Introduction
This is a report for a trip my girlfriend and I took to Thailand,
which was a life changing experience for us both. While this
was not supposed to be a birding trip primarily, birds are
everywhere in Thailand and so every day a few birds were seen,
and on 3 days I took specific trips to see birds; 2 days at
Khao Yai and 1 half day at Khao Nor Chuchi. Spoiler alert,
I entirely missed seeing trogons, broadbills and pittas (
though I heard an Orange-Breasted Trogon in Khao Yai.) The
itinerary was as follows:
Feb. 2: Lat Krabang vicinity
Feb. 3: Chatuchak vicinity
Feb.4: Bangkok, Wat Pho vicinity
Feb. 5: Asoke, Sukhumvit
Feb.6: Wat Thasung Bat Temple, Wat Samphran,
old town Bangkok
Feb.7: Chiang Mai, park near rail station
and Empress hotel vicinity
Feb.8: Doi Suthep; Buphing Palace, Empress
Feb.9: Huay Kaew Arboretum
Feb.10: Mochit van terminal-Pak Chong
Feb.11: Khao Yai Garden Lodge, Khao Yai headquarters
area
Feb.12: Khao Yai; Pha Klaui Mai, headquarters
Feb.13: Pak Chong-Suvarnabhumi
Feb.14: Phuket airport vicinity-Keemala Resort
Feb.15: Keemala Resort
Feb.16: Keemala-Kata beach
Feb.17: Kata beach-Phi Phi Don
Feb.18: Phi Phi Don
Feb 19: Phi Phi Don-Krabi
Feb.20: Krabi
Feb.21: Krabi-Hat Noppharat Thara beach
Feb.22: Krabi-Khao Nor Chuchi-Krabi
Feb.23: Krabi- H.N.T. beach
Feb.24: H.N.T. beach-Krabi-Krabi Elephant
Sanctuary
Feb. 25: Krabi-BKK-home
Field Guides
1. A Field
Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Craig Robson
Birding Highlights
Lat Krabang: Black-naped Oriole, Pink-necked Green
Pigeon
Suan Rot Fai: Small Minivet, Stork-billed Kingfisher,
Spot-billed Pelican, Red-breasted Parakeet, Cinnamon Bittern
Wat Thasung: Asian Golden Weaver, Small Minivet
Bhuping Palace: Black-throated Sunbird, Great Barbet,
Blue-throated Barbet, Hill Blue Flycatcher
Khao Yai National Park: Moustached Barbet, Green-eared
Barbet, Austen's Brown Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Scarlet
Minivet, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Common Green Magpie, White-crested
Laughingthrush, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Siamese Fireback,
Greater Flameback, Siberian Blue Robin, Hainan Blue Flycatcher
Ko Phi Phi: Pied Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Tern,
White-bellied Sea Eagle, Pacific Reef Egret, Crimson Sunbird,
Lesser Crested Tern
Krabi Town & Mangroves: Brown-winged Kingfisher,
Blue Whistlingthrush, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha
Khao Nor Chu Chi: Rufous-winged Philentoma, Rufous
Piculet, Grey-breasted Spiderhunter, Purple-naped Spiderhunter,
Vernal Hanging Parrot
Birding Diary
2nd February
The first day I arose to smog, very poor visibility and
oppressive heat by mid-morning. Having to wear masks while
walking around didn't help, but right from the hotel window
I saw my first Red Collared Doves, Streak-eared Bulbuls, Spotted
Doves and Zebra Doves, Common and Great (White-vented) Mynas.
Going for a morning stroll around the canals, I saw a smattering
of pond heron sp., my first Black Drongo, Pink-necked Green
Pigeons, Black-naped Orioles, a brief and distant view of
my only White-rumped Munia, brief flyby Koels, Asian Openbills,
and my only Brown-headed Gulls. After a brief rest in the
air-conditioning, we went for a longer walk to a park which
really made us worn out but introduced me to some of Thailand's
charismatic residents and visitors with the delightful Coppersmith
Barbet, House Swift and Asian Palm Swift, Brown Shrike, and
my best looks at water monitor, one right below me on the
bank that startled me. Looking up briefly in the sky I was
treated to a quick but definitive view of a Painted Stork.
