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| 1 - Overview |
9 - Birds |
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Silver eared Mesia |
BIRD TRAIL WALK Along the crystal clear Nam Mae Lai one can find two species of forktails. These attractive birds are highly specialised members of the thrush family that feed on invertebrates associated with water, and are never found far from the stream. The larger black and white White-crowned Forktail utters loud high-pitched whistles while the smaller Slaty-backed Forktail makes a sharp metallic teeek call. The much larger Blue Whistling Thrush with its spangled blue plumage and bright yellow bill also occurs along the stream but it is shy and difficult to observe. The interface between forest and stream provides a natural opening on the forest floor that attracts many insects and the birds that eat them. Along the stream the vegetation is predominately bamboo that is rich in insects and is home to some specialised birds. Two diminutive relatives of the woodpecker family occur here. Small gullies and ravines often support wild bananas and these in turn are the favourite habitat of spiderhunters. These larger relatives of the sunbirds have long curved bills to extract their favourite prey from crevices among the flowers and fruit. The larger Streaked Spiderhunter is bright yellowish above with white underparts heavily streaked with black, it has bright orange legs and feet that are surprisingly conspicuous. Its smaller relative the Grey-breasted Spiderhunter is more drab and lacks the prominent streaks on the underparts. Open areas where crops of coffee and miang are cultivated offer an opportunity to scan the forest edge, the tops of tall trees and the open sky. Two species of barbets can be heard calling from the tops of the highest trees. The huge Great Barbet with its purple-blue head and large yellowish bill utters a distinctive loud tay-laew repeated every second, while the smaller Blue-throated Barbet is mainly bright green with a blue face and bright red patches on the forehead and crown. Its loud took-arook call is repeated incessantly and is one of the commonest sounds of the forest. These birds are fruit-eaters so should also be looked for at any fruiting tree. They play an important role in seed dispersal. Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters perch high up on dead snags. Seen well, they are brilliantly coloured with yellow throats, blue backs, green wings and tail and chestnut crown and mantle. They engage large insects in aerial combat before returning to their perch where they knock any remaining life out of their prey by bashing it against the branch. Overhead you may spot Himalayan Swiftlets, a small swift with a pale greyish band on the rump and a shallow tail fork, as they hunt for insects above the forest canopy. Clearings and over-look sites are good areas to look for raptors. The Shikra is a small hawk with pale grey upperparts, black wingtips and white underparts densely barred with orange. The male has fierce red eyes while the slightly larger female has yellowish eyes. It dashes through the forest in pursuit of small birds and sometimes soars high over the canopy. A plaintive high-pitched hoo-wee, hoo-wee from overhead announces the presence of a Crested Serpent Eagle. These large raptors have boldly barred underwings and tail and they soar with their wings raised in a shallow ‘V’. Even larger, the Mountain Hawk Eagle utters a shrill tueet-weet-weet as it flies high above the canopy. Strongly barred underparts, tail and wings, a streaked breast and prominent throat stripe identifies the adult, while immature birds are largely pale buff on the underparts and underwing coverts. When perched the spectacular long crest is diagnostic. Sometimes a Black Eagle passes overhead, as its name suggests it is largely black, with indistinct bars on the tail and surprisingly conspicuous yellow feet. Two species of drongo frequent the forest edge. The pale grey Ashy Drongo with its long forked tail tends to perch on the highest dead snags while the brilliantly glossy Bronzed Drongo is smaller, iridescent purple, blue and green with a less forked tail. It favours lower perches, often on curved bamboo stems. These are noisy birds, which will rarely miss an opportunity to harass or “mob” any passing bird of prey. Forest edge is much favoured by bulbuls. Look out for the mainly yellow Black-crested Bulbul with its black head and upright crest. The similar Black-headed Bulbul differs by lacking a crest and having black wings and a broad black band on the tail. Red-whiskered Bulbuls don’t have red whiskers but they have a prominent blackish crest and moustachial stripe, white underparts with a bright red vent and largely brown upperparts. The Flavescent Bulbul is mainly yellowish below with a grey head and a