3 Days - Kaeng Krachan, 16-18th April 2015

Introduction
Scott Kampmeier contacted me to ask for my recommendation as to how best to spend the three days in mid April that he would have available for birding on his stopover in Thailand, on his way back to the US from New Zealand. At that time of year Kaeng Krachan always provides some excellent birding and as Scott also mentioned that it would be his first visit to the region and wished to get an overview of Thai birds, I decided to add a morning at Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan park to look for passage migrants and a brief visit to Petchaburi Rice Fields to the 3-day itinerary.

Vehicle
We used a 2-door Toyota Vigo which has a good level of fuel economy and is very stable at high speeds on the highways. Additionally, it was able to deal with potholes and dirt roads at Kaeng Krachan with no problems at all.

Road Quality
The roads between Bangkok and Petchaburi are good. At Kaeng Krachan the road up to Bang Krang campsite is sealed but heavy machinery had made a few parts of it very rutted. Since February 2015 saloon cars and minivans have not been allowed to go uphill to Panoen Tung; only pickups were allowed to be driven uphill.

Accommodation
We stayed 2 nights at the pleasant Ban Maka, close to Kaeng Krachan national park; good food and early breakfasts are always available here.

Food
Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Ban Maka are always good, but on our first day we stopped in a Big C supermarket, on route from Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan Park to Kaeng Krachan, where we ate in the food court. The food in these places is always simple but tasty, cheap and good hygiene is practiced.

Notes on Finding Birds
Birding during migration at Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan Park is always a question of walking around likely spots, slowly, to see what has arrived. Revisiting the same spots in this small park, at this time of year, always reveals more and more migrants as they pass through.

With resident birds breeding it was fairly easy for me to take Scott to areas where I knew key species were active/nesting which made finding forest species at Kaeng Krachan, far easier than during the earlier months of November-February.

Open country birding at Wat Khao Takrao and Petchaburi Rice Fields is typically easy being a case of covering a large area and spotting birds which can frequently be observed through a telescope.

Bird Calls
With most resident forest species in the process of nest-building and pairing, many birds were very active and finding them was a case of tracking them down from their call or waiting close to the nest sites. When call playback was required there was usually a very fast reaction so that it was only needed for very short bursts.

Bird calls used were downloaded from Xena Canto.

Field Guides
1. A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Craig Robson
2. Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Philip D. Round & Boonsong Lekagul
3. Birds of Southeast Asia by Craig Robson

Birding Highlights

Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan: Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Green-backed Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Vinous-breasted Starling, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Crow-billed Drongo, Indian Cuckoo, Eyebrowed Thrush
Kaeng Krachan: Great Slaty Woodpecker, Tickell's Brown Hornbill, Banded Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Black-thighed Falconet, Black-and-red Broadbill, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Kalij Pheasant, Dusky Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Hooded Pitta, Blue Pitta, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Banded Kingfisher, Sultan Tit, Buff-rumped Woodpecker, Black-and-buff Woodpecker, Orange-breasted Trogon, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Siberian Thrush
Ban Maka: Blue-winged Pitta
Wat Khao Takrao: Black-headed Ibis, Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Stork
Petchaburi Rice Fields: Asian Golden Weaver, Streaked Weaver, White-browed Crake, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Birding Diary

16th April: I met Scott at the Marriott Sukhumvit 57, at 5.30am and we headed the short distance across the Chao Praya river to Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan Park, arriving shortly after 6am. As is often the case at this time of year, it turned out to be slightly early to find many of the hoped for passage migrant species which make this park a good birding spot during migratory periods. However, there are always enough resident species of interest to look for while waiting for arrivals of migrants and in our first hour gained good views of common park birds such as Pied Fantail, House Swift, Oriental Magpie Robin and Brown-throated Sunbird as well as a few species that are unusually common at this site - Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Collared Kingfisher, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and some quite spectacular views of Stork-billed Kingfisher in flight display.

The first passage migrant we found turned out to be a very tame Indian Cuckoo which allowed us to walk right underneath it, closely followed by a Chinese Sparrowhawk, and as the temperature increased so did the insect activity and the number of feeding migrants that we found. One bird I was hoping to show to Scott was Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and we were not to be disappointed as we found a nice male in a tree together with 2 Dark-sided Flycatchers, 1 Asian Brown Flycatcher and at least 4 Mugimaki Flycatchers, although none of them were adult males.