After catching a train and walking with effort to our hotel
in Lad Prao, we settled in and while my girlfriend walked
around the pool I met with a few more colorful and charismatic
residents such as Yellow-vented Bulbul, Pied Fantail, Asian
Brown Flycatcher, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, and brief encounters
with an Olive-backed Sunbird. I went to bed that night dreaming
of what I might find at Rot Fai Park in the morning, but wholly
satisfied with what I had encountered on day one. The birds
of Thailand were not only colorful and exotic looking, but
their behavior was distinct and they were often confiding,
their calls grandiose and hypnotic; I was quickly falling
in love with the avifauna of Thailand.
3rd February
On the second day, we woke up to see just how limited the
view was across the city, and we would be intrigued as over
the next few days more and more of the skyline would present
itself with falling pollution levels. My girlfriend agreed
to accompany me to Suan Rot Fai, possibly the best park for
birding in Bangkok and a stone's throw away from the weekend
market, which is why we actually stayed there. Immediately
upon entering the park I was overwhelmed as birds I had dreamed
of seeing since I was a child came into view; colorful active
Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, raucous Indochinese Roller, Olive-backed
Sunbirds flitting in the bushes feet away oblivious to our
presence, the ever present mynas including the beautiful and
lively Pied and Black-collared Starlings, Asian Koels, Scaly-breasted
Munias, Common Tailorbird, Yellow-browed Warbler, Oriental
Magpie Robins, Common Iora, Taiga Flycatcher, a variety of
egrets, Striated Heron, Ashy Drongo, White-breasted Waterhen,
a brief Plaintive Cuckoo and looking up I saw a Spot-billed
Pelican streaming off to the west. A small flock of unexpected
Red-breasted Parakeets flew into the trees in front of us
and fed unconcerned as I snapped off photos of this beautiful
and enigmatically plumaged bird. For a few brief moments the
loud call sounding across the pond announced the presence
of a Stork-billed Kingfisher, who after less than a minute
sitting motionless on a branch, departed silently and vanished
never to be seen again. I felt lucky as this bird which is
normally uncommon in Thailand, had been making regular stops
in this park, but not everyone got to see it. The rest of
the day we spent wandering the markets trying new food and
searching for comfortable clothing that fit us (this was to
be a continuing trial for the rest of the trip). In the afternoon
we laid around the pool and I sat with my binoculars and continued
to watch the constant procession of tropical birds feeding
in one large fruiting tree; 17 species adding a pair of beautiful
Small Minivets to the list and viewing my first stunning male
Black-naped Oriole.
4th February
On Monday we spent most of the day exploring non-wildlife
areas, but visited the famous Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining
Buddha) and had my first encounter with a pair of delightful
Ashy Woodswallows as well as the surprisingly scarce House
Sparrow.
5th February
On Tuesday, our final day in Chatuchak,
the need to dry our clothes sent me to the park. It worked
well and while waiting I watched orioles chase each other
and got to add a few birds to the list. I played hide and
seek with a Greater Coucal that kept flying back and forth
across the path when I wasn't looking, a Green-billed Malkoha
glided across an opening in the woods with its spectacularly
long tail streaming behind it and disappeared in a tree and
the best was close at hand. While walking around a marshy
ditch waiting for a shy waterhen to make a reappearance I
looked down at the marsh and suddenly it occurred to me that
the large single leaf stalk in the marsh might not be a leaf,
and looking through the binocs I saw my first and only male
Cinnamon Bittern frozen for a long time. This was a bird I
always hoped I would see some day in Asia, but never expected
to encounter one, and in the open to boot; incredible!
 Bird
Watching Trips:
Northern, Central and Southern Thailand are all excellent
regions for birdwatching at the right times of the year.
Northern Thailand always has some great birds but the
peak time is between early December and mid-March. The
Central region is best visited between November to early
April for wetland birds and mid-February to July for
forest birds which is more or less the best time to
visit the Southern region too.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com |
6th February
The next day was a day of travel with our wonderful guide
Mr. Chao, which started at dawn heading out to the little-known
bat temple Wat Thasung, and what a sight it was. On the way
we drove through low farming country where brief silhouettes
of ducks in flight that were probably Lesser Whistling Ducks,
frustratingly had to go in the log as a duck sp., and a harrier
flying in between the treeline as we drove towards our destination
was probably an Eastern Marsh Harrier, but who knows; I didn't.
