Friday, February 15, 2008

What can be found at Doi Angkhang besides birds

Doi Angkhang 14th - 18th January 2008

This is morning clouds where most of us cannot resist to comes down from the van to take this scenic shot. My prosumer camera batteries does seems to function well at 4 celcius, therefore this shots are not taken by me. Due to I wish to remember the very moments we stand there on top of this mountain amazed with this beautiful scenery, I post her photo here.
The Royal Arigcultural Station Angkhang never fails to attract alot of casual vistors besides bird-watcher during winter due to the blooming flowers there. This place play an important role in tourism in North Thailand. Angkhang visitors can see plants being cultivate in this cool climate including apricots, peaches, plums, carrots, salad greens and beautiful flowers such as carnations, roses, asters and chrysanthemums. This place is often referred to as the Switzerland of Thailand. Temperature here at night during winter can drop to 2 celcius. Barn Luan Resort Owner told me that there is one year it was so cold that that there is ice being caked up at his resort ground.

This garden would be packed with alot of visitors after sun rise, everyone here seems to pose in their favourite corner to have some pictures taken . This photo taken by one of our friend in the very early morning when the visitors are yet to arrive.
This signboard describes the species of bamboo, OOps how to read?... they are all in written in thai.
This is the only food stalls in Barn Luang (Barn in thai means hse or a village). Peoples over here are the migrants from china from the district of Yunnan. Their parents are from Yunnan who sought refuge in Thailand after Mao Ze dong and his communist party came to power in China. People in this village still able to speaks mandarin. I and a few team-mates have no problems to communicate with them cause we also can converse in mandarin. This small stall sells khao soi yunnan - egg noodles with 2 super small curry chicken without coconut milk, with the local vegetables that are not planted in malaysia, clear based soup with additional cordinments of fry egg noodles. This bowl of noodles are serve with some vegetables pickles - cabbage, shallots, chillies and lime. Fish sauce and others types of chilies are place on the dining table for you to spice up the bowl of mee as one delite. Salapao Yunnan - steamed Chinese bun with stuffing or without stuffing for you to choose from. Pao seems to be found in every corner in the world that are with chinese. :-)

