If you are interested in the conservation work that we do at Huai Khayeng Nature Park, please consider going across to subscribe at that channel: www.youtube.com/@HuaiKhayengNaturePark and perhaps making a donation and following our work on our Buy Me a Coffee page: buymeacoffee.com/huaikhayengnaturepark
Thank you for bringing the images of these little exotic birds to my computer. Without your effort, I wouldn't be able to enjoy watching them. Appreciate you. 🙏🙏
Gorgeous birds & great film. I'm very jealous, was at a nearby Blue Pitta stakeout a fews yrs ago. We set up a leafy net screen with some Japanese photographers and waited, 4 hours in the heat & bugs, saw some lovely birds Inc some in this film. Then a group of Germam hikers arrived behind us, they saw us watching quietly then promptly stomped through the stream scattering every bird in sight. Sadly, we missed the pitta as we had to move on but how selfish can you get? Ruined a superb day but the trip was excellent over all.
Ah... what a shame about the hikers. Working form hides can certainly be challenging in many ways... but I love it. I hope you get another chance to go after a Blue Pitta - the two sightings on this day are still my only sightings of this species. You may be interested to know that I am developing a large conservation area in Kanchanaburi that will have numerous hides of different kinds and no hikers! Earlier this year we had two pairs of Blue-winged pittas nesting right next to two of the hides.
Thanks Brian… I’ve come back to Thong Pha Phum to see if I can’t get a few more snake bites…. but I’ll be setting up a bird pool too… and putting out my new camera traps that have been brought over from the US… complete with their Made in Thailand stickers on the back… go figure!!!
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I will be going to some of the bird hides in the next few weeks myself..... I also can't wait. At the moment it seems that the very good hide is Bird Hide.... I have a video on that hide on the channel from last year. I might also visit a new hide in the same area, but at the moment I don't have any more details about it. Anyway, Bird Hide is getting the usual three partridge species plus grey peacock-pheasant..... If I go the hides next week, I will try to edit the clips and put them on the channel quickly so that you can get an idea of what you might see. Note that the hides are very popular this year, so it would be a good idea to book in advance if you are intending to visit them.
Great vid thanks for sharing, the pitta looked stunning, will be living in Thailand end of this year after my retirement, and hope to get some nice vids and pics like you have, great stuff, take care, greetings from Germany Michael
Hello Michael..... Thanks so much for your kind comment. The pitta really is stunning, isn't it. Well worth me sitting in the hide all day. For your interest, both blue and blue-winged pittas are showing at the moment at some of the bird hides near Kaeng Krachan. I have also started making permanent-style bird hides.... ie. actually rooms which can be closed to keep the mosquitoes out on my land in Kanchanaburi. Last year we had a pair of blue-winged pittas nesting right in front of where one of the hides is located so fingers crossed we will get the same this year in the next couple of months. Good choice on retiring to Thailand. Which part of the country will you be in?
@@thailandwild4897 Hi thanks for your quick kind answer, well my wife comes from near Khon Kaeng about 450 km from BKK, we will have a house there, but we may also rent something outside of BKK or Pattaya, because me only living in the country side could be a bit boring, I have to find out:-) Yes having a nice hide without mosquitos and snakes is a good idea. I was thinking about to do something like that too. I am making snap shots for the last 35 years but was not to serious about photographic. But now as getting 100% retired I am setting up to be a wildlife and bird photographer and have bought some good gear I thing. Need something to do when retired. Keep in touch, I will also get you a coffee.
Great stuff Michael..... Yes, Khon Kaen is a long way up. My family home is in Phichit in the lower part of the North, but I spend most of my time in Kanchanaburi and Phetchaburi (Kaeng Krachan) or in Bangkok. You will be reasonably near to some awesome parks - Nahm Nao NP, and Phu Kioew WS - Great wildlife there including great birding. It would be further for you to travel for your R&R, but I would certainly recommend the Phetchaburi / Hua Hin area for a second base..... in striking distance to Kaeng Krachan and Kuiburi NPs. A lot of keen wildlife folks in that area.
@@thailandwild4897 Hello Darryl,the temperature is slowly rising here but the weather conditions are pretty bad with dark clouds and rain.Probably next Monday is a good day for birding and i have made a wish list.Some spring birds have arrived yet and i can't wait to discover them but last month was rain and rain and......good for the nature here but i hope that better days are coming for me!! How are you doing there? Greetings Gijs
Here we are into the hottest time of the year - 40C some days, and very dry. I have made some small natural looking pools on my land, and just got my first film of some wildlife vising them which I will put on the channel soon. I also recently got a glimpse of a marbled cat..... very exciting.