As we rounded the entrance to the temple that could only be
described like a big open hanger, we came to a grove of trees
like an island on the temple grounds and there they were;
hundreds of fruit bats, Lyle's Flying Foxes to be exact. They
were resting, flying and staring at us with their big puppy
faces and suddenly we both missed our dogs, but we wouldn't
trade this moment for anything. Red Collared Doves displayed
to each other, a pair of Small Minivets flew into the tree
next to us, unconcerned with our presence and nearby a Green-billed
Malkoha hid in a tree, just his face peering out of the crown
until he decided to fly. I climbed to the wall where a canal
flowed behind. In a tree I saw a female weaver, but the species
I did not know until I looked across the road and saw a flurry
of bright yellow birds moving about in a low backside tree:
Asian Golden Weavers! They had been increasing in recent years,
but their colonies are still sporadic and not always predictable,
so it was great luck that a colony should be behind this temple
we were visiting. I asked to drive back there for a closer
look and for five minutes was treated to the antics of a male
defending his territory and his unfinished nest against 2
rival males, neither of which was as bright as him, as well
as my first good look of a Greater Coucal and an imm. Plaintive
Cuckoo.
Moving on after a long drive and brief glimpses of roadside
Black Drongos and a White-breasted Kingfisher( I would get
better looks later, what a beauty), we arrived at the dragon
temple Wat Samphran which was incredible and I got to listen
to the very accelerated wrentit-like song of the Plaintive
Cuckoo as it called incessantly, watch a stunning (Chinese)
Ashy Drongo and enjoy great views of a resting Red Collared
Dove and the skies which were filled with open bill storks
as opposed to vultures( vultures are rare and endangered in
Eurasia and other raptors are also considerably scarce) as
would be the case in the USA.
7th February
After a harrowing encounter at the Bangkok train station and
a sleepless overnight haul to the north, we arrived bleary-eyed
at dawn in Chiang Mai. We met a new friend who was a fellow
birder( and national geographic-worthy photographer) through
mutual drama, and found our way to a park while figuring out
travel logistics across from the station. While wandering
around finding all the regulars some new characters showed
up, a beautiful and large Lineated Barbet, and both Sooty-headed
and Red-whiskered Bulbuls, while a pair of coucals characteristically
played hide and seek and we were entertained by the constant
overhead acrobatics of the friendly Ashy Woodswallows.
8th February
The next day we woke up with a plan to find a way up to Bhuping
palace to see some northern mountain birds and while we were
not successful in obtaining many good views of these northern
gems we detected quite a few and his camera aided in identifying
fast-moving shadows in the deep woods. Upon exiting our ride
which had overheated upon reaching our destination, we immediately
heard the call of the Blue-throated Barbet, but as would be
the case with many barbet species on our trip this bird stayed
hidden at the top of the tallest tree in dense foliage, as
did a Great Barbet further downhill. Black-crested Bulbuls,
as well as Sooty-headed Bulbul were always present and always
confiding and a Davison's Leaf Warbler called so close that
cameras couldn't capture it while a beautiful Hill Blue Flycatcher
sat motionless except for the occasional foray giving stunning
views of this bird that no camera could do justice to. As
Black-throated Sunbirds chased each other at lightning speed
making it impossible to get binoculars onto them, brief glimpses
of Blue-winged Leafbird, White-rumped Shama, White-bellied
Erpornis, the strange call of Gray-eyed Bulbul and brief back
views of Large Niltava caused frustration as I knew some of
these birds I wouldn't have another chance to see this trip.
9th February
On our final afternoon before our flight back to Bangkok,
a trip to an arboretum by my girlfriend and I yielded my first
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, a bird that would occasionally
show up and entertain throughout the trip, as well as sooty
form of Ashy Drongo and my first Gray Wagtail of the trip(
not a lifer though, surprisingly.) After a brief misunderstanding
and a frustratingly brief trip back up Doi Suthep, a trip
to the airport and getting turned around looking for our hotel,
we laid down for a short night's sleep in preparation for
a mythical opportunity to see a great park in the coming days.
