Following is a day-to-day account of the happenings at the Raptor Migration Watch in Chumporn, written by Dr. Robert DiCandido, a visiting professor from New York and Mr. Chukiat Nulsri, the local Thai coordinator of this event. This post covers Week Seven of the event, held at Pencil Hill (Khao Dinsor) and Radar Hill.
Birders interested in participating in the event should contact Khun Chukiat at his e-mail address: bnternstar@gmail.com
All photos and information portrayed in this post are courtesy of Dr. Robert and Khun Chukiat unless otherwise stated and are used with express permission from the authors.
2 October – Sunday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 40)
90% to 100% cloudy with occasional light showers
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 6-15 mph (8-25km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 134
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 249 – mostly adults with approx. 30% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 15,045 (adult males/females = 70%, and first-year birds = 30%)
Shikra – 9 (mostly juveniles)
Black Kite – 4
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 7
Osprey – 1 (male)
Peregrine Falcon ssp. japonensis – 2 (adult male and female migrant)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 548
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 92
Pacific Swift – 756
Barn Swallow – 260 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 45
Sand Martin – 2
Brown-backed Needletail – 6
White-throated Needletail – 15
Asian House Martin – 6
*Pin-tailed Parrotfinch – 4
Ashy Minivet – 18
Attached are a few photos from Chukiat Nualsri – all taken today. It would be best to have a seat and take a close look at what someone can take home in a day here at Khao Dinsor. First photo is a Chinese Sparrowhawk (adult male)…then a juvenile Shikra. Chukiat has more great photos from today (including White-throated Needletails but it is past 11pm here in Thailand and I need to be up by 5am…so these will have to do for now.
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
3 October – Monday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 41)
80% to 100% cloudy with occasional light showers
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 3-12 mph (5-15km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 5,785
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 123 – mostly adults with approx. 30% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 10,796 (adult males/females = 70%, and first-year birds = 30%)
Shikra – 3 (mostly juveniles)
Black Kite – 1
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 19
Peregrine Falcon ssp. japonensis – 3 (adults = 2; juv = 1)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 768
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 19
Pacific Swift – 185
Barn Swallow – 215 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 54
Sand Martin – 5
Open Bill Stork – 1
White-throated Needletail – 23 (one flock of 18)
Unidentified Needletail – 2
Asian Sand Martin – 5
*Pin-tailed Parrotfinch – 13
Ashy Minivet – 8
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
4 October – Tuesday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 42)
80% to 100% cloudy with occasional moderate showers in the morning/early afternoon; then clearing
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 3-10 mph (5-15km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 7,357 (about 70% adult males and 30% adult females)
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 154 – mostly adults with approx. 40% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 7,251 (adult males/females = 70%, and first-year birds = 30%)
Shikra – 2 (both juveniles)
Black Kite – 2
Brahminy Kite – 1 (juvenile)
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 19
Pied Harrier – 2
Peregrine Falcon ssp. peregrinator – 1 (juvenile; local bird)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 283
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 143
Pacific Swift – 101
Barn Swallow – 255 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 378
House Martin – 2
White-throated Needletail – 7
Brown-backed Needletail – 1
Attached photo taken today show a migrating adult male Oriental Honey Buzzard, traveling with a honey comb in its talons – from Martti Siponen.
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
5 October – Wednesday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 43)
75% to 100% cloudy with a mostly sunny afternoon
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 3-15 mph (5-25km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 1,180 (about 60% adult males and 40% adult females)
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 138 – mostly adults with approx. 40% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 908 (adult males/females = 70%, and first-year birds = 30%)
Shikra – 22
Osprey – 2
Black Kite – 10
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 1
Pied Harrier – 1
Peregrine Falcon ssp. japonicus – 1 (juvenile; local bird)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 674
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 149
Pacific Swift – 214
Barn Swallow – 10,870 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 1,044 (estimate)
House Martin – 3
White-throated Needletail – 2
Brown-backed Needletail – 3
Crow-billed Drongo – 1
Pale-legged Warbler – several
Plain-tailed Warbler – several
Attached photos taken yesterday and today: an Osprey and a female Oriental Honey-buzzard. (Males have dark red eyes, and females have yellow eyes).
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
6 October – Thursday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 44)
60% to 90% cloudy with a mostly sunny afternoon
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 3-15 mph (5-25km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 4,546 (99% adults)
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 213 – mostly adults with approx. 40% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 3,914 (adult males/females = 70%, and first-year birds = 30%)
Shikra – 23
Osprey – 2
Black Kite – 18
Black-shouldered Kite – 1 (Martti Siponen; local resident – first of season)
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 9
Pied Harrier – 3
Peregrine Falcon ssp. japonicus – 1
Eurasian Kestrel – 1 (Marrti Siponen; migrant; first of season)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 584
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 100
Pacific Swift – 211
Barn Swallow – 5,245 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 97 (estimate)
House Martin – 2
White-throated Needletail – 5
Unidentified Needletail – 3
Richard’s Pipit – 1 (Phil Round)
Attached photo taken today: a light (intermediate) morph female Oriental Honey Buzzard.
