tree for some reason I could never fathom, it was not to feed, or to nest and it looked uncomfortable but they spent quite long periods just clinging to the smooth tree trunk, strange?
Greater Coucal - centropus sinensis
 Brahminy Kite - haliastur indus |  Greater Racket Tailed Drongos - dicrurus paradisius |
Brahminy Kite - haliastur indus Another large species in our garden area was the resident pair of Brahminy Kites. They roosted in the tall trees behind our house. They were a regular and welcome sight coming and going from their hunting trips. Although they did not appear to be nesting they returned to the same trees every night.
There were of course plenty of smaller birds to be seen but the large species drew our immediate attention. One of the prettiest of the small birds however was this Dark Throated Tailorbird, a tiny and very busy little species that is always flitting around in the trees and bushes. I was therefore quite lucky to get a really nice shot of this one when the light was perfect, it shows off the delicate colours and shape of a really nice little bird.
There were of course plenty of smaller birds to be seen but the large species drew our immediate attention. One of the prettiest of the small birds however was this Dark Throated Tailorbird, a tiny and very busy little species that is always flitting around in the trees and bushes. I was therefore quite lucky to get a really nice shot of this one when the light was perfect, it shows off the delicate colours and shape of a really nice little bird.
Dark Necked Tailorbird - orthotomus atrogularis
Another very attractive small bird is the Olive Backed Sunbird, a very common species but to my eye quite exotic. It is almost hummingbird like as it hovers around the hibiscus flowers drinking nectar. We were to see this species almost everywhere we went, always a pleasure.
Olive Backed Sunbird - nectarinia jugularis
Common Mynah - acridotheres tristis The Common Mynah is quite literally the most common bird in SE Asia. They are everywhere and are fun to watch, being highly intelligent, inquisitive and extremely good mimics. Other mynah species are sometimes caged and taught to "Speak" like a parrot, we saw and heard several examples of this, but I prefer to hear the variety of calls and sounds made by the birds in the wild, where they belong.
Streak Eared Bulbul - pycnonotus melanicterus Another very common bird here is the Streak Eared Bulbul. There are many varieties of Bulbul but this is perhaps the most common and we were fortunate to have a nesting pair right by the house.
The Chestnut headed Bee-eater is the predominant species of this spectacular bird family in the region. We saw them virtually everywhere on our travels and I was able to get some very good photographs. This one was taken in Northern Thailand but there were plenty of these birds to be seen on Koh Lanta. Later we were to find some other, much more exotic Bee-eaters, but they will have to wait for a later blog.
Chestnut Headed bee-eater - merops leschenaulti
Oriental Magpie Robin - copsychus saularis Another common but very attractive bird is the Oriental Magpie Robin. This would be the equivalent perhaps of our European Blackbird or Robin as they are seen in every garden and around human habitation.
Spotted Dove - streptopelia chinensis The Spotted Dove is a common but nice looking bird reminiscent of our Turtle Dove. There is a local variant of the Collared Dove, (the Red Collared Dove) and many other doves and pigeons, but this is a nice one to represent the dove family
Black-naped Oriole - oriolis chinensis This is a poor photograph of a young Black-Naped Oriole, one of several resident in the tall trees behind our house. I wish I had a better picture of this stunning bright yellow bird species, but as Spanish birders will know, like Golden orioles they are very difficult to photograph. Below are a couple of long range shots giving an idea of the golden beauty of the Oriole.
 Black-naped Oriole – oriolis chinensis |  Black-naped Oriole – oriolis chinensis |
Plain Backed Sparrow - passer flaveolus European birders might be surprised to note that the common "Cheeky Chappie" urban sparrow of Thailand is actually the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, which is much more common than the House Sparrow. Neither of which can hold a candle to this chap though, he is called a Plain Backed Sparrow, which does not do him justice in my opinion.
White Terns - gygis alba
This cave is the entrance to a dark tunnel through which we swam (with a headlight) through to a little open paradise in the centre of an outlying island. We swam right underneath this nesting pair of White Terns on a ledge in the tunnel entrance. They were very elegant and quite delicate. I wish I´d had a camera with me in the water for a close-up, but had to be content with this shot from the boat which was some distance away.
On another boat trip we watched Great Egrets sharing the spoils of mudflats in the mangroves with Crab-eating Maqaques. While the monkeys ate crabs the egrets feasted upon mud-skippers, a type of fish that leaves the water to "walk" around on the mud banks.
On another boat trip we watched Great Egrets sharing the spoils of mudflats in the mangroves with Crab-eating Maqaques. While the monkeys ate crabs the egrets feasted upon mud-skippers, a type of fish that leaves the water to "walk" around on the mud banks.
 Mud Skipper |  Great Egret and Crab-eating Maquaque |
Crab-Eating Macaques - macaca fascicularis
