krabi, THailand - 2023

This year had already started on a high note, with some good photography back home, and my amazing journey across Namibia. Work was also getting busier, so there was little time to do anything else.

That said, when my birder friend Basil told me of a short five-day trip to Krabi he was organizing with his acquaintances, and if I wanted to join in and experience the birds of prey, it did not take long to make a decision. With some good chances to capture the famed Osprey and Brown-winged kingfisher, among many others, minimum costs to a nearby destination, and some good food guaranteed, all these were appealing and final arguments to make the necessary booking arrangements.

And just like that, by the end of October, our small party was boarding a budget flight to sunny Krabi, Thailand. 

Day 1 - 27th October

The flight took slightly less than two hours, and after a speedy immigration and customs process, our tour and birding guide Arjin greeted us at the airport with our transport. As our minivan made its way to our first accommodations, the excitement was palpable, and everybody was looking forward to setting up our gear and looking up at the skies for signs of the raptors, being the season in Thailand. But, was this was almost lunch time, we decided to make a quick stop and fill up our hungry stomachs with some delicious fried fish, meat, vegetables, and fragrant steamed rice! Thailand remains one of the best places in Southeast Asia for very affordable and always delicious fresh food, and we were determined to validate this claim during our trip.

That business being taken care of, our next stop was the famed pond, in the city, and not so far from the Krabi river, where we would get a chance at sighting our first Ospreys. This was a short ride, and before we knew it, we were out of the van, unloading our gear, and setting up at our chosen spots. Tents had been planted at our location, sponsored by Atipoj, a local photographer, celebrity, and businessman, and offered a much-welcome protection against the relentless sun.  

A little cormorant landed on one of the guardrails surrounding the ponds, and above, a pair of Brahminy kites, a mature and a juvenile, engaged in some acrobatic rivalry or conflict. Below, a Grey heron decided the above action was too much already and slowly flew away, staying low, while a few Common sandpipers and Pacific swallows scattered away and around us as well.

Barely an hour later, our first Osprey suddenly flew in and above the ponds, coming from the river and further out of town, probably where it stayed when not flying. We strained our big lens upwards, tracking the fast-moving bird of prey, as it circled the ponds, looking down, and without warning, it dived! But it aborted before getting too low and gained altitude again. And as fast as it circled back towards the same spot, it dived again, alas, putting some of the pond's obstacles between us! But I was ready as it emerged from behind the pond, with a nice, fresh fish in its unforgiving claws: it’s a catch!

There was excitement among us as it flew right above, giving some plenty of premium shots to some very happy photographers :-)

We watched the Osprey and its catch fly away, soon disappearing beyond and behind a line of trees, but the afternoon was far from over. We soon turned our attention back to the pool, where a Little cormorant was taking off, under the watchful eyes of a White-throated kingfisher. Suddenly, appearing from behind a nearby building, a beautiful Shikra, or Little Banded Goshawk, or Sparrowhawk also called) flew above us, as another Brahminy kite made its entrance, checking out the waters below. That was really a treat!

It had been a very busy first day, and as the afternoon drew to a slow end, we all decided to pack up, check in our accommodations, and start worrying about dinner…

It was a short ride to our villas, and after a quick unpacking and setup for recharding batteries and backing up the day’s shots, we once again boarded our van and headed out to dinner: deep fried pork cuttelets with steamed rice, vegetables and a very generous plate of grilled shrimps with some refreshing beverages was all that we needed to recharge and conclude the day.

Day 2 - 28th October

It was an early rise around 6 am for us, and a quick breakfast before heading back to the pond. We all wanted more Osprey action, and no time was wasted as we arrived and prepared our gear. Before you knew it, we were all scanning the skies, wondering from which direction the action would arise.