As we began to walk around the more overgrown end of the park it became clear that there had been an arrival of migrant flycatchers with another Asian Brown Flycatcher and female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher emerging from the undergrowth. As we stood and watched we both had the feeling that more birds were on their way and very soon we were rewarded with close views of a male Green-backed Flycatcher; a very scarce but annual passage migrant in the Bangkok area. A pair of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers followed as we began to hear Eyebrowed Thrushes dropping in to fruiting trees. These shy birds are difficult to observe but with some waiting in the right place a few of them allowed us clear but brief views.

Shortly after the thrushes we encountered a real identification challenge with 2 Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warblers foraging together. These recent splits have both been found to be common passage migrants in Thailand but without their song they are extremely difficult to identify. One bird was seen very well and the contrast between the grey crown and the green back was very little; this being one characteristic that some have talked about being helpful in identification. The primary projection of this bird was not very exceptional and I could count only 4-6 primary wing feathers exposed which would point to it being Pale-legged Leaf Warbler (Sakhalin should show 6+ primary feathers from what I have been told by ringers). The second bird seemed different with longer wings but considering that we did not get very good views we decided that we could not confidently identify it.

The remainder of our visit to the park consisted of us revisiting the spots that had produced the most birds and in this way we added an Asian Drongo Cuckoo, 3 Ashy Minivets, clearer views of Eyebrowed Thrush, a female Green-backed Flycatcher and a few more Yellow-rumped and Asian Brown Flycatchers to our observations. By this time it was around 10.30am and already very hot with high humidity so we decided to get a cold drink and begin heading to Kaeng Krachan national park.

Our journey was trouble free, with a short stop at a Big C supermarket on Rama 2 road to get some lunch and on reaching the national park we headed straight uphill to Km 27.5, arriving there a little before 3pm. At first there was little activity but a pair of nesting Long-tailed Broadbills were active in the area in which I expected to see them, giving us exceptionally good views of this stunning bird. Scott was very happy with this first sighting of a broadbill - I was hopeful of several more species over the next few days.

As we proceeded to walk uphill we found a few small flocking birds; Claudia's Leaf Warbler, Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler, Yellow-bellied Warbler; and these led us on to areas where more birds were actively feeding, our next species being a male Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and a pair of Black-throated Sunbirds. Over the next hour or so the bird activity remained at a high level, the most notable species being a pair of Buff-rumped Woodpeckers that seemed determined to be photographed, following us along the road and repeatedly turning up right in front of us. We also obtained good views of Black-and-buff Woodpecker as well as both Speckled and White-browed Piculets; White-crested Laughingthrush, Large Scimitar Babbler, Blue-throated Barbet, Grey-chinned Minivet, Everett's White-eye and several other species all added to a good afternoon's birding.

On our way driving downhill, heading towards our accommodation we got lucky with a male and female Kalij Pheasant feeding with their chicks and at dusk we saw several Large-tailed Nightjars in the road before enjoying a nice dinner and a much-needed shower.

Bird Watching Trips: Kaeng Krachan is an excellent birding site and is good for a short visit or as part of a longer birding itinerary in Thailand. At all times of the year there is something good to see at Kaeng Krachan but the most spectacular birding is usually between March and July when resident birds are breeding. Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com

17th April: First light was at 6am so we had breakfast at 5.30am and headed to Km9 where I knew we could find a pair of Black-thighed Falconets and several species of woodpecker. We found the Falconets near their nest hole and saw the expected Greater Yellownape, Common Flameback and Greater Flameback Woodpeckers as well as a number of commoner birds and good numbers of migrating Black-naped Orioles and Crow-billed Drongos. Great Hornbill is always a spectacular sighting and we were lucky to see one of these fabulous birds fly across the valley within the first hour of birding.

A short walk along the road I was hoping to show Scott a pair of Black-and-red Broadbills and as we went round a corner we came across a group of photographers who had the next staked out and within seconds we saw both the male and female coming to the nest site with nesting material. Black-and-red Broadbill is one of my favourite species and we were both very happy to get excellent views of this stunning bird - I can never get over the bright blue bill of this bird! Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Asian Drongo Cuckoo and Green-eared Barbet were also nice sightings at this stop.

