Phuttamonton Park (Suan Phuttamonton)
is a very large park just outside the Bangkok city boundary
in neighbouring Nakhon Pathom province, a few kilometres west
of Bangkok's southern bus terminal.
Much of the park consists of open woodland with mown grass
underneath the canopy, with pools, flower beds and gardens,
although there are a few areas where the ground layer is uncut
and insect diversity is fairly high, and it is these areas
that attract the highest number of birds. Apart from birdwatching,
this is a good place to have a picnic in a quiet corner of
the park and it cycling is very popular here, particularly
at weekends.
The migratory periods of September-October and March-April
usually turn up the most interesting species in Phuttamonton
Park; a good number of species have been recorded here, and
of course there are healthy populations of the more common
parkland and open-country birds here too as well as a few
less common ones.
The only downside of Phuttamonton park is its distance from
Bangkok's city centre and it is very tiring walking around
the large area in the hot weather.
Phuttamonton Park has a good number of common resident birds
and is a good place for photographers to get pictures of species
such as Indian Roller, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Coppersmith
Barbet and Lineated Barbet, all of which are plentiful and
easy to spot.
This park has a resident population of Small Minivets which
are usually quite confiding, making this one of the easiest
places to find this bird close to Bangkok. Stork-billed Kingfisher
can be found in the more wooded areas bordering the moat that
surrounds the park and on the un-manicured islands in the
lakes there are small colonies of Black-crowned Night Herons,
Little Egrets, Eastern Cattle Egrets and a few Little Cormorants.
Red-wattled Lapwings are very common breeding birds and it
is nice to watch them with their young in April to June.
However, in migratory periods, particularly autumn, the scruffy
corners of Phuttamonton Park play host to a number of interesting
passage migrants including Ferruginous Flycatcher, Siberian
Blue Robin, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Eyebrowed Thrush, Amur
Paradise Flycatcher, Crow-billed Drongo and a variety of Phylloscopus
warblers including Eastern Crowned Warbler, Sakhalin Leaf
Warbler and Yellow-browed Warbler. In fact for the keen and
vigilant almost anything could turn up on passage.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Use the interactive map below to plan your journey to
Phuttamonton park. The blue line shows the route from Silom
Road in central Bangkok (Blue Pin) to the park (Red Pin).
By Car/Motorcycle
The most convenient way of getting to Phuttamonton Park, as
ever, is with one's own vehicle; in fact without a vehicle
birding around this vast park is be very tiring. From central
Bangkok one should drive towards the Grand Palace and cross
the Chao Praya river just north of the palace on the Pin Klao
bridge. Follow the main road heading towards Nakorn Pathom
and ascend the elevated highway. Continue on this road and
follow and eventually one begins to see blue signs for Phuttamonton
Park. However, at the turning for the park the signs vanish;
one will see signs which indicate Salaya to the north (right)
and Pet Kasem Higway to the south (left). Take the left and
Suan Phuttamonton is on the right a few hundred metres further
down.
By Bus
However, it is also possible to get to the park by bus. From
the southwest corner of Victory Monument (there is a skytrain
station there) there are two air-conditioned buses, numbers
539 and 547 which go to Phuttamonton Park, taking about 50
minutes to get there. Use this website for planning bus journeys
on Bangkok - Transit
Bangkok.
By Taxi
For those without their own transport taking a taxi would
be the most comfortable way to get to Phuttamonton, from downtown
it probably costs somewhere in the region of 300-400 baht
but it might be worth hiring the taxi for the morning so that
you can be driven around the park in comfort and get out when
you see a likely birding spot. Phuttamonton is likely to be
understood by taxi drivers, they all know the area, but they
will then probably ask you which bit. This is because a number
of large roads in the area are called Phuttamonton 1, 2, 3
etc. So try saying the name of the park in Thai; Suan Phuttamonton
(pronounced Soo-Wun Put-a-Mon-Ton) or print the Thai script
and show the driver: Suan
Phuttamonton Thai Script. You could also just show
them the location on a map on your phone.
By Tuk Tuk or Motorcycle Taxi
Do not be tempted to take a motorcycle taxi or tuk tuk from
the city centre to Phuttamonton. The distance, traffic and
lunacy of motorcycle taxi drivers means that you will almost
certainly have a bad accident.
By Train
Currently the Bangkok Skytrain only goes as far west as Bang
Wa. Getting out of town as far as this and then getting a
taxi would be an option but taking a taxi from central Bangkok
in the very early morning is almost certainly faster.
Bicycle
Phuttamonton is too far from the city centre for cycling to
be a sensible option but taking a bicycle with you to the
park, in your own vehicle or a large taxi, would be a really
good way to go birding here.