10th February
We waited for our bus for what seemed like forever, but eventually
we crammed in the back and were off on a long uncomfortable
ride to pak chong. Along the way brief views of Black-winged
Stilts, drongos and once in pak chong the endless small groups
of Ashy Woodswallows on the power lines entertained. After
some communication issues, we obtained a ride to the Khao
Yai garden lodge, which had beautiful grounds, surrounding
woods and a koi pond which gave us much solace during our
problematic stay. While walking around and talking to my girlfriend
about logistics, I was distracted because the grounds were
teeming with birds; a Green-billed Malkoha fed close and unconcerned,
a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo was diving after insects with
its tail streamers saying look at me, and a bird I met up
with in Europe briefly showed, that was almost eclipsed by
all of the exotic Thai wildlife, a Eurasian Hoopoe.
11th February
The next morning I awoke and waited and waited for a songtaew;
everything looked like a potential ride. While waiting at
the roadside over an hour, something along the line of 20+
species came and went. My first Hair-crested Drongos appeared,
albeit on the other side of the street, and all but the briefest
flash of raptor overhead was almost certainly my first black
baza, a bird I have wanted to see since I was a kid. Others
were Green-billed Malkoha, Ashy Minivets, sunbirds, flowerpeckers,
Ashy Drongos, woodswallows and a surreal moment when a Lineated
Barbet briefly took to a lamp post a quarter mile down the
road. The trip to the edge of the park was fun, most common
roadside birds were seen, but then a brief stop to pick up
someone yielded a Racket-tailed Treepie in a planted line
of trees in someone's front yard! Not to be outdone my first
Red-wattled Lapwing entered my field of view in expected habitat
while driving. After sometime the French family and I who
had traveled together found a ride up the mountain, to explore
one of the first truly species rich tropical locations I had
ever been to; the words of the day were unfathomable and overwhelming.
As we traveled up the mountain there wasn't a whole lot to
see but the forms of bulbuls would occasionally appear roadside,
and in the lower elevations, huge flocks of up to 50+ Hair-crested
Drongos adorned the trees in the barren upper branches like
Christmas ornaments. A surreal encounter happened when a Pig-tailed
Macaque was sighted ahead, and as we got close to the site
where it had been I couldn't find it anywhere. Then suddenly
I watched as the monkey mysteriously appeared as it jumped
off the side of our vehicle, it had leapt on, held on to the
side and upon finding no food jumped off, all while we were
moving. This was my first encounter with macaques, but I would
have many more later. Half way up our ride started to have
engine issues, so we managed to find another vehicle willing
to take us up, a fellow American who was sight-seeing in the
park for a day while in the country on business. When we reached
the headquarters, I didn't know where to look. Birds were
calling everywhere. The first thing was barbets; Moustached,
Green-eared and a Blue-eared Barbets filled my ears, just
underneath were the cicadas which could be deafening at times,
especially in the south. Finding a quiet opening away from
the main parking lot I attempted to identify every bird that
came into view with limited success; a female Red Junglefowl,
Thick-billed Green Pigeons, and Mountain Imperial Pigeon,
which was booming it's low call, Scarlet and Brown-rumped
Minivets, Red-rumped and Barn Swallows, Black-crested and
Gray-eyed Bulbuls, Hume's White-eye, but the bird that came
down briefly and eclipsed all the others was a bird I'd wanted
to see before I was a birder, the Asian Fairy Bluebird; what
a stunner. My pictures can't do justice to the exquisite bird,
colored in electric blue, black and with fiery red eyes.