At her stall we order "man tow and mein". We have no problem to informed her "low pan niang wor yow toer ye wan mein .. cheah tor chai ar.." (lady boss I want one more bowl please add more vegetables for me).
One of the local man there wonder how come this visitors can coverse in mandarin.. look at us with a curious looks. He even ask the lady boss.. "thar men chong nar le lai der" (these peoples come from where?..) .. Well being a chinese I do understand that it is such a joy able to find someone who can speaks your own mother tongue.
I can read her mind.. as she prepare all this bowl of mee, she must be smilling all the way cause she is now having a groups of hungry peoples craving to taste her home-cooked mee.
While we are waiting to be serve, we heard mules start to walk pass. The mee lady told us there are still a few more mules on the way up. This mules are use as a mode of carrier for their fire-woods and for the local to ride on as well. This lady is drying up this vegetables to makes "kiam chai" - preserve vegetables dry up by the sun. Never taste this before wonder how does it taste, even though consuming all types of preserve vegetables sale in malaysia is nothing new to me.
The chinese over here most of them are muslim but I notice there is a church nearby too. This is Al-Agso mosque build with the chinese taste.
This is the village of Barn Luang.
Today is teacher's day where the kids are not required to go to school. These two brothers are given the task to cut this types of reeds to makes broom for their house. This reeds is then place on the ground to be dried up. They stay nearby at Barn Nor Lae.
Branches that are fallen down in the forest are not put to rot. The locals here would collect it, chop it into the required lenght, buddle them up, bring it back home for fire-woods.
This is a three generation of ladies, (grandmother, daughter and grand-daughter). We noticed this 3 ladies as they walked to tender their farm.. We picked up our cameras to takes a number of their photos. We gives them some souvenier after their photos session.. We told them..Tai root.. Tai root.. (take photo... take photo).. We admire their outfits..
This a group of kids at the immigration - border of myanmar and angkhang. We are not sure for what occassion that they are here... but this is our first time seeing peoples in this outfits.
The ladies here are selling some souveniers here. Some of the product are perishable goods and some are not.
Every stalls seems to display the same range of goods.. I strolled from one stall to another and then back again carefully look at those small unperishable souvenier that I can buy from them. It is indeed quite a hard decision to makes. If I buy from this lady the others lady would ask .."why she don't like my goods..." Anyway I only can afford one sourvenier for myself.
This boy of course is not mean for sale. He has to be pack along cause mah-mah have to tender her stall.
This is one of the scenic shots taken from this place.
The white bulding on top of the hill there is myanmar.
There are some soldiers there across the border.
This is still in thailand.
Smile... Now I'm at thai border.
The reason why we touch our feets there is to try our luck to look out for brambling. We ask the soilders have they seen brambling lately. :-) The soldiers here are fully aware what is brambling. This is a photo hang up there given by one of the thai bird photographer. Now we have a good looks of how a brambling looks like. Thank you for who ever you are for contributing this photos. This would makes sure every birders would not leave empty handed not able to look at brambling..
This is another corner at this small immigration grounds.
Coffee break for the coffee fans. There is only 3 of us who are non-coffee fans.
This how normally we ends our birding day.. we get out from AK yai before the sun rise and we only start to pack our gears just before the sun set.
This is worms cracker. Thanks to David for introduce this bamboo worms. It looks yucky but Hmmmmm.. it taste nice. A good source of protein by the way..
This is Ban Luang Resort. Angkhang Villa and Barn Luang resort owner are brother and sister.
If you wish not to stay in town request them stay at their resort at Ban Luang. To booked by phone call them at +66 53 450010, fax +66 53 450022. Ask for the Ban Luang branch. They also can be contacted by email: angkhangvilla@gmail.com
As of the time of our visit they are selling the chalet with hot shower that can fit
10pax for peak period - 2,500 - 3,500B Non-peak 1,500 - 2,000B.
Chalet that can fit 2-4 pax peak period - 1,200 - 1,500B Non-peak 800 - 1,000 B
To have a rough idea how the accomodations looks like, click on the url link below.
http://www.travel-is.com/forum/view.php?qID=257
The first photo looks more like one of the chalet at Ban Luang branch.
During winter this type of tree will blooms., peach, plums or apricot ? well I not good at tree ID..
This is how the tree looks like from far.
Another view of this.. well we don't have this in Malaysia.
Another types of plants.
Eggs and more eggs even at the last night dinner together at Doi Angkhang Royal Project Restaurant. Just discovered from this trips that one of my birding friend is a eggs fan. He has introduced us a full eggs course... This is one one of his favourite dish - tomatoes with eggs.. Well yummy though.
Part to the dishes we ate that night. Salad made from fresh vegetables plant in Angkhang a must to taste. This salad is the courtesy from Mam and the rest of dishes are from David and Alagan. Burp... thank you very much.. everything is SOoooo delicious here. Aiyak I nearly forgotten Kim bought us desert too chocolate fudge. Thank you ...thank you for the kindness of you guys and gay.
Korp kun mah kar... Aroi mak-mak..
Starting form the photos below are the scene we would see at the tourist center of the Royal Project. Many local female and children would sit on the ground to display their goods for sales. Those gloves are from china.. they are much more better quality than what I packed along from malaysia. OOOi where is the saleswoman ? They normally would turn their face away or walk away when you point your camera at them. Sorry I can't archive their sweet faces here in my blog.
OOOH... what a beautiful sight...alot of flowers here that can melt alot of hearts. This garden at the tourist center would have english roses, poppy flowers to orchids. Are they for sales ? I doubt I recall they are tag with a prize. There are others Angkhang products that are label with a prize tag waiting eagerly on the display racks. If I can recall there are dry kiwi, tea, honey...etc..etc but no T-Shirt for sales.








This is Uncle B in action.. All tourist here walks in with a camera all seems to point their lens and says.... CHEEZE.



Below are the contributions from Lam.. We cannot pack this back as well as we also cannot afford to let it accidentaly drop into our pockets or bags. We only can have this in our camera.

Monday, February 11, 2008

19th Jan 2008 - Doi Suthep Non-Hunting Ground

Doi Suthep Non-Hunting Area is just about 15 mins from the Chiangmai airport, with this strategic place it is a good place to drop in before we ends our birding trip at chiangmai. This place is just behind the Doi Suthep monastery.

We only can spend about 1.5 hrs a quick birding session due to the flight back to Malaysia by Air Asia (AK 897) is sheduled at 11:05 am. Today I aim with high hopes to have a better glimpse of the resident Asian Barred Owlet. One of our team member saw this bird on a very short visit on 13th of January late afternoon while we are waiting for David being checked out from hospital. During my 1st visit that is in April Asian Barred Owlet can be easily spotted due to the trees here are bare, due to summer.

Today we reached this place about 7:30am. This time of the year of visit to this place, I noticed the trees here are not as bared as in April. All of us aim with the hopes to have a glimpse of the Blue Magpie as well.

This is the gate to the park, normal visitor would not walked it. Today I noticed the forestry officers are busy with a group of primary school kids. The kids group up together sing the Thailand national anthem as one of the boy raise the Thailand flags. We could not understand but guessing the way how the children and the forestry officers stand we think that they are singing their national athem. After that do noticed that the forestry officers gave a speech and he hold a book on the Important of Bird Areas. Hah.....that means that this children are being trained by the forestry officers on how to do bird-watching, recognise what is Important Bird Areas, to appreciate birds. After the speech the children are breaks into small groups, lead by their facilators. Most children have a small binoculars hang around their neck and one of them carried a small scope around. This kids could be their first time expose to birds, they excitely run up and down to spot birds. This young faces reflect so much joy when they spotted a bird. Birding indeed can be enjoyed by all walks of life, any age groups and any gender.

