Thailand - Nov/Dec 2019
An infrequently-read herping blog often mentions the key times not to be in the UK, and as winter was fast-approaching, one of those key times was once again upon us. Another visit to Asia had been discussed – a promised land to which I had not returned since the Xenophidion escapades of 2016 – and as Thailand had somehow remained unvisited, we decided to give it a try. By all accounts this would be a time of fairly difficult herping conditions (and indeed this turned out to be the case), but both Jill and I didn’t need much of a push when the chance to turn up a couple of lifers in a new country was up for grabs.
Now then, flying east is the one time where Newcastle Airport actually delivers, and thanks to Emirates (and a few month’s wages), one can often awake unexpectedly in Bangkok following a seamless stop in Dubai ready for adventure. Throw in an extra flight to Krabi on ‘Asia’s Boutique Airline’ at the end of this? No problem. Jill, of course, had absolutely no problem with this, and was able as ever to turn these endless uncomfortable hours into more of a relaxing, perhaps even refreshing, aerial roost. Finally, after over 24hrs travel and a final boutique custard tart, I was able to step into the warm air of Krabi and drink in my first House gecko calls from the airport walls.
All that was now required was to secure some windscreen and tyre insurance from the deft Avis team, and after negotiations with the fluidity and panache of Gillian Burke presenting a pie-chart live on Springwatch, we circled within the airport carpark a couple of times before driving away from Krabi with absolutely no windscreen or tyre insurance.
All that was now required was to secure some windscreen and tyre insurance from the deft Avis team, and after negotiations with the fluidity and panache of Gillian Burke presenting a pie-chart live on Springwatch, we circled within the airport carpark a couple of times before driving away from Krabi with absolutely no windscreen or tyre insurance.
Phanom Bencha - 5 nights
We were greeted in the dark by Son, an absolutely splendid chap who really made our stay all the more enjoyable, and were guided to our cabin just a short stroll uphill. I’m always more than happy to have a resident house gecko or two in my room, throw in a Tokay amongst the Hemidactylus platyurus and frenatus and I’ll be laughing. After a quick chuckle we headed down to the restaurant where we met Herbi, Yvonne and Suzanne, and proceeded to discuss vipers with Herbi over rice and noodles. We then headed out en masse for a bit of torchlight searching until the excessive day of travel finally caught up with us. During the short stroll around the grounds we turned up some terrapins, the usual Hylarana-type frogs, and then finally one of my targets for the trip, a Puff-faced water snake (Homalopsis buccata). This guy was just about in range for some video and blurry photos, but soon descended into deeper water before I could even attempt to soak all my clothes.
We awoke to a huge limestone cliff overseeing the cabins as Rufous-bellied swallows swirled overhead. This rock formation had not been visible during our evening arrival and certainly hit home the fact that the games could now begin (if the previous evening’s wander had not already done so). Jill and I decided to just stroll around the ‘grounds’ today, but before we could set off, Herbi stopped by to say he still had a Red-sided keelback (Xenochrophis trianguligerus) bagged from the previous day that we could photograph before releasing. Whereas I prefer to make sub-par photographs at the point of discovery, I wasn’t complaining at the chance of a bonus snake to start the day, so we quickly took a couple of shots of the cute little thing and then promptly set it on its way.
In previous discussions with my other regular herping buddy (and brother), Paul, we frequently banded about notions on what we might do when encountering a Red-necked keelback (Rhabdophis subiminiatus) – a snake from the infamous Rhabdophis genus for which much misinformation occurs yet instances of renal failure and death have still been recorded. This just so happened to be the next snake we encountered, and it turns out there wasn’t much hesitation in its capture as it attempted to flee. That being said, utmost respect was still given to the potential punch that this little gem of a rear-fanged critter may be packing.
