Stench Bend

Grey-headed Lapwing by Yurie Ball


I can’t keep calling that place which has the dead trees and great surrounding woodland which really produces good birds, that place…….. One thing against it is that it smells of rotting vegetables that the farmers feed to their cows, cabbages etc. It also encourages flies that feed on the leftovers, so what short name can I call it? Maybe Stinky Corner would fit or Stench Corner or Pesky Flies Bend. Whatever I call it it continues to produce. This morning (October 6th Mae Hia) one dead tree held an immature female Asian Emerald Cuckoo, light chestnut crown , coppery barred upperparts and black and white barred underparts. It was a new bird for the area bringing the figure of species seen to 190. As you can see from the title and the map above I have decided to call that place...... Stench Bend, for the time being.

(October 3rd HTT ) Two returning migrants, a Grey Heron circled majestically overhead and landed in a dead tree in the middle of the Huay Tung Tao lake. This tree is favoured by these herons and it’s good to see the first one back. The tree has also found favour with the monks as it has worn a saffron robe as long as I’ve been going there, a little faded now.. The other returnee was a Black-capped Kingfisher. The track around the lake is still in a state of disrepair but eventually we will be able to look forward to clean wheels at the end of the morning.

( October 4th Mae Hia) Not a good morning weatherwise, had to call it a day after thirty minutes as the rain came lashing down but not before I spotted a pair of adult Grey-headed Lapwings.