It wasn’t that long before one of us excitedly warned of an incoming Osprey, which flew across the ponds, turned around, and immediately went into a steep glide, instead of the iconic vertical diving we were all hoping for. And as if in cue, it aborted the glide, as the fish most probably went deeper, and there was no more point wasting energy diving. So it regained altitude, circled a few more times, and all of a sudden, talons extended forward, wings tucked backwards, dropped from the sky into the waters.

SPLASH!

You would have missed the action if you hadn’t been prepared for what was coming. A split second later, emerging from its shallow dive, the Osprey brought a medium-sized fish out of the waters and, with a few powerful pushes of its wings, flew away in a heartbeat, leaving us shouting in excitment and asking it to perform a celebratory U-turn: which it did not, prefering to safely carry its catch away from prying eyes. 

Sitting back in our foldable chairs, head bent over our camera monitors, everybody was checking their precious shots, as a Little cormorant made a pass over the pond, maybe to check if there was anything else to catch. As I watched it fly to the second adjacent pond, a Brahminy kite dropped from the sky, but the guardrails again blocked our view, so we only saw it coming back up with a catch.

“Dive! Dive!” I rose from my chair and captured a few good shots as the bird of prey flew to the closest bordering lamp post and eagerly devoured part of the fresh catch, while at the edge of the pool, more cormorants landed and suspiciously watched the kite getting its catch.

And that was our clue to also look after ourselves, and we all decided to leave the pond for a quick lunch, and return as soon as possible, so afraid to miss out on some action ;-)

We had barely settled back into our chairs when somebody exclaimed “White-bellied!”, and we all turned our heads and instantly recognised the new arrival, a very familiar sight in Singapore too; the White-bellied fish eagle!

It flew in front of some building behind the ponds, then turned back, and like a bomber making its run to strike, aligned its glide with the pond facing us. The confidence and surety of its approach were admirable. And just like that, getting nearly to the water’s surface, it extended its claws and plucked a small fish, and flew away, soon disappearing in the trees towards the river.

A second Brahminy kite arrived, and the previous one, not welcoming any competition, I assumed, quickly took off with he reminder of its catch, and not sooner, as it still had to evade a quick chase, as another, or maybe the same, White-bellied sea eagle also arrived at the pond, going in for a glide: alas, behind the guardrails again! Nonetheless, it caught a fish as well and hurriedly departed, leaving a newly arrived Brahminy kite pair to duel for yet another fish: so much action!

It was sizzling hot, and we were all so grateful and complimenting Atipoj for its tents and also the cool drinks that were fast disappearing from our collective big cooler box: for me, fresh coconut and pulp were all I needed as the afternoon went on, capturing more birds of prey action.

While all this was happening, we had barely noticed another much-prized arrival: a Common kingfisher! It had landed on one of the cables spanning one of the ponds, and was grooming and cleaning its colourful feathers in the morning sun. It was far away, but we still managed to get a few good shots, as it did not want to fly closer or dive.

The afternoon finally drew to a close, as large mushroomy clouds gathered on the horizon, but with no chance of rain nearby, despite a double rainbow appearing as we packed our gear. We were all looking forward to a nice meal and some drinks, as tomorrow morning would be an early rise again and a much-anticipated river cruise!

Day 3 - 29th October

We woke up sometime after 5 am and hurriedly gulped down our breakfast. We could not be late boarding our long boat as the trip was timed to match the low tide, for a better chance to catch the Brown-winged kingfisher, and later sail down river to explore the mangroves and coastline bird life. But everybody was on their best behaviour, and while the town was still very sleepy indeed, we made our way to the misty embarkment where our boat was already waiting for us.

I loved that moment… The sun had not risen yet, and the light was weak, diffuse, timid even, with a slight mist hanging around the edges of the river that made everything appear in either slow motion or dreamy. I think we all felt that tingle of adventure as we settled down on the precarious wooden benches and did our best to balance our heavy gear and prepare ourselves: our guide was going to bring us on the otehr side of the river, not too far, and our common mission was to quickly spot the elusive kingfisher. Time was of the essence as the low tide was providing some feeding ground for the bird, which otherwise would fly somewhere else to find nourishment.

