Ban Thung Yai Meadowlands, in Phang
Nga province, is an area of mixed cultivation, marshy patches,
grazing land and copses intersected by a river very close
to the town of Takua Pa. An old, historic iron bridge is a
notable landmark here and although the meadowlands are mostly
a flat, open area they are surrounded by forested hills, creating
quite a scenic location. While the open country species here
are the main attraction, the diversity of micro habitats mean
that a surprising variety of birds can be found here and there
are almost certainly many species to be added to the site
list.
Although quite a few local tourists make a brief stop at the
iron bridge for photographs there isn't much attraction here
for non birders. For much of the year it is important to arrive
in the early morning or late afternoon as the temperature
can get very high very quickly and accompanied by high humidity
the climate for much of the day can be oppressive.
The open nature of Ban Thung Yai Meadowlands is quite different
to most of the birding sites in Southern Thailand, which are
mostly forested, and a morning or afternoon visit here is
a nice way to break up the forest birding and see a large
number of different species.
The standout species that can be reliably found here is River
Lapwing. This handsome shorebird can only be found at a handful
of sights in Thailand and is becoming ever more scarce but
at this site they are almost guaranteed. They are usually
to be found in the company of the much commoner Red-wattled
Lapwing and if your visit coincides with the dry season (November
to March) then the handsome Grey-headed Lapwing is likely
to be seen too.
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is plentiful at this site and it
is a very good place to get to grips with Pacific Swallow
which is present here all year round in small numbers. A surprising
number of commoner forest species can be located in copses
and the trees lining the river such as Banded Kingfisher and
Black-and-red Broadbill although the dry season and migratory
periods are likely to be the best for numbers and variety
of species.
Migratory species here can include Black Bittern and Blue-winged
Pitta present in the wet season while birds such as Pallas's
Grasshopper Warbler, Red-throated Pipit and Pintail Snipe
spend the "winter" here. Time your visit right,
between mid February and April, and you are likely to come
across the attractive Oriental Pratincole.
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 route to
Ban Thung Yai Meadowlands. The blue line shows the route from
Phuket Bridge (A) and Surat Thani Airport (D) to Ban Thung
Yai Meadowlands (C) and Iron Bridge Parking (B).
By Car/Motorcycle
By far the most convenient and practical way to get to this
location is by private vehicle. There is a small area to park
by the side of the road at the iron bridge or if you use Google
maps you can actually find a way in to the site using farm
tracks from the east of the site.
By Bus
There are lots of buses that stop at the nearby town of Takua
Pa, which has its own bus station, but any bus passing along
the west coast of the peninsula will stop there. There may
be some form of public transport from Takua Pa which runs
along the road past the iron bridge but it could be difficult
to find out. Asking around the bus station for a songthaew
might get the result you need but hiring some sort of taxi/motorcycle
taxi is probably the best way forward from here, it is only
a short distance by vehicle.
By Train
This is not really a practical way of getting to Ban Thung
Yai Meadowlands. The station at Surat Thani is over an hour
away but is large enough to be able to arrange a taxi or bus
to Takua Pa.
By Plane
The nearest airports are Surant Thani and Phuket, both around
an hour and a half away. From these airports private car hire
is available and taxis can be arranged, although this option
would be rather expensive and leave birders stranded.
By Taxi
If birders were staying at Khao Lak beach then visiting Ban
Thung Yai Meadowlands by taxi could be an option, arranging
a taxi through your hotel. This could also be an option, for
a morning excursion if you were staying at Khao Sok, from
anywhere else it is a bit too far to make much sense.
Finding Birds
As this is mostly an open-country location birding is just
a case of walking around and being vigilant, scanning for
water birds in the wet patches. However, there are several
microhabitats around the site in which particular species
are more likely to be seen in than other spots.
