Introduction
I had an errand to run in Kanchanaburi province so I decided
to use this to spend some time in the area visiting a few
birding spots and take a bit of time out visiting the wooden
Mon bridge at Sangklaburi. The intention was not for this
to be a hard-core birding trip but rather a little bit of
lazy travel with a few hours birding thrown in here and there
with some relaxing in comfortable hotels where I could read
during the heat of the day. On the other hand I was also keen
to catch up with two species with extremely restricted ranges
in Thailand; Red-vented Bulbul and Ayeyarwady Bulbul.
Vehicle
We used a Toyota Revo pickup with a
covered rear section. The cab had plenty of space for just
the two of us and our luggage. This vehicle has plenty of
stability and it is not a problem taking it along dirt roads,
it handles well, is fast and fuel efficient and does not cost
a lot to hire. This is a vehicle I use a lot and it is hard
to beat, certainly far, far better than any saloon car. The
large area of luggage space in the back certainly proved useful
when on the way back we stopped at a garden centre to pick
up some new pots and plants for our front garden!
Food
At Kanchaburi we ate in Seri Thai restaurant, next to our
hotel, where very good food was served; the fact that it was
air-conditioned was very welcome given the intense heat at
this time of year. A good breakfast was served at 7am.
In Sangklaburi we ate in the hotel restaurant where they served
surprisingly good Thai food (surprising as hotel restaurants
tend to specialize in bland fare). A good breakfast buffet
was served from 7am.
Had Sai Tha Lo After a relaxing evening in our comfortable hotel I decided
to spend an hour before breakfast birding at a spot on the
river. I used Google Maps to find a likely looking spot at
Had Sai Tha Lo, a "beach" area on the river at the
frontage of a temple; Wat Ban Thong. This was just a 5 minute
drive from the hotel and it turned out that there was not
a great amount of habitat at the temple itself although in
the river there was an island and some marshy vegetation.
The usual temple birds were present such as Coppersmith Barbet,
Red Collared Dove, Streak-eared Bulbul, Sooty-headed Bulbul,
Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Common Iora. Quite frankly it did
not seem too promising to start with but inspecting some trees
turned up some migrants in the form of an Ashy Drongo, a couple
of Black-naped Orioles and then some White-shouldered Starlings.
As I tried to get a better look at the starlings it became
clear that they were part of a bigger flock, most of which
were actually Purple-backed Starlings and these birds wheeled
around and moved from tree to tree giving me some nice views
of this scarce passage migrant. A few Blue-tailed Bee-eaters
were circling overhead but the call of a Plain Prinia drew
me towards the river bank.
Standing on the bank gave me a good view across to some marshy
patches upriver and around the banks of a riverine island.
A few Black-crowned Night Herons flew into their daytime roost
and a single Oriental Darter took flight and landed in a tree
to sun itself. Little Egret, Great Egret and Greater Coucal
were all out on obvious perches too soon to be joined by a
couple of Purple Herons. There was a lot of floating vegetation
and a scan of this revealed two Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in
lovely breeding plumage and a Grey-headed Swamphen while a
group of around 20 Lesser Whistling Ducks flew noisily around..
As it was, breakfast was already calling but back in the temple
there was time to see a pair of Plain-backed Sparrows, an
Asian Pied Starling and a Green-billed Malkoha. It was not
a special location but a pleasant way to spend an hour before
breakfast back at the hotel.
Vajiralongkorn Dam
After running some errands in town we began heading up the
valley towards Sangklaburi in the mid-afternoon. I had forgotten
what a long drive it is and as we neared the town of Thong
Pha Phum we decided to visit the Vajiralongkorn Dam which
has quite a lot of parkland and forest edge habitat. Primarily
we were just being curious and my wife wanted to take some
photos at the dam but along the way I saw a few interesting
birds including 2 Eurasian Hoopoes, a Lineated Barbet on the
ground, a Two-barred Warbler calling and a few Black-browed
Reed Warblers singing in a patch of dry crops, with no water
nearby at all. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters soared overhead while
Sooty-headed Bulbuls and Common Mynas were obvious everywhere.