In this park, there are a few green fowl in the big cage, but this one live freely, fly to anywher it likes. How I wish this bird that perched on this tree would be the Blue Magpie that I place so much hope to tick.
A White-Rumped Shama echos it's melodious calls. We cannot resit ourselves but just to takes a few photo of him

A Common Tailorbird drop in to break the silence together with a Grey Cannary Flycatcher nearby.
Just about to reached 9am local time, where we need to head to airport. Siew Ping spot a black bird. RACKET-TAILED TREEPIE.!!! I scan through with my binoculars only noticed a Greater Racket Tailed Drongo. "Ok or not where got Treepie?" We waited awhile, this lonesone Racket-Tailed Treepie fly in again to this canopy fruiting tree. HAH... now I got my last lifer RACKET-TAILED TREEPIE to end this chiangmai birding trip. I have a few glance of it thru my binoculars before I took this few record shots of it..

A black looking bird with the eyes not red but bluish, with it's tail this long would definately could not be the Drongo...Yeh!!! another lifer...

Others birds that we sighted here,
White-Crested Laughingthrush, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Magpie Robin, Eurasian Jay, Green-Billed Malkoha, White-Troated Kingfisher, Sooty-Headed Bulbul, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Yellow-Breasted Flowerpecker, Pond Heron

Thursday, September 6, 2007

I want to see that cuckoo....

19/8/2007 - Hutan Lipur Sg Perdik, Ulu Langat

The night before received an SMS from Banard (we fondly refer as Uncle B). "Susan I'll be at Perdik 2morrow with XXXXX, would you be there?" I replied I be there on my own no matter what cause I want to see that Cuckoo...

Uncle Banard... reply ''' Huh... for once I thought Cuckoo is a person you refer to..."

As I looked back, It must be one of my lucky day cause I seems to able to photographs alot of birds pix in one field trips and have lifer as well. Just a little while I arrived, station myself near the bamboo clumps, a male Pin-tailed Parrotfinch Erythrura prasina prasina came to the same spots where I first spotted it on 9/8/2007. Wooh.. Wah. me and my usual few birding friends was having busy times to focus it and keeps trigger our camera shutter to our hearts contents as long this individual bird pose for us.


I keeps analyse the picture below, I yet to comprehend why it's pin-tailed was so short. It is only one male bird that appear for us today.



While waiting for the Pin-Tailed Parrotfinch, I suddenly notice a big bird fly in and perched inside the forest. I used my binoculars to scan it.. OOOH my!..... the Banded Kingfished.. !! the Banded Kingfisher the female.. There.. there Banard.. there... there !.

After admiring quite alot of pictures taken by some friends finaly I managed to clock my lifer the Banded Kingfisher WAh... As usual I was jumping with excitement even I just got a glimpse of a lifer. This individual female Banded Kingfisher only enable us to scan through with our binoculars only..

On 23/8/2007 I received the male and female Banded Kingfisher that was photograph by Kam Su at one patch of forest in malaysia. I now wish to archive the female bird in my blog here to commemorate that indeed on this very day I clock this lifer.

Cuckoo... Cukooo... Ah Cuckooo... there... There .. There !!! I want to go there to takes it's photos...

The male lesser cuckooshrike Coracina fimbriata neglecta

He caught a stick insect.

How he process his food ? Well I notice it just about the same with the others birds, they would hit it left, right, center on a hard surface.


The female lesser cuckooshrike Coracina fimbriata neglecta

Later we notice two Lesser Cuckooshrike perched at this fruiting trees. Notice that it was a feeding scene.. It happen too quick therefore we just observed them only. Friends debate Cuckooshrike do not do courtship feeding.. It must be the feeding of the juvenile bird. I looks through my picture again and again, seems to notice that this individual have no field marking that it is a juvenile.

Besides stick insect, it also feeds on this fruits.

For this sub-adult blue flycatcher, I opt it for sub-adult pale blue.

Another view of the flycatcher. This is one of the moments it cleans it's bill. It wipe it against that branches.

AAAh another cuckoo.. Violet Cuckoo... Violet Cuckoo.. there .. there.. There!!!
Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus


Hei another Cuckoo... Well I opt this for the Sub-Adult of the Violet Cuckoo. This individual fly in at first perched at the same fruiting tree with the Lesser Cuckoo Shrike..
One of our birding mates commented ... "oooi a new one came in... why so silly concentrate on the Lesser Cuckooshrike..!!!

This individual then fly further in , I try to capture it.. AAh.. boleh lah...



Black-and-Yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus

Black and Yellow Broadbill female and Juvenile perched side by side. This was pointed out by Kam Su. He as usual have to wait for clean perched, bird must be near to fills the frame of his 500mm + tele lens. I started to appreciate birds with bino, therefore I just aim and trigger my shutter and hopes that my canon 400mm + 400D would captures some memorable pictures for me.

The female mother bird flew off, left with juvy...

AAAAh juvy stay there please for a little while... Pose for me please just a few more second please.. Thank you... Bye .. Bye juvy... Be strong and grow fast...