bird photography – Page 2 – Tonji and Sylvia's Wildlife Refuge

July 2025

July was an interesting month. We visited the farm while there was a typhoon or tropical depression far away in the north. Of course there was a lot of rain! Even with all the rain, there was still so much to see and enjoy.

Philippine Ducks

The ducks were flying back and forth and all around. We guessed they were going from the Big Pond to the Water Lily Pond, and possibly other areas in the refuge. All the rain has filled up the smaller ponds. There are now many spots for the ducks to swim in! Tonji counted 47 ducks in the Big Pond.

Weird Hybrid Duck

Our strange visitor is still around. I wonder how long he plans to stay?

Water Lily Pond

The Water Lily Pond is still going strong! All the plants make this an enchanting place to visit.

Other Pond Denizens

The pond’s cast of characters continues to grow! In the past, we would usually see Black Crowned Night Herons flying overhead. This time we saw one perched!

We are wondering if this is the same Purple Heron that we would see in the Picnic Area back in the early days. It’s nice to see it by the water!

This Month’s Exciting Moment for Us as Birdwatchers

We have a picture of an Asian Koel! If you have an Asian Koel in your area, you probably know about it from its call. Their calls are very loud, even scandalously loud. Their call starts off normally, then gets louder and higher in pitch and intensity and sounds like someone in the throes of unrestrained passionate ecstasy. They manage to do all this while remaining mostly hidden and difficult to spot.

We were surprised to see one out in the open. I assumed it was a crow, but Tonji told me to take pics because it was hopping around like a Koel, not a crow!

On a side note, I saw Koels in a golf course outside Bangkok and they were easy to see. Or maybe I was just lucky or my caddie was a good birdwatcher.

April 2025 – The Other Pond Creatures

I write a lot about the Philippine Ducks in the Big Pond. What other birds that are not Philippine Ducks visit the Big Pond?

The Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater in the photo at the top. It was perched very close.

Coppersmith Barbet, very colorful and loud!

Olive-backed Sunbird. It has a beautiful song.

Grey Wagtail.

Barred Rail. We are seeing them more frequently.

Northern Shoveler.

We also had our first lotus flowers in the Big Pond. Our friends Ixi and Mikeli gave us 2 water lily plants and I thought they died. It turns out they had been growing and spreading. I didn’t recognize them as lotus plants because they were mixed in with some water lilies. I also don’t know why so many of the leaves are dried up and brown.

The Salingogon tree near the horses house flowered for the first time! We have two of these Salingogon trees. The flowers are very small and dainty.

The Balai Lamok near the cottage made a miraculous comeback! Last October 2024, there was a huge miscommunication with our caretakers and they removed our beautiful Balai Lamok! Not even a stump was left. We felt crushed and sad and immediately planted something else in its place in an effort to erase the bad memory. It seems the Balai Lamok was not compeletely uprooted. There are now multiple sprouts coming out of the ground!

Tonji said that he saw 2 Scale Feathered Malkohas while he was on the tractor cutting the grass. We went out twice to look for them, but did not see them.

This is what we did see.

Taluto aka Winged Boot. It seems like all of a sudden, we have several of these trees growing.

More Barred Rails!

These amazing colors all around!

March 2025 – Bird #111 !

On our last visit to the refuge, we saw a Black-winged Stilt walking up and down the the shore of the Big Pond. This visit, we saw 4 Wood Sandpipers! They are a new addition to our Farm Bird List. They were definitely attracted by the Big Pond.

The stars of the pond, the Philippine Ducks walked up to the Wood Sandpipers and sat down near them. The following morning, the Wood Sandpipers had left. There were around 40 Philippine Ducks at the Big Pond. Tonji also saw a Cuckoo species, but he wasn’t able to ID it.

There was also a big Bayawak!

We enjoyed the last bits of cool weather. There’s a cool breeze in the evening and early morning, grass is still green, and the Bagawak Morado is full of flowers.

The Malabulak trees we planted as a buffer zone between the pond and the road outside have grown! These trees came from the seeds of our first Malabulak trees.

We also had great views of the Pink-necked Green Pigeons that regularly visit the trees in front of the cottage.

January 2025 – New Year, New Bird!

We had a new addition to our refuge bird list! This is Bird #110, a Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus in the Big Pond. They are usually found in flocks, but this one was by itself.

The Big Pond has been a magnificent addition to the refuge. Different kinds of birds come in for a drink and a bath.

These are Rock Doves. They are the wild or feral versions of domestic pigeons.

A Large-billed Crow bathing near the ducks.

We are already looking at possible sites for another big pond. It would be nice to hold more water in different areas of the refuge. We have been experiencing extreme weather fluctuations. Last year was the worst heat wave ever. Hopefully, that does not become a regular trend.

The Big Pond is looking more natural and less like a giant rice paddy. The plants are growing and changing the look of the pond.

These are the native water lilies.

We checked the Water Lily Pond and saw several interesting holes in the grass near the pond. Could these be where ducks lay their eggs?

Sadly for me, I broke my wrist this month. No bird photography for me for now.

All in all, a great start to the new year!