Eventually tearing myself away I moved further on a few feet
to another clearing with a house where I encountered the elegant
and personable White-rumped Shama, and then they sailed onto
the roof, Oriental Pied Hornbills. These birds acted more
like monkeys than birds as they proceeded to investigate and
pry at the satellite dish on the roof. Here even the birds
could pose a problem with equipment; I was definitely in a
strange land. I walked back and in the clearing, a great stroke
of luck was to be had as a flock of 40 Austen's Brown Hornbills
had found there way in and were feeding noisily and actively
in this enormous tree. This is a bird not everyone finds when
they are here, and I counted myself extremely lucky even if
I had not encountered the famed and usually more common great
hornbill. I eventually found my way to the famed headquarters
trail, which while short, could be productive and indeed I
was greeted by the enigmatic sea green male Verditer Flycatcher,
a group of Puff-throated Bulbuls and way up in the tree a
gibbon?, no a giant squirrel, what a beautiful sight with
it's highly contrasting coat. The trail was slow but eventually
I picked up a flock here or there; Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike,
Great Iora, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Gray-headed Canary
Flycatcher, bulbuls and a female Black-naped Monarch. I heard
downhill a loud chatter of calls and then a mythical bird
sailed onto the branch in front of me and called, a Common
Green Magpie, every bit as striking color green as the photos
I'd seen, one of Asia's and the world's most beautiful corvids.
I eventually found the culprit who was raising such a ruckus,
it was a group of White-crested Laughingthrushes, another
bird that has to be seen to be believed and it was accompanied
by 2 seemingly sentinel magpies who would take turns feeding
while the other kept watch. The magpies were accompanying
the laughingthrushes, what amazing symbiotic behavior to witness;
Thailand birds were truly fascinating and beautiful in every
way.
A moment later I heard the mournful call of a Coral-billed
Ground Cuckoo, and another reciprocating from another direction.
I waited until frustrated that I couldn't find them, I decided
to move on, but absolutely grateful that I had gotten to hear
them calling in this one of their last strongholds. A woodpecker
tapped softly in a clearing but could not be located, but
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler and another very photogenic shama
were more than adequate consolation. Eventually it was getting
late and I needed to set out to hitchhike down the mountain.
While waiting for a ride I encountered a small group of birds
that no photo I had ever seen captured the beauty of as they
perched before me; Chestnut-headed Bee-eater. On the ride
down I now could identify the bulbuls and looking up on a
branch overhanging the road 30 feet up...a Blue-bearded Bee-eater!
This is not a bird I anticipated seeing as it is often missed
because of it's sedentary nature, very different from its
cousins. On the ride home to the lodge I saw the silhouettes
of a few parakeets in a tree and supposed they were red-breasted
going to roost as I had read they do.
12th February
The next day I'd figured out the songtaew schedule, and my
girlfriend accompanied me up the mountain. As we ended up
paying for a ride up, we were able to make a stop at a reservoir
where we saw 2 Red-wattled Lapwing, a beautiful if abundant
shorebird of most open disturbed habitats. Then as we were
ascending towards the campsite and the forest grew thicker,
there it was at the side of the road attempting to cross,
but undeterred by our movements, a beautiful male Siamese
Fireback, what a start to the day! Most people have to climb
the radar road or get very lucky further downhill to see this
bird. For whatever I missed seeing, i got to glimpse briefly
but very well one of Thailand's prize birds; simply breathtaking.
Arriving at the Pha Klaui Mai campsite, we found the grounds
teeming with birds, some seen all too briefly as is often
the case here in the tropical forests, 3 barbets all calling
in the same barren tree, a Brown Shrike, a Fire-breasted (not)
Flowerpecker of subspecies cambodium, Asian Fairy
Bluebird and another confiding White-rumped Shama. By a stream
there were several bulbuls, all seen yesterday, a Yellow-browed
Warbler and a Radde's Warbler that fed in the open in some
low wood piles. We ventured onto a relatively steep mostly
birdless trail but encountered Brown-rumped Minivet, Black-winged
Cuckooshrike, and White-bellied Erpornis. We reached the top
of the falls for a rest and I decided to follow the trail
down to see what the view was like, and the view was non-existent,
but for my troubles I had the pleasure of viewing my first
woodpecker in Thailand, the common and stunningly beautiful
Greater Flameback. Moving back up the trail we heard a most
bizarre mechanical sounding alarm call? Eventually the sound
was tracked down to a beautiful photogenic Blue Whistlingthrush,
which I was delighted to get to show her, and I had seen briefly
in bad light in Hong Kong.
