Birding Thailand 1 (Asian Openbill, White Temple, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asian Elephants)

Описание: Birding Thailand 1. First installment of our 4 video series from our October 2020 trip to Thailand.

"Cover Bird" is a Pied Fantail (05:45). It was photographed atop a decoration at Wat Sangkha Racha. This particular Buddhist temple is near the Khlong Prawet Buri Rom canal in Bangkok. We think this picture represents the iconic beauty of Thailand's architecture paired with a lovely, though not uncommon bird.

The Asian Openbill (0.09) was 1st runner-up in the Cover Bird contest. It was one of the first birds we saw as we were meandering near our hotel on the outskirts of Bangkok near the Khlong Prawet Buri Rom canal.

Considered by some to be the MOST critically endangered bird species in the world, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (11:53 with a group and shown alone in the photo following) was wintering on the Pak Thale salt pans. Sources differ on actual numbers; but one number we've heard often is less than a total of 400 mature adults remaining. That is not a typo. They hang out with their "cousins" while foraging so they can be really hard to spot.

The title frame for Thailand 1 is the Wat Rong Kum or White Temple (17:49). What a spectacular place to visit! We highly recommend that you budget plenty of time to tour the grounds.

Some of our other personal favorites on Thailand 1 include Asian elephants (07:37); the diminutive Mouse deer (17:10) with an approximate shoulder height of 34 centimeters (13 inches); Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (18:21) and some fantastic mixed flocks starting at (08:08). We tried longan (a relative of the lychee) from a roadside vendor (09:25). It was delicious!

Look for bulbuls; a plethora of plovers; small mammals, starlings, babblers, starlings, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, a Pied Kingfisher taking a dive and more.

Locations visited on this video included: Bangkok; Pak Thale in Phetchaburi Province; Kaeng Krachan National Park, Khao Yai National Park and Chiang Mai.

Our guide Ingkayut Sa-ar (Don) is a highly-educated naturalist and knows birds, wildlife and his native country very well. We highly recommend him and would want him to be our guide if we're ever fortunate to visit Thailand again.
#IngkayutSa-arDonBestThaiBirdingGuide
Our driver Woot ensured that we were able to get all over the country comfortably and safely. He is one of the best drivers we have ever had.

Equipment used was Canon EOS 70D with Canon EF100-400mm lens and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max.