Introduction
When Al Serfas contacted me he said that he would like a to spend 23 days birding, visiting a wide variety of habitats whilst minimizing travel and being able to spend a good amount of time at each location so that he would not feel as if he were in a rush. With this in mind I planned a trip for him so that we would gradually work our way back to Bangkok, from Chiang Mai, stopping at some of the best birding locations, giving us several chances at most target species and covering a wide selection of birding habitats.

Transport
We made this trip in a four-door Toyota Vigo which was chosen for its high ground clearance and four-wheel drive facility as the roads up Doi Lang and Kaeng Krachan can be quite bad at times. This proved a sound decision as the road up Doi Lang from Thatorn was exceptionally bad and the guards were not allowing unsuitable vehicles up the mountain. This vehicle made access to Sab Sadao far easier and quicker than with a saloon car or mini van.

Notes on Finding Birds
Finding birds was a little harder than is normal at this time of year. In the north the birding was good but with the late arrival of the cool season many migrants had still not arrived. In dry dipterocarp woodland the birding was much slower than expected, although we still managed to find a lot of good birds in that habitat. Wetland and open country birding was typically easy although in the Gulf of Thailand windy weather made things rather trickier than normal.

Birding in the forests of Khao Yai and Kaeng Krachan was much quieter than was expected, probably due to the arrival of cooler weather, with the winds associated with its arrival making it extremely difficult/impossible to see any of the anticipated targets at Khao Yai; with patience Kaeng Krachan provided good views of exciting birds, although it was hard.

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. Large Mammals of Thailand by John Parr

Bird Calls: Calls used were obtained from the following sources.
1. Xena Canto
2. Birds of Tropical Asia by Jelle Scharringa

Birding Highlights
Doi Ang Kang: Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Amur Falcon, Black-breasted Thrush, Daurian Redstart, Crested Finchbill
Doi Lang: Pale-headed Woodpecker, Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Silver Pheasant, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler, Red-billed Scimitar-babbler, Scarlet-faced Liocichla, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Black Baza, Giant Nuthatch
Chiang Saen Lake: Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Pied Harrier
Fang Hot Springs: Spot-winged Grosbeak, White-capped Water Redstart
Doi Inthanon: Black-throated Parrotbill, Dark-sided Thrush, Eurasian Woodcock, Brown Hawk Owl, Plumbeous Redstart, Blossom-headed Parakeet
Mae Ping: Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker, Black-headed Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, Grey-headed Parakeet, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Mae Wong: Crested Kingfisher, Northern White-crowned Forktail, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Silver-eared Mesia, Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, White-necked Laughingthrush, Large Hawk Cuckoo
Beung Boraphet: Great Bittern, Oriental Darter
Khao Yai: Siamese Fireback, Long-tailed Broadbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Mugimaki Flycatcher, White-throated Rockthrush, Golden-crested Myna
Sab Sadao: Black-headed Woodpecker, Chinese Francolin, Rufous-winged Buzzard, Small Minivet, Blossom-headed Parakeet
Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale: Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank, Asian Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Chinese Egret, Pallas's Gull, Black-headed Ibis, Watercock
Petchaburi Rice Fields: Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Pied Harrier, Pink-necked Green Pigeon
Kaeng Krachan: Great Hornbill, Tickell's Brown Hornbill, Crested Jay, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Black-and-red Broadbill, Black-thighed Falconet, Kalij Pheasant, Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, Bamboo Woodpecker, Black-and-buff Woodpecker, Heart Spotted Woodpecker, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Bay Woodpecker
Lung Sin Hide: Slaty-legged Crake, Scaly-breasted Partridge

Doi Ang Kang
Our short stay at Doi Ang Kang was organized to see a few reliable birds that are very scarce or absent at other locations and to enjoy the fabulous scenery at this location. The stakeout in the King's project turned up the regular White-tailed Robin, male Rufous-bellied Niltava and 2 male plus 1 female Black-breasted Thrushes as well as nice views of a number of commoner birds feeding in trees nearby as we waited.

A visit to the army camp at Ban Nor Lae always seems to turn up a few interesting birds as well as an interesting view into Myanmar. We saw 2 male Daurian Redstarts in a regular spot and Yellow-streaked Warbler reacted well to call playback for a nice photo opportunity. Buff-throated Warbler and Japanese Tit also responded to call and showed themselves nicely.

Spending the morning at the army campsite on Doi Ang Kang often rewards birders with some nice species and on this occasion we called in a pair of Spot-breasted Parrotbills and encountered a close-up flock of Grey-headed Parrotbills with accompanying Spectacled Barwings; a late migrating juvenile Amur Falcon passed overhead, my third such sighting in a week. A flock of Common Rosefinches, several Olive-backed Pipits, 2 Golden-throated Barbets and a number of common flocking species helped make this a very nice stop.

Crested Finchbill is another speciality at Doi Ang Kang but they can be very hard to find at times, while at other times they seem to be one of the commonest species; this time they were scarce so we were lucky to see 3 feeding on roadside flowers near Ban Luang. At the same location we also saw a Blue-bearded Bee-eater while the call of Grey-crowned Warbler gave it away in the undergrowth and made it easy to separate from other Seisercus warblers.

Although we only had a short time at this site we managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the Chinese cemetary for nice views of Brown-breasted Bulbul alongside Red-whiskered and Sooty-headed Bulbuls.

Doi Lang
Doi Lang has to be the premier highland birding site in Thailand so it was a shame that access at this time was a little more restricted than in the previous year with the military preventing driving all the way through to Thatorn from the Fang side of the mountain. All parts of the mountain could be accessed but much of it only from the Thatorn side. The road up from Fang was still easily managed by any vehicle but for those wishing to access the Thatorn side this was only possible using a robust vehicle as the road was extremely bad in places. Indeed, the border police at checkpoint 1 were not allowing unsuitable vehicles access and were providing the phone number of local drivers with four-wheel drive vehicles for hire. Our vehicle was able to make it up from Thatorn comfortably, taking about 45 minutes from the village to birding at the concrete bridge.

Our first morning on the mountain was cut short as the higher ridges were shrouded in cloud and threatened rain, resulting in us deciding to head to Chiang Saen for the afternoon. However, we still managed to see some spectacular birds including Maroon Oriole, Slender-billed Oriole and Black Baza while a flock of small birds included Speckled Piculet and Little Pied Flycatcher.

Bird Watching Trips in Thailand: Birding in Thailand in the dry season is very rewarding and usually provides exceptional views of a high number of key species. With a variety of high altitude forests and wetlands in the lowlands a high number of species can be seen in a short period of time. Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com

At the large concrete bridge we called in a flock of Collared Babblers that were joined by Red-billed Scimitar-babbler and Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill but a huge shock camto with a pair of Woodpeckers which I initially assumed to be Bamboo Woodpeckers but when they presented us with close-up views proved to be apparently Pale-headed Woodpeckers! This species is only previously known from two records both of which turned out to be hybrids/intergrades and both at a location quite distant from Doi Lang. Although we failed to obtain photographs we got excellent views and the plumage would appear to be consistent with Pale-headed Woodpeckers and not the intergrades previously recorded - they most certainly were not Bamboo Woodpeckers.

Raptors were few and far between on this trip but Doi Lang provided us with a few good raptor sightings with Eastern Buzzard and Grey-faced Buzzard at the rice fields on the Thatorn side as well as a couple of Mountain Hawk Eagles at San Ju viewpoint and the only Peregrine Falcon of the trip.

The best birding on the mountain was to be had on the Fang side, in the pine forest and patches of moist forest where there are several photographic stakeouts. The pine forest provided us with several Giant Nuthatches, many Warblers and Flycatchers while the photo stakeouts were drawing in male and female Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Hill Prinia, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler, Siberian Rubythroat, White-gorgetted Flycatcher and 3 Silver-eared Laughingthrushes that were constantly waiting for mealworms to be deposited for them. This area also gave us great views of a roosting Grey Nightjar, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Sapphire Flycatcher, 3 species of Seicercus warblers and a wonderful flock of Black-throated Tits. Although our last morning on the mountain was a little quiet, we both enjoyed Doi Lang a lot and it was once again one of the best birding locations of the trip.