Well done Darryl! Long wail for the pitta but what a stunning bird. I disagree with you regarding the mealworms. In the sections you should they weren’t that noticeable to deter anyone from buying it. Very nice!
Thanks Judy.... always very useful for me to have your input. I sometimes think I am oversensitive to that kind of thing since the Earth Touch days. Any hint of feeding or setting a scene and we would have lost the contract. The time I mentioned the mealworms wasn't too bad, but in the first shot of the pitta its beak was just full of them. Anyway, I wanted to keep some shots back, because I will put together a full 30-40-minute program of all the behind-the-scenes shots for the four days that I was in the forest. There is a guy in Norway making those kinds of programs and getting big views, so I thought I'd try.
Hello Darryl.must congratulate you splendid video,more importantly you are soo very helpful and generous I am a 82 year old retired Army office I am dying to to Thailand hides in dec this year,any kind of help is greatly appreciated
Thank you for your kind comment. Please be aware that the best times for the hides is probably January to May. Our rainy season will finish sometime in November and the forest is sometimes still very wet in early December, so not many birds come to the hides. Perhaps the end of December will be okay.
The Sony a1 looks like a fantastic camera in that low light situation you must be in filming from a hide, also your narrative and compositions are great well done..
Thanks for your comment. Yes indeed, I am filming from one of several hides at established water pools in and around Kaeng Krachan National Park. These hides make it really easy to see and film a good variety of bird life, as well as a few mammal species. I'm making something similar on some conservation land that I have in Kanchanaburi, and hope to start posting clips from there soon. I'm really pleased with the Sony. Until recently I was still using huge broadcast TV style cameras, and this is my first experience with a mirrorless camera. I am amazed by the flexibility and quality.
Thanks Brian.... I didn't look at my bird book carefully enough. The guidebook I have shows a blue rump and tail in mature females, but no blue on the body or wings. I'll have to make a note in the subtitles....
Beautiful birds, how interesting that it seems that our friends of the avian variety seems to be much more dazzling in colour, compared to rather drab counterparts in Europe, and other temperate areas, any explanation for this at all would be much appreciated, Or is it just that anything and everything changes to be more beautiful in a tropical locality
That is a very interesting comment, and it is certainly something that has attracted the attention of naturalists for quite some time. I have a feeling that even Alfred Russel Wallace mentioned it in his book, The Malay Archipelago. The question is.... is it true? I can certainly say that I got a lot more handsome when I moved to Thailand, but perhaps that was because I shaved off my horrible old beard. Joking aside, here is a link that I think will help answer your question...... news.mongabay.com/2022/06/new-study-offers-answers-for-why-tropical-birds-are-more-colorful/
@@thailandwild4897 greatest gratitude and thanks for the providing of that particular, very informative link, I myself have always hypothesized that it should be due to the abundance of colorful fruits to be found in such an environment, although one would assume that bright, iridescent colors would surely make one more conspicuous and susceptible to detection and attack from predators,
in regards to birds, the sunbirds are a personal favorite of mine, and a testament to the fecundity of the tropics, flying jewels they are, I myself have never understood why, with their striking, dazzling, awesome appearance, a veritable living bejeweled mosaic. Have they so often been eclipsed in fame and name by the hummingbirds of South America in popular culture, which is a bird I deem to be slightly inferior to the sunbirds in terms of appearance and coloring, perhaps it is just me playing favorites!
Yes... this is surely a very complex story. How to balance the need to stay hidden from predators with the need to be found by potential mates. If any animal was so camouflaged and quiet that its own kind can't find it in the forest it would soon die out. On the other hand, we always think in terms of human eyesight and hearing. Different animals see and hear the world differently. Perhaps some colours that are bright to us, are not clear for some predators. It is a very interesting topic. My background is evolutionary biology, so I think about this kind of thing a lot.
Yes. I love sunbirds. I think it is possible that we are more familiar with hummingbirds for two reasons. Firstly, they are relatively easy to film as they can be attracted to flowers and other sources of honey and will hover in a fixed position. They also make great subjects for slow-motion. Secondly, the West generally has a lot more documentary film compared to SE Asia. I think we are very underrepresented in the world of wildlife documentaries, and that is something I would like to try to fix.
