Blossom-Headed Parakeet (Psittacula roseata)

The Blossom-headed Parakeet (Psittacula roseata) is a parrot which is a resident breeder in northeast India eastwards into Southeast Asia. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet.  In these photos which I took near Doi Inthanon, you can see the difference between the male and female.  He has a brighter head with a distinct neck ring and she has a pale lavender head with no neck ring.

IMG_0083a IMG_0055aAlthough the Blossom-headed Parakeet has a fairly large range across South-east Asia, Thailand is by far the easiest country to travel in logistically, especially for people like me who prefer independent travel in a rental car.  After doing my homework, I settled on Doi Inthanon (red dot below) as the best bet to see this bird reliably.

Blossom rangeLEARN MORE ABOUT BLOSSOM-HEADED PARAKEETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

HBW

 

VIDEO

Maybe I should have gone to Vietnam where this beautiful footage of a male Blossom-headed Parakeet was filmed.

Blossom-Headed Parakeet Conservation Area Near Doi Inthanon

The Blossom-Headed Parakeet Conservation Area is a few km before you reach the gate for Doi Inthanon.  If you pick up a car at Chiang Mai airport it will be about a 2 hour drive or a bit less.  You will see the turn-off on the right hand side of the road and it’s the same road that leads to TouchStar Resort and Inthanon Highland Resort.  There is a map on the Thai Birding site.

IMG_9798

Turn down this road.

IMG_9799 IMG_9800

We tried two different areas.  The road on the left as indicated by the sign leads to a couple farms but no one around to explain anything about the parakeets.  The Thai Birding map tells you to keep going down the road on the right as shown here.

IMG_0042

Don’t turn left at the first shelter, it leads to a private home.

IMG_0044 IMG_0045

This is the correct “shelter with corrugated iron roof”.  Drive past it a couple hundred metres and watch the trees on the left.

IMG_0046 IMG_0048 IMG_0049Find a place to park and keep your eyes out.  The parakeets started arriving around 4:30pm.  Unfortunately they perched fairly far from the road where you can park.  The land between the road and the trees is private property and I didn’t want to trespass on it.  So I used every bit of my 400mm lens for these shots!

IMG_9857 IMG_9869 IMG_9874 IMG_9875 IMG_9876 IMG_9878

A few other birds can be found there too – mostly bulbuls, sparrows, swallows and doves.  There were a couple Bee-eaters just before entering the area.

IMG_9817 IMG_9820 IMG_9822 IMG_9825 IMG_9826 IMG_9827 IMG_9828 IMG_9832 IMG_9833 IMG_9835 IMG_9836 IMG_9837 IMG_9838 IMG_9839 IMG_9841 IMG_9842 IMG_9843 IMG_9846 IMG_9847 IMG_9855 IMG_9859 IMG_9867 IMG_9869Sunset at the end of the first evening visit.

IMG_9873 IMG_9880After visiting Doi Inthanon NP, we went back the 2nd evening hoping for better views.  The birds were still far away but the light was somewhat better.

IMG_0050 IMG_0051 IMG_0052 IMG_0055 IMG_0057 IMG_0058 IMG_0061 IMG_0063 IMG_0067 rp_IMG_6377-1024x683.jpg IMG_0069 IMG_0072 IMG_0074 IMG_0075 IMG_0077 IMG_0079 IMG_0081 IMG_0082 IMG_0083 IMG_0084 IMG_0086 IMG_0092 IMG_0093 IMG_0096 IMG_0097 IMG_0104 IMG_0105 IMG_0106 IMG_0107 IMG_0108 IMG_0109 IMG_0110 IMG_0112 IMG_0114

 

We went back to the road that goes left to the “sanctuary” and still not a bird in sight.  It looks like someone is leaving food for them or that could just be a Spirit House offering but still no humans around to ask.

IMG_0116 IMG_0117 IMG_0118 IMG_0120

And another beautiful sunset to end the 2nd day.

IMG_0123For some reason I can’t crop in the WordPress package so these are out of sequence but at least you can see the birds a bit better!  The females have a lavender head and only a hint of a ring.  The males have a brighter magenta “blossom” head and a clearly defined ring around their necks.

IMG_0052a IMG_0055a IMG_0061a IMG_0067a IMG_0076a IMG_0083a IMG_0088a IMG_0104a IMG_0105a IMG_0112a IMG_0126a IMG_0145a IMG_0149a