Thatorn Rice Fields
A few hours in the late afternoon at this location provided us with some nice sightings and a few nice photo opportunities as well as some variety to the forest birding; it is accessed via a dirt track just a few kilometres before reaching Thatorn, coming from Fang. We had great views of a flock of Grey-headed Lapwings, close to the vehicle, as we drove in and a little call playback gave us stunning views of a male Siberian Rubythroat. We also obtained out best views of Dusky Warbler here and many Citrine Wagtails were present - the only time we saw this species; Green Sandpiper was another bird which we only saw at this location. Just five minutes from our accommodation at Thatorn this was a nice easy end to the day with a stunning sunset.

Chiang Saen Lake & Yonok Wetlands
Despite widespread habitat destruction, Chiang Saen still turns up a lot of Thai rarities, particularly waterfowl. We decided on a half day to this location to see some ducks, twitch Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes, but mostly to see the impressive Harrier roost at Yonok wetlands.

Arriving in the middle of the day gave us problems with heat haze and we were not able to get a boat out on the lake to view the birds. However, we managed to get good 'scope views of many species of ducks from various points around the lake including a Baer's Pochard which had not been previously reported. From the lakeside temple we saw 2 Black-necked Grebes and refound the Slavonian Grebe which had not been seen for a couple of days - this bird was the first record of this species for Thailand.

Great Cormorant and Freckle-breasted Woodpecker were also seen at Chiang Saen lake, the only time these species were seen on the trip.

We spent the last hour of the day at Yonok wetlands where large numbers of Pied and Eastern Marsh Harriers came in to roost; at one point there were more than 50 birds in the air at the same time. The male Pied Harriers were certainly worth staying out late for, in my opinion it is one of the best raptors in the world. It took us about 1.5 hours to drive back to our accommodation at Thatorn.

Fang Hot Springs
This section of Doi Pha Hom Pok national park is regularly frequented by a few interesting species and as we were staying nearby it gave us the opportunity have an extra hour in bed! Arriving at around 7.20am we did not have to pay the usual 200 baht per person entry fee due to it being part of the King's Birthday holiday period. Parking at the stream we got lovely views of White-capped Water Redstart and Slaty-backed Forktail before walking towards the "geyser", finding an Asian Barred Owlet being mobbed by small forest birds along the way.

The "geyser" is actually from a pressurized pipe and it does not erupt/get switched on until 7.30-8am and the salts that it deposits on nearby trees are what attracts a flock of Spot-winged Grosbeaks which we were able to study at leisure. Other species seen included a flock of Asian Fairy Bluebirds, Blue Whistlingthrush, Grey Wagtail and White Wagtail.

Mae Hia Agricultural College
We used this area of fields, pools and scrub as a birding stop en-route from Doi Lang to Doi Inthanon. It took about 2.5 hours to reach this site from the Fang side of Doi Lang (we had a good run, it would normally take at least 30 minutes longer) and then about another hour to reach our accommodation at Inthanon Highland Resort after finishing birding.

Although birding is not spectacular here several interesting species can always be seen well and there is always the chance of a rarity showing up. The regulars included Burmese Shrike, Striated Swallow and Wire-tailed Swallow, all of which gave us good opportunities to photograph them. We photographed several other commoner open country species by creeping up to them in the vehicle; Brown Shrike, Scaly-breasted Munia, Pied Bushchat, Eastern Stonechat.

The last hour of light provided some nice birding as we walked around experimental rice plots in which several Red Avadavats were feeding; this was also a good spot to observe the blanfordi subspecies of Plain Prinia.

Doi Inthanon
We spent two and a half days at Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain, and while we did not see anything that was particularly unexpected, this site delivered on many of its speciality species, including some of the best flocks of small birds of the whole trip.

We made several visits to the summit, which was very busy with Thai and foreign tourists, but several feeding areas (one at the coffee shop and one behind the shop at the entrance to the radar station) provided us with more or less constant close-up views of Chestnut-tailed Minla, Dark-backed Sibia, Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Flavescent Bulbul and even Rufous-throated Partridge. Strangely enough, Green-tailed Sunbird was difficult to see, although we got nice views of one male eventually, while Mrs Gould's Sunbird was abundant. We made several curcuits of the boardwalk at various times of the day but by far the most productive was early morning on the last day, before the tourists had arrived. Notable species inlcuded Eurasian Woodcock, Dark-sided Thrush, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Himalayan Bluetail and White-browed Shortwing.

Heavy traffic made birding at the second checkpoint quite unpleasant and park staff have banned the use of mealworms at the old stakeouts there because they deem it detrimental to bird's welfare. This is a quite laughable standpoint when a short walk away from the road will often result in encounter's with poachers with bags containing dead birds and mist nets which have been erected to trap birds for food. The ranger's job at this second checkpoint seems to consist of rolling a barrier back and forwards in order to create a traffic jam, preventing bird watchers from seeing secretive birds and allowing the nearby trail to become impassable.

The trail at Km 34.5 provided us with some of the best birding of the trip with regular flocks of arboreal birds which included Clicking Shrike-babbler, Black-throated Parrotbill, Hume's Treecreeper, Maroon Oriole, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Golden Babbler and several species of Leaf Warbler. We also had good views of Grey-throated, Short-billed and Long-tailed Minivets along here as well as our only sighting of Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon - a single male.

We spent a few hours one morning along the track at Km 13 as there had been several sightings of White-rumped Falcon over the preceeding weeks. We failed to see this species and the track was extremely quiet, although nowhere near as hot as is usual. We saw a few groups of Collared Falconets and called in a single Black-headed Woodpecker after spotting 2 Black-backed Forktails at the stream; very little else was seen.

We also spent one late afternoon at the Blossom-headed Parakeet pre-roost where we saw 6 Parakeets. Plain-backed Sparrow, Chestnut-tailed Starling and Lineated Barbet were also seen here.

A little night birding was successful at Inthanon Highland Resort where we called in Spotted Owlet and 2 Brown Boobook's as well as seeing a Phayre's Flying Squirrel.

Mae Ping
Mae Ping national park contains extensive areas of dry dipterocarp woodland which has far higher bird abundance than the Km 13 area of Doi Inthanon. We spent the late afternoon of 11th December, all day of 12th and a short morning on the 13th December at this location and although birding was very slow (particularly in the early morning!) we did see some fantastic species here including a number of spectacular Woodpeckers, in particular we came across Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, a species which it seems may not have been seen in Thailand for around 10 years.

Other species which were exciting sightings for us were White-bellied and Great Slaty Woodpeckers as well as large numbers of Black-headed Woodpecker. Other species of Woodpecker were Greater Flameback, Common Flameback and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker.

This habitat is usually good for raptors but the only species we saw was Collared Falconet!

Most of the birds seen at this site were new for us on this trip and included our only sightings of Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Grey-headed Parakeet, Plains Nuthatch and Crested Treeswift. After dark we found that oriental Scops Owl is common at this site, getting a response from multiple birds at every point that we stopped along the road. Unfortunately, although some of the birds came closer we never managed to get one in view.

Mae Wong
At Mae Wong the main target species were to be found by sitting in hides, at regular feeding/watering spots, and waiting for their appearance. On arrival, at around 3pm, we contacted ranger Anan ay Chong Yen campsite who suggested that we went straight to the stakeout for Rusty-naped Pitta. We found that we had missed this bird by minutes but sat waiting until around 5.30 hoping for its return. This was to be the start of many, very uncomfortable hours sitting and waiting for species that did not show up!

We had two long sessions waiting for the Pitta, which is usually very reliable, except not on the days that we were present. Ranger Anan has built a permanent hide for this species, so birders do not need their own hides for this stakeout (although they will for other stakeouts). Although the non-appearance of Rusty-naped Pitta was frustrating and crippling we did get prolonged and close-up views of a number of other difficult-to-see species; Buff-breasted Babbler, White-crowned Forktail, Streaked Wren Babbler, Spot-necked Babbler, White-tailed Robin, Rufous-browed Flycatcher and Hill Blue Flycatcher.

At Chong Yen campsite, despite large numbers of people present, several great birds were to be found at a feeding station, including one of my favourites; Silver-eared Mesia. Black-throated, Silver-eared and White-necked Laughingthrushes also came in and Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler was seen nearby. Waiting in the hide for Grey peacock Pheasant was another painful and frustrating experience, getting only a brief view of the bird as we entered the hide.