This sort of mature parkland habitat would probably be very
good in the early morning but in the heat of the day it was
fairly quiet.
We drove up onto the dam, parking the car just to take some
photos but as we were doing so I noticed a large group of
hirundines feeding just over the centre of the dam. Watching
them though the binoculars I could see that the majority of
the birds were Red-rumped Swallows but there were also a smaller
number of Dusky Crag Martins. This is a species I see very
seldom so I was keen to get some photographs but over the
course of the next half an hour I more or less failed to get
any decent shots but it was nice to be able to see these birds
at close quarters.
With it getting late in the day, and another hour at least
to drive to Sangklaburi, we left eventually arriving at dusk
and then enjoying a nice dinner at the restaurant at our very
comfortable hotel.
Sangklaburi PTT Gas Station
Taking a look at eBird it appeared that several people had
successfully seen both of my target species at a service station
just outside the town of Sangklaburi, so I drove to this unlikely
birding destination where I was able to buy an early breakfast
at the 7/11 store there. At the back of the service station
were a few trees and the remnants of a small pond but all
around there was earth-moving and hauling of rocks; not exactly
the most scenic spot. I persisted for over an hour and it
was surprising how many species passed through with House
Sparrow, Black Drongo, Common Myna, Asian Palm Swifts and
Red Collared Dove all quickly seen and it was not long before
a dull, brown bulbul appeared and perched on top of a small
tree. Looking through the binoculars I could see the reddish
eye that identified it as Ayeyarwady Bulbul but it immediately
flew away never to be seen again. I have seen this split from
Streak-eared Bulbul commonly in neighbouring Myanmar but it
was not a very satisfying way to add it to my Thai List. Well,
there would be more of them elsewhere.
A moment of excitement followed when I noticed a bulbul with
a red vent drop into a small tree, followed by another one,
but on closer examination they turned out to be Sooty-headed
Bulbuls. They flew a short distance away and were joined by
some more birds but were they Sooty-headed or Red-vented?
Well, a few of the birds carried some features from both species
but I was not happy calling any of them Red-vented and it
looked very much like at least a few of them were hybrids.
I kept looking but every bulbul I saw ended up looking like
a hybrid so I took a position next to the pitifully small
fragment of boggy pool next to a noisy industrial area. Amazingly
a Common Moorhen was to be found here along with a Dusky Warbler,
2 Thick-billed Warblers and a Black-browed Reed Warbler while
a short walk up a track turned up a surprise in a pair of
Red-breasted Parakeets. In terms of bulbuls there was nothing
new so a change of location seemed to be in order but as I
was leaving, a Purple-backed Starling arrived to feed on some
small fruits.
Sangklaburi Mon Bridge & Vicinity
With the species I was searching for being the type of birds
that could easily be found in open country and gardens I decided
to drive the short distance back to Sangklaburi and do some
birding around the edges of this small town. I parked the
car in a leafy lane at the end of the red bridge and immediately
came across some bulbuls feeding in a tree. 2 Black-crested
Bulbuls, Yellow-vented Bulbul and then what looked very much
like a Red-vented Bulbul. Fortunately this bird posed for
some photographs and although it did not look completely convincing
compared to the very dark birds I had seen in Yangon, Myanmar,
but on further investigation this bird was consistent with
photographs online of Red-vented Bulbul subspecies melanchimus
in th south of Myanmar. It did not take much longer before
a pair of Ayeyarwady Bulbuls presented themselves to me too.
Moments after I met my wife on the bridge and we walked across
the wooden Mon bridge to do some touristic things and a bit
of shopping; I managed to spot a calling Plaintive Cuckoo
along the way though.
With the weather being boiling hot we settled down on the
balcony of our hotel room and had some lunch followed by some
time in the air-conditioning reading a book. It wasn't until
about 4pm that things had started to cool down a little and
we went out again for a boat trip on the lake.
