Interlude 1: Chatuchak Park in Bangkok

07/28/2012.  7:50 AM.

Start:  GPS N 13, 48.206, E 100, 33.231

Chatuchak Park in Bangkok, Thailand is easy to reach by either the BTS Skytrain or the MRT Subway. By Skytrain, take the Sukhumvit Line to Mo Chit Station. Follow the signs to Chatuchak Park. I believe I took Exit 3. Take the skywalk over Phahonyothin Road from the Mo Chit station, and turn right when you reach the bottom of the stairs on the other side of the road. The entrance to the park is adjacent to the Chatuchak Park MRT Station, and is accessible through a small gate. Chatuchak Park is a self-contained park, but just across Kamphaeng Phet 3 Road is an even larger green space, including Queen Sirikit Park,and Suan Wachira Benchathat, which used to be called Suan Rot Fai or State Railway Public Park. This report is limited to Chatachuk Park.

This particular entrance is near the southern end of the park. I would recommend turning left first to hit the small section to the south of the entrance, then turn north and go as far as you wish. The most northerly part of the park is the most ornamental (trees and bushes planted for their beauty, not their appropriateness to the environment) so that would be the area to miss if you visit the park for birding and don't want to walk its entire length. There don't seem to be any truly natural areas here, but some spaces contain larger trees that seem to attract more birds.

The outer pathways in the park are often close to the two big roads that run on either side of the space, so traffic noise is fairly high. This can make it difficult to hear the movements of birds and means that you must rely fairly heavily on scanning the trees and following birds in flight. According to a checklist I found online, 78 species have been identified in the neighboring Suan Wachira Benchathat park, though a few of these are thought to be escapees from the local market. Thai people sometimes make pets of wild birds, and there is also a tradition of paying to release a bird back into the wild as a way of "making merit" to improve one's future life after reincarnation. Some birds end up being captured and released multiple times by "entrepreneurs" trying to capitalize on this custom. These are the two most likely sources of escaped birds in the park. Many of the wild bird species are only present during the migratory periods of September-October and April-May, so the list of birds potentially present at this time of year is quite a bit smaller than 78.

Birds Sighted at Chatuchak Park:

It was around 82 degrees Fahrenheit when I started, under partly cloudy skies.

Pied Fantail:  The first one seen was right at the entrance.

Rock Pigeon:  GPS N 13, 48.281, E 100, 33.240.  These were numerous in the park, probably the most numerous birds present.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow:  Saw these in several places around the park, usually in small groups.


White Vented Myna:  GPS N 13, 48.281, E 100, 33.262. These were fairly common in the park.

Asian Pied Starling:  Also fairly numerous in the park. Usually seen in pairs.

Oriental Magpie Robin:  GPS N 13, 48.297, E 100, 33.273.

Common Myna:  These were probably the second most common species in the park.

Spotted Dove:  GPS N 13, 48.486, E 100, 33.292.

Indian Roller:  GPS N 13, 48.519, E 100, 33.389. These birds are beautiful, particularly in flight. The photo on left is from the web.

Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker:  GPS N 13, 48.585, E 100, 33.441. This one really stands out, despite its small size. Saw one in three different places around the park. See photo (from the web) below.

Olive Backed Sunbird:  Both a male and a female. Sunbirds occupy a similar ecological niche to the hummingbirds of the Americas. Even though they do not have the Hummingbird's fast-beat wings, they are able to hover in place quite well.

Egret (species unknown):  GPS N 13, 48.785, E 100, 33.525. Three types of Egret have been previously seen in a neighboring park. This one flew by quickly and I was unable to make a firm identification.

Peaceful (Zebra) Dove:  GPS N 13, 48.645, E 100, 33.421. These are sometimes just called Zebra Doves, presumably because of some black and white striping on the breast.

Large Billed Crow: GPS N 13, 48.612, E 100, 33.392. Much larger than the American Crow, these also have a very large beak. Reminded me more of a raven than a crow.

Brown Throated Sunbird:  GPS N 13, 48.469, E 100, 33.392. This bird was a beauty. I saw it in a small tree along with a Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker (see photo at left) and a pair of Olive Backed Sunbirds. There must have been something very tempting in that tree.

I exited the park at around 10:45 AM, having identified thirteen species. Had I been more familiar with the birds of the area, I might have picked up two or three more. I identified six new species for my lifelist: Pied Fantail, Asian Pied Starling, Magpie Robin, Olive Backed Sunbird, Large Billed Crow, and Brown Throated Sunbird.