Sitting in hides was not the sort of birding we enjoyed that much, despite fine views of many lovely birds so a spell birding along the road was nice with several flocks of birds containing Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Grey-chinned Minivet, Red-billed Scimitar Babbler, Burmese Yuhina and Olive Bulbul. However, one more bird requiring a wait was of interest to us and we took our places alongside some helpful Thai photographers next to the stream, near HQ, and waited for the arrival of Crested Kingfisher. Just as our legs were beginning to cramp up the Kingfisher arrived and gace a great display and photo opportunities - both a relief and excitement at the same time.

As we were leaving from HQ we obtained out best views of Red-billed Blue Magpie and excellent photos of a pair of Orange-breasted Trogons. We left Mae Wong around 11am having seen some great birds but exhausted ourselves both physically and mentally with our long, cramped waits in hides over the course of three days.

Beung Boraphet
At this large area of wetlands we spent a late afternoon on the north side of the lake and a morning taking a boat trip from the south side of the lake.

On the north side, the area known as Pramong Panich, allowed us to drive alongside many of the species found in the area and gave us an afternoon of photo opportunites with species such as Black-shouldered Kite, Striated Grassbird, Asian Openbill, Pied Kingfisher and Blue-tailed Bee-eater being photographed. As the light faded we got out and walked around appreciating a fine sunset and spotting a Great Bittern in flight which was amazingly visible after it landed and allowed us to see it through the telescope. As we were leaving we found a couple of Savanna Nightjars before taking the 30 minute drive back to our comfortable accommodation in Nakorn Sawan.

Our boat trip, on the morning of 16th December, began at 8am on the south side of the lake and as most of the birds likely to be seen were common species we asked Khun Phanom to concentrate on photography. While we did photograph a number of birds such as Cotton Pygmy Goose, Purple Swamphen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Indian Cormorant and Oriental Darter, Khun Phanom did not seem interested at all, spending the first hour and a half driving fast into the sun, making viewing birds or photographing them impossible. After asking him to concentrate on better light and close encounters we proceeded to blast along at birds getting great views of them flying away! Eventually we did get good views of most species but Khun Phanom left us very frustrated that much of the time on the lake had been wasted on "running the clock down". This sort of experience is becoming all too common at Beung Boraphet along with increasing habitat destruction.

Khao Yai
When Khao Yai is at its best it provides great sightings of wonderful, colourful forest birds. However, outside of the breeding season it can be very hard indeed to see any of the most desired species and on this visit it was even harder than usual. Windy weather on our first day more or less made the day a waste of time; forest birding in the wind in Thailand is virtually impossible. The remainder of our stay resulted in very very slow and difficult birding and it became quite frustrating how often birds that would normally be seen in reliable spots failed to show.

At Pha Gluai Mai campsite quite a few common species were active and it provided some good opportunities to photograph birds such as Verditer Flycatcher, Great Iora, Crimson Sunbird, Blue-winged Leafbird, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, Moustached Barbet, Blue Rockthrush and several species of Leaf Warbler but it really felt like the main actors had failed to turn up. At the back-of-the-toilet stakeout Hanian Blue Flycatcher, male Siberian Blue Robin and White-rumped Shama showed up but nothing else. Mugimaki Flycatcher was at its regular spot near HQ but without its friend the White-throated Rockthrush, although we did come across one of these handsome birds at the campsite.

Birding along the normally productive Khao Khieo road was largely barren although we did come across a very nice group of Siamese Firebacks one morning, while at the top of the road the birding was a little better with Black-throated Laughingthrush, Comon Kestrel, Radde's Warbler, White-browed Scimitar Babbler and a few other commoner forest species.

We put in long hours of birding at a large number of spots at Khao Yai and came up with the same few common species everywhere we went - Blue-winged Leafbird, Swinhoe's Minivet, Scarlet Minivet, Puff-throated Bulbul - but upon finding a flowering tree we were rewarded with Vernal Hanging Parrot among large numbers of Hair-crested Drongos. It was also exciting to see a large flock of Long-tailed Broadbills foraging for insects in the trees around us just behind HQ at midday. Indeed, early morning birding on our three mornings at Khao Yai was very poor with most of the best birding between 8.30am-midday.

Birding along the road from Pha Gluai Mai camspite to Haew Suwat was a little better than elsewhere, sheltered as it is from the disruptive wind. Along here we saw White-crested Laughingthrush, Greater Flameback, another flock of Long-tailed Broadbills, Hill Myna and Golden-crested Myna but overall our stay at Khao Yai was very very difficult birding and quite disappointing.

Sab Sadao
After a final short morning at Khao Yai we needed little persuading to head to a new site. We checked into a hotel in the city of Nakorn Ratchasima and had a midday rest, heading out to Sab Sadao for the late afternoon. Although we had seen many of the target species at Mae Ping we found it fairly easy to find some new birds over the course of an afternoon and morning as well as getting better views of several species previously seen not so well.

Here we managed to add Rufous-winged Buzzard, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Small Minivet, Indochinese Bushlark, Thick-billed Flowerpecker and Chinese Francolin to our trip list as well as getting far better views of Black-hooded Oriole and Eurasian Jay than we had previously as well as out best look at Black-headed Woodpecker.

Birding at Sab Sadao was not at its best, but it was certainly far more rewarding and enjoyable than at Khao Yai with quite a number of nice sightings of attractive birds including fine views of Spotted Owlet and Brown Boobook at dawn and dusk respectively.

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale
This is the premier shorebird site in Thailand and one of the best in the world; quite simply Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale never fails to deliver in terms of quality and number of species as well as sheer numbers of birds and this visit was no exception. We spent one and a half days in this area starting with 2 Spoon-billed Sandpipers and at least 3 Far Eastern Curlews among the large flock of Eurasian Curlews. Large flocks of common shorebirds were a feature of the day and it was nice to get very close to many of them using the vehicle as a hide; in particular it was good to see Long-toed, Red-necked and Temminck's Stints next to each other for comparison.

We found a large number of species including more of the specialities; Nordmann's Grrenshank, Chinese Egret, Malaysian Plover and Asian Dowitcher; and we also came across a Thai rarity - Long-billed Dowitcher.

Our boat trip to the sand spit was rather different to usual with storng winds making it difficult to reach, however, in the expert hands of Mr Daeng we got out there with minimum of fuss and after securing the boat he joined us to find the speciality species - Mr Daeng really is one of the best guys you will come across on a birding trip in Thailand. The strong winds had whipped up waves that had washed away most of the sand spit but on what remained we managed to find our target birds as well as a single Pallas's Gull.

Wind also hampered our efforts to find birds in scrubby areas although we did find a group of about 10 White-shouldered Starlings near the abandoned building where almost all the scrubby habitat was in the process of being destroyed and the adjacent area developed. The nearby rubbish dump is a mess but it did give us a chance to get close-up views and photos of some common open country species such as Green Bee-eater, White-vented Myna, , Eastern Cattle Egret and Paddyfield Pipit as well as a couple of Hoopoes feeding amongst the rubbish.

The King's project area was another good place to get close to common birds and in the hour before dusk we saw some excellent species including Watercock, Pintail Snipe, Greater Painted Snipe, Slaty-breasted Rail, Ruddy-breasted Crake and Indian Nightjar. We also enjoyed watching hundreds of Black Drongos and Bee-eaters come in to roost in the mangroves and a wonderful sunset with Fruit Bats flying off into it.

Petchaburi Rice Fields
We had two late afternoon sessions in the rice fields where a high level of bird diversity and numbers are always a feature. Large numbers of common open country species were to be seen and we saw some nice raptors including Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Western Osprey, Black-eared Kite and Pied Harrier although the numbers of these were some way short of what was expected.

Large areas of Typha were invading poor areas of farmland abandoned after the collapse of the unsustainable rice subsidizing policy of the previous government, creating plenty of habitat for species such as Yellow Bittern, Asian Golden Weaver, Baya Weaver, Oriental Reed Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler and Yellow-bellied Prinia, all of which we obtained good views.

