Songkhla, Thailand, has turned out to be fantastic from the point of birding. I don't need to go anywhere here like in Bangkok, where I often had birding trips to large parks - in Songkhla, non-trivial birds live in the streets. I enjoy watching them on my way to the beach or through the telephoto lens (Nikkor 70-300mm). Sharing images I've taken over the last weeks.
That was in the street, as I said - I heard the koel's call, and then spotted this stylish guy sitting on a tree in someone's yard. A fruitarian and brood-parasite - a red-eyed vegan villain in the black. π
Thailand without the calls of this bird doesn't taste like Thailand. For example, you can hear it several times in The White Lotus season 3.
No, this is not a koel, just a misleading angle. Koels are about the size of crows. As for the greater coucal (in the image), theyβre larger, with the cinnamon-colored back and the loud (and cozy) call: 'oob-oob-oob'.
The koel's call evokes the mystery of the night, while the coucalβs reminds us of the wonders of the tropical forest.
Some fruits in the street... No idea what but look cute.
Bee-eaters are numerous in Songkhla. I didn't see that many in Bangkok.
Their flight is a mesmerizing spectacle. They resemble kites (the toy kind) in both shape and the way they float on the wind.
Fascinating birds.
I don't have a super large telephoto lens to photograph them well but... honestly, I am not interested in taking top-quality bird photographs - snapshots of my tiny birding adventures are sufficient for me.
A view from my window in Songkhla:
If I had a coat of arms as a birdwatcher, I would have this small funny guy on it... Why? Because a coppersmith barbet was the one who opened the door to birdwatching for me!
The ornate sunbird. They are the tiniest birds among feathered dwellers of Songkhla (one and a half times smaller than sparrows), so you'll recognize them by their high-pitched chirps (the smaller the guitar, the higher the sound of the strings; the same physical law applies here).
A sparrow. They're found all over the world, just like pigeons. But unlike pigeons, they're actually cute, lol.
This is the main mystery of Songkhla - the great myna as the dominant bird in the city.
My theory... I saw an old shopping mall with a broken panel at the top level with dozens of great mynas noisily flying in and out - the great myna's metropolis...
So my theory is that, at some point, they took control of some old attics and reproduced there themselves since then; and they don't allow other species to use these spaces.
A spirit house on the roof of an old multistory building
So other birds have a shortage of nesting sites and have even to breed in hollows (like wild animals π‘, lol) while the great mynas live in human houses like royalty. π
Another marvel of Thailand:
Indochinese Roller. They have aaamazing blue shades below wings! I was watching this bird in Bangkok only once. Happy to spot this colorful guy in Songkhla too.
While writing this post, I listened to its call on the internet β Iβll try to remember it: like two pebbles clicking against each other.
Another common city dweller:
Yellow-vented bulbul. I saw so many in Bangkok. But the following bird, I have never seen before - the red-breasted parakeet.
They hang out by the beach
and live in hollows of casuarina trees growing along the sea.
Someone's sticking out of the wood, lol.
Parrots! The red bill is a boy, and that's the lady:
I hope Songkhla still has many more surprises like this for me! Thereβs not just a beach here, but also a huge lake where cormorants live and kites circle overhead β new birding impressions might come from there... Thank you for reading and stay tuned!
- Find more Songkhla birds in my previous birding post, Urban Birdwatching in Songkhla City, Thailand. A Comparison of Birding in Bangkok and Songkhla
The first image in the post is an entry for the weekly Feathered Friends contest 213
I took these images with a Nikkor 70-300mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 in March-April 2025 in Songkhla, Thailand.
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @x-rain ) sharing the post on Reddit as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com. Otherwise, rewards go to the author of the blog post.
Apparently, this place is a paradise for birds. What beautiful species you've seen and photographed.
Beautiful shots, dear friend @x-rain
Have a beautiful day.
Yup, a paradise for birds, cats, and food-lovers so I am not going to leave the place soon, lol. Thank you, @jlufer!