At just 8am it was already getting hot and bird activity slowing down so we decided to move further along the road into shadier forest but along the way I heard a group of Silver-breasted Broadbills which we stopped for and saw very quickly; another beautiful Broadbill species. At this stop we also saw Oriental Dollarbird and a female Heart-spotted Woodpecker although we failed to find a pair of Crested Jays which were calling nearby; birding trips always have their successes and failures!

Further along we stopped in the shady area at the first stream crossing and very quickly we located a male Sultan Tit which performed very nicely for us, hanging upside down and catching a caterpillar that was almost as long as itself. At this spot we had another great experience finding a pair of nesting Black-and-yellow Broadbills, followed very shortly after by a pair of Orange-breasted Trogons and a male Banded Kingfisher which gave us partial views through the foliage. As we were taking a drink back at the car we noticed a number of migratory flycatchers in a nearby tree - Yellow-rumped, Dark-sided, Asian Brown and Mugimaki Flycatchers, joined by 3 Velvet-fronted Nuthatches.

With the heat increasing we walked along the road and across the second stream, failing to find the expected Banded and Dusky Broadbills, in fact the heat and humidity was making finding any birds at all very difficult. A walk along a trail failed to find our target birds but we did come across an excellent Hooded Pitta, seeing another some distance further along the trail. This wet season visitor had obviously recently arrived from Indonesia because as well as seeing these two birds we heard others over the remainder of our stay. A couple of other nice birds along the trail were a male Chinese Blue Flycatcher and an adult male Siberian Blue Robin. With the heat making birding very, very slow we decided to go back to Ban Maka for lunch where I thought we could see a few other species of birds while eating.

Lunch was very good as was the short session of birding we had around the garden with excellent views of Lesser & Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Black-hooded Oriole, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Black-naped Monarch, White-rumped Shama, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Puff-throated Babbler and a male Tickell's Blue Flycatcher.

Around 1.30pm we were ready to head up to Panoen Tung where the birding proved to be the most challenging of our short trip. Good views of Streaked Spiderhunter are more or less guaranteed here and we found one fairly quickly on a banana bush. However, the remainder of our time at Panoen Tung only turned up Flavescent Bulbul, Large Scimitar Babbler, Ashy Bulbul and a pair of Orange-bellied Leafbirds. A Rufous-browed Flycatcher came in to call playback but would not show itself - very frustrating.

Back down at Km 27.5 things were much quieter than the previous day although we did get excellent views of Collared Babbler, White-browed Scimitar Babbler and Black-throated Laughingthrush in a flock together while Bay Woodpecker was typically frustrating, calling in the forest and then flying overhead to bury itself in the thickest vegetation. Not much else was to be added although we did get lucky on the way down the hill with a Large Hawk Cuckoo and then a Little Cuckoo Dove which very obligingly landed right in front of the car - I like birds like that. Lower down we got good views of Common Green Magpie and a distant view of Great Slaty Woodpecker at Km9 alittle before dusk.

With some great sightings behind us we looked forward to some more good birds on our last morning in the forest as we ate dinner in the evening.

18th April: At breakfast I heard a Blue-winged Pitta calling from just outside the restaurant so we spent a little time to call it in for a good view. It did not take very long for us to see 2 Blue-winged Pittas, with excellent views of one of them. This was an excellent start to what was to be an excellent morning.

We drove straight to stream crossing 1 where it actually proved to be a little early for much bird activity but things soon improved at the tree full of migrant flycatchers from the previous morning where a male Sibeiran Thrush had joined them; this is a scarce passage migrant in Thailand. At the second stream crossing we found a pair of Banded Broadbills making a nest which was shortly followed by two Tickell's Brown Hornbills feeding in a fruiting tree. Another of the morning's target birds was Dusky Broadbill so it was nice to come across a group of 4 birds which showed well. I was very pleased to have been able to show 6 species of Broadbill to Scott as this is a fantastic group of birds with weird and wonderful colours and bills.