Unlike other parts of Asia I’ve visited, Thailand soon seemed to be providing quite a few daytime, albeit common, snake finds as a Painted bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus) and what I believe to be a Malayan vine snake (Ahaetulla mycterizans) soon showed their faces. Actually, my slight uncertainty regarding the latter is largely because not only did it not actually show its face, but it somehow managed to drift off into invisibility as I attempted to get a closer look when trying to check if it could be A.nasuta (which it certainly wasn’t). A brief glance of white ventral scales disappearing into the bush was all I thought I needed to confirm the species – but there’s more on that later. On returning to the same area to attempt a re-find later in the day, a large Nephila spider had taken its place – an initially unnoticed but quickly unwelcomed substitution as I planted my face into the foliage.
Unlike other parts of Asia I’ve visited, Thailand soon seemed to be providing quite a few daytime, albeit common, snake finds as a Painted bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus) and what I believe to be a Malayan vine snake (Ahaetulla mycterizans) soon showed their faces. Actually, my slight uncertainty regarding the latter is largely because not only did it not actually show its face, but it somehow managed to drift off into invisibility as I attempted to get a closer look when trying to check if it could be A.nasuta (which it certainly wasn’t). A brief glance of white ventral scales disappearing into the bush was all I thought I needed to confirm the species – but there’s more on that later. On returning to the same area to attempt a re-find later in the day, a large Nephila spider had taken its place – an initially unnoticed but quickly unwelcomed substitution as I planted my face into the foliage.
A decent amount of rain fell during early evening as we again opted for more local night-walking. We were then intercepted by torchlight approaching from the cabins, where a Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) had been spotted by Yvonne and Suzanne and would now be on hand to provide photo opportunities the following morning. With no further findings that evening, I returned to bed exhausted, far too tired to think about the large huntsman spider that only minutes earlier had appeared to inexplicably jump bed-wards from its lofty position on the wall.
Following the Calloselasma photo-shoot, we were joined by Herbi for a drive into Krabi with the aim of a bit of mangrove boating. Before arriving, a small snake crossing a fairly busy corner of road necessitated a quick pull-over (no it’s a cardigan…) and an even quicker sprint back up the road where the safe capture of the Radiated rat snake (Coelognathus radiatus) could occur. Another targeted species, I was thrilled to have finally found one of these guys and equally thrilled to have removed it from the road before another car could find it. I do love a good Coelognathus, but at times I wonder why these (and indeed the likes of Orthriophis and Gonyosoma) often carry the word ‘racer’ as part of their common name. In this part of the world ‘racer’ seems to translate to ‘fairly big snake for which you have a good chance of catching’, whereas in places such the Americas ‘racer’ pretty much means ‘racer’. Similarly, the slow-moving vine snakes over here are sometimes referred to as ‘whipsnakes’. The same moniker elsewhere generally refers to something that evades capture at speeds you would not think possible.
On to the mangroves where high-tide awaited us. Or did it? We’d initially thought that high-tide was the plan, but as we chugged out in a boat that slowly filled with water, our fluent language exchanges soon revealed that we’d have been better off a few hours earlier. Sandpipers, whimbrel and an impressive Asian water monitor spot by Jill did nothing to ease the sense of impending viper failure. Luckily, between the 3 westerners and the Thai boat captain, at least one of us had the prerequisite eyesight for the task at hand, and it was on the 3 hour mark that none of the westerners eventually found the awesome dragon-like Mangrove pit viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus).
We then enjoyed a relaxing lunch in Krabi where we were once again showed up by Herbi (much like all continental Europeans I ever meet) whose ridiculously fluent English was apparently not up to the standard he expects. If I attempted to discuss the ins and outs of publishing ecological papers in any European language, the EU would throw me out…but I guess that’s now another story. It’s just embarrassing these days, it really is.