None of the bird hides are actually inside the park, and Nuy hide is rather difficult to find. It is near Wat Huay Mae Phiang, but I think you would probably need to contact the owner, Khun Nuy, in order to get directions. His phone number is 0630957739
Hello Ashiq, welcome to Thailand Wild. These hides are best visited during the Thai 'winter' which is also the driest time of the year. Approximately December to April. Wildlife is attracted to these hides by the small pools of water, and as the forest dries out more animals will come. I have had the best success from January to March because the forest will be dry for sure at that time, and lots of winter visiting birds are still here in Thailand.
Hello again Ashiq, I just wanted to add that I visited the hides right at the end of May, and they were still attracting a lot of birds. Although we have started to get rain quite often now, I see that some of my friends have still been getting good bird photos right through June and up to last weekend.
Hi... I have just got home from 5 days at Kaeng Krachan. Firstly, it is important to realise that all the hides are around the edge of the National Park, not inside the park. At the moment, Bird hide is doing very well, and lots of good birds are showing there. Dab Toon hide is also attracting both birds and mammals. I will add contact details in the description of each video for the various hides, so please have a look there. However, for the Nuy bird hide his phone number is + 66 (0)63 095 7739and you can call him directly. He is also works as a bird guide in the park.
Also, if you are staying at one of the resorts close to the park such as Baan Maka Nature Lodge, or Samarn Bird Camp they have all the contact details and can make bookings for you.
If you are interested in the conservation work that we do at Huai Khayeng Nature Park, please consider going across to subscribe at that channel: www.youtube.com/@HuaiKhayengNaturePark
and perhaps making a donation and following our work on our Buy Me a Coffee page:
buymeacoffee.com/huaikhayengnaturepark
Wonderful! Love the Blue Pitta footage
Thank you so much for your kind comment. Yes, the pitta was well worth the wait.
Beautiful video of birds. The Hainan blue flycatcher is so cute ❤
Thank you so much. Yes, it was such a pleasure to see so many lovely birds on that day.
Thank you for bringing the images of these little exotic birds to my computer. Without your effort, I wouldn't be able to enjoy watching them. Appreciate you. 🙏🙏
Thank you for your appreciation…. I hope you enjoy some of the other clips on the channel.
Gorgeous birds & great film. I'm very jealous, was at a nearby Blue Pitta stakeout a fews yrs ago. We set up a leafy net screen with some Japanese photographers and waited, 4 hours in the heat & bugs, saw some lovely birds Inc some in this film. Then a group of Germam hikers arrived behind us, they saw us watching quietly then promptly stomped through the stream scattering every bird in sight. Sadly, we missed the pitta as we had to move on but how selfish can you get? Ruined a superb day but the trip was excellent over all.
Ah... what a shame about the hikers. Working form hides can certainly be challenging in many ways... but I love it. I hope you get another chance to go after a Blue Pitta - the two sightings on this day are still my only sightings of this species. You may be interested to know that I am developing a large conservation area in Kanchanaburi that will have numerous hides of different kinds and no hikers! Earlier this year we had two pairs of Blue-winged pittas nesting right next to two of the hides.
@@thailandwild4897 That sounds incredible, I am hoping to return to Thailand as the birding is outstanding.
beautifully filmed..
Thanks Brian… I’ve come back to Thong Pha Phum to see if I can’t get a few more snake bites…. but I’ll be setting up a bird pool too… and putting out my new camera traps that have been brought over from the US… complete with their Made in Thailand stickers on the back… go figure!!!
@@thailandwild4897 aint it always the way.... lol
Good selection of birds,
Lovely video.
Thank you Nicola.
Great filming with the A1 - very well done
Thank you so much. I come from a background of broadcast cameras, so I absolutely love filming with the 'little' Sony.
Your videos are very good, i am visiting Thiland and Kaeng Krachan in february, i cannot wait!!! :)
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I will be going to some of the bird hides in the next few weeks myself..... I also can't wait. At the moment it seems that the very good hide is Bird Hide.... I have a video on that hide on the channel from last year. I might also visit a new hide in the same area, but at the moment I don't have any more details about it. Anyway, Bird Hide is getting the usual three partridge species plus grey peacock-pheasant..... If I go the hides next week, I will try to edit the clips and put them on the channel quickly so that you can get an idea of what you might see. Note that the hides are very popular this year, so it would be a good idea to book in advance if you are intending to visit them.