The purring motor, properly our embarkation, quieted down as we reached the muddy banks on the opposite side of the river, as planned, and half a dozen pairs of trained eyes scanned the dense vegetation for any sign of the kingfisher. But the first bird to fly by us turned out to be a rather large and nice Chinese Pond-heron, its white wings heavily contrasting with the dark green of the mangroves it was flying against. I looked back at the river, and life seemed to be slowly returning to the sleepy town. Here and there, fishermen were cruising the river. Lights came into life, seemingly blinking into existence on the shore, with the smells of delicious food drifting now into the town’s air. I smiled and was about to comment on what I was feeling when our local guide, Arjin, quietly motioned back towards the mangroves, just a few meters off our boat.

“There!”, he half-exclaimed, half-whispered.

We strained our eyes as we had not seen anything moving at first, and it took our guide another pointing towards the trees to finally see the little, colourful bird. Good gods, it was just a few meters on our port side, and we had seen nothing! We quickly took a few safety shots, and then patiently waited, and calibrated our gear for an anticipated dive.

We did not have to wait long, and after just a few minutes, patiently watching the kingfisher heads bobbing and focusing on the recently exposed mudflats, it suddenly flapped its wings and in no time reached a small pool of muddy waters right next to our boat! Splashes! FLapping of wings! And hop, it was back in the air with a large shrimp in its red coloured beak and on a branch. There was not much room to change position on our small boat, but we all somehow managed to shift angle and now point our cameras at the Brown-winged kingfisher just finishing its breakfast: that was fast action!

The kingfisher was not further inside the vegetation, and was difficult to spot, so we took this opportunity to check our shots: some had it sharp and in focus, some had missed it. But the morning was still full of promises, so we knew this was only the beginning. And so, our boat repositioned itself for a better chance to catch the next sequence, as the kingfisher has now reappeared at the edge of the mangroves. Now the waiting game started again, while whoever could quickly grab a snack and drink.

I was about to warn the team the kingfisher was moving on the branch, and barely had time to finish my sentence when it suddenly flew off its perch, almost towards our boat, past our cameras, and hovered only a few meters away, right above a few branches sticking out of the murky waters. It was quite a struggle to turn 180 degrees with the big lens, but by the time I was in the right position, it dived! It came back up almost instantly, with a small red-pincers crab firmly squashed in its beak, flying back the same way it had come, making us all swing our gear almost at the same time!

We were all smiling. This time, everybody got a few good shots. Just as well, as for the next half an hour the kingfisher did not move from its position, and eventually flew away, upriver, and we knew this was it for today. Arjin confirmed this was probably it, and we ought to slowly make our way down river, towards the delta, as the light was now vibrant, and the river was busy with all sorts of human and wildlife activity.

We passed a multitude of fishing and cargo boats moving up and down the now clearer waters, which had looked so dark and murky barely two hours ago. The sky was the usual intense, deep blue one could expect, and we were glad to have put on sunblock and our large hats as the sun was already pounding on us quite strongly.

Above us, a lone Brahminy kite was flying up river, maybe to the ponds, we joked, as we were approaching the first delta inlets, covered in dense mangroves and trees, housing a large number of very active Whimbrels. The light was fantastic, and the details of their feathers and iconic long, curved down beak, a nice break from what we normally got back home in Singapore ;-)  

Next were flocks of Common redshanks, with their characteristic orange legs and feet, flying low and fast around our boat before all settling on the lower branches of nearby trees, watching us drift by slowly. The cameras were clicking away! But there was not much time, and we did not want to linger in order to be in sync with the tide. Just a hundred meters or so, we could now see the opening of the delta, and a much deeper blue colouring the waters we were now sailing towards. As is on cue, a large flock of Terek sandpipers flew towards our boat, but veered at a steep angle just ten meters or so, following now the coastline.

