About 685 kilometers to the north of Bangkok lies the former seat of the ancient Lanna Kingdom and it is considered one of the most scenic provinces in the country given its mountain ranges, valleys, flora and fauna. A land of misty mountains and colourful hill tribes, a playground for seasoned travellers, and a delight for adventurers. Despite its relatively small size and blissful calm, Chiang Mai truly has it all, a city that is still firmly Thai in its atmosphere and attitude.

Located in a verdant valley on the banks of the Ping River, Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 as the capital of the ancient Lanna Kingdom. Today it is a place where past and the present seamlessly merge with modern buildings standing side by side with venerable temples. Of all the places I have visited in Thailand, Chiang Mai with its forests and mountains and the historic city of Ayutthaya are by far my favourites.

Here are only a few of the innumerable birds who have made these hills their home.

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After the Pallid Harrier, and Montagu’s Harrier, this third and final chapter is on the beautiful Eurasian Marsh Harrier. Also known as the Western Marsh Harrier, it is a large harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Eurasia and adjacent Africa.

This blog on the Eurasian Marsh Harrier is the third & final chapter of a three part series on the harriers of Kumbhargaon.

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The Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. It is a lightly built hawk - slim, medium-sized, long-winged bird of prey - with rather narrow and somewhat tapered wings. It favours heathland, grassland, arable fields & marshes. It is mainly seen in flight, quartering fairly low with wings raised in shallow V; their flight is rather buoyant. It has a long tail, is smaller than a buzzard, and has more pointed wings than the similar hen harrier.

With that as the prelude I have this blog & video on the Montagu’s Harrier as the second of a three part series on the harriers of Kumbhargaon.

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After the series on the magnificent eagles of Kumbhargaon, it is now time for the smaller raptors - the harriers - inhabiting these lush grasslands. The area around Bhigwan and the River Bhima is vast and unique with diverse habitats ranging from the shallow wetland ecosystem of the Ujni backwaters to the surrounding rich farmlands and dry deciduous scrub forest with interspersed grasslands. The rich grasslands and fertile farms are home to an equally impressive list of birds, mammals and reptiles.

The pale or pallid harrier (Circus macrourus) is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek. Circus is from kirkos, referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (kirkos, "circle") and macrourus is "long-tailed", from makros, "long" and -ouros "-tailed". This is a typical harrier, with long wings held in a shallow V in its low flight. It also resembles other harriers in having distinct male and female plumages. Males are ghostly gray above with black wingtip wedges. Females more difficult to separate from other harriers; pay attention to the underwings with their barred primaries and dark secondaries. Juveniles are rufous and similar to Montagu’s, but appear dark rather than pale faced.

The Pallid harrier is not globally threatened but is currently considered Near Threatened (Extinction Risk).

With that as the prelude I have this blog & video on the Pallid Harrier as the first of a three part series on the harriers of Kumbhargaon.

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The final chapter of the eagles of Kumbhargaon is about the rare Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), which is quite a large eagle. With its two metre wingspan, the flight of the Eastern imperial eagle is a striking sight.

After decades of persecution by humans, the Eastern imperial eagle is now one of Europe’s rarest raptors with a small and declining global population, loss of habitat and prey. It has therefore been IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable since 1994.

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Continuing my series on the eagles of Kumbhargaon, this second post is about the Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga), seen in the shallow wetlands area around Bhigwan and the River Bhima. This area is vast and unique with diverse habitats ranging from the shallow wetland ecosystem of the Ujni backwaters to the surrounding rich farmlands and dry deciduous scrub forest with interspersed grasslands. 

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Kumbhargaon is a nondescript village in the Satara district to the south of Bhigwan, a quaint, small and rugged town on the border of the Pune and Solapur districts in Maharashtra, in India. But during its mild winters, Kumbhargaon, Bhigwan and its surrounding areas become the home of countless migratory birds making it the “Bharatpur of Maharashtra”. The area around Bhigwan and the River Bhima is vast and unique with diverse habitats ranging from the shallow wetland ecosystem of the Ujni backwaters to the surrounding rich farmlands and dry deciduous scrub forest with interspersed grasslands. 

This blog on the Steppe Eagle is the first of a three eagle series from Kumbhargaon.

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The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) is a species of bird found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Northeast India, Nepal and western Yunnan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

A brightly-coloured medium-sized laughingthrush it is shy and difficult to see; and moves through dense undergrowth of tropical broadleaf forest singly, in pairs, or in flocks. Its song is a short but beautiful bout of whistles and warbling.

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