As the Crow flies

Asian Barred Owlet by Yurie Ball

(April 4th HTT) Heard the low, scratchy, warbling song of the Thick-billed Warbler for the first time this year. This indicates that it won’t be long before it migrates north to its breeding grounds.
Also heard a Raddes Warbler singing its low key song, also an indication that it will be on its way soon. Why I don’t know, there seems to be mountains of food in Thailand with its temperate climate, I must be missing something. Possibly there is an infestation of insects like mosquitoes wherever it is going which will provide a more than adequate supply of food for the young.
Olive-backed Pipits are also gathering in preparation for their trip north. There is plenty to keep me busy at this time of year, what with these migrants and the resident birds getting into full swing with their breeding.
One female Barred Buttonquail seen taking a dust bath and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Lying on her side, feathers ruffled and scratching away with her legs.

(April 6th HTT) A Rosy Minivet spotted but this time it was a cantonensis similar to the female of the more usual one but with a brighter buff rump and virtually no wing bar in this particular one.
It was nice to see a Ruddy-breasted Crake (22cm), I usually only hear them as they skulk in the reeds and long grass. It was feeding out in the open on the lakeside. Also a White-breasted Waterhen (33cm) was feeding nearby and it was interesting to compare the difference in size, the crake really is quite small.
Another lone Little Egret flew overhead and was later seen feeding in shallow water. I watched it through my telescope and it was plucking fish out of the water varying in size from 3 to 4 inches down to 1 inch.

(April 7th HTT) A new bird for the area the Crow-billed Drongo, there were four of them and they were calling with their musical and sometimes harsh calls and, wouldn’t you believe it, the moment I pointed my microphone at them they stopped. The only recording I have of this bird contains only the harsh part of their call and this time they were adding the harp-like sounds, darn it!
A male and female Plain-backed Sparrow were building a nest in a hole in a dead tree, they were both arriving with beaksful of downy feathers.
A Large-billed Crow was seen flying from north to south and back again, it was on the northbound flight that it was carrying something bulky in its beak. I couldn’t make out what it was but it was obviously feeding young and had obviously found a good source of food as it was passing me every few minutes with its beak full of whatever it was.
An Asian Barred Owlet (23cm – it looks bigger than that as it is a bulky bird) was seen clinging to a nesting hole just like a woodpecker and a few minutes later was seen diving on something in some dead leaves, I couldn’t make out exactly what it was but it looked suspiciously like a big beetle.