Raptor Watch, Chumphon

What a joy to return to school after a two week break to learn that Friday was a public holiday. A four day week thanks to King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V, whose anniversary falls on 23rd October. In short King Chulalongkorn is regarded as one of the most important Thai monarchs, reigning from 1868 until his death in 1910. He resisted French imperialistic claims and is widely hailed as the guardian of Thai sovereignty and independence. I believe the musical/movie, The King and I,is loosely based on his life and that his relationship with his English guardian/teacher is the subject of the movie Anna and the King. There are many monuments and memorials in honour of King Chulalongkorn throughout Thailand, indeed one of Thailand's most prestigious university's is named in his honour and for the public holiday most public buildings bore his portrait.

With my friend Damian sending me texts from the Raptor Watch in Chumphon Luna gave her blessing for another trip down south. Chumphon is perhaps a a misnomer as the watch site, Radar Hill, is in Prachuap Khiri Khan province about 80 kms north of Chumphon. Of course I had to make a diversion via Khao Yoi and Laem Pak Bia in the hope of setting my sights on the spoon-billed sandpiper, calidris pygmeus, which is one of the most sought after birds in Thailand and sadly a highly endangered species. Records suggest its arrival is now due so off I went in the hope of being able to report the first sighting for the winter.

I am not sure about trophy birds like this. Is it right to go in search of this fellow and ignore everything else? I regret to say once I reached Laem Pak Bia I did and it is perhaps fitting that not only  did I not see it but also that I got stuck in the mud and needed to get help to get out!

I had a great scout around Khao Yoi which was alive with the regulars, including a fair number of juveniles which will hopefully mature into fine looking pheasant tailed jacanas and moorhens. In fact a combination of a late start and then time spent in Khao Yoi meant I rushed to Laem Pak Bia. I think with hindsight calidris pygmeus merits significantly more respect. The highlights were a first sighting of a female mugimaki flycatcher,  ficedula mugimaki, in the Khao Yoi swamp and elsewhere I counted 21 painted stork and 48 as yet unidentified terns.

In my enthusiasm for calidris pygmeus I drove onto a gravel area by a salt pan, 20 yards off the highway and then onto some mud as I caught sight of a huddle of small sized shorebirds. Rear wheels revolving but no traction. Now what follows is why Thailand can be such an amazing place. Back home some one would have been rubbing their greedy hands with glee because my misfortune would have undoubtedly presented an opportunity to make a few quid. A couple of salt pan workers stopped their bikes, flagged down a couple of their buddies, took off their sandals and went into the mud and pushed me out. Thank you very much. I hasten to add they were very reluctant to take a small pourboire from me.

So I got unstuck and decided to head south to Radar Hill without any further ado.

The Raptor Watch, www.thairaptorgroup.com , is in its eighth year I believe and is a great example of local and international concern mobilising scientific, political and public interest in the cause of raptors, birds of prey such as buzzards, bazas, hawks, shikras and eagles. Radar Hill is at a perfect elevation to watch the annual south bound migration of these birds form the Eastern palearctic winter, that is Russia east of the Ural mountains, China & Japan, to the warmer climes of the tropics.

There are quite literally thousands of birds in transit and at any given time during daylight hours these birds can be seen moving south. My friend Damian  has been assisting in the count and specifically helping the main scientist, Robert de Candido, aka Birding Bob of Central Park, NYC, who is leading the count and scientific analysis. A number of Dr de Candido's papers are in the public domain and make fascinating reading. Bob  is a great guy and a real authority on raptors and birds in general and very adept at translating the science into plain English. So what better place to be for a couple of days?

I got to Radar Hill about 4:00 pm Friday afternoon and there were a lot of people there including TV cameras who were shooting Thailand's celebrity TV natural world show presenter. I don't know who he is or anything about his show but he is boyishly handsome sporting a cool ear ring and he had an entourage of teenage girls with braces acting goofy and star struck. Kinda cute but frustrating. Nothing noteworthy on the bird front either. So the team decided to head to Pencil Hill, towards Chumphon, for Saturday for better viewing and to avoid the anticipated crowds on Radar Hill.

I really like the set up at Radar Hill. Nearby there is a hotel with 250 baht rooms, basically a bed, a shower, a toilet and a fan. Now in truth I don't need much else. The room and bedding is perfectly clean. Moreover, Noi, a keen supporter of the raptor watch with an eye like the proverbial hawk, runs the restaurant next door and he provides three substantial meals a day for 120 baht. Friday night we ate a delicious fish called wahoo, acanthocybium solandri , or bla een see chang as the Thais call it. Noi's food is really the equivalent of French peasant cooking, in a word it is aroi which means delicious in Thai. This is because it is lovingly prepared with thought, time and care. Food really is a big thing in Thailand.

Saturday at Pencil Hill was excellent. The local raptorologists led by Chukiat Nualsri, have managed to get the mayor interested in the project and as a result funding has been provided to develop access to and facilities at the site. I had a pleasant day with Damian, Bob and his colleague Deborah Allen and we saw in excess of 1000 black bazas in migration, plus many grey faced buzzards, japanese and chinese sparrow hawks, shikras and a considerable number of blue tailed bee-eaters and dollar birds. The highlight  for me, however, was when Bob told us there was "something interesting" coming over the saddle of the hill, "Maybe some crows" he added. About 30 seconds later yellow bills emerged and  I heard "hornbills" but wasn't sure if they were saying "red" or "great". I didn't think there was a red hornbill so assumed we had great hornbills. It was neither, we had two male wreathed hornbills also on a southbound migration. Unfortunately the hornbills dropped down and got lost in the plantation greenery but the photographers cleaned up so to speak.

This was a real international gathering, a lot of Thais, including Chukiat himself, some Malaysians, some Taiwanese, a Scot, an American, a South African and a Canadian plus a bundle of expensive photographic hard ware. Never seem so many 500 mm lenses in my life! Most of all a really happy atmosphere.

I had a quick bite to eat at Noi's and headed home just after 18:00h arriving just after 22:00h. Much as I enjoyed the birds and the company I really missed Luna & Benedict. I love the way my little boy sits or lies in bed in the morning and smiles and gurgles. What a perfect start to the day.

l to r GAB, Robert de Candido, Deborah Allen and Damian Smith,  Khao Din Sor, (Pencil Hill), Chumphon, Thailand,  Saturday 24th October 2009