Some More Trip Reports Kaeng Krachan & Petchaburi Wetlands, June 2013 North & Central Thailand Tour, December 2014 Chumpon Raptor Watch & Petchaburi Wetlands, October 2011 Rainy Season Bird Watching Tour of Thailand, June-July 2012 Bird Photography Tour of Thailand, March 2013

By this time bird activity had increased and we had little time between finding good birds with two Chestnut-winged Cuckoos the next sighting. This was very pleasing as we had glimpsed 3 of these birds over the previous two days as they flew across the road. Having had fairly poor views of Great Slaty Woodpecker we were hopeful of seeing this species once we heard it calling but for some time we could not locate it. However, after our best views of male Asian Fairy Bluebird we managed to spot a Great Slaty Woodpecker and get nice views of it.

This was turning into a good trip for woodpeckers, which is normal for the time of year, and it did not take long before I heard a calling Banded Woodpecker a little further down the road. After calling a few times it came in closer to us, to feed on a nearby tree giving us great views of this very colourful woodpecker.

This had already been a successful morning but perhaps the best was yet to come. After a period of quiet it was hot and I was wondering if we should move on to our last location, the rice fields near Petchaburi. However, I said to Scott, "shall we have a quick look for a Blue Pitta?" Given our good fortune with Pittas so far he quickly agreed. After walking about 20 metres into the forest I played the call of Blue Pitta and got an immediate reply and a few minutes later a splendid male was on the trail in front of us. After giving us good views it headed towards a gulley so we walked down into a wide, open gulley and played the call once more. The bird called back and very soon was out in the open in front of us, giving us a spectacular sighting. Neither of us could quite believe how easy finding this bird had been and Scott jokingly commented that he couldn't see what the fuss about finding Pittas was, they seemed easy. Although Pittas are never easy to find our fortune owed much to the time of the year with Blue-winged and Hooded Pittas having recently arrived and Blue Pitta beginning its breeding season.

I decided that we should head back to stream crossing 2 and look for Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, a bird that we had heard several time but which had so far eluded us. Well, it was extremely pleasing to find this bird within a few minutes of beginning our search in an area I knew it had been frequenting and see this stunning jewel of the forest at close range. With this success and increasing heat we decided to head back to Ban Maka to pack, have lunch and move on.

Once again, at lunch we managed to see some nice birds in the garden with another male Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, an Asian Brown Flycatcher, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush and nice views of a pair of Little Spiderhunters feeding on a flowering shrub.

After lunch we made the 1 hour drive to rice fields at Petchaburi and fish ponds at Wat Khao Takrao. There are always very many species to see at this location but for us it was just a 2.5 hour stop on our way back to Bangkok - a nice way to break up the journey and see a good number of different species very easily. Here we saw some scarce species including Black-headed Ibis, Spot-billed Pelican, Asian Golden Weaver, White-browed Crake as well as some nice Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in breeding plumage. We also saw a few shorebirds in breeding plumage including some smart Long-toed Stints and Marsh Sandpipers.

One advantage of visiting the rice fields at this time of year is to see several species in breeding plumage. In non-breeding plumage Javan and Chinese Pond Herons are indistinguishable but at this time of year they are both nice-looking birds in their breeding plumage and both are common. Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Baya Weaver and Streaked Weaver were all also nice to see in breeding plumage before making the journey back to Bangkok.

Nick Upton (nickupton@thaibirding.com)

Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan Park: SNKK
Kaeng Krachan: KK
Ban Maka: BM

