We lift our hotel at first light to try again for the Bush Larks, and thankfully this time we succeeded in finding a trio of Horsfield’s Bush-Larks. During the process of finding these we stumbled across two Siberian Rubythroats and a Pin-tailed Snipe.
Next up was Mae Ai paddies where a lovely flock of ca. 25 Yellow-breasted Buntings were found, and a Wryneck was a surprise encounter. Tha Ton paddies were next and at a GPS location kindly provided by Nick Gardner, all we could muster were 49 Small Pratincoles, 3 Horsfield’s Bush-Larks but no Jerdon’s Bushchat, but a better chance tomorrow hopefully.
We then drove the 90 minutes NE to Chiang Saen (including a short stop to remove a tick from my arm) where we enjoyed a quick paddle in the Mekong River, before taking a boat trip out onto Chiang Saen Lake, where we enjoyed good views of several Indian Spot-billed Ducks, many Ferruginous Ducks and couple of other Duck species. It was then time to head for Ban Wamakno for the Pied Harrier roost. Before the 70+ birds arrived we had a bit of good fortune when a Thick-billed Warbler decided to show where we had parked. The Harrier roost was just excellent. At one time I could see 40 Pied Harriers (mostly males) circling in front of me.
On our way back just after dark a small number of Indian Nightjars were found alongside Chiang Saen Lake. We ended up at a very plush hotel in Chiang Saen, where hopefully a good rest will ensue with a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.
Highlights for the day are as follows:
Ruddy Shelduck - 2
Indian Spot-billed Duck (L) - 119
Ferruginous Duck - 60
Pochard - 2
Tufted Duck - 1
Purple Heron - 5
Eastern Marsh Harrier - 6
Pied Harrier - 70+
Crested Goshawk - 1
Pin-tailed Snipe - 1
Small Pratincole - 49
Asian Koel - 2
Indian Nightjar - 4
Wryneck - 1
Siberian Rubythroat - 2
White-shouldered Starling - 1
Chestnut-tailed Starling - 50
Oriental Reed Warbler - 1
Thick-billed Warbler (L) - 1
Horsfield’s Bush-Lark (L) - 8
Oriental Skylark - 1
Paddyfield Pipit - 2
Yellow-breasted Bunting - 25
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| Yellow-breasted Buntings at Mae Ai Paddies |
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| Wryneck at Mae Ai Paddies |
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| Ferruginous Ducks at Chiang Saen Lake |
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| Indian Spot-billed Ducks at Chiang Saen Lake |
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| Thick-billed Warbler at Wat Komnaram |
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| Pied Harrier at Wat Komnaram |
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| Fang Paddies - Horsfield's Bush Lark field. |
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The River Kok - a site traditionally good for Jerdon's
Bushchat, but increased disturbance has resulted in
fewer sightings here.
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| Chiang Saen Lake |
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Another boat trip meant more Ducks
for the trip list.
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| The Mekong River - Laos in the backround |
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| Sunset at the Pied Harrier roost |
