Kit & Herman Year 2

[Kitsafari]

590/CM 47 : Grey-headed Lapwing

80/CM48 : Red-wattled Lapwing

 

 

[Kitsafari]

591/CM49 : Siberian Stonechat

 

Found in Europe across to east Asia down to Southeast Asia

 

[Kitsafari]

592/CM50 : Common Snipe

 

Saw the snipes a handful of times but I couldn't get shots of them initially until this present itself. But being nervous by nature, we couldnt get out of the vehicle to shoot and it was hard for Herman to shoot through the glass window while I hd to shoot above someone's head. 

 

[Kitsafari]

Some of the other birds already in my count  seen at Doi Lo.

 

CM51: red-collared dove

 

 

CM52- Asian openbill

 

CM53  - Great myna

 

CM54 - Oriental reed warbler

 

 

cm55= Plain Prinia

 

cm56 - Brown shrike

 

CM57 -  common Kingfisher

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Kitsafari

[pedro maia]

What a suspense...

[Kitsafari]

Right  - last sprint for 2019. 

 

593/CM58 : Himalaya Bluetail

The male is dressed in sapphire blue with orange flanks but unfortunately it didnt show up. The female did, in its orange breast and brown greyish coat. Found in the Himalayan ranges and northern Thailand and Myanmar and southern China

 

Female: 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

594/CM59 : White-headed Bulbul

 

One of the better looking bulbuls, the white-headed is found mainly in Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and parts of Laos. 

 

[Kitsafari]

595/CM60 : Yellow-bellied Fantail

(edited to correct the name from flycatcher to fantail) 

 

we staked out the yellow-bellied fantail in Doi Lang but came up empty. Instead, during a walk in the beautiful forest of Doi Inthanon, this chubby bird hopped from one tree to another, posing for a split second for me to get a record shot. 

Now considered a close relative of the fairy flycatcher, the fantail is found in the Indian subcontinent, Himalayan ranges and parts of MYanmar, Thiland and Vietnam. 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2020 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

I forgot to talk about Doi Inthanon National Park. Doi Inthanon, at 2565m high (8415 feet)  , is the country's highest mountain. The park is about 482sq km and is 300m higher than any other mountain in the country, giving it the unique cool eco-system to house upper montane forest and Thailand's only sphagnum bog (which we didn't visit). 

The results of its cool temperature can be seen during a boardwalk into the virgin forests - beautiful tall old trees bedecked in mossy jewels and ferns. It reminded me of the photos I'd seen of the Bale forests in Ethiopia. 

It is a popular tourist spot but as we were there on a  Monday morning, it wasn't as crowded as it would have been on a weekend. We spent an hour or so at a hide in a private resort where the owner had taken advantage of a cool spot with a small watercascade. A black thick hide screens the humans from the shy forest birds who have fattened up thanks to the resort owner. 

Thereafter we went up to the mountain visitor centre and took the boardwalk. it was a morning session as we had to leave before noon to catch lunch and head off to the airport for our evening flight home. 

Here are some photos of the four mountains and one rice field we were at: 

 

Doi Lang

 

keeping dust out on the dry dirt and pothole-ridden road

 

a group photo requested by the rangers and army personnel at the birding spot

 

 

[Kitsafari]

558/CM42 : Taiga Flycatcher

 

This flycatcher is everywhere in Chiangmai's mountains! here it is looking fat and healthy. 

 

[Kitsafari]

596/CM61: Slaty-backed Forktail

 

a rather racous bird, it was initially very shy but made a racket during the second visit. It is a new name species for me. Like all forktail species, it prefers fast-flowing  streams in central and eastern HImalayan ranges, the Indian sub-continent, southern China and continental Southeast Asia. 

 

[Kitsafari]

597/CM62 : Green-billed Malkoha

 

What is Kit's BY if there is no EBC to complete it? this Malkoha flew straight high into a dense treetop and all we could see was its incredibly long unmistakably barred tail. we were moving to get a better look when a family walked under the tree, and it vanished. Distributed in the Himalayan ranges, India, all of Indochina and Southest Asia halting at Sumatra. 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

598/CM63 : Chestnut-tailed Minla

 

Also known as the bar-throated minla, the brightly coloured bird is highly sociable, mixing with its own species and other species. It prefers mid- to high-elevation broadleaf and mixed evergreen forests. Found along the Hiamalayan ranges, northern parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, southern China and Malaysia. 

 

[Kitsafari]

599/CM64 : Rufous-bellied Niltava

 

Only the female showed - a cute dark olive brown bird with a distinctive white necklace across its throat and a blue strip on either side of its neck. The rufous-bellied prefers the mid and top levels of tree covers and is found in the Himalayan ranges, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, northern parts of Laos and Vietnam and in China. 

 

[Kitsafari]

600/CM65 : Blue Whistling-Thrush - yellow and black beaked

 

A large brilliant blueish-dark purplish bird with tiny white spots all over  its head, back and wings. There are variations to this thrush which has yellow or black beaks. Its preferred habitat is in streamside areas in forested hills and mountains, which made it a huge surprise that one turned  up in Singapore last month. Found in the mountains of central Asia, China and Southeast Asia, the thrush has a loud human-like whistling song at dawn and dusk. A pity it did not sing for us. 

 

[Kitsafari]

601/CM66 : Plumbeous Redstart

 

So the females were bolder than the males. The female was yet another chubby eye with a lovely subtle "gunmetal" hue with scales underbelly and a bright white patch on the upper half of the tail that can be seen when it fans out. The male is slaty grey-blue and is distinctive with a brilliant orange tail  Found in Himalayan ranges, all over China, Taiwan, and Indochina. 

 

[Tdgraves]

Congratulations on reaching a truly epic milestone, although I have a feeling that your total will be higher still......

Edited January 6, 2020 by Tdgraves
Typo

[Kitsafari]

Thanks @Tdgraves not that many more now. 

[pedro maia]

You kept the suspense for quite a while but it was well worth it, what an impressive number, congratulations!

 

Btw, I love a good EBC but I can´t see anything of the Green-billed Malkoha...

[TonyQ]

A wonderful total, and a real beautiful bird to achieve it.

[Dave Williams]

Amazing total, congratulations.It's an epic number and full of stunning photos

Well mostly!

Your 597 would rival @Galana's exotic fruit for EBC of the Year but as your piece of wood isn't as brightly coloured I'd have to vote for the alleged Cuckoo .

[Galana]

16 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

I'd have to vote for the alleged Cuckoo .

Too right. At least you can see the bloody bird!

[Soukous]

a phenomenal total Kit. Very well done to you and Herman.

But you've created a problem for yourselves as now you need to do better in 2020 

[michael-ibk]

Congrats on #600, fantastic! 

[Galana]

Yes. Jolly well done. A year to remember.