At the campsite I attempted to find the famous stakeout spot
for furtive ground-dwelling birds and supposing I had found
it, sat motionless and eventually a few birds showed up, though
mostly in the tangles; a Hainan Blue Flycatcher, a brief tail-wiggling
female Siberian Blue Robin and a bathing pair of Abbot's Babblers
that were within arms reach. Walking around the campground
I found a few mostly hidden Pin-striped Tit-babblers calling
and a pair of exquisite Blue-winged Leafbirds which seemed
to magically hide when ever the camera clicked. As it was
getting late and the campground was clearing out, we became
nervous about finding a ride and while discussing which way
to start walking to the visitors center a few more birds showed
up, a beautiful pair of Red Junglefowl and another Blue-bearded
Bee-eater appeared seemingly unconcerned by our presence despite
our loud conversation.
A man gave us a ride back to the headquarters and we were
on our way to find another ride down the mountain. While waiting
an iridescent flash of green briefly revealed the unmistakable
form of an Asian Emerald Cuckoo in a tree behind the headquarters,
and after a macaque stole a bag of mangoes from under our
noses, we were moving down hill with a sweet couple. On the
ride down on seemingly the same overhanging branch was perched
another Blue-bearded Bee-eater; he seemed to fair this spot.
The couple we got a ride with wanted to stop at an overlook,
where a Verditer Flycatcher was close in full sunlight; stunning.
A strange cuckoo like call later was determined to have been
an Orange-breasted Trogon, frustratingly enough, but it was
time to move on. We had dinner our last night at a delicious
fusion restaurant based around pig with a very friendly and
attentive staff.
13th February
We woke up the next morning to catch a long, but comfortable
ride to the airport. Along the way were Ashy Woodswallows
by the hundreds, and 2 exceedingly large long-tailed birds
that perched on a wire in a disturbed unwooded construction
site, all too briefly to recognize they were probably Red-billed
Blue Magpies; strange.
We landed in Phuket after dark, and after getting our bearings,
and finding a place to do laundry with a dryer (woohoo!),
settled down for the night.
14th February
In the morning we went to the roof to investigate the pool.
It was a glorious morning as we relaxed in the pool, by the
side and I watched the nearby wetland, and we had it all to
ourselves. While there I saw my first Pacific Swallows, and
a Western Osprey appeared briefly to fish. Wandering around
looking for food we came across this delightful little restaurant,
run by artists, and a dedicated gardener. It was the first
time on our trip we really felt like we'd met some really
cool like-minded people and this would be the case throughout
south Thailand, especially Krabi, where art installations
and nouveau cuisine mixed freely with traditional thai coastal
life. A brief glimpse without binoculars, frustratingly, revealed
my first Asian Glossy Starlings hanging out on a electric
pole. We caught a ride down to our next destination where
along the way north of the adult Disneyland that is Patong
Beach, I saw my first good look at the silhouette of a Pacific
Reef Egret, a bird I remember from nature documentaries as
a kid. Upon arriving at the keemala resort, which was everything
we wanted and more, I enjoyed the views of the beach as well
as the lush hillside vegetation and noticed quickly standing
on our balcony 2 things, the bevy of birds in the sky and
that from our balcony I could see everyone else's bungalow
and they could see mine so birding would have to be done carefully
so as not to upset other customers. That evening I got my
first looks at Oriental Honey-buzzards, several of them, a
small accipter perched briefly on a hill that was most likely
a Japanese Sparrowhawk, Grey-rumped Treeswifts, as well as
House Swift and Germain's Swiftlets plus my first views of
the common, but beautiful and spirited Plain-throated Sunbird.
My girlfriend and I explored the grounds and were delighted
by an active family of Olive-winged Bulbuls and a Gray Wagtail.
This place had all the amenities of a resort, without the
push to do activities and the obtrusiveness; you were free
to make this experience what you wanted of it. It was very
expensive, but worth every penny and welcome respite from
everywhere we had stayed.
15th February
All day doing touristy things in and around our accommodation.
16th February
The next morning I awoke to a loud piercing sound, the culprit
was a White-breasted Kingfisher, a beautiful, and suprisingly
common bird of open environments. In the tree nearest our
abode, a bird called mostly hidden, that after a few minutes
revealed itself, my first spiderhunter, a Little Spiderhunter.