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
7 October – Friday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 45)
Henk Smit of Holland joined the counting team today
60% to 90% cloudy with a mostly sunny afternoon
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 3-15 mph (5-25km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 6,283 (95% adults)
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 128 – mostly adults with approx. 40% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 5,035 (adult males/females = 60%, and first-year birds = 40%)
Shikra – 90
Black Kite – 21
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 5
Peregrine Falcon ssp. japonicus – 1
White-bellied Sea-eagle – 1 (juvenile; local resident)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 345
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 33
Pacific Swift – 31
Barn Swallow – 3,385 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 231 (estimate)
Dollarbird – 2
White-throated Needletail – 6
Unidentified Needletail – 2
Dragonfly sp. (Sympetrum?) – 5400 (estimate) – 12-2pm mostly
Attached photo taken today: a juvenile Shikra.
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen, Henk Smit and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
8 October – Saturday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 46)
60% to 90% in the morning with mid-day rain; clearing after 3pm
Winds Southwest to West-Southwest – approx. 3-10 mph (5-16km/hr)
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 1,901 (95% adults)
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 45 – adults with approx. 50% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 8,134 (adult males/females = 60%, and first-year birds = 40%)
Shikra – 6
Black Kite – 3
Osprey – 1
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 9
Peregrine Falcon ssp. ernesti – 2 (local resident)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 272
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 0
Pacific Swift – 6
Barn Swallow – 670 (estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 16 (estimate)
Dollarbird – 2
Dragonfly sp. (Sympetrum?) – 5000 (estimate)
Author: Prof Mike Tarburton
Subject: Needletails and Pacific Swift
Thank you very much for publishing these observations. Both Apus pacificus (Pacific Swift) and Hirundapus caudacutus (White-throated Needletail) have experienced a significant decline in recent years throughout Australia and it is interesting to compare the numbers you have flying South at this time.
Attached photos taken recently by the renowned photographer from Finland, Martti Siponen including: (a) juvenile Black Kite (the migratory species, lineatus, note the grey – and not yellow – cere); (b) juvenile male Shikra; and (c) Black-shouldered Kite.
We had much rain today and many fewer migrants – and many photographers were disappointed…
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen, Henk Smit and Robert DeCandido PhD
***************
9 October – Sunday – Khao Dinsor, Thailand (Day 47)
60% to 90% clouds with long clear periods; rain after 3pm (light drizzle)
Winds Southwest to South – approx. 3-15 mph (5-26km/hr); a nice sea-breeze on the east side of the ridge after 1pm
Oriental Honey-buzzard – 1,430 (95% adults)
Japanese Sparrowhawk – 98 – adults with approx. 50% first year birds.
Chinese Sparrowhawk – 1,982 (adult males/females = 60%, and first-year birds = 40%)
Shikra – 47
Black Kite – 7
Osprey – 1
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 2
Pied Harrier – 2
Peregrine Falcon ssp. japonensis (migratory) – 1 (+1 in Chumphon hunting Germaine’s Swiftlets)
Peregrine Falcon ssp. ernesti – 1 (local resident)
White-bellied Sea-eagle – 1 (juvenile; local resident)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – 937 (95% between 12n to 3pm with sea breeze from south)
Blue-throated Bee-eater – 33
Pacific Swift – 8
Barn Swallow – 3,340 (rough estimate)
Red-rumped Swallow – 25
Ashy Drongo – 1
Black Drongo – 6
Dragonfly sp. (Sympetrum?) – 2,500 (estimate)
Very light southwest winds in the morning resulted in sky-high honey-buzzards and Chinese Sparrowhawks; in the afternoon a coastal sea-breeze of about 20-25km/hr kicked in and a great bee-eater flight resulted. The sky was noisy with those lovely birds. Any observer who survived the awful morning was rewarded with a delightful afternoon. Patience does have its virtues.
Attached photos taken today include a snake by Henk Smit – we need an ID on this (help!) – it was about a meter in length and came into my shelter to search fro geckos. Raptors photographed today include (b) two images of a Peregrine Falcon (the migratory japonensis); and a male Oriental Honey-buzzard.
Chukiat Nualsri, Martti Siponen, Henk Smit and Robert DeCandido PhD
Helpful Links:
- Getting to Chumporn: fly Solar Air or Lompraya
- Where to stay: the Morakot Hotel
- Currency exchange rates: Thai baht to US Dollar
- Weather in Chumporn: Link 1; Link 2; Link 3
- More photos of Thai Raptors: click here
- To be continued …