Following a bit of Google-earthing we tested a promising-looking road nearby, spotting a couple of gliding ‘Dracos’ as we made the decision to return in the evening. What then ensued that night can only really be described as a ‘Vine snake Fest’. This started off with what I presumed was A.mycterizans given its initial appearance and what I’d seen earlier on. We left every subsequent vine snake in-situ and undisturbed until I photographed one with green ventrals which turned out to be A.prasina. I then realised that I’d really not paid enough attention to the previous ones and had no idea how many of each had turned up. I stopped worrying about misidentifications once Jill spotted a Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) crossing the road
Following a bit of Google-earthing we tested a promising-looking road nearby, spotting a couple of gliding ‘Dracos’ as we made the decision to return in the evening. What then ensued that night can only really be described as a ‘Vine snake Fest’. This started off with what I presumed was A.mycterizans given its initial appearance and what I’d seen earlier on. We left every subsequent vine snake in-situ and undisturbed until I photographed one with green ventrals which turned out to be A.prasina. I then realised that I’d really not paid enough attention to the previous ones and had no idea how many of each had turned up. I stopped worrying about misidentifications once Jill spotted a Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) crossing the road
The night continued, with most of the herping being carried out on foot with me doing the odd bit of road-cruising as I continually leap-frogged the action to keep the car close by. At almost midnight, barely 50m from where I’d just parked up, a small green viper was making its way over the road. Apparently quite the specialty in this area, we made our first encounter with what I believe to be Cryptelytrops/Trimeresurus venustus, also known by the easier to pronounce ‘Beautiful Pit Viper’.
Back in the cabin for some much-needed sleep, we were initially kept awake by some sort of tree-rodent running laps of our roofing beams. I was forced to get out of bed as Jill quipped “Hide the cereal bars!”
Back in the cabin for some much-needed sleep, we were initially kept awake by some sort of tree-rodent running laps of our roofing beams. I was forced to get out of bed as Jill quipped “Hide the cereal bars!”
What day am I up to now? Wednesday I think, and this was the start of some rather strong winds. We didn’t feel a hit in the temperatures just yet, but it was clear that trickier conditions awaited us. We said our goodbyes to our Swiss buddies and then wandered about the grounds along some different routes where I was able to introduce myself to the local mosquito population. In late afternoon we headed up to a nearby viewpoint, watching a couple of sea eagles before the sun sank behind limestone formations and another night of searching kicked off.
Whereas the night before was festooned with vine snakes, the strong winds were battering the trees and we finished up the same route with a total of zero. However, we did manage to bump into another venustus in about the same location but 4hrs earlier than the previous night. Photographic evidence then went on to suggest that we had in fact found the exact same individual from the night before. My search then continued back at base camp, with a fantastic bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus sp) the only notable find.
Whereas the night before was festooned with vine snakes, the strong winds were battering the trees and we finished up the same route with a total of zero. However, we did manage to bump into another venustus in about the same location but 4hrs earlier than the previous night. Photographic evidence then went on to suggest that we had in fact found the exact same individual from the night before. My search then continued back at base camp, with a fantastic bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus sp) the only notable find.
The winds did not ease up the following day as we headed for Phanom Bencha National Park. Once again, the little slice of this NP which we were able to observe well and truly put the UK to shame. Some of the trees here are truly majestical, the sort that would have Jair Bolsonaro drooling with excitement at the prospect of being able to destroy them forever, and although we got an absolute soaking from a cracking storm, it was great to be back in wild habitat. We hiked to a couple of waterfalls (and Jill insisted we climbed up a massive hill), finding a rather substantial Red-sided keelback (X.trianguligerus) in a waterfall pool before Jill spotted a tiny Specklebelly keelback (Rhabdophis chrysargos) by the side of the trail. Another Rhabdophis, I actually didn’t manage to properly crack the ID of this little guy until I was back at the cabin.
Evening kicked off with a flying gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli) in the bathroom followed by a stroll along the river running through the grounds. Because of the storms in the afternoon, the flow was fast and murky and made progress a little tricky in parts. Before setting off, Son had also told us that “If we don’t find a Dendro then we’re doing something wrong” – so needless to say that removed any chance of finding a black and gold beast, and probably proved we were indeed doing something wrong. We did manage a couple of finds in the shape of another Red-sided Keelback (X.trianguligerus) and an additional Puff-faced water snake (H.buccata) which I was finally able to get a closer look at.
And that brought to an end our stay at Phanom Bencha. A delightful spot with an excellent host, I hope to be back someday! Species-wise, this was not a bad start at all – and had I known the dry and cold conditions that awaited us, I would have regretted leaving this place even more!
And that brought to an end our stay at Phanom Bencha. A delightful spot with an excellent host, I hope to be back someday! Species-wise, this was not a bad start at all – and had I known the dry and cold conditions that awaited us, I would have regretted leaving this place even more!
