I am standing at the “Fly-A-Way”!
(Birding ALONG the East Asian- Australasian Flyway)
In 2018, while working on a brochure about migratory birds Flying into the face of danger for BirdLife International Asia (BirdLife), there was a page that stuck with me. It was a map of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) showing the epic journey of migratory birds. I was so amazed by how far they could fly!
BirdLife brochure and the map of the EAAF.
In 2019, a group of us partnered with BirdLife again. We were thrilled to tell the story of the migratory flyway through a board game, and started working on the project that was to become Fly-A-Way. I was the one who planned the migratory route for the gameplay!
And after four years, here I am, standing at the Flyway!
340km of migratory routes
From September till November this year, I stationed myself at the part of the migratory route from Phetchaburi to Chumphon (spanning 340km) in Thailand. Here I got to see many migratory birds in different habitats. The most exciting location was Khao Dinsor (Pencil Hill) at Chumphon, one of Asia’s best spots to observe raptor flocks migrate from Russia, Mongolia, China, India, Japan and Korea. About 250,000 to 400,000 raptors migrate through this spot every year.
Birding along the EAAF in Thailand.
To take a good photo of these raptors I had to trek a 1km trail up a 500m hill to Eagle Cliff platform. Carrying over 10kg of gear and food while walking up the hill was a really challenging task for me! But to witness this magnificent migratory flyway, I was willing to push myself to climb not once but four times!
Video of our trekking journey.
This was my third visit with my husband and first time with my two friends from Singapore. They helped to carry the water and food, lightening our loads so my husband and I could trek up much faster this time.
In the above video, we were trekking up a well-paved trail in the beginning. The weather was extremely unpredictable; scorching hot one moment and raining the next when we were trekking down.
The Invisible Funnel
After reaching the top, we were rewarded with an awesome view and, not only that, experienced flock after flock of migratory birds like sparrowhawks and honey buzzards flying past! Imagine a funnel where the birds channel in from all directions and fly towards you!
A bird's-eye view of Eagle Cliff platform at Khao Dinsor.
Admiring our bird's eye view!
Hundreds of Black Bazas coming in waves!
We were very thrilled to witness one group of Black Bazas appear above the plantation out of nowhere! This was also our first time seeing raptors thermal soaring from the ground! In thermal soaring, birds use convection currents, which are columns of warm rising air called thermals, to stay in the air without having to flap their wings. They climb to a substantial height by circling in thermals with their wings spread, and then glide off in the desired direction while losing their height.
The Black Bazas swarmed through the sky like floaters in our eyes, their numbers vast and mesmerising! (Video by CK Theng, Oon Hong Quek and Qiao Wei.)
Interesting contrasts as the Black Bazas ascended into the clouds, flying in all directions but never seeming to hit one another.
This infographic explains the wonders of thermal soaring!
Oriental Honey Buzzards spiraling upwards, gathering momentum for their ascent into the clouds!
A broken-winged eagle
These were the amazing sights we saw in Khao Dinsor! At some points, I was quite emotional when I saw some broken-winged raptors fly past, knowing that they were passing by Thailand from up North, and had to continue their journey to down south to Indonesia. They definitely braved a challenging journey. It reminded me of a scene in the Fly-A-Way trailer, which showed a migratory bird braving dangers aplenty. My friend and I couldn’t help but wave to them and wish them a safe journey to reach their destination.
Truly, this is a perfect place to immerse yourself in a journey of discovery and experience migration birds flyway!
Even with a broken wing, the Oriental Honey Buzzard remains determined to soar.
A migratory bird braving dangers aplenty in the Fly-A-Way trailer.
Fly-A-Way birds come to life!
Apart from this journey, my husband and I explored many areas at Sam Roi Yot, Hua Hin, Nong Pla Lai and Pak Thale which hold different habitats (open country, forest and wetland) for different migratory birds to roost and hunt for their long journey. The photos shown here were taken over the past three months, except for the Fairy Pitta taken at a park near Bangkok in May. I arranged them next to Fly-A-Way bird cards so that you can get a better understanding of the different species of migratory birds!
The featured birds in the Fly-A-Way board game come to life in this photography collection captured by our lens!
A true experience of Fly-A-Way
After all the hard work we put into Fly-A-Way, partnering with BirdLife to research each bird’s migratory route and the challenges they face during migration, this trip to the flyway felt extra special. I felt like I better understood how incredible it was for each bird to complete their arduous migratory journeys, year after year.
And of course, it was an amazing experience seeing the game we put so much time and effort into come to life in front of me!
More of our migratory bird collection!
A stunning view of Oriental Pratincoles flying above the water at Sam Roi Yot. (Video by Qiao Wei.)
Have you ever played a game, and then found yourself experiencing it in real life? Let us know in the comments!
*All photos and videos in this post were captured by my husband, Cheng Heng Yee and myself, unless otherwise stated.