Great vid thanks for sharing, the pitta looked stunning, will be living in Thailand end of this year after my retirement, and hope to get some nice vids and pics like you have, great stuff, take care, greetings from Germany Michael
Hello Michael..... Thanks so much for your kind comment. The pitta really is stunning, isn't it. Well worth me sitting in the hide all day. For your interest, both blue and blue-winged pittas are showing at the moment at some of the bird hides near Kaeng Krachan. I have also started making permanent-style bird hides.... ie. actually rooms which can be closed to keep the mosquitoes out on my land in Kanchanaburi. Last year we had a pair of blue-winged pittas nesting right in front of where one of the hides is located so fingers crossed we will get the same this year in the next couple of months. Good choice on retiring to Thailand. Which part of the country will you be in?
@@thailandwild4897 Hi thanks for your quick kind answer, well my wife comes from near Khon Kaeng about 450 km from BKK, we will have a house there, but we may also rent something outside of BKK or Pattaya, because me only living in the country side could be a bit boring, I have to find out:-) Yes having a nice hide without mosquitos and snakes is a good idea. I was thinking about to do something like that too. I am making snap shots for the last 35 years but was not to serious about photographic. But now as getting 100% retired I am setting up to be a wildlife and bird photographer and have bought some good gear I thing. Need something to do when retired. Keep in touch, I will also get you a coffee.
Great stuff Michael..... Yes, Khon Kaen is a long way up. My family home is in Phichit in the lower part of the North, but I spend most of my time in Kanchanaburi and Phetchaburi (Kaeng Krachan) or in Bangkok. You will be reasonably near to some awesome parks - Nahm Nao NP, and Phu Kioew WS - Great wildlife there including great birding. It would be further for you to travel for your R&R, but I would certainly recommend the Phetchaburi / Hua Hin area for a second base..... in striking distance to Kaeng Krachan and Kuiburi NPs. A lot of keen wildlife folks in that area.
Awesome
Yes, such a beautiful bird.
Hello Darryl,this is a very nice presentation of birds and fantastic images!! Really enjoyable to look at!! Greetings Gijs
Thank you so much, Gijs. How are you keeping.... has spring arrived yet?
@@thailandwild4897 Hello Darryl,the temperature is slowly rising here but the weather conditions are pretty bad with dark clouds and rain.Probably next Monday is a good
day for birding and i have made a wish list.Some spring birds have arrived yet and i can't wait to discover them but last month was rain and rain and......good for the nature
here but i hope that better days are coming for me!! How are you doing there? Greetings Gijs
Here we are into the hottest time of the year - 40C some days, and very dry. I have made some small natural looking pools on my land, and just got my first film of some wildlife vising them which I will put on the channel soon. I also recently got a glimpse of a marbled cat..... very exciting.
Well done Darryl! Long wail for the pitta but what a stunning bird. I disagree with you regarding the mealworms. In the sections you should they weren’t that noticeable to deter anyone from buying it. Very nice!
Thanks Judy.... always very useful for me to have your input. I sometimes think I am oversensitive to that kind of thing since the Earth Touch days. Any hint of feeding or setting a scene and we would have lost the contract. The time I mentioned the mealworms wasn't too bad, but in the first shot of the pitta its beak was just full of them. Anyway, I wanted to keep some shots back, because I will put together a full 30-40-minute program of all the behind-the-scenes shots for the four days that I was in the forest. There is a guy in Norway making those kinds of programs and getting big views, so I thought I'd try.
Hello Darryl.must congratulate you splendid video,more importantly you are soo very helpful and generous I am a 82 year old retired Army office I am dying to to Thailand hides in dec this year,any kind of help is greatly appreciated
Thank you for your kind comment. Please be aware that the best times for the hides is probably January to May. Our rainy season will finish sometime in November and the forest is sometimes still very wet in early December, so not many birds come to the hides. Perhaps the end of December will be okay.
The Sony a1 looks like a fantastic camera in that low light situation you must be in filming from a hide, also your narrative and compositions are great well done..
Thanks for your comment. Yes indeed, I am filming from one of several hides at established water pools in and around Kaeng Krachan National Park. These hides make it really easy to see and film a good variety of bird life, as well as a few mammal species. I'm making something similar on some conservation land that I have in Kanchanaburi, and hope to start posting clips from there soon. I'm really pleased with the Sony. Until recently I was still using huge broadcast TV style cameras, and this is my first experience with a mirrorless camera. I am amazed by the flexibility and quality.
Thank you very much…. Yes, I can’t believe how good the camera is in low light. I really should do some controlled tests to see how far it can go.