Ban Krood - 3 nights
The holiday agreement was that this trip would be a bit more chilled, with some official relaxing time booked in from the start. We’d planned to only stay in 3 places to reduce the time wasted travelling about, plus we’d arranged a non-herp weekend by the beach to break up the journey between the ‘wildlife’ destinations. After 6 hours and a couple of stops at 7-Eleven and Café Amazon, we reached our ‘beach resort’ destination to find it somewhat deserted. Eventually someone rocked up on a golf buggy, checked us in, and then drove us off to our nice little hut. It was hard to tell what any staff were actually doing here, the odd buggy or 4x4 would bumble past, but it seemed that maybe only one other hut was occupied. Either way, the fewer people the better, although when the restaurant closed before we had the chance to eat anything it was perhaps not the best. Luckily, a traditional roadside shack around the corner came up trumps. On our return, one of the ‘ornamental’ pools within the grounds contained a number of Grey water snakes (Hypsiscopus/Enhydris plumbea). Not realising these would be ever-present throughout our stay (the count peaked at 10 the next night), I snagged the first one I saw and it in turn seemed more than happy to snag my finger.
Breakfasts were interesting at this place. Firstly, we were served some weird sausage-type things with their ends cut up to resemble Graboids or Demodogs. Secondly, whilst these abominations on our plates were being ignored, we had one of the resident cats stand next to our table and vomit all over the floor. Thirdly, and I think this was our final morning, a coconut fell onto the decking from a ridiculous height. At this time there were more residents enjoying breakfast and, following the moment of impact, I think a number of them retreated to their hut for a change of swimwear.
Anyway, the days here involved poking around some of the abandoned houses and pools in the vicinity and attempting a spot of birding around a few tidal areas, with common species including Red-wattled lapwing, Green bee-eater, Indochinese rollers and Olive-backed sunbirds. An afternoon test-drive of a potential night cruising spot saw an unidentified snake cross our path (likely a Ptyas of some sort) plus a nearby DOR Chrysopelea ornata, suggesting a few things may well be about.
Anyway, the days here involved poking around some of the abandoned houses and pools in the vicinity and attempting a spot of birding around a few tidal areas, with common species including Red-wattled lapwing, Green bee-eater, Indochinese rollers and Olive-backed sunbirds. An afternoon test-drive of a potential night cruising spot saw an unidentified snake cross our path (likely a Ptyas of some sort) plus a nearby DOR Chrysopelea ornata, suggesting a few things may well be about.
That night we set out for a short road cruising lap and came across a White-lipped pit viper (Trimeresurus albolabris) after barely 5 minutes. Stopping a few mopeds in order to retrieve the viper, we had hastily pulled the car over to the roadside. After a few photos, we jumped back in the car ready to find more, only to find we’d drained the already dodgy battery. We pushed the car off the road and into a palm plantation and walked back up the coastal road to seek anybody who could speak Thai to the Avis Thai-speaker on the other end of my phone. A nearby hotel saved the day, served us dinner and then jump-started our car. Unfortunately, this had ruined the road-cruising plans, but then again it wasn’t supposed to be a herp weekend…
The next morning things were not going smoothly with the replacement of either our car or the battery. That is until Stephen, Benchawan and family stepped up to the plate – with Benchawan explaining to the Avis folks that ‘although it would be quicker for them if Jill and I drove for 3 hours to change the battery, it was actually up to them to get off their arses and come and sort it out’ (not an exact quote, but definitely along those lines). We were clearly dealing with the top brass here. A few hours later and we had a new battery and a car ready to road-cruise. Thanks again you guys! - A coastal temple visit was now on the menu, with the local birdlife again proving more interesting than any building could ever be.
Back at our hut before finally attempting to drive the roads I’d googled, two housekeeping ladies knocked on our door. Forgetting I was only wearing boxer shorts, I strolled over to the door as they appeared to chuckle and retreat. I politely said that nothing needed cleaning, but that “I’d take another loo roll, please”. Stay classy.