By hanging around late we caught quite a lot of activity as birds gathered to go to roost and Pink-necked Green Pigeon was one of the highlights and Chestnut-capped Babbler was a surprise. As birds were active before dark it gave us a great opportunity to photograph some of the commoner species which hide during the day including Oriental Magpie Robin and Asian Koel.

Some More Trip Reports A Short Thailand Birding Trip, June-July 2013 Doi Lang & Thatorn 28th November - 2nd December 2013 Bird Photography Tour: March 2013 Mekong River, Ubon Ratchathani province, 2nd-4th April 2013 Photography Day Tour Around Petchaburi, 25th May 2013

Kaeng Krachan
Kaeng Krachan always seems to have some nice surprises for wildlife watchers, whatever the time of year. Such is the variety of birdlife and other wildlife here there are always some excellent sightings to be had, although it can be difficult to predict just what those will be; this adds to the excitement. On this visit birding was not easy, at times things were very quiet but with patience the bird sightings kept coming and by the end we had seen a lot of great birds; unlike at Khao Yai, here persistence and patience paid off.

In the drier, lower areas of the national park we found quite a few species, particularly around the Km 9 area. Several species of Woodpecker were seen including Greater Flameback, Common Flameback, Greater Yellownape and Heart-spotted Woodpecker but a Black-thighed Flaconet was probably the highlight. Fruiting and seeing bushes here were attracting Black-headed and Ochraceous Bulbuls as well as many Green-eared Barbets and a single Red-throated Barbet, allowing us to hone our photography skills.

Birding in the moister lowland forest around Ban Krang campsite and the three streams area was tough, with long periods of quiet, particularly in the early morning - bird activity was at its peak between 8.30 and midday. We were patient, though, and rewarded with some spectacular birds including Black-and-red Broadbill and Black-and-yellow Broadbill both of which gave us great views - fantastic birds and just the type of thing that birders hope for when visiting tropical forests. Tickell's Brown Hornbill was also present in the area that they occupy every year, checking out nest holes and a walk down a forest trail gave us a nice view of a Grey Peacock Pheasant.

Flocks of small birds were not very abundant although we did come across several Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warblers. There has been much discussion online as to whether these species can be separated without hearing them in song and it seems that there is a difference in the pitch of the calls, with Sakhalin being lower. Based on this and minor plumage details we had probables of both species, although we both recognized that the features we used may not be reliable; if you want to be sure of these two species best to be around in early April when they are singing.

A particularly long, quiet spell was ended when we came across a flock of Lesser & Greater Laughingthrushes which also contained some beautiful Green Magpies, Streak-breasted Woodpeckers and 2 Crested Jays - fantastic!

The higher altitudes of Kaeng Krachan were fruitful too, although again windy conditions spoiled things at Panoen Tung campsite, so we did not hang around their, instead spending our time at Km 27.5 and 24 where there was good birding and fruiting trees. Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Bamboo Woodpecker and Black-and-buff Woodpecker all showed themselves at Km 27.5 and a fruiting tree at Km 24 contained at least 8 Great Hornbills and more than 100 Yellow-vented Green Pigeons as well as having several Kalij Pheasants persistently coming out onto the road to feed on fallen fruit.

Mammals were also a feature of our visit to Kaeng Krachan with a beautiful Yellow-throated Marten crossing the road in daylight, a Sun Bear feeding just above our vehicle at Km 27.5 - he was raiding a bee's nnest for honey and a superb leopard that led us down the road for at least 1 kilometre allowing us to get some photos. As if this was not lucky enough we also saw a male Asian Elephant taking a dust bath on our last evening in the park; a truly spectacular end to our trip.

Lung Sin Hide
Although we had rather tired ourselves sitting in hides at Mae Wong, Lung Sin hide/waterhole never fails to deliver a spectacle and the seating arrangements in the permanent hide are somewhat less uncomfortable than at other places. Our session here was as good as ever with superb close up views of many species including Lesser and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Black-naped Monarch, Pin-striped Tit Babbler, White-bellied Erpornis, Siberian Blue Robin, Orange-headed Thrush, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Abbott's Babbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher and Chinese Blue Flycatcher. Although many of these species are fairly common, it is only when they are seen at close quarters that they can be properly appreciated - Black-naped Monarch in particular lights up the dim forest. The big excitement for us was the arrival of a Slaty-legged Crake close to dusk, which bathed in front of us allowing for some really nice photos. 200 baht per person is always well worth it here.

Conclusion
Although often the birding was rather slower than had been expected the way the trip was planned to go slowly and multiple opportunities for most species we ended up seeing a huge total of birds with 483 species seen; this was even without visiting southern Thailand and with having frequent afternoon breaks (something that usually results in far fewer species being seen) and weather that disturbed the birding in a few locations. Moreover, the pace of the trip had worked well, with some periods of easy birding and rest just at the times we were feeling tired, although by the end of the tour both myself and Al were looking forward to a morning not waking up early and just relaxing.

As with any trip there were some disappointments but these were more than made up for with some wonderful surprises, most notably Crested Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker and Pale-headed Woodpecker. Mammal sightings were fantastic too, reaching a real peak at the end of the trip at Kaeng Krachan; Sun Bear, Leopard and Asian Elephant were real excitements for both of us.

Nick Upton (nickupton@thaibirding.com)

Bird Seen: The following list uses species order and names as given in the checklist to the birds of Thailand issued by the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand as of December 2014. Where several subspecies exist in Thailand and they are identifiable in the field I have listed them separately; every effort has been made to be accurate with these listed subspecies, but it is difficult to get correct, up-to-date information for many of these.

