Start: GPS N 18, 45.643, E 98, 55.932
End: GPS N 18, 46.047, E 98, 55.838
The Mae Hia Agricultural Research Station is part of Chiang Mai University. This area exhibits a mix of rice fields, ponds of varying sizes, a cattle ranch, and forested foothills. It attracts birds from a variety of habitats, and its location right at the base of Doi Suthep mountain means that birds from hillside forest habitats sometimes come down to the station for a visit. According to ebird.org, it is a birding hotspot in the Chiang Mai Area.
We made four stops on this outing. The first was near some rice fields by the edge of a road. We saw a few joggers, but the dawn was mostly quiet. Soon, however, the birds began to move, and we ended up spotting 24 species within perhaps 100 yards of where we started.
After a good spell at this location, we moved on to a pond surrounded by some tall trees. We stopped for just a short time there, picking up five more species. Our next stop was at the head of a dirt trail that ran along a fence beside the Chiang Mai University Livestock Ranch. I'm not sure that is the official name, but it was something like that. This area was muddy, had some open areas with muddy puddles and little vegetation, but was right on the edge of the Doi Suthep Foothills.
Our final stop was a stretch of road running with thick trees on one side and a somewhat more open area on the other. It is apparently a good place to spot birds as they fly over, though by the time we got there, the birds were settling in to digest their morning meals and there was much less activity.
Spotted Dove: Our first bird of the morning was a solitary Spotted Dove. Uthai saw its outline as light was just beginning to fill the sky. It actually took me some time to pick it out against a dark background.
Cattle Egret: Next came a group of Egrets. They turned out to be a mixed group with both Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets. The Cattle Egrets have a yellow bill and black or grey feet. The Little Egrets have a black bill with yellow or green feet.
Little Egret: There were only a few of these mixed in with a larger number of Cattle Egrets.
Chinese Pond Heron: Outside the breeding season, these birds have a rather dull brown-streaked plumage when hunting in the marshes, and very eye-catching white wings when in flight.
Common Myna: The Mynas were a bit slow getting started in the morning compared to the marsh birds.
Great Myna: There seems to be much confusion about this species. My bird book calls it the White-Vented Myna, but that is apparently not the accepted name on ebird.org. As far as I can tell, the one we have around here is the Great Myna, though there is another species called the Javan Myna that looks very similar.
Black Drongo: We saw three or four of these out in the rice fields hunting for insects. They perch and wait, then do some acrobatic flying to capture their prey.
White Throated Kingfisher: A lovely kingfisher with what appears to be an oversized bill. We saw this little beauty in three different places. We kept hoping to see a Common Kingfisher which, despite its name, I have never seen here before. No luck today, though.
Burmese Shrike: This was also a new bird for my lifelist (see photo at left). It was also the 400th species I have identified worldwide! Doesn't sound like much when you think about people identifying over 700 species during a Big Year, but it feels like an accomplishment nonetheless. The photo is from the web.
White Wagtail: Saw two of these in this area, and several others later on.
Pied Bushchat: Another new lifer. The male is a nice black color with some white markings. Saw a female as well.
Black Collared Myna: Some sources call this a myna, others call it a starling. They are popular cage birds here because they are good mimics. We saw six of them.
Olive Backed Sunbird: A common sight in the Chiang Mai area, but a pretty bird nonetheless.
Barn Swallow: There were many of these around the rice fields and pond. A very widespread bird, as we have them back in North Carolina as well.
Asian Palm Swift: I'm sure I must have seen these before, but they are hard to identify because they fly so quickly and rarely seem to land. However, my guide could tell which species they were, so they are also a new lifer for me.
Ashy Woodswallow: I love the blue beaks on these guys.
Zebra Dove: GPS N 18, 45.597, E 98, 55.882. Not as numerous as the Spotted Dove. They remind me of the Inca Doves back in the States.
Brown Shrike: This is the second time I have seen this particular shrike. The first was in Lumphini Park, Bangkok.
Wire Tailed Swallow: We saw this lone swallow sitting on a post in the pond. It was another new lifer for me.
Scaly Breasted Munia: This bird is also known as the Nutmeg Mannikin.
Birds Sighted at the Long Narrow Pond:
Oriental Pipit: This one is also known as the Paddyfield Pipit. Yet another new bird for my lifelist.
Streak Eared Bulbul: A common bulbul here in Thailand, though I believe I saw this one for the first time in Japan.
Red Billed Blue Magpie: Another new bird for the lifelist, this one is colorful with an unusually long tail. See photo above. The photo is from the web.
Greater Coucal: Another common bird in Chiang Mai and one that can often be seen in the city itself.
Red Wattled Lapwing: We saw at least 13 of these out in the fields where the cattle roam.
Green Bee-eater: We saw several of these at the livestock ranch. Beautiful color.
Taiga Flycatcher: GPS N 18, 46.098, E 98, 55.099. We had heard this one earlier in the morning but did not see it.
White Rumped Shama: Another beautiful long-tailed bird. We only got a brief glimpse of this one.
Black Winged Cuckooshrike: Another first for me. A distinctive feature of this bird is white spots under the tail.
Plaintive Cuckoo: This one has black and brown bands under the tail.
Black Crested Bulbul: This bird is easy to identify with its black crested head and yellow body.
Chestnut Headed Bee-eater: Another beautiful bee-eater except this one is white under the chin rather than green.
Lineated Barbet: Not quite as colorful as the Coppersmith Barbet, but a nice find and a new one for my lifelist.
Ashy Drongo: This was the light colored morph.
New Species Sighted in the More Forested Area:
Greater Racket Tailed Drongo: GPS N 18, 45.683, E 98, 55.530. A fairly common bird but still nice to see.
We saw a total of 41 species on this outing, compared to my normal numbers of between 12 and 20. It certainly pays to bird with a professional, and doesn't hurt to visit an area with a great diversity of birds either!