The drive kicked off with a DOR Ptyas mucosa close to the resort, then we had nothing for almost 2 laps of my route. On the final stretch we added a second White-lipped (T.albolabris) to the trip total. Then it was on to Kasama’s for a couple of cold Leos and some much-needed garlic bread stodge
The drive kicked off with a DOR Ptyas mucosa close to the resort, then we had nothing for almost 2 laps of my route. On the final stretch we added a second White-lipped (T.albolabris) to the trip total. Then it was on to Kasama’s for a couple of cold Leos and some much-needed garlic bread stodge
Baan Maka - 5 nights
The drive north kicked off with an as-yet unidentified tiny little hawk that suddenly appeared and then even more suddenly disappeared in a vertical plummet into some roadside shrubbery. I then briefly glimpsed a pale, black wing-tipped raptor flushing a whole load of feral pigeons from an abandoned building. We decided to break up the journey with a visit not only to 7-Eleven, but also to some caves. Predictably, I was unable to locate any ‘racers’ of the expected variety and had to make do with casually disturbing some bat roosts with the use of artificial light.
Nearing our destination, a road sign said ‘Highway Ends’. Expecting something low-key along the lines of two lanes merging into one, it was entertaining to suddenly be bouncing around over sand and dirt with tyres jumping and windscreen rocking - whilst somewhere in an Avis office a finger hovered menacingly over the ‘take credit card deposit button’.
On arrival at Baan Maka we had a stroll around the nature trail to get our bearings before dark, and also caught up with Ian who could not promise me any rain for the duration of my stay. That night we could only locate a couple more vine snakes, but not to worry, we’d have more time to build on this. We also narrowly missed out on a Bay owl, instead only managing to glimpse a fleeing owl of non-Phodilus flavour.
Nearing our destination, a road sign said ‘Highway Ends’. Expecting something low-key along the lines of two lanes merging into one, it was entertaining to suddenly be bouncing around over sand and dirt with tyres jumping and windscreen rocking - whilst somewhere in an Avis office a finger hovered menacingly over the ‘take credit card deposit button’.
On arrival at Baan Maka we had a stroll around the nature trail to get our bearings before dark, and also caught up with Ian who could not promise me any rain for the duration of my stay. That night we could only locate a couple more vine snakes, but not to worry, we’d have more time to build on this. We also narrowly missed out on a Bay owl, instead only managing to glimpse a fleeing owl of non-Phodilus flavour.
Kaeng Krachan National Park was today’s destination. I’d not been able to follow-up on some excellent advice and would unfortunately not be staying in the park during this trip (maybe next time), but as you all know how I feel about ‘actual’ National Parks, it’s no surprise that I was planning a visit anyway.
The drive into the NP is pretty sweet, passing through some nice chunks of forest and the occasional open areas of ponds and grassland. Along here you will likely find twitchers parked up in some beastly 4x4s pointing giant lenses at assorted avian critters of the unidentifiable genus. My excuse was that I had herps to find and therefore had to reduce the amount of time I spent looking upwards. However, as casual birders we still managed to spot the likes of Great hornbill, Black-headed bulbul, Black-winged cuckoo-shrike, Taiga flycatcher and a couple of frustratingly unfamiliar raptors.
The drive into the NP is pretty sweet, passing through some nice chunks of forest and the occasional open areas of ponds and grassland. Along here you will likely find twitchers parked up in some beastly 4x4s pointing giant lenses at assorted avian critters of the unidentifiable genus. My excuse was that I had herps to find and therefore had to reduce the amount of time I spent looking upwards. However, as casual birders we still managed to spot the likes of Great hornbill, Black-headed bulbul, Black-winged cuckoo-shrike, Taiga flycatcher and a couple of frustratingly unfamiliar raptors.
Wandering around a few of the trails and streams, we encountered countless butterflies, numerous skinks and a rather large Checkered keelback (Xenochrophis piscator) which boated off into deep water before I could even think about getting a closer look.
