Champions of the Flyway!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Garden Warblers - Malee's, Chiang Dao


Two warbler species that were both special, for different reasons....


This Grey-crowned Warbler was photographed not ten metres from the door to our little cabin in the garden, and was the first bird encountered on a pre-breakfast wander; a typically hyperactive sprite that moves fast and very rarely allows a clear shot with binoculars (let alone the DSLR), this bird tolerated a lengthy, bleary-eyed and usually costly fumbling around with settings and lens cap and kindly posed to absolute perfection.


This somewhat more cryptic but no less satisfying Pale-legged Leaf Warbler came to feed in the nearest small tree to the restaurant (which is very near indeed), and was my first of the trip. Satisfying enough in itself, but even sweeter considering the bizarre timing - at the moment it arrived alongside us, I was sat at our favoured table blogging about how frustrating it was to have missed Pale-legged Leaf Warblers in Thailand thus far.


The moral? Don't be even vaguely careful what you wish for.