Also in the same tree was a drongo that I studied for some
time and decided, was a Crow-billed Drongo; what luck. This
was our last day here and she was sleeping in so I did a watch
outside the front of our bungalow, where I wouldn't be disturbing
anyone or mistaken for a pervert. It was a glorious morning;
Olive-winged Bulbuls, Honey-buzzards, my first Black Baza
(among the most ornate of raptors), coucals, a heard only
Blue-eared Barbet and a bird that paintings and photos don't
prepare you for in life, the tiny, brilliant Orange-bellied
Flowerpecker. We said goodbye to our flirtation with prestige,
and headed to our modest accomodation at Kata beach. Upon
arrival I saw 3 Brahminy Kites circling a nearby hill...beautiful.
the next morning we arose and walked down to a park where
I was delighted by commoners like mynas, rollers which I hadn't
seen in a few days, a pair of beautiful Brahminy Kites and
an unexpected pair of female/ imm. Pink-necked Green Pigeons.
The rest of the day was spent wandering.
17th February
the next morning we arose ready for a trip to Tonsai pier,
to take a ferry to the Phi Phi Islands.Seas were calm and
quiet for birds at first, but as we neared the islands activity
picked up a little with unidentified tern sp. , and a Brahminy
Kite fishing near commercial boats. As we neared port there
was one bird above all I was hoping to see, and my apprehensions
were lifted when several hundred yards out I could see them,
flying back and forth, lining the big dead limbs on the ridge
and grouping in the palms lining the shore; Pied Imperial
Pigeons! I would not miss them, in fact they would prove to
be the most abundant bird on the island.
18th February
The next morning I awoke at dawn eager to see what was around,
and there was a nice group of Pied Imperial Pigeons right
in front of our cabin. Walking on I was entertained by koels,
coucals, close foraging Plain-throated and Olive-backed Sunbirds,
and tame an active pigeons who posed for the best pictures
of the trip. Walking down the beach I watched beautiful Brahminy
Kites soaring overhead. Later a return from lunch yielded
a very close offshore Pacific Reef Egret. In the afternoon
I took a walk up a back country road which yielded my first
majestic White-bellied Sea Eagles, an entertaining Greater
Racket-tailed Drongo and my only Crimson Sunbird, which pictures
can't even possibly do justice to. The rest of the day was
spent wandering and eventually deciding that after tomorrow
we were going to take the early ferry back to Krabi.
19th February
The afternoon ferry ride was considerably birdier than yesterday
and along the way I saw Common Terns, as well as my first
Lesser-crested and Black-naped Terns, which I've wanted to
see since I was a teenager. Arriving near shore I recognized
the flap-glide flight of a Common Sandpiper. After a tasty
lunch in front of Krabi Town's famous giant crab statue, we
arrived at the fantastically birdy Maritime Spa and Resort.
While walking around that evening I encountered sunbirds,
bulbuls, swiftlets, and a Blue Whistlingthrush near the entrance
feeding in vegetation. I had a moment of excitement when I
thought I'd found a Green-backed Flycatcher, however it turned
out to be a cute ball of fluff fledgling Black-naped Oriole,
and the adult stood close by watching the youngster and me.
A real cool moment happened when something sailed onto the
trunk of the tree...a flying lizard, I didn't know they were
found there.
20th February
The next day a brief afternoon session turned up a family
of tailorbirds and my first Common Flameback, which called
loudly but played hide and seek until finally it landed on
a tree in front of me, stunning.
21st February
The next day we wondered over to hat noppharat for a swim
and in the casuarina trees in town and at the river mouth
I found ioras, a tailorbird and a flock of sandplovers on
the far shore, most likely lesser. In town while waiting for
the bus to take us back I was delighted by the intrepid Olive-backed
Sunbirds, Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers, Coppersmith Barbets
and surprised by a Blue-eared Barbet that landed briefly.