short white stripe from the eye to the base of the bill. Bulbuls are omnivorous but are especially fond of small fruits and play an important role in seed dispersal. Entering the forest again we are surrounded by more dense vegetation where small damp gullies support prolific plant life. Find a spot where you can look down into the undergrowth and wait for a while. This is the haunt of several species of babblers. Incessant buzzy chrrr’r’rrt calls interspersed with a harsh chittittitt alert one to a small group of Grey-headed Fulvettas. Brown above with grey heads, a long black eyebrow stripe and buffish underparts, these small birds are constantly busy as they work through the undergrowth. The Puff-throated Babbler is usually found creeping about on the forest floor. It has a rufous crown, pale eyebrow, white throat and prominently streaked breast. If it were not for its loud weee-tee-chu whistle it would mostly be overlooked. The same is true for the very non-descript Buff-breasted Babbler, the epitome of a “little brown job”. Another denizen of the forest floor it utters rattling trrrit calls and high peeoo whistles, its plumage is a combination of buff and brown with a faint greyish eyebrow. Not all forest birds are drab; a sudden flash of bright rufous-chestnut accompanied by some whee-wee woo calls will be an Asian Paradise-Flycatcher. These are spectacular birds; the male is rufous above with an extremely long rufous tail. The head is grey with a glossy blue-black crown and short crest, bright blue eye-ring and bill and whitish underparts. The female is similar but lacks the long tail streamers. A colour-morph exists where the rufous is replaced by white – a stunning bird. Another flycatcher of the dense middle and lower storeys is the Black-naped Monarch. Bright blue with a white belly and a black tuft at the rear of the head it darts about with its tail fanned making harsh chwee-wee calls. If you imitate the call, however badly, it is likely to investigate you more closely and may stay with you till you leave its territory. Darker blue above and with bright orange underparts, clearly separated from a white belly, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher sings sweetly from a low storey perch. At higher altitudes it is replaced by the very similar Hill Blue Flycatcher, which differs by the orange breast extending to the flanks and merging with the whitish belly. Further along the trail we reach an area where we can overlook the vegetation on the far bank of the stream. Huge bamboo stems are bent over the valley bottom, ancient trees clothe the opposite hillside and sunlight pervades the more open slopes beneath us. Here we can pause for a while scanning the exposed bamboo stems for the colourful Blue-bearded Bee-eater. This is a large, sluggish bee-eater, mainly green with a blue forehead, shaggy blue throat and yellowish underparts. Mixed-species feeding parties move through this area; they comprise an ever-changing combination of species. A group of Oriental White-eyes, yellow-green above, whitish below with a small white eye-ring, may be accompanied by a multi-coloured jewel that is a Black-tailed Sunbird. Then a couple of brightly coloured Golden Babblers with black-streaked crowns and black eye masks; a pair of Yellow-cheeked Tits, black, yellow, strikingly crested. A Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler, green, yellow, chestnut, black, white wing bars – too many features to describe on such a tiny bird. Next perhaps, a Silver-eared Mesia, a striking combination of black head, silver cheeks, brilliant orange-yellow collar and underparts, red and orange wings – everything a gaudy tropical bird should look like. A flock of Striated Yuhinas join the party, 10, no, 20, maybe 30 strong, chattering constantly they zip through the foliage too fast to give good views. Their congener, White-bellied Yuhina is more co-operative, hanging tit-like from the outer twigs. It is green above with a slight crest, white below and yellow under the tail. Our attention is drawn to some rapid movement against the gnarled trunk of a big tree, with violet-blue upperparts, coral red bill, velvety black forehead and greyish underparts Velvet-fronted Nuthatches search the bark for insects. First up the trunk, then down, then hanging on the underside of the branches, constantly moving. Then as suddenly as it appeared the feeding party moves on and the frenzied burst of activity is all over. This is typical of tropical forest birding, long periods when only one or two species are encountered followed by an all too brief spell of frantic activity. The English and scientific names and taxonomy used in the bird section follow: A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand, Craig Robson, 2002, New Holland, London |
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