1. Chinese Francolin: 1 at SS, many more heard.
2. Rufous-throated Partridge: Two groups on DI summit.
3. Scaly-breasted Partridge: 3 at LSH.
4. Mountain Bamboo Partridge: A few along the road, DL.
5. Red Junglefowl: A few at DL, MW, LSH, KY & KK.
6. Kalij Pheasant: 2m at MW; 3m, 1f at Km 24, KK.
7. Silver Pheasant: 2f at DL.
8. Siamese Fireback: A large group on Khao Khieo road, KY.
9. Grey Peacock Pheasant: 1 briefly at MW; 1 between streams two and three at KK.
10. Lesser Whistling Duck: a5000 at CSL; a500 at LPB; a2000 at WKT.
11. Cotton Pygmy Goose: Many at BB.
12. Eurasian Wigeon: 1m at CSL.
13. Indian Spotbilled Duck: Many at CS.
14. Northern Pintail: a40 at CSL & a500 at WKT.
15. Garganey: a few at CSL & a2000 at WKT.
16. Eurasian Teal: 1m at WKT.
17. Common Pochard: 1m, 1f at CSL.
18. Baer's Pochard: 1m at CSL.
19. Ferruginous Pochard: a30.
20. Tufted Duck: 2f at CSL.
21. Little Grebe: Many at CSL, BB & LPB.
22. Black-necked Grebe: 2 at CSL.
23. Slavonian Grebe: 1 at CSL.
24. Painted Stork: 30-40 at PT & LPB.
25. Asian Openbill: Very many at BB, WKN, PRF.
26. Black-headed Ibis: 1 at WKN; 25 at WKT.
27. Eurasian Bittern: 1 at BB.
28. Yellow Bittern: A few at BB, LPB, PRF.
29. Cinnamon Bittern: 1 at LPB.
30. Black-crowned Night Heron: A few at King's project, LPB.
31. Striated Heron: 1 at the sand spit, LPB; 1 at WKT.
32. Chinese Pond Heron: Very common and widespread.
33. Javan Pond Heron: Very common at WKT, PRF, PT & LPB.
34. Eastern Cattle Egret: Common at TRF, BB, CSL, LPB, PRF.
35. Grey Heron: CSL, BB,WKT, PT & LPB.
36. Purple Heron: Common at WKT, BB & PRF.
37. Eastern Great Egret: CSL, BB, PT, LPB & PRF.
38. Intermediate Egret: BB, WKT, PT, LPB, PRF.
39. Little Egret: Common and widespread.
40. Pacific Reef Egret: 2 at sand spit, LPB.
41. Chinese Egret: 1 at PT; 1 at sand spit LPB.
42. Little Cormorant: BB, WKT, PT, LPB, PRF.
43. Indian Cormorant: BB, WKT, PT & LPB.
44. Great Cormorant: 7 at CSL.
45. Oriental Darter: Fairly abundant at BB.
46. Western Osprey: 2 at WKT.
47. Black Baza: 2 at DL.
48. Oriental Honey-buzzard: DI, DL, SS.
49. Black-winged Kite: Several at BB; 2 at SS.
50. Black-eared Kite: 1 at PRF; 1 at WKT.
51. Brahminy Kite: Fairly common at PT & LPB.
52. Crested Serpent Eagle: 2 at KK.
53. Eastern Marsh Harrier: 1 at CSL, 50+ at YW; 1 at BB.
54. Pied Harrier: 70+ at YW; 1j at WKN; 1j at PRF; 1j at TRF.
55. Crested Goshawk: 1 at MW; 2 at KK.
56. Rufous-winged Buzzard: 5 at SS.
57. Grey-faced Buzzard: 2 at DL.
58. Eastern Buzzard: A few at DAK, DL.
59. Greater Spotted Eagle: 3 at PRF.
60. Steppe Eagle: 1 at PRF.
61. Booted Eagle: 1 at SS.
62. Changeable Hawk Eagle: 2 at KK.
63. Mountain Hawk Eagle: A few at DL.
64. Collared Falconet: 6 at DI; 4 at MP.
65. Black-thighed Falconet: 1 at Km9, KK.
66. Common Kestrel: 1 at Khao Khieo, KY; 1 at LPB.
67. Amur Falcon: 1j at DAK.
68. Peregrine Falcon: 1 at DL.
69. Slaty-legged Crake: 1 at LSH.
70. Slaty-breasted Rail: 1 at King's project, LPB.
71. White-breasted Waterhen: Common in wetlands.
72. Ruddy-breasted Crake: 3 at King's project, LPB.
73. White-browed Crake: 3 at BB.
74. Watercock: 3 at LPB.
75. Purple Swamphen: Common at CSL & BB.
76. Common Moorhen: Common at CSL, BB, PRF.
77. Eurasian Coot: Many at CSL & BB.
78. Black-winged Stilt: CSL, BB, PRF, LPB & PT.
79. Pied Avocet: 13 at LPB.
80. Grey-headed Lapwing: 22 at TRF; 42 at PRF.
81. Red-wattled Lapwing: Common & widespread.
82. Pacific Golden Plover: Abundant at LPB & PT.
83. Grey Plover: Abundant at LPB & PT.
84. Little Ringed Plover: TRF, BB, LPB, PT & PRF.
85. Kentish Plover: Common at LPB & PT.
86. Malaysian Plover: A few at sand spit, LPB.
87. Lesser Sand Plover: Common at LPB & PT.
88. Greater Sand Plover: Fairly abundant at LPB & PT.
89. Greater Painted Snipe: 1m at King's project, LPB.
90. Pheasant-tailed Jacana: Common at BB.
91. Bronze-winged Jacana: A few at BB & PRF.
92. Eurasian Woodcock: 1 at summit, DI.
93. Pintail Snipe: Several at LPB & WKT.
94. Common Snipe: TRF, CSL, BB, LPB.
95. Long-billed Dowitcher: 1 at LPB.
96. Asian Dowitcher: 5 at LPB.
97. Eastern Black-tailed Godwit: Many at WKT, BB, LPB & PT.
98. Bar-tailed Godwit: 12 at PT.
99. Whimbrel: 20 at PT.
100. Eurasian Curlew: A huge flock at PT.
101. Far Eastern Curlew: 3 at PT.
102. Spotted Redshank: Fairly abundant at WKT, LPB & PT.
103. Common Redshank: A few at LPB & PT.
103. Marsh Sandpiper: Very common at LPB, WKT & PT.
104. Common Greenshank: Common at LPB, WKT & PT.
105. Nordmann's Greenshank: 5 at PT; 1 at LPB.
106. Green Sandpiper: A few at TRF.
107. Wood Sandpiper: 1 at BB; many at WKT, LPB, PT & PRF.
108. Common Sandpiper: Common at WKT, LPB & PT.
109. Great Knot: Several thousand at PT & LPB.
110. Red Knot: 6 at LPB.
111. Sanderling: 20+ at sand spit, LPB.
112. Red-necked Stint: Common at LPB & PT.
113. Temminck's Stint: A few at LPB.
114. Long-toed Stint: Fairly common at LPB, PT, WKT & PRF.
115. Curlew Sandpiper: Common at LPB & PT.
116. Dunlin: A few at LPB.
117. Spoon-billed Sandpiper: 2 at PT.
118. Broad-billed Sandpiper: Abundant at PT & LPB.
119. Brown-headed Gull: Common at PT & LPB.
120. Pallas's Gull: 1 at sand spit, LPB.
121. Gull-billed Tern: Abundant at LPB & PT.
122. Caspian Tern: Abundant at LPb & PT.
123. Great Crested Tern: 8 at sand spit, LPB.
124. Little Tern: Common at PT & LPB.
125. Common Tern: Common at LPB & PT.
126. Whiskered Tern: Common at LPB, PT & WKT.
127. White-winged Tern: Common at LPB & PT.
128. Feral Pigeon
129. Oriental Turrtle Dove: A few at DL.
130. Red Collared Dove: Common in open country in central region.
131. Spotted Dove: Common.
132. Barred Cuckoo Dove: 2 flyovers at KY.
133. Common Emerald Dove: 1 at KY; a few at KK.
134. Zebra Dove: Common in open country.
135. Pink-necked Green Pigeon: 15-20 at PRF.
136. Thick-billed Green Pigeon: 4 at Km 24, KK; 2 flyovers at KY.
137. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon: 6-8 at MP.