Our captain seemed now more attentive as he guided our boat along the shores, in between sandbanks, and we definitely did not want to get stranded at the low tide on one of them! Or maybe we did… which would have given us much more time to shoot until the next upcoming tide ;-) But for now, we were just happy trying to capture those large flocks, some of them in their hundreds, we estimated, and the beautiful flightpath they took in and around the sandbanks.

We positioned the boat next to one, just as a smaller one, numbering maybe in the fifty individuals, landed right next to our boat, and immediately started moving to and fro in synchronized movements in the small waves. And suddenly they all took off, maybe because of that Brahminy kite fishing nearby, and catching a fish, it promptly bright back to the trees inland. And just like that, the Terek sandpipers were back, flying around us, in and out of the waves and sandbanks. Such wonderful wildlife in beautiful scenery!

We moved the boat closer to another sandbank as a large flock landed, maybe with a hundred-plus birds now frantically combing the sand for small things to eat, I guessed. But amid this abundance of beaks and feathers, we suddenly were alerted by our guide to two rarer visitors: a lone Grey plover, smaller and much quieter and slower than the rest of the flock, and a Kentish plover, being a bit taller and of a different plumage. 

Our captain signaled for us to keep steady, as he turned the boat facing back to shore, and started the slow sailing back to town. The morning action had passed quite fast, packed with action, and we were all very excited still. But we also knew a long minivan ride was waiting for us as today we were moving some 200 kilometers north to Chumphon Raptor Centre, and climbing the mountain there in the hope of witnessing the birds' migration, which could number in their thousands if lucky, and depending on he species. 

And so up North we started our journey after a quick lunch, only stopping once for a bathroom break and buying some local delicacies to snack on en route... it would be early evening once we reached our destination, and happy the long drive was over, indeed! We happily checked in and retired to our rooms after a quick dinner. Tomorrow morning, we will attempt the long climb to the mountain summit for a chance to witness the large flocks of birds migrating. And we were all hoping the weather would stay dry as it would be almost impossible to climb if raining or too wet… 

Day 4 - 30th October 

We had our breakfast at a very civilized 7 am this time, making sure everybody had a full stomach and a happy face before attempting the climb from the raptor centre to the summit. As we departed, a deep brown cat, lazing on the floor, gave us all a very weird and funny looking face, as if it were incomprehensible to expend all this energy to go up and see some birds. We laughed and joked, as it stretched its legs, yawned, and went back to its slumber… 

There were numerous signs as we started the climb, all warning us of potential slippery soil, loose rocks, and steep sides. But although the path was indeed very rough and we were glad to have brought a walking stick, it was not that long of a climb: despite the fact that I arrived at the top almost breathless, and sweating liters and gallons… and the view was breathtaking!

Right in front of us, as far as we could see, forest-covered hills and small mountains, some still shrouded in the morning haze, and a few single birds of prey drifting in the rising hot air in the distance. To the right of our platform, the Andaman Sea, blue and shimmering bright into the distance. As we caught our breath, a few Black kites flew above and around our platform, but quite high up, and the shots we got were not very satisfactory.

Another shikra appeared, but stayed right on top of us, so we could not capture any other details but its underwings. A pair of Eastern buzzards flew between us and the shoreline, but never coming close either… but as they lamented on how far the action was, a large flock of hundreds of Asian Openbilled Storks finally came into view, flying parallel to the shore! Now that was a sight… as they turned, flying back towards us and again away, they drew patterns in the skies and above the sea, sometimes showing off their entire bodies, sometimes just a sliver of a silhouette as thin as a razor’s edge. It was a ballet, almost! But as fast as they had appeared, they swung one more time around the edge of a mountain and then disappeared in the distance before we could get any further shots.

And we waited a few more hours, under the increasingly relentless sun and humidity, and our enthusiasm slowly dripped away. It seemed we were a bit late in the season, and after talking to some other fellow birders who came to the platform, most of the action had occurred the week and days before, like, major flock of birds numbering in their hundreds and thousands.