Sangklaburi Boat Trip
I did not have any expectations of seeing any exciting birds
on this boat trip, having done it in the past. Rather it is
just a pleasant trip around the upper end of the lake, visiting
a few temples that are submerged for most of the year but
revealed when the water levels are low. Obviously, being a
birder I took my binoculars anyway. As we were leaving a small
raptor was circling which on inspection turned out to be a
Chinese Sparrowhawk and as we sped off I could see a few Little
Egrets, Great Egrets and a small group of Asian Openbills.
Heading up an inlet there was not much to see apart from a
White-throated Kingfisher and Chinese Pond Heron although
people paddling past in small boats were quite photogenic.
After visiting several submerged temples and shrines the temperature
had dropped a fair amount and the light began to become glowing.
Another inlet produced large numbers of Asian Openbills and
a Western Osprey resting on a post and as we were heading
back finally I noticed a Red-wattled Lapwing, a bird I thought
would have been very numerous. There was also a single Common
Sandpiper and a flight of 40-50 Little Cormorants before we
arrived back at the bridge as the sun was beginning to set,
a very nice scene! As we disembarked I noticed a juvenile
Shikra overhead for the end of a pleasant trip. After a few
nice sunset photos on the bridge we walked the short distance
back to our hotel and had another nice dinner.
Sangklaburi Mon Bridge & Vicinity
In keeping with the relaxed pace of my birding on this trip
I decided to just stay close to the hotel and attempt to get
some photos of Ayeyarwady Bulbul and Red-vented Bulbul. First
of all I accompanied my wife to give alms to the monks on
the wooden bridge before having breakfast. It was just a short
walk back to where I had seen Red-vented Bulbul the previous
day with a Dusky Warbler and White-throated Kingfisher seen
along the way. Apart from a few Black-naped Oriole there was
not a lot happening at first but I walked along the road an
up a slope to a temple. Here there were a few House Swifts
and a couple of Greater Racket-tailed Drongos which I was
trying to photograph when I heard the call of Ayeyarwaddy
Bulbul. Looking up I spotted a pair which obligingly came
down towards me and let me take some shots of them after which
they were joined by two more. Ashy Woodswallows provided an
interlude before a Red-vented Bulbul appeared very close to
me giving me the chance to get some pictures. I was able to
study this bird for some time and it seemed consistent with
subspecies melanchimus but it also appeared to be
paired with a Sooty-headed Bulbul.
After a while these birds moved on and I walked back towards
the hotel, stopping at an area of bamboo to check out a calling
Two-barred Warbler, a Thick-billed Warbler and a Little Spiderhunter,
all birds that one might expect in this habitat but what followed
was less expected. My eyes were drawn to some erratic movement
at the top of a tree where a Streaked Spiderhunter was getting
excited about its prey - a large spider. This is not a rare
bird but it is one that is normally associated with high altitude
and Sangklaburi is only at an altitude of about 250 metres!
That's the thing about birding in Thailand; there always a
few surprises. A Vernal Hanging Parrot a couple of Black-naped
Orioles, a Bronzed Drongo and an adult male Shikra completed
the morning and I went back to rest in the hotel and read
my book for a few hours before checking out.
Bird
Watching Trips:
Birding trips along the Kanchanaburi valley are not
only for a few specialities including Ayeyarwady Bulbul,
Limestone Wren Babbler and Dusky Crag Martin but a variety
of habitats means that a diverse set of species can
be found. Add this to a visit to Kaeng Krachan in this
region and you have an excellent short trip.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
Hellfire Pass
After lunch we took a slow drive to Hellfire Pass, stopping
at a few spots to look at the view and buy a few things. We
arrived at around 3.30pm and it was still extremely hot indeed,
but humidity was not too high. Quite frankly I did not really
have any high hopes of seeing what I was looking for, Limestone
Wren Babbler, but as we were here I decided to take a short
walk around the trail to try my luck. When I have visited
this location in the past it has been very good for Limestone
Wren Babbler, this form increasingly split as Greyish Limestone-babbler,
and I was hoping to get some nice photos of it here. As I
entered the trail it became clear quite quickly that there
was actually quite a lot of bird activity, despite the time
of day and the temperature with 3 White-browed Scimitar Babblers
feeding nearby, quite oblivious to my presence. Standing watching
them they were joined by a pair of White-rumped Shamas, then
two Puff-throated Babblers and then a couple of Black-crested
Bulbuls in the trees overhead. With this level of activity
I was hoping for more and just then I heard the explosive
song of a Limestone Wren Babbler, however, I could not see
it until I climbed up the rocks a little. I had a chance to
photograph it but completely messed up the exposure levels,
but it was good to see the bird as well as a male Tickell's
Blue Flycatcher. Still, a short walk along the trail revealed
another pair of Limestone Wren Babblers and these ones were
more accommodating, giving me prolonged close views and further
along the trail I came across yet another pair. It was quite
surprising that these birds were so easy to see at this time
of day and in the heat but it proved what a good location
for seeing this species Hellfire Pass is.