138. Yellow-vented Green Pigeon: An incredible 120+ in a fruting tree, Km 24, KK.
139. Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon: 1m at DI.
140. Mountain Imperial Pigeon: Several at KY & KK.
141. Vernal Hanging Parrot: 3 at KY; several at KK.
142. Grey-headed Parakeet: Common at MP.
143. Blossom-headed Parakeet: 6 at DI; 2 at SS.
144. Red-breasted Parakeet: Many near KY & at SS.
145. Greater Coucal: Many locations.
146. Lesser Coucal: 1 at PRF.
147. Green-billed Malkoha: Seen at most forest locations.
148. Asian Koel: BB, PRF & LPB.
149. Banded Bay Cuckoo: 1 at Km 23, KK.
150. Plaintive Cuckoo: 2 at BB; 1 at WKT.
151. Asian Drongo Cuckoo: 1 at KY.
152. Large Hawk Cuckoo: 1 at MW; 1 at SS.
153. Eurasian Barn Owl: 1 at King's project, LPB.
154. Asian Barred Owlet: 1 at FHS.
155. Spotted Owlet: 1 at IHR; 6 at SS.
157. Brown Boobook: 2 at IHR; 1 at SS.
158. Great Eared Nightjar: 1 at KY.
159. Grey Nightjar: 1 at DL.
160. Large-tailed Nightjar: 1 at MW; several at KK.
161. Savanna Nightjar: 2 at BB.
162. Crested Treeswift: 1 at MP.
163. Grey-rumped Treeswift: 9 at KK.
164. Himalayan Swiftlet: A few at DAK & KK.
165. Pale-rumped (Germain's) Swiftlet: Common at LPB, PT & PRF.
166. Asian Palm Swift: Common at many locations.
167. Pacific Swift: Some at DL.
168. Cook's Swift: Common at DL & DAK.
169. House Swift: 1 at KY; many in Bangkok.
170. Orange-breasted Trogon: A pair at MW; several at KY & KK.
171. Indian Roller: DL, MP, BB, SS, KY, PRF, LPB & KK.
172. White-throated Kingfisher: MH, BB, PT, LPB, TRF.
173. Black-capped Kingfisher: A few at LPB & PT.
174. Collared Kingfisher: A few at LPB & PT.
175. Common Kingfisher: CSL, DI, BB, PT, TRF, LPB, PRF.
176. Crested Kingfisher: 1 at MW.
177. Pied Kingfisher: 2 at BB.
178. Red-bearded Bee-eater: 1 at Km 27.5, KK.
179. Blue-bearded Bee-eater: 1 at DAK; 1 at MW.
180. Green Bee-eater: MH, MP, SS, LPB.
181. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: Many at BB; a few at PRF.
182. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater: A few at KY.
183. Eurasian Hoopoe: 1 at CSL; a few at SS.
184. Tickell's Brown Hornbill: A few at KK.
185. Oriental Pied Hornbill: 2 at KY; fairly abundant at KK.
186. Great Hornbill: 9 in a fruting tree, Km 24, KK.
187. Wreathed Hornbill: 2 flyover at KY; 2 flyover at Km 27.5, KK; 3 flyover at Km 26, KK.
188. Great Barbet: A few at DL.
189. Lineated Barbet: 1 at Km 13 DI; a few at SS.
190. Green-eared Barbet: A few at KY.
191. Red-throated Barbet: 1f at Km 9, KK.
192. Golden-throated Barbet: 2 at DAK; 1 at MW.
193. Blue-throated Barbet: DAK, DL.
194. Moustached Barbet: A few at KY.
195. Blue-eared Barbet: A few at Km 24, KK.
196. Coppersmith Barbet: CSL, MH, DI, MP, SS.
197. Eurasian Wryneck: 1 at LPB.
198. Speckled Piculet: 1 at DL.
199. Heart-spotted Woodpecker: 1 flyover at Km 9, KK.
200. Rufous-bellied Woodpecker: 1m at MP.
201. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker: DL, MP, SS.
202. Spot-breasted (Fulvous-breasted) Woodpecker: 1m at CSL.
203. Stripe-breasted Woodpecker: DAK, DL, DI & MW.
204. White-bellied Woodpecker: 2 at MP.
205. Greater Yellownape: 3 at KK.
206. Streak-breasted Woodpecker: 1f at KK.
207. Black-headed Woodpecker: 1 at Km 13 DI; many at MP, many at SS.
208. Common Flameback: A few at MP; 1f at SS; a few at KK.
209. Greater Flameback: A few at MP; 3 at KY; a few at KK.
210. Pale-headed Woodpecker: Amazingly, a pair seen at close range at concrete bridge, DL.
211. Bamboo Woodpecker: 1m at Km 27.5, KK.
212. Bay Woodpecker: 1 at stream two, KK.
213. Black-and-buff Woodpecker: 1m at Km 27.5, KK.
214. Great Slaty Woodpecker: Two groups of 3 at MP.
215. Black-and-red Broadbill: A pair at Youth Camp, KK.
216. Long-tailed Broadbill: Two large flocks at KY.
217. Black-and-yellow Broadbill: Three at stream 3, KK; 2 at Km 23, KK.
218. Golden-bellied Gerygone: 1 at PT; a few at LPB.
219. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: DAK, KY & KK.
220. Large Woodshrike: A few at MP & SS.
221. Common Woodshrike: A few at MP & SS.
222. Ashy Woodswallow: Common.
223. Common Iora: CSL, BB, SS, MP & KK.
224. Great Iora: 1 at KY; 1 at KK.
225. Large Cuckooshrike: A few at MP & SS.
226. Black-winged Cuckooshrike (avensis): Fairly common at KY & KK.
227a. Rosy Minivet: DI, MP, MW, SS, KY & KK.
227b. Rosy Minivet (stanfordi): 1 at Youth Camp, KK.
228. Brown-rumped (Swinhoe's) Minivet: Common at KY & KK.
229. Ashy Minivet: A few at SS.
230. Small Minivet: Fairly abundant, SS.
231a. Grey-chinned Minivet: Fairly common at DL, DI & MW.
231b. Grey-chinned Minivet (montanus): A few at Km 27.5, KK.
232. Long-tailed Minivet: Fairly abundant at DL & DI.
233. Short-billed Minivet: A pair at Km 34.5, DI.
234. Scarlet Minivet: DL, MW, KY & KK.
235a. Brown Shrike (confusus): Common in open country.
235b. Brown Shrike (lucionensis): 1 at KY.
236. Burmese Shrike: 1 at MH; 1 at MP; 3 at SS.
237a. Long-tailed Shrike (longicaudatus): DAK, TRF, BB & PRF.
237b. Long-tailed Shrike (tricolor): DAK, TRF, DL.
238. Grey-backed Shrike: 1 at campsite, DI; 1 at Khao Khieo, KY; 1 at Km 30, KK.
239. White-bellied Erpornis: A few at DI, MW, KY, LSH & KK.
240. Blyth's (White-browed) Shrike-babbler: A few at DAK, DL, DI & MW.
241. Black-eared Shrike-babbler: 1m at DL.
242. Clicking (Chestnut-fronted) Shrike-babbler: 3 at Km 34.5, DI.
243. Slender-billed Oriole: A few at DL.
244. Black-naped Oriole: A few at KY & KK.
245. Black-hooded Oriole: A few at MP & SS.
246. Maroon Oriole: A few f at DL; 1m at DI.
247a. Black Drongo (cathoercus): Common in open country.
247b. Black Drongo (thai): 3 at MP.
248a. Ashy Drongo (leucogenis): MP, MW, SS, KY & KK.
248b. Ashy Drongo (hopwoodi): A few at DAK.
248c. Ashy Drongo (salangensis): 1 at KY.
248d. Ashy Drongo (mouhoti): Most forest locations.
248e. Ashy Drongo (nigricens): A few at SS.
249. Bronzed Drongo: DAK, DI, KY & KK.
250. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo: DL, DI, MW & KK.

