Rain and Old Friends

Just got back from Doi Angkang few days ago, a wonderful time with wonderful old friends and familiar location. We couldn't bird so much since it rained all day, so what we did most during the time staying there was eating and sleeping. Though birding was difficult, we got few interesting species just from our house's balcony. Many migrants were already seen here like a lone Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus), a flock of Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica), not to mention about the Grey Wagtails and Barn Swallows which were relatively common, and a surprisingly group of unidentified buntings flying over head with their distinct zick call. Birds seem to migrate faster this year, we should all be ready for surprises!

This young Crocodile Salamander (Tylototriton shanjing) appeared just in front of our house. It is almost certain to find one during rainy season here at Doi Angkang, where this species seems to be more common than other mountains in northern Thailand. Sometimes after the rain, one might find a group of these strange-looking creatures crawling slowly across the road. This time we only saw one actively walking through the muddy ground. It's been quite nostalgic to see all these things happen again and again, years after years, birds migrate again and again, rain falls at the same time of year again and old friends whom I am familiar with, both human and animals. Anyway, it helped complete my peaceful vacation in my very own mother land.