Wat Khao Takrao: WKT
Petchaburi Rice Fields: PRF

1. Red Junglefowl: A few along the road at KK.
2. Kalij Pheasant: 1m & 1f with chicks at Km 24, KK.
3. Lesser Whistling Duck: 2 at WKT.
4. Cotton Pygmy Goose: 46 at PRF.
5. Little Grebe: A few at PRF & WKT.
6. Painted Stork: 2 at WKT.
7. Asian Openbill: Many at PRF & 1 at KK.
8. Black-headed Ibis: 1 at WKT.
9. Yellow Bittern: 1 at PRF.
10. Chinese Pond Heron: Many at KK, SNKK, WKT & PRF.
11. Javan Pond Heron: Many at WKT & PRF.
12. Eastern Cattle Egret: Many at PRF.
13. Grey Heron: A few at WKT.
14. Purple Heron: 1 at PRF.
15. Eastern Great Egret: Many at WKT & PRF.
16. Intermediate Egret: A few at WKT.
17. Little Egret: Many at WKT, PRF & 2 at SNKK.
18. Spot-billed Pelican: 14 at WKT.
19. Little Cormorant: Many at WKT & PRF.
20. Indian Cormorant: A few at WKT.
21. Black-winged Kite: 1 at PRF.
22. Brahminy Kite: A few at WKT & PRF.
23. Crested Serpent Eagle: 3 at KK.
24. Chinese Sparrowhawk: 1 at SNKK & 1 at KK.
25. Japanese Sparrowhawk: 1 at KK.
26. Black-thighed Falconet: 2 at Km 9, KK.
27. White-breasted Waterhen: A few at SNKK & PRF.
28. White-browed Crake: c10 at PRF.
29. Common Moorhen: A few at PRF.
30. Black-winged Stilt: Many at WKT.
31. Red-wattled Lapwing: A few at KK.
32. Pacific Golden Plover: Many at WKT.
33. Lesser Sand Plover: A few at WKT.
34. Pheasant-tailed Jacana: c30 at PRF.
35. Bronze-winged Jacana: A few at PRF.
36. Common Redshank: 1 at WKT.
37. Marsh Sandpiper: A few at WKT.
38. Common Greenshank: A few at WKT.
39. Wood Sandpiper: A few at WKT.
40. Common Sandpiper: 1 at WKT.
41. Long-toed Stint: c20 at WKT.
42. Brown-headed Gull: c10 at WKT.
43. Whiskered Tern: c40 at WKT.
44. Feral Pigeon
45. Red Collared Dove: Many at WKT & PRF.
46. Spotted Dove: Many at PRF; a few at KK & SNKK.
47. Little Cuckoo Dove: 1 at Km 23, KK.
48. Common Emerald Dove: A few at KK.
49. Zebra Dove: A few at PRF.
50. Pink-necked Green Pigeon: Many at SNKK.
51. Thick-billed Green Pigeon: A few at Km 9, KK.
52. Vernal Hanging Parrot: A few flying high overhead, KK.
53. Greater Coucal: A few at Km 9, KK.
54. Green-billed Malkoha: Several at SNKK & KK.
55. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo: 5 birds in total; 2 seen well at Km 16, KK.
56. Asian Koel: Several at SNKK.
57. Violet Cuckoo: 2 calling birds seen in flight, KK.
58. Asian Drongo Cuckoo: 1 at SNKK & a few at KK.
59. Large Hawk Cuckoo: 1 at Km 20, KK.
60. Indian Cuckoo: 1 at SNKK; 1 at Km 15, KK.
61. Large-tailed Nightjar: A few on the road after dark, KK.
62. Pale-rumped (Germain's) Swiftlet: Many at PRF & SNKK.
63. Asian Palm Swift: Many at KK, SNKK & PRF.
64. House Swift: Common at SNKK.
65. Orange-breasted Trogon: A pair at 1st stream, KK.
66. Indian Roller: A few at SNKK.
67. Oriental Dollarbird: Several between Km 9 - Km 16, KK.
68. Banded Kingfisher: 1m seen hiding behind foliage at 1st steam, KK.
69. Stork-billed Kingfisher: 2 in display flight, SNKK.
70. White-throated Kingfisher: A few at BM & PRF.
71. Black-capped Kingfisher: 3 between Km 1 - 10, KK.
72. Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher: 1 at stream 2, KK.
73. Blue-bearded Bee-eater: A few at low elevations, KK.
74. Green Bee-eater: A few at PRF.
75. Tickell's Brown Hornbill: 2 between streams 2 & 3, KK.
76. Oriental Pied Hornbill: Many at lower elevations, KK.
77. Great Hornbill: 1 at Km 6; 1 at Km 9, KK.
78. Green-eared Barbet: Plenty at lower elevations, KK.
79. Blue-throated Barbet: Several at Km 28, KK.
80. Blue-eared Barbet: A few at Km9, KK.
81. Coppersmith Barbet: 1 at SNKK; 1 at Km 9, KK.
82. Speckled Piculet: 1 at Km 28, KK.
83. White-browed Piculet: 1 at Km 28, KK.
84. Heart-spotted Woodpecker: 1 at Km 15.5, KK.
85. Banded Woodpecker: 1 between streams 2 & 3, KK.
86. Greater Yellownape: Pairs at Km 9 & Km 16, KK.
87. Grey-headed Woodpecker: 2 at Km 11, KK.
88. Common Flameback: 1m at Km 9, KK.
89. Greater Flameback: A pair at Km 9, KK.
90. Bamboo Woodpecker: 1m at stream 1, KK.
91. Bay Woodpecker: Brief view of 1 in flight, Km 28, KK.
92. Buff-rumped Woodpecker: Extended views of a pair at Km 27.5; 1 at Km 15.5, KK.
93. Black-and-buff Woodpecker: 1 at Km 27.5.
94. Great Slaty Woodpecker: 2 at Km 9; 1 between streams 2 & 3, KK.
95. Black-and-red Broadbill: A pair at Km 9, KK.
96. Long-tailed Broadbill: A pair at Km 27.5, KK.