Looks like the first Sibe Blue Robin is a first year male... can see a little blue appearing on the wings... Female no blue at all
Thanks Brian.... I didn't look at my bird book carefully enough. The guidebook I have shows a blue rump and tail in mature females, but no blue on the body or wings. I'll have to make a note in the subtitles....
Beautiful birds, how interesting that it seems that our friends of the avian variety seems to be much more dazzling in colour, compared to rather drab counterparts in Europe, and other temperate areas, any explanation for this at all would be much appreciated, Or is it just that anything and everything changes to be more beautiful in a tropical locality
That is a very interesting comment, and it is certainly something that has attracted the attention of naturalists for quite some time. I have a feeling that even Alfred Russel Wallace mentioned it in his book, The Malay Archipelago. The question is.... is it true? I can certainly say that I got a lot more handsome when I moved to Thailand, but perhaps that was because I shaved off my horrible old beard. Joking aside, here is a link that I think will help answer your question...... news.mongabay.com/2022/06/new-study-offers-answers-for-why-tropical-birds-are-more-colorful/
@@thailandwild4897 greatest gratitude and thanks for the providing of that particular, very informative link, I myself have always hypothesized that it should be due to the abundance of colorful fruits to be found in such an environment, although one would assume that bright, iridescent colors would surely make one more conspicuous and susceptible to detection and attack from predators,
in regards to birds, the sunbirds are a personal favorite of mine, and a testament to the fecundity of the tropics, flying jewels they are, I myself have never understood why, with their striking, dazzling, awesome appearance, a veritable living bejeweled mosaic. Have they so often been eclipsed in fame and name by the hummingbirds of South America in popular culture, which is a bird I deem to be slightly inferior to the sunbirds in terms of appearance and coloring, perhaps it is just me playing favorites!
Yes... this is surely a very complex story. How to balance the need to stay hidden from predators with the need to be found by potential mates. If any animal was so camouflaged and quiet that its own kind can't find it in the forest it would soon die out. On the other hand, we always think in terms of human eyesight and hearing. Different animals see and hear the world differently. Perhaps some colours that are bright to us, are not clear for some predators. It is a very interesting topic. My background is evolutionary biology, so I think about this kind of thing a lot.
Yes. I love sunbirds. I think it is possible that we are more familiar with hummingbirds for two reasons. Firstly, they are relatively easy to film as they can be attracted to flowers and other sources of honey and will hover in a fixed position. They also make great subjects for slow-motion. Secondly, the West generally has a lot more documentary film compared to SE Asia. I think we are very underrepresented in the world of wildlife documentaries, and that is something I would like to try to fix.
where Nuy Bird Hide is situated please? because Kaen krachan is wide. Thanks
None of the bird hides are actually inside the park, and Nuy hide is rather difficult to find. It is near Wat Huay Mae Phiang, but I think you would probably need to contact the owner, Khun Nuy, in order to get directions. His phone number is 0630957739
What is the best time of the year to visit these hides?
Hello Ashiq, welcome to Thailand Wild. These hides are best visited during the Thai 'winter' which is also the driest time of the year. Approximately December to April. Wildlife is attracted to these hides by the small pools of water, and as the forest dries out more animals will come. I have had the best success from January to March because the forest will be dry for sure at that time, and lots of winter visiting birds are still here in Thailand.
Hello again Ashiq, I just wanted to add that I visited the hides right at the end of May, and they were still attracting a lot of birds. Although we have started to get rain quite often now, I see that some of my friends have still been getting good bird photos right through June and up to last weekend.
@@thailandwild4897 That's great to hear and will be quite helpful to plan a trip there. Thanks a lot.
Hi. How can we book a hide in KK?
Hi... I have just got home from 5 days at Kaeng Krachan. Firstly, it is important to realise that all the hides are around the edge of the National Park, not inside the park. At the moment, Bird hide is doing very well, and lots of good birds are showing there. Dab Toon hide is also attracting both birds and mammals. I will add contact details in the description of each video for the various hides, so please have a look there. However, for the Nuy bird hide his phone number is + 66 (0)63 095 7739and you can call him directly. He is also works as a bird guide in the park.
Also, if you are staying at one of the resorts close to the park such as Baan Maka Nature Lodge, or Samarn Bird Camp they have all the contact details and can make bookings for you.
Awesome, thank you very much. Indeed, we will stay at Baan Maka. Cheers!
Have a great trip. I saw the beer, and lots of monkeys and gibbons on this trip, as well as lots of birds, of course.