Finding Birds
A good number of species have been recorded in Phuttamonton
park but it is in migratory periods, in Spring and Autumn,
that one is most likely to have a memorable birding experience
with passage Flycatchers, Leaf Warblers and Shrikes turning
up during these times.
Phuttamonton is a huge park but most of it is highly manicured
and low in bird diversity. Look out for the less cultivated
areas where undergrowth has not been cut back and insect diversity
is high. In migratory periods passage migrants are abundant
around bamboo which harbours large numbers of aggressive mosquitos.
There are a few places where certain species are likely
to be seen in Phuttamonton Park;
Unmown
Lawn: Not quite unmown but certainly very irregularly
mown and as such it attracts resident Paddyfield Pipits and
wintering Richard's Pipits and Yellow Wagtails.
Waterbird
Lake: Of all the lakes and pools at Phuttamonton
Park this one has the most overgrown surroundings and plays
host to a small colony of Black-crowned Night Herons. Small
numbers of Little Cormorants can always be found here along
with Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets and Pond Herons. On a couple
of occasions I have seen a pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks
here although the habitat is not exactly ideal for them.
Overgrown
Area 1: A small patch of trees where the undergrowth
is not cut back always seems to produce some birds including
Spotted Owlet, Drongos, Black-naped Oriole, Lineated Barbet,
Coppersmith Barbet with Flycatchers and Warblers on passage.
Overgrown
Area 2: This is by far the most overgrown and
unkempt part of the park and it is worth sneaking around in
the undergrowth here. Resident species include Asian Barred
Owlet, Green-billed Malkoha, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo,
Red-billed Blue Magpie and Lineated Barbet but on migration
this can be a hotspot for birds.
Small, skulking migrant species such as Siberian Blue Robin,
Alstom's Warbler and Radde's Warbler can sometimes be found
in the low undergrowth in this area in March-April and September-October
while migrants including Ashy Drongo, Asian Brown Flycatcher,
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Ashy Minivet, Taiga Flycatcher and
Blue-tailed Bee-eater can be numerous as times.
Bamboo
Gardens: An area of bamboo groves and open
woodland is excellent for passage migrants such as Yellow-rumped
Flycatcher and a variety of Leaf Warblers due to the high
density of mosquitos. In the past Ferruginous Flycatcher,
Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Pale-legged &
Sakhalin Leaf Warblers and Amur Paradise Flycatcher have been
seen here.
Plenty of resident species can be found here including the
ever-present Oriental Magpie Robin, Racket-tailed Treepie,
Green-billed Malkoha, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Common
Iora and Small Minivet.
Overgrown
Area 3: This area has some small, twisted tress
with long grass underneath; an area which is relatively rich
in insect life and consequently it attracts a few birds. On
passage migration Asian Brown Flycatcher, Eastern Crowned
Warbler and Arctic Warbler can be seen and winter visitors
include Yellow-browed Warbler, Brown Shrike and Taiga Flycatcher.
A few other common species occur here including Mynas, Common
Iora, Spotted Dove, Coppersmith Barbet, Olive-backed Sunbird,
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Oriental Magpie Robin.
Facilities
Although Phuttamonton Park is in Nakorn Pathom province,
it is easily visited from Bangkok which obviously has a huge
abundance of hotels. However, if you need somewhere to stay
nearby that is good value for money you can try The
September Salaya, or if you are visiting the nearby campus
of Mahidol University they have their own hotel: Salaya
Pavillion Hotel. Failing that just pull up a park bench
and make yourself comfortable!
Restaurant, Phuttamonton
Park (Photo by Nick
Upton)
The park is huge and many of the best birding spots are quite
some distance from the few facilites available (and the entrance)
so it is a good idea to come armed with plenty of cold water
and some snacks to consume while birding in the hot and humid
conditions. However, a variety of snacks, drinks and simple
meals can be purchased at the restaurant which is close to
the main entrance and there are a few other places dotted
around the park here and there too.
There are a number of clean public toilets dotted around the
park and for those who enjoy massed aerobics, anyone can join
in the sessions in the early morning near the giant standing
Buddha which is apparently the largest in the world. Also
within the park is a monastic library and a museum of Buddhism
as part of the National Buddhism Centre.
The park is open every day from 5.30am until 7pm.
The main road in front of the park is always quite busy and
it never takes long to flag down a passing taxi for the journey
home. There is also a pedestrian bridge if you need to cross
this busy and dangerous road on foot.
Birdwatching
Trips:
Phuttamonton Park is a great site to visit during migratory
periods when a large number of species can be found, including
some very scarce passage migrants; a great place to add
to a birding trip in April or October.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
How
Birds Migrate This is one of the most informative books on birds
that I have ever read. Covering all aspects of bird
migration this is a great read for broadening your knowledge.
There are usually some cheap second-hand copies available
through the link above.
Download
a full 