97. Silver-breasted Broadbill: Many from Km 15.5 - Km 29.5, KK.
98. Banded Broadbill: A pair nest-building at stream 2, KK.
99. Black-and-yellow Broadbill: A pair at stream 1, KK.
100. Dusky Broadbill: 4 at stream 2, KK.
101. Blue Pitta: 1m seen well between streams 2 & 3, KK.
102. Hooded Pitta: 2 seen between streams 2 & 3, KK.
103. Blue-winged Pitta: 2 seen at BM.
104. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: A few at BM & KK.
105. Black-winged Cuckooshrike: A few at Km 28, KK.
106. Ashy Minivet: 3 at SNKK.
107. Grey-chinned Minivet (montanus): A few at Km 28, KK.
108. Scarlet Minivet: A pair at stream 2, KK.
109. Brown Shrike: 1 at PRF.
110. Long-tailed Shrike: 1 at PRF.
111. Black-naped Oriole: Many at Km 9, KK.
112. Black-hooded Oriole: 1 at BM.
113. Black Drongo: A few at PRF.
114. Ashy Drongo (leucogenis): A few at KK.
115. Ashy Drongo (mouhoti): 1 at SNKK.
116. Crow-billed Drongo: 1 at SNKK; c6 at Km 9, KK.
117. Bronzed Drongo: A few at KK.
118. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo: A few at Km 27-28, KK.
119. Hair-crested Drongo: A few at SNKK & KK.
120. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo: A few at SNKK & KK.
121. Pied Fantail: A few at SNKK & PRF.
122. Black-naped Monarch: 2f at BM.
123. Asian Paradise-flycatcher: 2 at Km 28, KK.
124. Common Green Magpie: 1 near stream 1, KK.
125. Racket-tailed Treepie: 4 at SNKK.
126. Eastern Jungle Crow: Common in open areas.
127. Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher: 1 at Km 28, KK.
128. Sultan Tit: A few at KK.
129. Black-crested Bulbul: Common at KK.
130. Stripe-throated Bulbul: A few at BM & Km 9, KK.
131. Flavescent Bulbul: A few at Km 30, KK.
132. Yellow-vented Bulbul: 1 briefly at PRF.
133. Streak-eared Bulbul: Common at SNKK & BM.
134. Ochraceous Bulbul: Common at KK.
135. Grey-eyed Bulbul: A few at stream 2, KK.
136. Ashy Bulbul: 1 at Km 30, KK.
137. Barn Swallow: All sites.
138. Yellow-bellied Warbler: A few at Km 27.5, KK.
139. Radde's Warbler: 1 at SNKK.
140. Pale-legged Leaf Warbler: 1 at SNKK.
141. Eastern Crowned Warbler: A few at SNKK; 1 at BM; a few at Km 27.5, KK.
142. Claudia's Leaf Warbler: A few at Km 28, KK.
143. Oriental Reed Warbler: 1 at PRF.
144. Common Tailorbird: BM, KK & SNKK.
145. Dark-necked Tailorbird: BM, KK & SNKK.
146. Large Scimitar Babbler: Pairs at Km 27.5 & Km 30, KK.
147. White-browed Scimitar Babbler: 1 at Km 28, KK.
148. Golden Babbler: A few at Km 28, KK.
149. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: Common at KK.
150. Collared Babbler: c8 at Km 28, KK.
151. Puff-throated Babbler: 2 at BM.
152. White-crested Laughingthrush: A flock at Km 28, KK.
153. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush: A few at BM & stream 1, KK.
154. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush: A few at BM & between streams 2-3, KK.
155. Black-throated Laughingthrush: A few at Km 28, KK.
156. Everett's White-eye: 1 at Km 28, KK.
157. Asian Fairy Bluebird: A few near streams 1 & 2, KK.
158. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch: 3 at stream 1, KK.
159. Golden-crested Myna: A pair at Km 9, KK.
160. Common Hill Myna: A pair at Km 12, KK.
161. White-vented Myna: Common at WKT & PRF.
162. Common Myna: Common at WKT, SNKK & PRF.
163. Vinous-breasted Starling: Several at SNKK.
164. Siberian Thrush: 1m at stream 1.
165. Eyebrowed Thrush: c60 at SNKK.
166. Oriental Magpie Robin: Common at SNKK & BM.
167. White-rumped Shama: A few at BM & KK.
168. Dark-sided Flycatcher: 2 at SNKK & 1 at stream 1, KK.
169. Asian Brown Flycatcher: 3 at SNKK & a few at KK.
170. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher: 1m at BM.
171. Chinese Blue Flycatcher: 1m near stream 2, KK.
172. Siberian Blue Robin: 1m between streams 2 & 3, KK.
173. Mugimaki Flycatcher: c6 at SNKK; 3 at stream 1, KK.
174. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher: 3m & 2f at SNKK; 1m at BM; 3m & 1f at KK.
175. Green-backed Flycatcher: 1m & 1f at SNKK.
176. Taiga Flycatcher: A few at Km 9, KK.
177. Blue-winged Leafbird: Fairly common at KK.
178. Orange-bellied Leafbird: A pair at Km 30, KK.
179. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: Common at SNKK.
180. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: 1m at Km 27.5, KK.
181. Brown-throated Sunbird: Common at SNKK.
182. Olive-backed Sunbird: Common at SNKK & BM.
183. Black-throated Sunbird: A pair at Km 27.5, KK.
184. Little Spiderhunter: 2 at BM.
185. Streaked Spiderhunter: 1 at Km 30; 1 at Km 27.5, KK.
186. House Sparrow: A few at PRF.
187. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Common at SNKK & PRF.
188. Asian Golden Weaver: Many nesting at PRF.
189. Streaked Weaver: Many nesting at PRF.
190. Baya Weaver: Large numbers nesting at PRF.
191. Scaly-breasted Munia: A few at PRF.
192. Forest Wagtail: Many along the road at KK.