251. Hair-crested Drongo: Most forest locations.
252. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo: DL, DI, MP, MW, SS, KY & KK.
253. White-throated Fantail: A few at DAK, DL, DI, MW & KK.
254. Pied Fantail: LPB, PT & PRF.
255. Black-naped Monarch: A few at MP, SS, KY, KK & LSH.
256. Asian Paradise-flycatcher: 1 at Km 13, DI; 1 near stream 2, KK.
257. Crested Jay: 2, between streams, two and three, KK.
258. Eurasian Jay: 1 at MP; a few at SS.
259. Red-billed Blue Magpie: A few at Km 13, DI; a10 at MP; 2 at MW.
260. Common Green Magpie: 1 at MW; 2 at KK.
261. Rufous Treepie: 1 at IHR; a few at MP; 1 at SS.
262. Grey Treepie: A few at DAK & DL.
263. Racket-tailed Treepie: 2 at King's project, LPB.
264. Ratchet-tailed Treepie: 1 at Km 27.5, KK.
265. Eastern Jungle Crow: Many locations.
266. Yellow-bellied Fantail: A few at DL & DI.
267. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher: Common in feeding flocks in forest throughout the country.
268. Japanese Tit: A few in pine forest at DAK, DL & DI.
269. Yellow-cheeked Tit: Several in flocks at DAK, DL & DI.
270. Yellow-browed Tit: 1 at DL.
271. Sultan Tit: 2 at KY; a few at KK.
272. Indochinese Bushlark: A few near SS.
273. Oriental Skylark: A few at WKN.
274. Crested Finchbill: 3 at DAK; a20 at DL.
275. Black-headed Bulbul: Common at KK.
276a. Black-crested Bulbul: DL, DI, MP, MW, LSH & KK.
276b. Black-crested Bulbul (johnsoni): Common at KY.
277. Red-whiskered Bulbul: Common at DAK; a few at DL; a few at KY.
278. Brown-breasted Bulbul: Abundant at Chinese cemetery, DAK; a few at DL.
279a. Sooty-headed Bulbul (klossi): DAK, DL, DI, TRF & MP.
279b. Sooty-headed Bulbul (thais): Common at SS.
280. Stripe-throated Bulbul: KY & KK.
281. Flavescent Bulbul: Common at DAK, DL, DI, MW & Km 30, KK.
282. Yellow-vented Bulbul: 2 at WKT.
283. Streak-eared Bulbul: Many locations.
284. Puff-throated Bulbul: Common at KY.
285. Ochraceous Bulbul: Common in lowlands at KK.
286. Olive Bulbul: A pair at MW.
287. Grey-eyed Bulbul: Common at KY & KK.
288. Mountain Bulbul: Common at DAK, DL, DI & MW.
289a. Ashy Bulbul (hildebrandi): Small numbers at DAK, DL & DI.
289b. Ashy Bulbul (bourdellei): A few here and there at KY.
289c. Ashy Bulbul (davisoni): A few at Km 27.5, KK.
290. Black Bulbul (concolor): Fairly common at DL.
291. Common Sand Martin: Abundant at PRF.
292a. Barn Swallow (gutturalis): Abundant throughout the country, seen every day.
292b. Barn Swallow (tytleri): A few at MH.
293. Wire-tailed Swallow: A few at MH.
294. Asian House Martin: DAK, DL & Km 30, KK.
295. Red-rumped Swallow: A few at DL, KY & SS.
296. Striated Swallow (stanfordi): a20 at MH.
297. Pygmy Wren Babbler: 1 at DL.
298. Slaty-bellied Tesia: 1 seen preening at DL; 1 at Km 34.5, DI.
299. Chestnut-headed Tesia: 1 at DL.
300. Yellow-bellied Warbler: A few at DAK & KK.
301. Mountain Tailorbird: A few at DI & DL.
302. Black-throated Bushtit: A flock of a12 at DL.
303. Dusky Warbler: A few at TRF, CSL, PT, LPB & BB.
304. Buff-throated Warbler: A few at DAK & DL.
305. Yellow-streaked Warbler: 2 at DAK; a10 at MP; a6 at SS.
306. Radde's Warbler: Several at KY & KK.
307. Orange-barred Leaf Warbler: Several at DL & DI.
308. Ashy-throated Leaf Warbler: Several at summit, DI.
309. Chinese Leaf Warbler: 2 at DL; 1 at DAK.
310. Pallas's Leaf Warbler: Abundant at DAK, Dl & DI.
311. Yellow-browed Leaf Warbler: Common throughout the country.
312. Hume's Leaf Warbler: Fairly abundant at DAK, DL & DI.
313. Arctic Warbler: 1 at KK.
314. Greenish Warbler: Several at DAK & DI.
315. Two-barred Warbler: Fairly common at KY & KK.
316. Pale-legged Leaf Warbler: 1 at LSH; 3 at KK (Probable, identified on call by comparison to calls on xena canto.)
317. Sakhalin Leaf Warbler: 2 at KK (Probable, identified on call by comparison to calls on xena canto.)
318. Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler: A few in feeding flocks at KK.
319. Blyth's Leaf Warbler: A few displaying wing-shuffling behaviour at DI.
320. Claudia's Leaf Warbler: Fairly common in feeding flocks at DL, DI, MW, KY & KK.
321. Davison's Leaf Warbler: Common at DAK, Dl & DI; a few at MW.
322. Yellow-vented Leaf Warbler: 1 at MW.
323. Sulphur-breasted Warbler: A few at KY & KK.
324. Grey-crowned Warbler: 2 at DAK; 1 at DL.
325. Bianchi's Warbler: Several at DL & DI.
326. Marten's Warbler: Fairly common at DL & DI; a few at MW.
327. Alstrom's Warbler: Fairly common at KY & KK.
328. Chestnut-crowned Warbler: A few at DL, DI & MW.
329. Oriental Reed Warbler: A few at BB, LPB & PRF.
330. Black-browed Reed Warbler: A few at PRF.
331. Thick-billed Warbler: 2 at Km 9, KK.
332. Striated Grassbird: Several at BB.
333. Zitting Cisticola: A few at BB, LPB & PRF.
334. Bright-capped Cisticola: A few at MH.
335. Brown Prinia: 2 at SS.
336. Hill Prinia: A few at DL & DI.
337. Rufescent Prinia: Fairly common at MP & SS.
338. Grey-breasted Prinia: A few at DI.
339. Yellow-bellied Prinia: 2 at PRF.
340a. Plain Prinia (blanfordi): A few at PRF & MH.
340b. Plain Prinia: (herberti): BB, LPB, PT & PRF.
341. Common Tailorbird: 1 at MH; 1 at SS; 1 at KK.
342. Dark-necked Tailorbird: A few at KK.
343. Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler: 3 at DL.
344. White-browed Scimitar Babbler: DAK, DL, DI, KY, LSH & KK..
345. Red-billed Scimitar Babbler: 2 at DL; 2 at MW.
346. Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler: 3 at MW.
347. Grey-throated Babbler: A few at DI.
348. Spot-necked Babbler: 2 at MW.
349. Rufous-fronted Babbler: A few here and here at KK.
350. Golden Babbler: A few at DL, DI & MW.
351. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: KY, LSH & KK.
352. Chestnut-capped Babbler: 2 at SS.
353. Rufous-winged Fulvetta: Fairly common at DL & DI.
354. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta: A few at LSH.
355. Grey-cheeked Fulvetta: Common in mountains in north.
356. Streaked Wren Babbler: 2 at MW.
357. Eyebrowed Wren Babbler: 1 at DL.
358. Collared Babbler: A flock at DL.
359. Abbott's Babbler: 2 at LSH.
360. Puff-throated Babbler: 2 at MP; 2 at SS; 2 at LSH; 2 at KK.
361. Buff-breasted Babbler: Common at MW.
362. White-crested Laughingthrush: Flocks at MP & KY.
363. White-necked Laughingthrush: a8 at MW.
364. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush: LSH & KK.
365. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush: LSH & KK.
366. Black-throated Laughingthrush: A few at MW & KK.
367. White-browed Laughingthrush: 2 at DL.
368. Silver-eared Laughingthrush: At feeding stations at DL, DI & MW.
369. Blue-winged Minla: Fairly abundant at DAK, DL & DI.
370. Chestnut-tailed Minla: Common on summit, DI.
371. Scarlet-faced Liocichla: Several at feeding station on DL.
372. Spectacled Barwing: A few at DAK & DL.
373. Silver-eared Mesia: A few at feeding station at MW.
374. Rufous-backed Sibia: A few at DL & DI.
375. Dark-backed Sibia: Common in mountains in north.
376. Grey-breasted (Black-throated) Parrotbill: A flock at Km 34.5, DI.
377. Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill: 1 at DL.
378. Grey-headed Parrotbill: a20 at DAK.
379. Spot-breasted Parrotbill: 3 at DAK; 2 at DL.
380. Whiskered Yuhina: Several at DL.
381. Burmese Yuhina: A flock of a10, MW.
382. Chestnut-flanked White-eye: Very abundant at DAK, DL, DI & MW.
383. Japanese White-eye: A few at DAK.
384. Oriental White-eye: A few at DAK & MW.
385. Everett's White-eye: A few at Km 30, KK.
386. Asian Fairy Bluebird: FHS, KY & KK.
387. Chestnut-vented Nuthatch: DAK, DL & DI.
388. Plains Nuthatch: A few at MP.
389. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch: A few at MP, SS, KY & KK.
390. Giant Nuthatch: 3 at DL.
391. Hume's Treecreeper: A few at DI.
392. Golden-crested Myna: a8 at KY.
393. Common Hill Myna: a20 at KY.
394. White-vented Myna: Common in open country.
395. Common Myna: Common in open country.
396. Black-collared Myna: TRF, SS & CSL.
397. Asian Pied Myna: Common at LPB, PT, BB & PRF.
398. White-shouldered Starling: a10 at LPB.
399. Chestnut-tailed Starling: Flocks at TRF, KY, SS & BB.
400. Orange-headed Thrush: 1 at LSH.
401. Dark-sided Thrush: 1 at summit, DI.
402. Black-breasted Thrush: 2m, 1f at DAK.
403. Eyebrowed Thrush: 3 flyover at KY.
404. Oriental Magpie Robin: DAK, TRF, CSL, BB, SS, LPB, PT & PRF.
405. White-rumped Shama: Several at KY, LSH & KK.
406. Dark-sided Flycatcher: 3 at Km 24-30, KK.
407. Asian Brown Flycatcher: Fairly common at KY & KK.
408. Rufous-bellied Niltava: 1m at DAK.
409. Small Niltava: 1f at DL.
410. Large Niltava: A few at DL & DI.
411. Verditer Flycatcher: DAK, DL, DI, MW, KY & KK.
412. White-gorgetted Flycatcher: A few at feeding stations at DL.
413. Rufous-browed Flycatcher: A few at feeding stations at MW.
414. Hainan Blue Flycatcher: 1m at KY; 1m at Km 9, KK.
415. Hill Blue Flycatcher: A few at MW & KY.
416. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher: Several at LSH.
417. Blue-throated Flycatcher: 1f at LSH.
418. Chinese Blue Flycatcher: 1m at LSH.
419. White-browed Shortwing: 1m at summit, DI.
420. Siberian Blue Robin: 1f at DAK; 1m at KY; several at LSH.
421. White-bellied Redstart: 1f at DL.
422. Bluethroat: 1 at MH.
423. Siberian Rubythroat: 1m at TRF; 1m, 1f at DL.
424. White-tailed Robin: 1m at feeding station, DAK; 2m at feeding station, MW.
425. Himalayan Bluetail: 1f at feeding station, DL.
426. Slaty-backed Forktail: 1 at FHS; 1 at Km 34.5, DI.
427. Black-backed Forktail: 2 at Km 13, DI.
428. Northern White-crowned Forktail: 1 at feeding station, MW.
429a. Blue Whistlingthrush (eugenei): A few at DL, DI & MW.
429b. Blue Whistlingthrush (caeruleus): 2 at MW.
430. Mugimaki Flycatcher: 1m at KY.
431. Slaty-blue Flycatcher: 1m & 2f at feeding stations, DL.
432. Sapphire Flycatcher: A few at DL.
433. Taiga Flycatcher: Very common everywhere.
434. Snowy-browed Flycatcher: 1m at summit, DI.
435. Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher: A few at DAK, DL & DI.
436. Little Pied Flycatcher: 1m at DL.
437. White-capped Water Redstart: 1 at FHS; 1 at Watcharithan waterfall, DI.
438. Plumbeous Redstart: 1m at Watcharithan waterfall, DI.
439. Daurian Redstart: 2m at Ban Nor Lae, DAK.
440. Chestnut-bellied Rockthrush: 1f at DAK; 1f at DL.
441. White-throated Rockthrush: 1m at Pha Gluai Mai camspite, KY.
442a. Blue Rockthrush (pandoo): 1 at FHS; 1 at MP; a few at KY.
442b. Blue Rockthrush (philippensis): 1m at KY.
443. Grey Bushchat: Common at DAK, DL & DAK.
444. Pied Bushchat: TRF, CSL & SS.
445a. Eastern Stonechat (stejnegeri): Common in open country.
445b. Eastern Stonechat (przewalskii): A few at DAK.
446. Blue-winged Leafbird: Fairly common at KY & KK; a few at DI.
447. Golden-fronted Leafbird: A few at DI, MP, SS & KK.
448. Orange-bellied Leafbird: Common at DAK, DL & DI.
449. Thick-billed Flowerpecker: a10 at SS.
450. Yellow-vented Flowerpecker: A few at KY & KK.
451. Plain Flowerpecker: A few at DI.
452a. Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (ignipectus): Several at DAK, DL & KK.
452b. Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (cambodianum): Fairly common at KY.
453. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: 1m at MP; 1m at SS; a few at KY.
454. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: A few at KK.
455. Brown-throated Sunbird: 2 at WKT.
456. Van Hasselt's Sunbird: 2m, 1f at KY.
457. Purple Sunbird: A few at MP & SS.
458. Olive-backed Sunbird: DI, BB, SS, KY & KK.
459. Mrs Gould's Sunbird: Fairly common at DAK, DL & DI; 1m at MW.
460. Green-tailed Sunbird: 1m at summit, DI.
461. Black-throated Sunbird: A few at DI, MW & KY.
462. Crimson Sunbird: 2m at KY; 1m at KK.
463. Little Spiderhunter: A few at KY; 1 at LSH.
464. Streaked Spiderhunter: A few at DAK, DL & KK.
465. House Sparrow: A few at LPB & TRF.
466. Plain-backed Sparrow: BB, SS, LPB & PRF.
467. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Common around urban areas/buildings.
468. Asian Golden Weaver: 2 at PRF.
469. Baya Weaver: BB & PRF.
470. Red Avadavat: A few at MH.
471. White-rumped Munia: A few at MH & KK.
472. Scaly-breasted Munia: MH, CSL, BB, LPB & PRF.
473. Chestnut Munia: 5 at BB.
474. Eastern Yellow Wagtail: A few at LPB.
475. Citrine Wagtail: 30+ at TRF.
476. Grey Wagtail: FHS, DL, DAK, DI & KK.
477. White Wagtail (leucopsis): DAK, FHS, TRF, CSL & MH.
478. Richard's Pipit: 1 at KY; several at LPB.
479. Paddyfield Pipit: 2 at CSL; several at LPB & PRF.
480. Olive-backed Pipit: DAK, DL & DI.
481. Common Rosefinch: Fairly abundant at DAK.
482. Spot-winged Grosbeak: a20 at FHS.
483. Crested Bunting: 5 at DL.