Jill also spotted a tiny little viper on the ground near a stream, but unfortunately on closer inspection the little guy really wasn’t in good condition at all. Seemingly emaciated and potentially injured, I think the general identification consensus was that this was another White-lipped pit viper, this one being a small male. Returning to Park HQ, a bunch of Dusky leaf-monkeys messed about above our heads, ensuring that all the monkey fans went home happy.
Jill also spotted a tiny little viper on the ground near a stream, but unfortunately on closer inspection the little guy really wasn’t in good condition at all. Seemingly emaciated and potentially injured, I think the general identification consensus was that this was another White-lipped pit viper, this one being a small male. Returning to Park HQ, a bunch of Dusky leaf-monkeys messed about above our heads, ensuring that all the monkey fans went home happy.
Back at Baan Maka, I tucked into the second of the 5 piles of veggie rice that would make up my dinners during my stay. Whilst shovelling, the nearby banana supply was raided by Oriental pied hornbills, Grey-bellied squirrels and a couple of Indochinese ground squirrels. We attempted a short bit of road-cruising that evening, but the dry conditions were not conducive to finding anything on the roads other than the neighbourhood dogs. Back at the lodge we added a Keeled slug-eating snake (Pareas carinatus) to the tally.
Weirdly, the next morning felt cold. I was worried that this was down to my immune system and that some of the less-favourable ‘time in lieu’ may be imminent, but this actually turned out to be the onset of the ‘unseasonable’ weather which seems to follow me and Jill around (or is it just Jill…). Anyway, from now on conditions became even trickier, as not only was everywhere baked to a crisp, but the night temperatures fairly quickly dropped to around 17 degrees and really killed the mood.
Driving to a waterfall nearby, the route passed a reservoir where a couple of Black-winged stilts pecked about whilst perching Ashy woodswallows looked down on a road-savvy mongoose. We also came across a big DOR Sunbeam snake right where some construction work was taking place. On arrival, the waterfall was not falling and the river was largely dry, save for the highest few hundred metres. Another sizeable but unreachable Checkered keelback was spotted on the edge of an even deeper and darker pool, but other than that, all was pretty quiet. We decided we’d return here on another night to see if we could turn something up.
Driving to a waterfall nearby, the route passed a reservoir where a couple of Black-winged stilts pecked about whilst perching Ashy woodswallows looked down on a road-savvy mongoose. We also came across a big DOR Sunbeam snake right where some construction work was taking place. On arrival, the waterfall was not falling and the river was largely dry, save for the highest few hundred metres. Another sizeable but unreachable Checkered keelback was spotted on the edge of an even deeper and darker pool, but other than that, all was pretty quiet. We decided we’d return here on another night to see if we could turn something up.
That evening, the same slug-eater and a Slow loris loitered around the lodge. As the night felt really quite chilly, we roadcruised some of the surrounding blacktops in case anything was using them for warmth. A vine snake had already been flattened, but other than nightjars, Red-wattled lapwings and a Burmese hare, the roads were quiet. We did get some eyeshine from a mystery creature at one stage, prompting us to pull over and carefully stalk back towards…a plastic bottle. I also jumped out of the car to investigate a suspicious-looking leaf, only to inadvertently stumble into a stray-dog party. Let me tell you, the barking went on for long into the night, as you could well imagine.
Given that we’d been so impressed with Kaeng Krachan NP, and that I’d not managed to get my hands on one of those piscatorial checkered chunks, we decided to spend another day in the park to see what we could find. Along the trails, between swirling butterflies and piles of elephant dung, we managed to re-find that poor little viper (now coiled at the base of different tree) and spot a couple more vine snakes before finding another flying gecko in a campsite shelter (I’m not sure at all, but this one looked a bit different, and with no tail banding I wondered if a different Ptychozoon sp was a possibility).
According to one of the rangers, we also just missed out on a tiny snake in the men’s restrooms – I expect at least one of you to smirk at that. Further dynamic discussion revealed the likely identity of this mystery toilet intruder to be a Red-necked keelback. However, no sooner had I accepted that the little guy was long gone, another ranger appeared and seemed to suggest that we should follow him. We did, and he led us down to an area of long grass in which a hefty slab of Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) was currently resting up. Due to the thick grass, we couldn’t quite work out how big this guy was, and indeed just where its head was located – but as it was close to the road, and even closer to one of the butterfly observation areas, the rangers were quite keen for it to be ushered on its way – after I’d moved it into a position where they could all take some better photographs!