Nonetheless, we waited a bit more, but by midday, it was obvious our timing was a bit off, and with little chance of more action, we collectively decided to go back down and move to another spot with our guide. It was a bit disappointing, but this is wildlife, not a zoo…

It was nice to move to the seaside, where the wind was refreshing and the salt in the air was tingly and felt like adventure waiting to be lived! We witnessed the slow pace of life, with fishermen in their boats, some on foot at the low tide with fishnets, sleepy villages where time seemed to have also stopped. For us, we ventured into a nearby forested area in search of more action, but only consoled ourselves with a very shy Lineated barbet playing peek-a-boo with us for a few minutes before flying away…

That evening, we celebrated the almost end of our trip with a fabulous seafood dinner by the sea, and decided not to stay an extra day, as indeed more news of the migration having passed us surfaced. We would return to the main town of Krabi and spend our last day at the ponds, trying our luck again with the Ospreys! I looked at the weather forecast for our area, and heavy rains were forecasted for our morning departure, so I guessed this was the right and timely decision.

Day 5 - 31st October

Our change of plans had us quickly book rooms in a small boutique hotel, just a few minutes away from the ponds, so everybody was very pleased with the arrangement. We arrived back in town before noon and did not spend much time over lunch, as we wanted to maximize our time at the ponds!

A few Brahminy kites were already active and diving all around when we arrived, and we managed to get a few good shots in no time. It seemed the birds of prey were hungry today, maybe sensing a change in the weather? For sure, it had been raining quite heavily for a while as we left our previous location, and maybe the rain would be coming further down South eventually…

As we settled in our favourite spot, a Little cormorant which was swimming in one of the ponds suddenly dived, and resurfaced a bit further away with a large fish, speared on its long beak! It took a while to orient it back properly in order to swallow it all, but eventually down the gullet it went, indeed ;-) And then, it almost immediately decided to take off. For such a small bird, it surprised me it took so much apparent effort to fly off, as it virtually had to run with its large webbed feet on the water, furiously flapping its wings before finally having some lift and getting into the air.

The hours passed by rather slowly, and nothing much else showed up for the remainder of the day. IT was nearly 6 pm, we were tired and hungry, so the decision to go back and have a nice, slow dinner was not a big debate, and soon we were all replenishing our bodies with some savoury Thai food and local beer!

Tomorrow would be our departure day, but we all decided we may still have an hour or two at the pond for one more shot at getting an Osprey, and so it was decided ;-)

Day 6 - 1st November

We were up early again, packed all our bags and checked out, pushing all our luggage and camera gear in the minivan, except one set of camera and lens we were going to use immediately at the pond.

Some Brahminy kites and a juvenile White-bellied sea eagle were already present when we arrived, but flew away without fishing by the time we were ready to shoot. Never mind, another White-bellied sea eagle, quite large, showed up, and confidently glided down and plucked up a small fish. We were about to check our shots when finally an Osprey showed up, right above the line of trees. It circled the pond as usual, but alas, decided to dive into the other one, and facing away from us: misery!

It dived and came back up empty.

I lamented, as I checked the few shots I got: and to my horror, it had dived again in a split second, this time catching a fish: and I had missed the few precious seconds of that last action moment! I had committed the ultimate sin of taking my eyes off the prize way too soon…

SIGH. I figured I would have to come back… But for now, it was finally time to pack for good and head to the airport, and back home, to Singapore.

This had been a very nice, short break and a new adventure, so no regret there, and I would certainly try to come back another year. Krabi was only a short flight away from Singapore, so the logistics and expenses were very affordable.

And as we took off, I made a list of Osprey shots I HAD to take next time: I was not done with them :-)

THE END

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to my friend Basil for organizing the trip, and hats off to our local tour guide Arjin, and master Thai photographer Atipoj :-)

If you are interested in some of the photographs presented in this document, or wish to see more snapshots related to a particular subject, just for viewing or for print, email me at well contact@lanceflare.com  

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