Wow so may birds... That red eye looks so evil, like he's gonna kill you after the picture π€£
Parrots free in nature, so strange, they are called like "not to be divided" because they can't live one alone, they need to stay in a couple
Not many parrots in Southeast Asian cities, it's the first time, I see them and feel amazed myself. Looks like they live in the couple as you said - I should read more about them and should watch them more - a new species in my life.
Wooow
So many cool birdsβ¦itβs really cool in terms of birding like you said and I think you are even coolerπ for clearly catching all of that birding coolness
Good job
Thank you! Yes, a lot of coolness, lol!
Greetings @x-rain ,
What a lovely lively post....enjoyed meeting the various birds...so many...thank you!
Kind Regards,
Bleujay
Greetings, Bleujay! I appreciate these kind words! Thank you! ππ₯
Beautiful birdies! I used to tame them and followed me around. Lol. Nice photos. π©·π
Sounds quite a dream to have such walks. From time to time, I talk to mynas, especially common mynas - hoping to get some curious reaction from them. They are super smart but probably too busy with their own intense lives to pay attention to a weird human π
Thank you!
Yes!... Awesome to see this bird record!!!! π·π―
!discovery shots
!PIZZA
π Cheers, dear @jlinaresp, have a lovely day! ππ₯
What a beautiful post! How wonderful so much variety of birds in the city.
Very nice shots, and this looks like a painting:
Perfect choice - my favorite image in the set too, and! it's not a crop. A lucky shot.
Sorry for answering late - busy and stressful time, it was - went to the Thai-Malay border to get another Thai stamp... it was an adventure and took some time... Survived, lol, and back to Songkhla :)
Very lucky shot! π
Oh great, hope to see those adventures π.
How beautiful it must be to be able to enjoy so many different types of birds living freely!
Excellent photographs, by the way!
It is beautiful indeed - many tropical cities have much lower diversity. Love the fact that I arrived at such a birding paradise.
Thank you, @roswelborges!
It is great!
Thank you!
Hugs!
I don't think I've ever seen them outside a cage before. The red one looks like a little king up in the tree. Nice photos man, well nice
Very lucky to be here, thank you! π Sorry for the late answer!
How many birds you spot! π
I am impressed by the variety of species too.
Wonderful post!
Thank you! The variety is cool, and I am optimistic about my birding future in this town - returned from the border run yesterday - got 60 days more in Songkhla π
You can check out this post and your own profile on the map. Be part of the Worldmappin Community and join our Discord Channel to get in touch with other travelers, ask questions or just be updated on our latest features.
Congratulations, your post has been added to the TravelFeed Map! ππ₯³π΄
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
- Go to TravelFeed Map
- Click the create pin button
- Drag the marker to where your post should be. Zoom in if needed or use the search bar (top right).
- Copy and paste the generated code in your post (any Hive frontend)
- Or login with Hive Keychain or Hivesigner and click "create post" to post to Hive directly from TravelFeed
- Congrats, your post is now on the map!
PS: You can import your previous Pinmapple posts to the TravelFeed map.Opt Out
Congratulations @x-rain! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 14000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out our last posts:
This post was shared and voted inside the discord by the curators team of Discovery-it in collaboration with Visual Shots community.
Discovery-it is also a Witness, vote for us here
Delegate to us for passive income. Check our 80% fee-back Program
Congratulations @x-rain! You received the biggest smile and some love from TravelFeed! Keep up the amazing blog. π Your post was also chosen as top pick of the day and is now featured on the TravelFeed front page.
Thanks for using TravelFeed!
@for91days (TravelFeed team)
PS: You can now read your favourite travel blogs on your phone. Plus, blogging on-the-go just got easier! Download our app on the Apple App Store or get it on Google Play.
Congratulations, it is very nice the way you have written this post. You don't need to have a super camera to achieve a blog post with as much personality as yours. And a great variety of birds you show here... funny the hairstyle of the great myna.
π