Iron
Bridge Area/Wet Fields: This spot can be very
good in the very early morning as many birds such as Chestnut-headed
Bee-eater, Paddyfield Pipit and Pacific Swallow sit on overhead
wires and the bridge railings to catch some early morning
sunshine.
It is worth arriving at this area early before locals start
using the bridge and creating a disturbance. A small area
of wetland here holds egrets and bitterns and if there is
exposed mud then Grey-headed Lapwing and other wading birds
can be present. The wet undergrowth hosts Pallas's Grasshopper
Warbler in the "winter" months and the even more
secretive Lanceolated Warbler around the drier margins.
When birding from the iron bridge you will encounter locals
on their motor scooters but don't worry, just breath in and
they will go past you very carefully; just smile and say hello.
Takua
Pa River & Wooded Patches: Water levels
in the river seem to usually be quite high with few exposed
areas for water birds to feed on. However, a few margins along
the more secluded parts do sometimes attract wading birds
and River Lapwing can sometimes be seen resting next to the
water. However, trees line the river and at some points form
small copses and in these a surprising number of forest birds
can show up including Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Vernal Hanging
Parrot, Banded Woodpecker, Green-billed Malkoha and Black-and-red
Broadbill; no doubt more await addition to the site list.
Swampy
Grassland: This area of deep furrows and gulleys
looks like it was originally prepared for a palm oil plantation,
and one day may well be, but currently it seems to permanently
contain water and has areas of wet ditches full of Typha and
other wetland vegetation. Here it is possible to find wetland
winter visitors such as Dusky Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper
Warbler, Oriental Reed Warbler and Black-browed Reed Warbler.
Although it has not yet been recorded here, the rare Manchurian
Reed Warbler could be a possibility too. Residents such as
Yellow-bellied and Plain Prinias can be found at all times
along with a selection of egrets, bitterns and herons. This
is the sort of overgrown, wet area that has potential for
a wide variety of migrant species to show up in.
Seasonally
Flooded Fields: These fields are often wet
although they do dry out at certain times of the year and
are a good place to look for River Lapwings as well as migrant
birds such as Red-throated Pipit, Oriental Pratincole and
Pintail Snipe. Depending on how wet it is there are a few
Watercock and Grey-headed Swamphens in the area too and during
the "winter" months the attractive Grey-headed Lapwing
is probable too in small numbers. This area has a few small
copses and some trees lining a stream here where birds such
as Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker and Common Iora can be encountered.
If this area is wet at the right time of the year a few migrant
shorebirds can be found such as Pacific Golden Plover, Wood
Sandpiper
Facilities
At Takua Pa there are several small hotels to choose from
with Good
Morning Hotel being an excellent option. This small,
clean and comfortable hotel is easy to find and good value
for money with a simple breakfast of coffee and toast available
quite early in the morning. About 500 metres along the road
are a couple of restaurants that serve a wide variety of Thai
food with menus that are in English as well as Thai.
If you find that breakfast is not early enough or you just
want to have breakfast on site, then there are a couple of
7/11 stores in town that are open 24 hours and stock a lot
of stuff including toasted sandwiches, a variety of bread
products, yoghurts and coffee among other things. Being a
moderately sized town Takua Pa has quite a lot of eating places,
small restaurants and foodstalls are abundant.
The nearest fuel stations are a couple of kilometres south
of the town. One of these has another 7/11 store and clean
public toilets. Takua Pa has a hospital and several pharmacies
should you get sick and there are ATMs available should birders
need to withdraw any cash. Takua Pa has all the facilities
that a medium-sized town has; police station, supermarket,
government offices etc.
There is a small public parking area at the Iron Bridge but
no toilets or anything else there. The area is not a national
park and you will not be charged to go birding there.
Some Useful Books
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.
Birdwatching
Trips:
Ban Thung Yai Meadowlands is a good inland, open country
site to visit for a few specialities but also as a great
addition to any Southern Thailand tour by adding a habitat
not often visited in the peninsula..
Download
a full 
