wildlife pond – Tonji and Sylvia's Wildlife Refuge

Gotcha! Camera Trap Highlights

We installed two camera traps in the Big Pond and one in the Water Lily Pond just to see what we would get. We also put one by the swimming pool, but unfortunately I forgot to turn it on!

We are using a very simple camera. We like that it works on AA batteries. Note: get the Energizer batteries! They really outlast the non-branded ones. This camera doesn’t connect to wifi. You just leave it in place, then go back and physically remove the cards and then go through all the photos! There were thousands of photos!

This is what we got:

Ducks feeding

There are two kinds of ducks when it comes to the way they get their food. The dabblers and the divers. Philippine Ducks are dabbling ducks. We have a lot of photos of Philippine Ducks feeding in the same exact spot!

Bayawak!

It was just swimming. I don’t know if they can eat ducks. We also saw it sunning itself on the spillway when we visited.

Two kinds of Kingfishers

The first picture is a Common Kingfisher, the second is a Buff Throated Kingfisher.

Close up of the brown hybrid duck

We saw this duck in September. I thought it was a black duck. It turns out to be brown with very nice markings!

Purple Heron close ups

We think this is is our one and only Purple Heron that has been around since the early days of the farm refuge.

Little Grebe!

Very nice to see a Little Grebe in the Big Pond. We didn’t see it when we visited and inspected the ponds, so it’s nice to know that it’s there!

Next time I will try to set up the camera at the Water Lily Pond closer to the water. The photos come out much better if the camera is nearer to the subject. Otherwise, even the colors of the birds don’t come out clearly.

August 2025 – A Magical Month!

Our visit started of not so great — I was upset because Ollie rolled in horse poop two times and Tonji was upset because of farm tasks that hadn’t been accomplished.

Then

Then things got better

Going outside for a walk with a camera, binoculars, and (now clean) dogs is a sure way to make things better. The grass rustling underfoot and the birds singing in the trees is instantly uplifting!

I also saw the Orioles, Pygmy Woodpeckers, Coppersmith Barbet, and more!

Then things got even better

I always expect something good from the Big Pond. This time, it exceeded my expectations! To get to the pond from the cottage, you cross a bridge then walk up a short but steep incline, then end up on top of the bank of the Big Pond. This is my usual viewing area. I am at one end of the pond and the ducks are at the other end.

This time I had to stop before I reached the top of the bank because there were so many ducks in the pond! There were ducks swimming right below the area where I would usually stand! This was the closest I had even been to the ducks in the refuge.

I didn’t want to scare the ducks away, so I stayed just halfway up the incline and waited for the ducks to swim into view, and took pictures from there. I was so happy with the pictures!

The following morning Tonji took drone footage of the Big Pond and counted the ducks. The number we had in July was 47 ducks. Our guess before going through the drone footage was at least 80 ducks. And the count from the drone footage was .. 136 ducks!

And it was all magic!

We were feeling elated and and high from seeing all the ducks and even a bayawak in the Big Pond. It had all worked so well that day — the pond, the ducks, the drone! And then, there was one more surprise for us. When night fell, the fireflies came out and put on a magical show at our Firefly tree!

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.

September 2023 – The Big Pond is Finished!

The pond construction is done! On September 6, we told the contractor to stop digging, bring out the heavy equipment and to close the pond wall. Monica and Kristian came over so they could walk on the pond floor and see the pond in it’s “before” state! Who knows, if we are lucky a big storm could hit us and fill up our pond!

It is a bit late in the season for a big storm to hit us. This is more like wishful thinking! It’s nice though to be done with the construction and all the disturbance it brings to the site. Now we just have to wait for rain. A lot of rain!

I think it the big pond will be amazing once it’s full of water. Maybe, it will be like the water lily pond, but more! Bigger and better! It is so enjoyable to see all the activity in the water lily pond. We saw diving beetles, a lot of wild passionfruit, and bird tracks!

Diving beetle

We celebrated Tonji’s birthday at the big pond. We went for the day with some wine and water plants! We also moved all the seedlings from the nursery to the big pond. We will plant them around the area.

Happy Birthday Tonji!