22nd February
The next morning I woke up early to catch a ride to the famous
Khao Nor Chuchi, my day in the forest of southern Thailand;
I couldn't wait. I sat on a rock and ate a small lunch outside
the gates and while waiting I sighted my first vibrant Black-headed
Bulbuls, a Crested Goshawk soared overhead, unidentified flowerpeckers,
and Red-throated Barbets called unseen from all directions
frustratingly. Walking down the wide jeep track birds were
scarce, but bulbuls were much in evidence and eventually I
came to a clearing where I found a nice assortment of birds;
a female Rufous-winged Philentoma, Black-headed, Red-eyed,
Spectacled, Cream-vented, and Streaked Bulbuls and a Moustached
Babbler that appeared at eye level foraging. I heard a loud
chattering in front of me and was entertained for 10 minutes
as two of the world's smallest woodpeckers argued and hunted
oblivious to my presence; a pair of Rufous Piculets. Birding
was slow but as I continued on to the emerald pool and eventually
to the blue hole I encountered Gray-breasted and Purple-naped
Spiderhunters, Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers, a female Red-throated
Barbet, a Great Iora and an unexpected highlight in the form
of a male Vernal Hanging Parrot thirty feet away in a fifteen
foot tree...what luck! After failing to find any of the trails,
I finally located trail B, and decided to turn back when I
encountered a less than sturdy stream crossing. I found a
nice opening in the woods where a number of birds were feeding,
Buff-vented and Ochraceous Bulbuls, Arctic and Eastern Crowned
Warblers, a Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and a bird that may have
been a Brown-streaked Flycatcher. I was disappointed not to
detect and broadbills, trogons or pittas, but counted myself
very lucky to see Rufous Piculets, a Rufous-winged Philentoma
and Vernal Hanging Parrot as well as a wealth of bulbuls I
would probably never encounter again.
Arriving back at the hotel I wandered around the hotel grounds
finding a trail to a dock in the mangrove-lined river where
I encountered the range-restricted and mighty Brown-winged
Kingfisher. Continuing on I found a marvelous pair of the
uncommon Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, a bird many miss in Krabi,
as well as Ashy Minivet, Olive-winged Bulbuls and a Gray Wagtail.
This was also my first encounter with the bold and mischievous
Long-tailed Macaques.
23rd February
All day spent in and around Krabi and Hat Nopparat Thara Beach
doing touristy things.
24th February
The next morning I walked to the mangrove boardwalk where
I was greeted by a pair of the stunning turquoise Collared
Kingfishers. Traveling on I encountered a Brown-winged Kingfisher,
and found a pair of Chestnut-bellied Malkohas. A troupe of
Long-tailed Macaques terrorized a woman and her daughter and
I calmly made my way past them until I was past the last young
one and they stopped eye-balling and following me. I kept
hearing this bizarre call that I did not identify til later
as a Brown-winged Kingfisher and if anyone had told me at
the time that's what it was, I would have been incredulous.
Later that day after a quick trip to Hat Noppharat, we were
on our way to the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary, a humane sanctuary
that encouraged rehabilitation over entertainment, though
the elephants delighted in us feeding them, and bathing them
was soul-healing. While walking to a mud waller someone pointed
a bird out and I thanked them for the best look and photo
of Greater Coucal I had yet, but looking up at a group of
3 small birds fly catching at the top of a dead tree I was
perplexed. Upon taking photos I was surprised to see they
were the rare and range-restricted Black-thighed Falconets.
Wow, what a bird.
25th February
After a long last morning hoping to find Mangrove Pitta and
refind any kingfishers or malkohas for better photos, we ventured
on to the airport for our flight to Seoul. While waiting to
go through security a final Brown Shrike made an appearance.
While waiting at the gate I was entertained by my final swifts,
Pacific Swallows and a pond heron, but Thailand had one last
gift to give. There they were, my first Eurasian pipit species;
it was not to be Meadow Pipit in Europe, Olive-backed or Red-throated
Pipits in Korea, but Paddyfield Pipits in Thailand. We lifted
off and I watched the unusual pattern the sea of oil palms
made below, lamenting the loss of 95% of southern Thailand's
lowland rainforests. After a layover in Bangkok where I said
goodbye to the parting mynas and openbills, we transferred
in Seoul, then a stop in Detroit and we were home. We were
all happy to be in our own beds, see our pups, but the birds,
the culture of Thailand had changed us in profound ways that
continue and having falling in love with this country, as
of the completion of this report, I will be leaving in exactly
one day, so if you are in Thailand, perhaps I will see you
in the field.
Michael Autin |
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