King
Rama IX Park (Suan Luang Rama IX) is a large park in
the eastern suburbs of Bangkok which was designated in tribute
to King Bhumiphol (Rama IX). Much of the park is carefully
manicured, with planted borders and sports areas, but there
are also some unkempt corners, overgrown ponds and some mature
trees which can harbour some interesting species. In fact
as the park and vegetation within it mature so bigger areas
of this location become attractive to birds making it an increasingly
good place for birding.
As this
part of the city rapidly develops this park is one of the
main greenspaces of this region of Bangkok attracting both
migratory and resident birds as well as a lot of locals using
it for recreation. The park is a popular place for joggers
and picnics and can get quite busy, so it is essential to
arrive early in the morning.
This park's location near the edge of Bangkok and next to
a reservoir means that a surprising number of species can
be seen in a morning here, something which has not passed
the Bird
Conservation of Thailand by as they arrange regular bird
walks here for the public to join and learn about bird watching.
King Rama IX Park is a good place to visit if you are on
a short trip to Bangkok and only have few hours to do some
birding or, of course, if you live in the area. Most of the
birds that can be seen here are the more common open-country
species, some waterbirds as well as a variety of migratory
birds at the right times of the year. As this is a well-kept
ornamental park with few areas of dense vegetation the birds
that occur here are fairly easy to see with some of the birds
of interest including Plain-backed Sparrow, Black-collared
Starling, Small Minivet and Pink-necked Green Pigeon all of
which are resident in the park and have patchy distibutions
in central Thailand.
Coppersmith Barbets are common here (when they are heard it
is apparent how they got their name), as they in other parks
in Bangkok, and they, along with some of the other colourful
species found here including Common Iora and Lineated Barbet,
offer a good chance to practice your photography at all times
of the year.
During migratory periods this park suddenly has an influx
of different species with birds such as Asian Brown Flycatcher,
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Easter Crowned Warbler, Yellow-browed
Warbler, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Black-naped Oriole and
Ashy Drongo all regular and over the years many much rarer
migrants have been found.
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
King Rama IX Park. The blue line shows the route from Silom
Road in central Bangkok (Blue Pin) to the park (Red Pin).
By Car/Motorcycle
If you have your own vehicle getting tothis park is easy,
just get on to Sri Nakarin road and follow the signposts,
there is a car park at the west side of the park.
By Taxi
Taking a taxi is a good way to get to King Rama IX Park; tell
the driver you want to go to "Suan Luang Lor Gaow"
or show him the Thai script: Suan
Luang Thai Script. From the centre of the city
it should cost around 150-200 baht on the meter, all taxi
drivers know this location. When leaving, there are often
taxis near the exit, or a motorbike taxi can be taken back
to Sri Nakarin Road where there will be lots of taxis or buses
back to the city centre.
By Bus
It is quite possible to arrive by public transport also, there
are lots of buses that go along Sri Nakarin Road, from the
city centre, but these can take quite a long time. Get off
the bus at Seri Centre, a big shopping mall, and walk up the
small road beside it until reaching the park; about 1.5 Km.
Use this website for planning bus journeys on Bangkok - Transit
Bangkok.
By Train
The nearest skytrain station is Udomsuk from where it would
be sensible to take a taxi, it is too far to walk and too
far to be taking a motorcycle taxi safely.
Finding Birds
Finding birds at Suan Luang is really a case of searching
out the most unkempt corners of the park, and there are a
fair number of these, making this a surprisingly productive
area. All of the small areas with mature trees can be good
places to find migrant Phylloscopus warblers and
flycatchers and there are a few interesting areas which border
the park:
At the north west corner a large reservoir can be overlooked
where various egrets can be seen and if the water level is
low a few waders occur.
The eastern boundary overlooks a large wet scrubby area where
Acrocephalus warblers occur amongst other things.
The south eastern boundary is bordered by an overgrown drainage
pond where kingfishers usually hunt and pond herons lurk,
pretty much anything could turn up in it during migration.
Night Heron
Colony : The trees around this pond are home
to a small colony of about half a dozen Black-crowned Night
Herons. They can be hard to spot at times as they tuck themselves
away in the densest foliage and branches that overhang the
water. This is a good place to sit and wait for other species
to turn up with Common Iora, Plaintive Cuckoo and Brown-throated
Sunbird all likely to be seen. This type of dense and unmanicured
vegetation is also where migrants are likely to turn up and
I have seen Arctic, Two-barred and Eastern Crowned Warblers
here together with Asian Brown, Taiga and Brown-streaked Flycatchers
during migratory periods.
Wooded Areas : Most of
the park consists of ornamental gardens but all of the small
wooded areas are worth checking out for birds such as Pink-necked
Green Pigeon and Small Minivet. Common Iora and Pied Fantail
are always present in these areas and during the "winter"
months it is worth searching for migratory species such as
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Eastrn Crowned Warbler, Mugimaki
Flycatcher and many others. Birds such as Blue-winged Pitta
and White's Thrush have been found in these overgrown copses
in the past.
A surprising amount of other wildlife can also bee seen in
these wooded regions with Variable Squirrel and tortoises
both occurring.
Facilities
There is no reason to make a point of staying in this part
of town when King Rama IX Park is only a taxi ride away from
a vast selection of hotels in central Bangkok. However, if
you find that other business takes you to this park of town
and you need somewhere to stay then Dusit
Princess Srinakarin Hotel is an excellent choice.
For birders overnighting at/near the airport this is an ideal
site to get to by taxi too; I have recommended Mariya
Boutique Residence to many people and everyone has
been happy with it - free pickup and drop off from the airport
are included.
Within the park itself there are a few snack kiosks selling
drinks for when the heat becomes too intense. Just outside
of the park there are a few food stalls where food and drink
is available and fruit sellers with fresh produce. There are
often yoga and aerobics sessions which anyone can join, boats
for hire and a museum devoted to the King in the park too.
However, after a hot morning here it is nice to go to the
nearby shopping mall, Seacon Square, where there is a large
variety of restaurants with very soothing air-conditioning.
Ten-pin bowling and cinemas provide added distractions here
too after a morning's birding.
Birdwatching
Trips:
King Rama IX 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 