Veggie rice number 4 preceded our late afternoon drive to the waterfall from the previous day, and after walking to the top of the trail we waited for darkness to fall before following the stream back down. With a backing track of assorted amphibians, and despite the cold conditions, we explored what seemed like a really promising area of habitat, but frustratingly only frogs, fish and fireflies could be found. I think for the first time ever during a night search I didn’t even bother taking my camera out of my bag. Despite the disappointment, this still felt like a great place to be in. At one point (as I’m sure we all do), we switched off our lights and stood quietly in the darkness, listening to the deafening amphibian chorus as fireflies danced on by.
Our last full day at Baan Maka was spent searching the grounds and paddling around the reedbeds on kayaks, adding Pied kingfisher, Bronze-winged jacanas, Hooded oriole, Puff-throated babbler and Chinese blue flycatcher to the birding list. During our lunch, we heard from Ian and Games that a Mock viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus) had been found by a lady doing some gardening earlier in the day, but they’d not been able to find us to pass the message on. Games then phoned the lady at the property who confirmed it was still there – prompting us to jump in the car to pay her a visit (this was a new species for Jill, and I didn’t need an excuse). A few minutes later and we were acquainted with an absolutely stunning little snake. We took some photos, released it away from any further gardening activities, and thanked the homeowner for not killing it when she found it.
In the fading afternoon light, we watched bee-eaters coming into roost as hornbills bounced around on branches behind us and Pied starlings and assorted Mynas jostled for position on electrical wires. Another cold night followed, and despite our best efforts, we could only find the resident Slug-eater. By this time, apparently our wanderings around the grounds, snake-hooks in hand, had raised some questions with some of the lodge guests, and when Ian had been asked by some folks what we were up to he’d replied saying we were herpers. Follow-up questions involved whether the hooks were ‘to move plants?’ and ‘why were we out at night?’. It turns out a letter had been lost in translation, and the guests thought we were ‘herbers’ – puzzlingly out searching for rare plants and grasses during hours of darkness. Tickled by this misunderstanding, Ian and Games gave us some local tips on where the particularly fine nocturnal lemongrasses were located.
Our final day of travel started off with a brief stop to check out a couple of caves. One cave entrance contained at least two snake-sloughs of the racer variety, but in stepping only a metre or so into the cave the stench was unbearable. After not even 5 seconds my eyes started to water and dizziness began to take over. And so, within the space of a few minutes, one of the most promising-looking caves turned into a frustrating no-go. And so onwards we continued, with a last stop at an odd dragon temple before Google maps failed us for the final stretch to the airport. Luckily Jill remained as cool as a cucumber and, despite one of the most ridiculous road junctions we’ve ever seen, we successfully returned the car with tyres and windscreen intact. At our Dubai connection, an email came through from Ian at Baan Maka to say he’d just found a Monocled cobra. Typical.
In what became rather horrendous herping weather during the second week, this trip was still massively enjoyable and provided some amazing species. I may (and do) complain about fruitless searches or missing out on specific species, but ultimately it’s just great being out there, walking streams, shining vegetation, cruising roads and generally getting in the mix, all in the name of field-herping. It’s not collecting, it’s not killing, and it’s not the end of the world if my photos turn out rubbish, it’s just having the chance to experience a brief moment with creatures and habitats which, if we continue as we are, will be gone before we know it.
With thanks to:
Peter – Self-declared as ‘too lazy’ to have a photo account I can make a link to! Thanks Peter, you have been a great help (and I hope the weather we brought didn’t spoil your trip too much!)
Daniel - https://danielkanephoto.wixsite.com/photo
Matt - https://mwilsonherps.com/
Peter – Self-declared as ‘too lazy’ to have a photo account I can make a link to! Thanks Peter, you have been a great help (and I hope the weather we brought didn’t spoil your trip too much!)
Daniel - https://danielkanephoto.wixsite.com/photo
Matt - https://mwilsonherps.com/