Birds Heard Only: Listed here for completion.

1. Bar-backed Partridge: Near LSH.
2. Raffle's Malkoha: Km 24, KK.
3. Collared Scops Owl: Ban Maka at KK.
4. Oriental Scops Owl: Very common at MP with at least 6 responding. We set a limit of 1.5 hours for this in which time none came quite close enough to see.
5. Aberrant Bush Warbler: Fairly common at DAK & DL but thick undergrowth made it impossible to see.

6. Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler: A few at PRF at dusk. We ran out of light trying to see this one.
7. Large Scimitar Babbler: LSH.
8. Spot-breasted Laughingthrush: Singing at DAK.
9. Red-throated Pipit: Overhead at PRF.

Mammals: We did quite well for mammals on this trip with a fantastic few days at Kaeng Krachan giving us great views of Leopard, Sun Bear and Asian Elephant.

1. Northern Treeshrew: DAK, MW, LSH & KK.
2. Pig-tailed Macaque: Common at KY.
3. Stump-tailed Macaque: A large group seen daily on the road at Km 7-8, KK.
4. Long-tailed Macaque: WKT & Petchaburi town centre.
5. Dusky Langur: Common at KK.
6. White-handed Gibbon: Several groups at KY & KK.
7. Black Giant Squirrel: KY & KK.
8. Pallas's Squirrel: DAK, DL & DI.
9. Variable Squirrel: Common at KY.
10. Grey-bellied Squirrel: Common at LSH & KK.
11. Cambodian Striped Squirrel: A few at SS & KY.
12. Burmese Striped Squirrel: DL, MP, MW, LSH & KK.
13. Indochinese Ground Squirrel: 2 at LSH.
14. Red-cheeked Squirrel: 2 at MW.
15. Phayre's Flying Squirrel: 1 spotlighted at Inthanon Highland Resort.
16. Golden Jackal: 1 on the road at night, MW.

17. Sun Bear: 1 feeding on honey at Km 27.5, KK.
18. Yellow-throated Marten: 1 crossing the road at KK.
19. Small Asian Mongoose: 2 at MH.
20. Crab-eating Mongoose: 3 at KK.
21. Leopard: 1 leading us down the road for 1km at around Km 21, KK.
22. Asian Elephant: 1m dust-bathing at dusk at Km 10, KK.
23. Lesser Mouse Deer: A few at LSH.
24. Red Muntjac: Common at KY.
25. Hog Deer: A few of the reintroduced animals at MP.
26. Sambar: KY & KK.
27. Eld's Deer: A few of the reintroduced animals at MP.
28. Lyle's Flying Fox: Several thousand at the King's project, LPB.

Nick Upton can be contacted at nickupton@thaibirding.com

More information on Doi Ang Kang
More information on Chiang Saen
More information on Thatorn
More information on Doi Inthanon
More information on Bueng Boraphet
More information on Mae Wong

More information on Khao Yai
More information on Sab Sadao
More information on Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale
More information on Petchaburi Rice Fields
More information on Kaeng Krachan
More information on Birdwatching Trips

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

Home
Guiding
Locations
Trip Reports
Checklists
Ornithology
Articles & Reviews
Birding Videos
Recommended Hotels
Thaibirding T-Shirts
FAQ