Species heard only: I am not into padding out trip lists with species heard only, but I include a list of those species heard but not seen for the information of others looking for these birds.

1. Scaly-breasted Partridge: A pair calling near stream 1, KK.
2. Grey Peacock Pheasant: Several calling distantly at stream 2 & Km 27.5, KK.
3. Mountain Imperial Pigeon: Calling from the canopy at Km 27.5, KK.
4. Plaintive Cuckoo: 1 at SNKK.
5. Collared Owlet: 1 near stream 1, KK, would not come in to call playback.
6. Asian Barred Owlet: Calling near stream 1, KK, while we were looking for Banded Kingfisher. Could not be relocated after finding the Kingfisher.

7. Brown Boobook: 1 at Km 9, KK, at 6.45pm. We had to be out of the park by 7pm (when the gate is closed) so no time to look for this one.
8. Red-headed Trogon: 1 deep in the forest at Km 27.5, KK.
9. Red-throated Barbet: A few in the lowlands at KK. None would come in to call playback.
10. Crested Jay: Pairs at Km 15.5 & between streams 2 & 3, KK, frustratingly eluded us.
11. Rufous-browed Flycatcher: Reacted to call playback at Km 30, KK, but would not show itself.

Nick Upton can be contacted at nickupton@thaibirding.com

If you are interested in arranging a bird watching tour you can see some suggested itineraries here - Birdwatching Trips - and you can contact me at the above email address to discuss the best options.

Email me at nickupton@thaibirding.com

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