While leaving, a little before 5pm, another wave of bird activity
started near the car park with Golden-fronted Leafbird, Racket-tailed
Treepie, Pin-striped Tit Babbler, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike,
Lineated Barbet, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and others all
appearing. Often forest locations like this are very quiet
on hot afternoons so it was a pleasant surprise to find so
much activity here. Afterwards we made the drive, about one
hour, to Kanchanaburi town where we stopped for the night.
Kanchanaburi Lotus Swamp
Having looked at online maps I could see an area just outside
of Kanchanaburi that looked promising for wetland bird so
I got up early and drove 10 minutes down the road to spend
an hour an a half before breakfast. This turned out to be
a good location with wet fields, Typha beds and a
lotus swamp next to the river; a very productive habitat.
My first stop turned up a flock of Baya Weavers, collecting
nesting material as well as a Dusky Warbler and many of the
common open-country species. A dirt road ran along the river
so I drove along, stopping at various points along the way.
The next stop revealed the first pair of Chestnut-capped Babblers
of the day plus Black-browed Reed Warbler and Oriental Reed
Warbler and gave me a view of the edge of the lotus swamp
where I could see a few Grey-headed Swamphens. Several Lesser
Whistling Ducks flew out of the swamp and Purple Heron, Black-crowned
Night Heron, Great Egret and a single Asian Openbill flew
by. A set of small fields gave me the opportunity to walk
a short distance towards the water's edge where a Ruddy-breasted
Crake was foraging and a couple of Bronze-winged Jacanas were
strutting around on some lilies. Common Moorhens, a couple
of Black-winged Stilts and some more Lesser Whistling Ducks
were also present while back up by the car a couple of Thick-billed
Warblers were noisily moving around. The hedgerows alongside
the road held a few slightly surprising birds including Lineated
Barbet and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo while further along
some fish farms proved popular with several Javan Pond Herons
in breeding plumage.
It had been an interesting morning but it was time to go back
to the hotel to join my wife for breakfast. Retracing my route
I continued to see a lot of birds, adding several more Grey-headed
Swamphens, Green Bee-eater, Yellow Bittern, Brown Shrike and
4 Cotton Pygmy Geese on the river.
Wat Ban Tham
We spent an hour or so, after checking out of our hotel, at
this touristic temple next to the river which also occupies
an area on a limestone hill, giving good views over the town
from the top. We visited just to take a few photos of some
of the weird architecture here. In the car park was a large
tamarind tree with lots of common birds feeding in it including
Streak-eared Bulbuls, White-vented Mynas and a male Purple
Sunbird.
Climbing up the stairs to the viewpoints was incredibly hot
and we took a break in a shady area to look at the view before
heading back down. Just as we were leaving I heard the scolding
call of a Limestone Wren Babbler and immediately found it
sitting on top of a post before it went about its business
in the rocks and tree roots. It would probably be a little
tricky to repeat this sighting but it must be the closest
location to Bangkok that this subspecies of Limestone Wren
Babbler can be found.
This was the last birding of this short, predominantly non-birding
trip and we then made the two hour drive back to Bangkok.
Had Sai Tha Lo: HSTL
Vajiralongkorn Dam: VD
Sangklaburi/PTT Gas Station: SPGS
Sangklaburi/Mon Bridge & Vicinity: SMBV
Sangklaburi Boat Trip: SBT
Hellfire Pass: HP
Kanchanaburi Lotus Swamp: KLS
Wat Ban Tham: WBT
1. Lesser Whistling Duck:
HSTL & KLS. 2. Cotton Pygmy Goose: 4 at KLS. 3. Asian Openbill: KLS &
SBT. 4. Yellow Bittern: KLS. 5. Black-crowned Night Heron: HSTL
& KLS. 6. Chinese Pond Heron: All
sites. 7. Javan Pond Heron: A
few in breeding plumage at KLS. 8. Eastern Cattle Egret:
A few along roadsides. 9. Purple Heron: HSTL
& KLS. 10. Eastern Great Egret: HSTL,
SBT & KLS. 11. Intermediate Egret: A few
at HSTL. 12. Little Egret: HSTL, SPGS,
SMBV, SBT & KLS. 13. Little Cormorant: HSTL, SBT,
SMBV & KLS. 14. Western Osprey: 1 at SBT. 15. Oriental Honey-buzzard: All
Sangklaburi sites, probably same bird. 16. Shikra: SMBV. 17. Chinese Sparrowhawk: 1 at
SBT. 18. White-breasted Waterhen: KLS. 19. Ruddy-breasted Crake: 1 at
KLS. 20. Grey-headed Swamphen: 1
at HSTL; a few at KLS. 21. Common Moorhen: 1 at SPGS. 22. Black-winged Stilt: 2 at
KLS.
23. Grey-headed Lapwing: 1 en-route
to VD. 24. Red-wattled Lapwing: SBT
& KLS. 25. Pheasant-tailed Jacana: 2
at HSTL. 26. Bronze-winged Jacana: A
few at KLS. 27. Common Sandpiper: 1
at SBT. 28. Rock Pigeon
29. Spotted Dove: HSTL, HP &
KLS. 30. Red Collared Dove: All locations. 31. Zebra Dove: All locations. 32. Greater Coucal: A
few at HSTL, VD, SPGS, SMBV, HP & KLS. 33. Green-billed Malkoha: 1
at HSTL & KLS. 34. Asian Koel: SMBV
& KLS. 35. Plaintive Cuckoo: 1
at SMBV. 36. Pale-rumped (Germain's) Swiftlet:
VD. 37. Asian Palm Swift: All
locations. 38. House Swift: A
few at SMNV.
39. Indian Roller: SPGS, VD
& SMBV. 40. White-throated Kingfisher: SMBV,
SBT & KLS.
41: Green Bee-eater: 2 at KLS. 42. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: HSTL,
SMBV & KLS. 43. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater: 1
at HP. 44. Eurasian Hoopoe: 2 at VD.
45. Lineated Barbet: VD, SMBV, HP
& KLS. 46. Coppersmith Barbet: All locations. 47. Red-breasted Parakeet: 2
at SPGS. 48. Vernal Hanging Parrot: 1
at SMBV. 49. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: 2
at HP. 50. Ashy Woodswallow: All locations. 51. Common Iora: All locations. 52. Brown Shrike (confusus):
SPGS, SMBV, SBT & KLS. 53. Black-naped Oriole: A
few at HSTL, SMBV & KLS.
54. Black-hooded Oriole:
1 at HP. 55. Black Drongo: HSTL,
VD, SPGS & KLS. 56a. Ashy Drongo (leucogenis): 1
at HSTL. 56b. Ashy Drongo (bondi): SPGS,
SMBV & HP.
57. Bronzed Drongo: 1 at SMBV.
58. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo: SPGS,
SMBV & KLS. 59. Malaysian Pied Fantail:
Common at KLS. 60. Racket-tailed Treepie:
1 at HP. 61. Eastern Jungle Crow: All
locations. 62. Black-crested Bulbul:
A few SMBV & HP. 63. Red-vented Bulbul: 2
at SMBV. 64. Sooty-headed Bulbul: Common
everywhere.
65. Yellow-vented Bulbul: HSTL,
SPGS, SMBV & KLS. 66. Ayeyarwady Bulbul: A few
at SPGS & SMBV.
67. Streak-eared Bulbul: HSTL, HP,
KLS & WBT. 68. Barn Swallow: HSTL, VD, SMBV
& KLS. 69. Dusky Crag Martin: A few
at VD.
70. Red-rumped Swallow: VD, SMBV
& SBT.
71. Striated Swallow: A few at VD,
SPGS, SBT & SMBV. 72. Dusky Warbler: A few at SPGS,
SMBV & KLS. 73. Two-barred Warbler:
Singles at VD, SMBV & SPGS. 74. Oriental Reed Warbler: 2
at KLS. 75. Black-browed Reed Warbler: A
few at VD, SPGS & KLS. 76. Thick-billed Warbler: A
few at SPGS, SMBV & KLS. 77. Yellow-bellied Prinia: KLS.
78. Plain Prinia: 1 at HSTL.
79. Common Tailorbird: All locations. 80. White-browed Scimitar Babbler:
3 at HP. 81. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: A
few at HP. 82. Limestone Wren Babbler (Greyish): 5
at HP; 1 at WBT.
83. Puff-throated Babbler: 1 at
PTB. 84. White-vented Myna: HSTL,
VD, SPGS, KLS & WBT. 85. Common Myna: Common at all
sites. 86. Asian Pied Starling: HSTL
& KLS.
87. Purple-backed Starling: 47 at
HSTL; 1 at SPGS.
88. White-shouldered Starling: c4
at HSTL.
89. Chestnut-tailed Starling: 2
at VD.
90. Oriental Magpie Robin: Most
open areas. 91. White-rumped Shama: A few
at HP.
92. Tickell's (Indochinese) Blue Flycatcher: 1m
at HP. 93. Taiga Flycatcher: 1
at VD. 94. Golden-fronted Leafbird: 1m
at HP.
95. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: Most
locations. 96. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: 2
at HP.
97. Brown-throated Sunbird: KLS. 98. Purple Sunbird: 1m
at WBT.
99. Olive-backed Sunbird: All
locations. 100. Little Spiderhunter: 1
at SMBV. 101. Streaked Spiderhunter: 1
at SMBV.
102. House Sparrow: SPGS, SMBV
& KLS.
103. Plain-backed Sparrow: A
few at HSTL & SPGS.
104. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: All
locations. 105. Baya Weaver: KLS. 106. White-rumped Munia: SMBV
& HP.
107. Scaly-breasted Munia: HSTL,
SPGS, SMBV & KLS.
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.
Bird
Watching Trips in Thailand- Tailor-made birding
tours in Northern, Central & Southern Thailand for groups
of all sizes.
Mexico
Rare Endemics, 8-23rd July 2022 - Eared Quetzal,
Elegant Trogon, Thick-billed Parrot, Maroon-fronted Parrot,
Aztec Thrush: Contact
me for details
Java,
South Sumatra & Bali, 14-30th Sept 2022
- Javan Banded Pitta, Bali Starling, White-faced Partridge,
Christmas Island Frigatebird, Large Frogmouth, Oriental
Bay Owl: Contact
me for details
Sri
Lanka, 19th Nov-2nd Dec 2022 - Serendip
Scops Owl, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Spot-winged Thrush, Pied
Thrush, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Malabar Trogon: £2895
South
Korea, 5-17th January 2023 - Steller's Sea Eagle,
Relict Gull, Red-crowned Crane, White-naped Crane, Baikal
Teal, Solitary Snipe, Asian Rosy Finch: £3425
Download
a full 
Mexico
Rare Endemics, 8-23rd July 2022 - Eared Quetzal,
Elegant Trogon, Thick-billed Parrot, Maroon-fronted Parrot,
Aztec Thrush: 
Java,
South Sumatra & Bali, 14-30th Sept 2022
- Javan Banded Pitta, Bali Starling, White-faced Partridge,
Christmas Island Frigatebird, Large Frogmouth, Oriental
Bay Owl: 
