Bangkok Backyard Birding: Bird Bath Waterslide

I’ve posted a lot of bird photos before, both here on the blog and on the Mad Traveler website, and whenever I am in Thailand I like to set aside some time to go birdwatching (that’s “birding” to the birders). The view from my desk is of the backyard garden so occasionally the birds actually come to me, including this little guy:

This is a Common Tailorbird and he’s about the size of my thumb. He flits around the backyard a lot, and at night he and another tailorbird, perch in a rather small potted rubber tree in the carport, far from any of the actual green spaces here and right next to the rolling gate. He tucks in under a wide leaf like it’s his blanket. It’s pretty damn cute, actually. His buddy takes flight at the smallest intrusion — a door opening, a light coming on.

Then last week, after an afternoon rain, I noticed that one of the broad-leafed plants in the yard collects a lot of rainwater. The birds noticed too and took to using the leaves as a sort of bird bath… and waterslide. Here’s a 30-second video of a nice distraction from my work: