Wet Season Birding Tour of Thailand, 17-25th July 2008

Introduction
Although the wet season is not noted as the prime birding time in Thailand there are a number of species which are easier to see at this time of year, and for those whose holidays fall in this season there is still plenty of good birding to be had as this trip proved.

Robert King is one of those whose holiday dictates when he can travel and he came to Thailand with a realistic idea of what he could see at this time of year; both Robert and myself were very pleasantly surprised with how many species we were able to find.

One of the benefits of travelling in Thailand at this time of year is that there are few other people around and there is no need to book hotels in advance, making for a lot of flexibility. With the lack of tourists this is a good time of year to get a good deal on car hire and accommodation too.

Car Hire
Thai Rent a car was used for both the Petchaburi and Chiang Mai legs of the trip with a 2 door Toyota Vigo being upgraded to the 4 door version at both locations. In Bangkok I collected the car from Thai Rent a car's office on Petchaburi Road at 10pm (after hours pickup and dropoff is allowed from the office, with a free delivery service in office hours) on 16th July and dropped it off again at 10pm on the 19th. In Chiang Mai the vehicle was delivered and collected from our hotel at 8pm in the evening.

Other Travel
Robert and I travelled from Bangkok's Morchit bus station to Chiang Mai in a "VIP" bus. In reality the VIP means that there is more leg room, the drivers are more professional and take turns rather than keeping awake with drugs and coffee and that the journey is far less arduous all round.

The fare at the time was 600 baht per person. The trip takes 9 hours and is actually fairly easy going and a cheap alternative to flying. Robert flew back to Bangkok; the one way trip cost around 2500 baht including taxes.

Accommodation
At Kaeng Krachan we stayed at the very pleasant and reasonably-priced Baan Maka Nature Resort.
In Chiang Mai we stayed in the Traveller's Inn Hotel on Loi Kroh Road. This is reasonably priced at 600 baht per night for an air-conditioned room, although the rooms are a little tired but clean.
At Doi Inthanon we stayed at the pleasant Inthanonon Highland Resort.
At Doi Ang Kang we stayed at the pleasant bright blue hotel which is on the back street of Ban Khoom: the rooms are clean and have hot showers.

Notes on Finding Birds
Although birds were in a much lower density than in the dry season, we still managed to see a high number of species. In fact many of the resident birds are much easier to find at this time of year as they are still breeding, although they are more active in June.

Many birders take an afternoon break in the dry season and while this time of day is less productive than the morning or late afternoon, staying out all day will result in more birds. This was particularly true on this trip and all our best birding in the north was between 10am and 2pm after the sun had burned off the morning rain/mist and before the afternoon rain began. In fact, any break in the rain usually resulted in flourish of bird activity and if we had taken afternoon breaks we would have missed most of the best species.

As always, patience and perseverance is rewarded and by staying out when others would have stopped for an early lunch or dinner we came across good birds such as Blue Pitta and White-crowned Forktail. Remaining patient through the periods when nothing is seen is vital and will be rewarded with key birds. In Thailand's forests it is not unusual to go 1 hour or more without identifying a single bird and those who accept this as part of birding in Thailand can stay patient and find more birds.

Knowing the calls of some birds is vital, without knowledge of the calls we would have missed most of the broadbills, both pittas, many of the woodpeckers, laughingthrushes and babblers along with many other species.

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. Raptors of the World by James Ferguson-Lees & David Christie
4. A Guide to the Large Mammals of Thailand by John Parr.

Birding Highlights

Tung Bang Jak: Streaked Weaver, Asian Golden Weaver, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Black Bittern, Watercock, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, Lesser Whistling Duck.
Laem Pak Bia: Spot-billed Pelican, Malaysian Plover, Painted Stork, Collared Kingfisher.
Kaeng Krachan: Great Hornbill, Tickell's Brown Hornbill, Blue Pitta, Blue-winged Pitta, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Banded Kingfisher, Black-backed Kingfisher, Banded Broadbill, Black-and-red Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Green Magpie, Sultan Tit, Rufous-bellied Eagle.
Doi Inthanon: Silver-eared Mesia, Black-throated Parrotbill, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Green-tailed Sunbird, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Slaty-backed Forktail, Spotted Owlet.
Huay Tueng Tao: Asian Barred Owlet, Rufous Treepie, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Bright-headed Cisticola, Chestnut-tailed Starling.
Doi Ang Kang: Giant Nuthatch, White-browed Laughingthrush, White-crowned Forktail, Spot-throated Babbler, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Crested Finchbill.

Daily log

17th July : After collecting Robert from the Majestic Grande Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 2 we arrived at Tung Bang Jak a little before 7am. Stopping just a short way from the main road we found a large number of wetland and open-country species; Asian Golden Weaver, Streaked Weaver, Yellow Bittern, Cinnamon Bitttern, Asian Openbill, Baya Weaver, Javan Pond Heron - all species that are regular at this spot but impressive none the less. One of the benefits of birding in the wet season is a few species that are not present in the dry and we had a nice view of a male Watercock and a couple of flyover Black Bitterns.

A few hours at this spot can be quite overwhelming for first time visitors to Thailand as the number of species that can be seen is high. After adding Indochinese Bushlark, Ashy Woodswallow, Purple Heron and Chestnut Munia to the list we made a stop for Pheasant-tailed Jacana and Bronze-winged Jacana before lunch at a small restaurant.

After lunch a scout around the area produced an Osprey feeding in a tree and a small number of returning shorebirds; Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank and Long-toed Stint. Nearby in a flock of Asian Palm Swifts we picked out a few Germain's Swiftlets which are easily separated by their more rounded wings and pale rump patch.

Heading towards Laem Pak Bia we stopped at the King's Project area where a single Spot-billed Pelican was circling before landing on a pool and 7 Painted Storks were strutting around. This area is always good for close-up views of a number of waterbirds and photography. Birds that were presenting themselves for viewing on this occasion included an unseasonal Grey Heron, Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron,Javan Pond Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Red-wattled Lapwing and Black-winged Stilt..

Juvenile Little Cormorant (Photo by Nick Upton)

Black-crowned Night Heron (Photo by Nick Upton)

At this time of year there are a few migrant shorebirds around so we decided to take a walk along the boardwalk that runs out the back of the King's Project through the mangroves which leads to some platforms that give a view across the mudflats. On the way to the mudflats we found Golden-bellied Gerygone, Collared Kingfisher, Common Iora and Pied Fantail. Overlooking the mudflats we found some waders; a small number of Common Greenshank, about 40 Lesser Sand Plovers, around 12 Greater Sand Plovers, 6-7 Kentish Plovers, 3 Malaysian Plovers and 20-30 Red-necked Stints. With rain threatening we headed back to the car finding a few Green Bee-eaters and a Paddyfield Pipit on coastal flats before taking the 1 hour drive to Ban Maka.

18th July : We had breakfast at 5am and a fantastic first bird of the day was a beautiful Blue-winged Pitta! I heard this bird calling from behind one of the bungalows at Ban Maka and eventually it revealed itself on the lawn of the guesthouse, giving us superb views of it as it foraged for its own breakfast.

After this excitement we got into Kaeng Krachan national park for 6.20am. Our aim was to head straight to Ban Krang but we made a stop at a pool beside the entrance road where we had great views of a pair of Black-and-red Broadbills, a pair of flyover Great Hornbills, a Black-thighed Falconet and a Greater Flameback. This prevented us from getting to Ban Krang as early as would have liked but for these birds it was a worthwhile stop.

The gate to go uphill is usually closed at 7.30am but for some reason the guards were very relaxed about the up and down times during our stay and we were able to proceed beyond the campsite at about 7.45am. Only a few metres past the gate was a group of birders watching a mass of species in a fruiting tree, so we stopped. The tree was just feet away from the road and was full of Thick-billed Pigeons and bulbuls as well as containing 2 Great Hornbills and a few Oriental Pied Hornbills - fantastic. Even more fantastic was a Rufous-bellied Eagle which scared off all the pigeons and bulbuls but perched nearby to give everyone an excellent view.

This proved to be one of the best day's birding ever in terms of quality species. We saw a pair of active and noisy banded Broadbills just before stream 1 and a pair of Great Slaty Woodpeckers right at stream 1. Whilst trying to locate a calling Blue Pitta and large flock of Brown Hornbills came in and showed themselves nicely, either side of stream 1 and a female Heart-spotted Woodpecker showed well in between streams 1 and 2.

Our run of good birds continued after a packed lunch with Green Magpie and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush on a loop trail between streams 2 and 3 where we also had fantastic views of a male Banded Kingfisher - a species more often heard than seen. These species were interspersed by some of the more common birds such as Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Rufous-fronted Babbler, Spot-necked Babbler and Ochraceous Bulbul but other excellent birds we found were Streak-breasted Woodpecker, White-browed Piculet and a Black-backed Kingfisher which perched right in front of us with a small lizard in its bill.

A fantastic day's birding with a total of 51 species. It was interesting to note that this was the sunniest and birdiest day of the whole trip.

19th July : With so many species in the bag we decided to devote some time to finding at least one Pitta given that they were calling so frequently. We got to Ban Krang early and continued beyond stream 2 to take a walk on the loop trail. The trail was a little quiet but we had excellent views of Orange-breasted Trogon and saw a few Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes. No Pittas were calling in the morning though.

On the dirt track we had nice views of Sultan Tit, always a good bird.

This day was very slow in terms of birds, with very overcast weather and a few short showers. Persistence paid off though and we finally caught up with 2 Silver-breasted Broadbills, a species which is usually fairly easy at Kaeng Krachan but elusive on this visit.

Other nice birds were Scarlet Minivet, Hainan Blue Flycatcher and Grey-headed Woodpecker along with a Buff-rumped Woodepcker in a mixed flock. We had to work hard for the birds throughout the day, staying on the trail all day long but we were rewarded in the end with fine views of Blue Pitta on the loop trail near stream 3 - an excellent bird as reward for a lot of walking.

On the way out of the park we stopped for Black-thighed Falconet, Blue-bearded Bee-eater and Coppersmith Barbet before heading to Bangkok, a journey of about 3 hours.

20th July : All day travelling to Chiang Mai.

21st July : Leaving Chiang Mai at 5am we arrived at the park gates of Doi Inthanon at 6.15am. A stop at Km 13 proved fruitless and at Km 18 we only heard the Slaty-backed Forktails although White-rumped Munia and Himalayan Swiftlet were present. We made it a hat-trick of missed stakeout birds at Vatcharitan waterfall where we glimpsed Slaty-backed Forktail as it flew away and saw no sign of Plumbeous Redstart - bad start to the day.

Things didn't get much better as we ran into the cloud shortly beyond HQ and at 37.5 it was very wet. However, out determination paid off and we found a Small Niltava and a couple of Yellow-cheeked Tits. For the phylloscopus enthusiasts things were easy as most species are absent at this time of year and birds in song revealed most to be White-tailed Leaf Warblers although a couple of Blyth's were to be found.

The jeep track entrance is now very overgrown but the trail itself opens up quickly. In the rain it was difficult birding but we picked up a number of the more common birds such as Golden Babbler, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta and Large Niltava. An exciting interlude was provided by a Green Cochoa at 400m; the bird was calling and moving around a lot but in more than 30 minutes we got no more than a glimpse of it flying through the canopy - certainly not enough for a tick. Slaty-bellied Tesias and Pygmy Wren Babblers were calling all around but none came out on show.

The summit usually provides good birds but with hard rain and a crowd of people things looked bad. Chesnut-tailed Minlas were busy feeding on scraps at the coffee kiosks but other birds were thin on the ground. However, a few hours on the boardwalk revealed all the usual suspects when we had a break in the rain: Yellow-bellied Fantail, Green-tailed Sunbird, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Dark-backed Sibia, Rufous-winged Fulvetta and Ashy-throated Warbler. White-browed Shortwing proved extremely numerous and easy to see presenting some opportunities that made both of us wish we were photographers.

A very late lunch at Mr Daeng's and a look through his log book turned up some very dubious entries as well as some useful information. Food was good and a huge helping for just 30 baht.

A walk along the jeep trail at Km 34.5 was painfully slow with White-tailed Robins calling but not showing. For a long time all we saw was a couple of Mountain Tailorbirds and a Black-throated Sunbird. As the trail emerged into secondary growth a few birds turned up but we didn't manage to see many of them. Just as we were heading back and as the rain began we got superb close-up views of a group of Black-throated Parrotbills which made the agonizing hour and a half of birdless walking seem worth it.

Heading down the mountain we got good views of Slaty-backed Forktail at Vatcharitan waterfall and Rufous Treepie and Spotted Owlet in the gardens of Inthanon Highland Resort before having an excellent dinner.

22nd July : Into the park by 6am which was still a bit dark. However, a much better start to the day was Red-billed Blue Magpie just past the park gates.

A mistake though was to head to the summit at this time as heavy rain made a cup of hot chocolate the only sighting.

We gave the jeep trail at Km 37.5 another go but the weather really made things hard. White-throated Fantail, Lesser racket-tailed Drongo and Brown-throated Treecreeper were scant reward for our efforts but we did manage some good views of a few birds that we had only briefly seen previously.

Lunch again at Mr Daeng's - very welcome.

An unlikely event was the day's best birding at midday to 2pm. A huge feeding flock of birds at the campsite included Mountain Bulbuls, Short-billed Minivets, White-browed Piculet, White-bellied Yuhina, Blue-throated Barbet, Green Magpie, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Golden Babbler, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babbler, Black-naped Monarch, Streaked Spiderhunter and White-tailed Leaf Warbler. We moved to nearby Siripum waterfall where there was no River Chat but some more good flocks of birds which allowed us to add Silver-eared Mesia, Speckled Piculet and White-browed Shrike-babbler to the day's list.

We made an attempt on the species that are specialities of Km 13 but even at 4-5.30pm it was dead. We saw few birds, just a couple of Sooty-headed Bulbuls, a Common Flameback and a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, although Collared Falconets were numerous and tame. After this hot and sweaty walk we went back to Chiang Mai for dinner.

23rd July : A bit of a lie-in as our destination, Huay Tueng Tao, is only 20 minutes from the town centre of Chiang Mai. We arrived a little before 7am where the sign said no-entry before 7. Ignoring this we were birding by 6.45am.

Bird finding was tricky due to the large amount of foliage on the trees; things are far easier here in the dry season. However, a group of Rufous Treepies showed themselves nicely and a noisy Greater Racket-tailed Drongo led us into a copse where we found the resident siamensis race of Asian Brown Flycatcher. Common Iora also showed itself as did fly-past Cinnamon Bittern and Lesser Whistling Ducks. A nice sight was an Asian Barred Owlet - common enough here but nice all the same.

The agricultural area at the back of the site was easier and we picked up Bright-headed Cisticola, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Zitting Cisticola, Pied Bushchat and Green Bee-eater although a calling Chinese Francolin was far too far away to be seen. Other interesting birds were 3 Chestnut-tailed Starlings and a male Plaintive Cuckoo.

After an early lunch we headed towards Doi Ang Kang, arriving at our first birding stop at about 2.15. Amazingly things were pretty active and we soon had nice views of White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Black Bulbul, Grey-chinned Minivet and Whiskered Yuhina. Bulbuls area feature of Doi Ang Kang and although they are not perhaps the most exciting birds we came across Brown-breasted Bulbul at the Chinese Cemetery and Crested Finchbill at Km 21. The Finchbill can be an elusive bird at certain times of the year, but on this trip it was very easy to see.

A trip to the army camp for Red-faced Liocichla was aborted due to thick cloud and it was difficult to add new species to our list with Yellow-bellied Warbler being one of the few.

Dinner was taken in the restaurant of the Nature Resort - very good indeed.

24th July : The penultimate day of our trip and one of the birdiest. The weather pattern was the same with early rain and mist followed by dry spells and afternoon rain.

Our first stop was the Mae Per forest trail. Although the rain made things slow we got some nice birds here. White-headed Bulbul was good as was a party of 4 Spot-breasted Parrotbills. The rich song of Spot-throated babbler led us to eventually get good if brief views of it and we flushed a Mountain Bamboo Partridge as we exited the trail.

A breakfast/lunch in the village led us to walk the trail running through farmland from Ban Khoom towards Ban Luang whilst the rain was on the higher ground. It was very muddy and slippery but we found some nice species: White-browed Laughingthrush, Long-tailed Shrike, Plain Sunbird as well as many bulbuls, Verditer Flycatchers and Blue-throated Barbets. This trail is always good if it is raining higher up as some of the birds seem to get forced down by the weather - White-browed Laughingthrush is easy along here.

Later we moved back to Km 25 on the Ban Arunothai road hoping for some parrotbills. We didn't see them but we did get nice looks at a Stripe-breasted Woodpecker and Striated Bulbuls as well as Siberian Stonechat and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker along the way. Feeling encouraged by our afternoon sessions we went to look for Giant Nuthatch at Km 31. Unfortunately most of the pines that Giant Nuthatch uses have been severely damaged by humans. We didn't find the nuthatch but a Scaly Thrush was a nice consolation.

Trying the Mae Per trail again gave us a flock of Ashy Bulbuls but it rained so hard that we had to head back and the thunder was incredibly loud, seemingly originating just above our heads! I took a rainy photograph just to remind visitors that it is not always sunny in Thailand.

25th July : With Giant Nuthatch as our primary target we were at Km 31 early and in the fog! However, with just a few trees that are used by the nuthatch it was relatively easy to find one - an excellent result. This area was quite birdy so we stayed and found Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay and a number of other species.

It's always nice to get a target species and as we were satisfied we moved along to Km 25. Once again we found nice birds here, notably Grey Treepie (which is quite reliable here in the mornings), Golden-throated Barbet and Yellow-eyed Babbler.

With our stomachs complaining we went back to Ban Khoom for some food and gave the Mae Per trail another go. Although it was raining on and off our efforts were rewarded by a White-crowned Forktail on the trail, some Hill Prinias in the undergrowth and some excellent views of Silver-eared Mesia; a bird I never tire of.

With the time already 1pm we decided we wanted to try our luck at Wat Tam Plapong near Doi Chiang Dao. The journey took just over 1.5 hours but it quickly seemed that we had stretched our fortune too far with very little activity here. We were hoping for Streaked Wren Babbler but with so many monks sweeping the stairs it was a fruitless search, better to try the morning for this species. We did add a few birds to our trip list here, but Puff-throated Bulbul and Grey-throated Babbler didn't seem like the right way to end this excellent trip so we walked down the road a little and the bird I was hoping for showed up - a Black-hooded Oriole. It was a juvenile but it gave us a good view and stuck around for a while. This seemed like a suitable bird to finish with so we walked back to the car.

The drive back to Chiang Mai took a little over hour, the traffic being light due to it being the non-tourist season.

Nick Upton (nickupton@thaibirding.com)

Tung Bang Jak: TBJ
Laem Pak Bia: LPB
King's Project: KP
Kaeng Krachan: KK

Doi Inthanon: DI
Huay Tueng Tao: HTT
Doi Ang Kang: DAK
Wat Tamplapong, Chiang Dao: CD

1. Mountain Bamboo Partridge: 1 on Mae Per Trail DAK.
2. Red Junglefowl: A few small groups at KK.
3. Lesser Whistling Duck: Small flocks TBJ & HTT.
4. Little Grebe: A few at KP.
5. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker: 1 DAK.
6. Stripe-breasted Woodpecker: 3, DAK.
7. Speckled Piculet: 1, DI.
8. White-browed Piculet: Several at KK, 2 at DI, 1 DAK.
9. Buff-rumped Woodpecker: 1, KK.
10. Heart-spotted Woodpecker: 1f, KK.
11. Streak-breasted Woodpecker: 1, KK.
12. Grey-headed Woodpecker: 1, KK.
13. Common Flameback: 1, DI.
14. Greater Flameback: 3, KK.
15. Great Slaty Woodpecker: 2, KK .
16. Green-eared Barbet: A few at KK.
17. Golden-throated Barbet: 1 DAK.
18. Blue-throated Barbet: 1 DI, a few DAK.
19. Blue-eared Barbet: A few seen, KK.
20. Coppersmith Barbet: 3, KK.
21. Oriental Pied Hornbill: Several seen, KK.
22. Great Hornbill: Fairly abundant, KK.
23. Tickell's Brown Hornbill: A large flock, KK.
24. Orange-breasted Trogon: 3, KK.
25. Red-headed Trogon: 1f, DI 37.5km jeep track.
26. Banded Kingfisher: 1m seen, KK.
27. White-throated Kingfisher: Several, TBJ, LPB, KK, HTT.
28. Collared Kingfisher: Several, LPB.
29. Black-backed Kingfisher: 1 adult bringing a lizard to a nest hole.
30. Blue-bearded Bee-eater: A couple, KK.
31. Green Bee-eater: Abundant, TBJ, HTT.
32. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: Abundant, TBJ.
33. Greater Coucal: TBJ, LPB, KK.
34. Lesser Coucal: 1 DAK.
35. Plaintive Cuckoo: 1, HTT.
36. Asian Koel: A few, TBJ.
37. Green-billed Malkoha: 1 DI, 1 DAK.
38. Indian Roller: Several, TBJ, KK, 1 at HTT.
39. Dollarbird: A few, KK.
40. Hoopoe: 1 LPB, 1 DAK.
41. Himalyan Swiftlet: Abundant DI & DAK.
42. Germain's Swiftlet: A few, LPB.
43. Asian Palm Swift: Everywhere.
44. Fork-tailed Swift: DI & DAK.
45. Brown-backed Needletail: Several, KK.
46. Asian Barred Owlet: 1 seen, HTT.
47. Spotted Owlet: 1 at Inthanon Highland Resort, DI.
48. Rock Pigeon: TBJ, LPB.
49. Spotted Dove: TBJ, LPB, KK, HTT, DAK.
50. Red-collared Dove: TBJ, LPB.
51. Peaceful Dove: TBJ, LPB.
52. Thick-billed Green Pigeon: About 40, KK.
53. Emerald Dove: 2, KK.
54. White-breasted Waterhen: Several, TBj, LPB & 2 at KK.
55. Watercock: 1m, TBJ
56. Pheasant-tailed Jacana: 2 TBJ.
57. Bronze-winged Jacana: Several, TBJ.
58. Marsh Sandpiper: 1 LPB.
59. Common Greenshank: A few, LPB.
60. Spotted Redshank: 12, LPB.
61. Wood Sandpiper: A few, TBJ.
62. Red-necked Stint: A few, LPB.
63. Long-toed Stint: A few, LPB.
64. Black-winged Stilt: Many, TBJ, LPB, KP.
65. Little Ringed Plover: A few, LPB.
66. Oriental Pratincole: 20-30, TBJ.
67. Kentish Plover: A few, LPB.
68. Malaysian Plover: 3, LPB.
69. Lesser Sand Plover: 30-40, LPB.
70. Greater Sand Plover: 10-20, LPB.
71. Red-Wattled Lapwing: Abundant, TBJ, HTT.
72. Little Tern: Several, LPB.
73. Brahminy Kite: A few, LPB.
74. Osprey: 1, LPB.
75. Shikra: 1m, DAK.
76. Crested Goshawk: 1, CD.
77. Crested Serpent Eagle: Several, KK.
78. Rufous-bellied Eagle: 1, KK.
79. Black-shouldered Kite: 2, TBJ.
80. Collared Falconet: Abundant on Km 13 trail, DI.
81. Black-thighed Falconet: Several, KK.
82. Little Cormorant: A few at TBJ, many at LPB, KP.
83. Indian Cormorant: Many, LPB, KP.
84. Little Egret: Many, TBJ, LPB, KP, 1 at KK.
85. Great Egret: Many TBJ, LPB, KP.
86. Cattle Egret: Many, TBJ, LPB, KK.
87. Grey Heron: 1, KP.
88. Javan Pond Heron: Abundant, TBJ, LPB.
89. Black-crowned Night Heron: Many, KP.
90. Little Heron: Several, LPB, KP.
91. Yellow Bittern: Many, TBJ.
92. Cinnamon Bittern: Many, TBJ, 1 HTT.
93. Black Bittern: 2, TBJ.
94. Painted Stork: 2, TBJ, many at LPB, 7 at KP.
95. Asian Openbill: Very abundant TBJ.
96. Spot-billed Pelican: 1, KP.
97. Blue Pitta: 1 seen well at KK.
98. Blue-winged Pitta: 1 seen on the lawn at Ban Maka, KK.
99. Black-and-red Broadbill: A pair, KK.
100. Silver-breasted Broadbill: A pair, KK.
101. Banded Broadbill: A very noisy pair, KK.
102. Blue-winged Leafbird: Several, KK.
103. Golden-fronted Leafbird: A few, Km 13 DI.
104. Asian Fairy Bluebird: A few, KK.
105. Long -tailed Shrike: Several, TBJ, KP, DAK.
106. Black Drongo: 20-30, TBJ, LPB & 2 at HTT.
107. Ashy Drongo: 2 mouhoti, DI, DAK.
108. Bronzed Drongo: Common, KK, DI, DAK.
109. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo: 1 DI, 1 DAK.
110. Spangled (Hair-crested) Drongo: 2 or 3, KK.
111. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo: 5 or 6, KK.
112. Eastern Jungle Crow: Several at TBJ, 5-6 at DI.
113. Eurasian Jay: 2, DAK.
114. Red-billed Blue Magpie: A few nar park gate, DI.
115. Common Green Magpie: 2, KK, 1 at DI.
116. Rufous Treepie: A few DI, many at HTT.
117. Grey Treepie: 3 at Km 25 DAK.
118. Racket-tailed Treepie: 2, TBJ.
119. Black-hooded Oriole: 1j, CD.
120. Grey-chinned Minivet: A few, DI, DAK.
121. Short-billed Minivet: Several, DI & DAK.
122. Scarlet Minivet: A few, KK.
123. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: 4, DI.
124. Yellow-bellied Fantail: A few, DI.
125. White-throated Fantail: Many, DI & DAK.
126. Pied Fantail: Several, TBJ, LPB, KP.
127. Common Iora: A few, KP and HTT.
128. Great Iora: 1, KK.
129. Black-naped Monarch: A few, KK, DI.
130. Asian Paradise Flycatcher: 2 indochinensis, DI.

131. Blue Whistlingthrush: 1 eugenei, DI.
132. Scaly Thrush: 1 at Km 31 DAK.
133. Asian Brown Flycatcher: 1 siamensis at HTT.
134. Snowy-browed Flycatcher: 1 jf, DI.
135. Hainan Blue Flycatcher: 1, KK.
136. Verditer Flycatcher: A couple, DAK.
137. Large Niltava: A few, Km 37.5, DI.
138. Small Niltava: 1, DI.
139. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher: Many, KK, DI, DAK, CD.
140. Oriental Magpie Robin: A few, TBJ, LPB, KP, DAK.
141. White-rumped Shama: A few, KK.
142. Lesser Shortwing: 1, DI summit.
143. White-browed Shortwing: Abundant, DI summit.
144. Slaty-backed Forktail: 2, Vatcharitan Waterfall, DI.
145. White-crowned Forktail: 1 Mae Per trail, DAK.
146. Eastern Stonechat: A few, DAK.
147. Pied Bushchat: A few, HTT.
148. Grey Bushchat: 1 at DI, several at DAK.
149. Ashy Woodswallow: Everywhere.
150. Asian Pied Starling: Many, TBJ, LPB, KP.
151. Black-Collared Starling: A few near KK, many at HTT.
152. Chestnut-tailed Starling: 3, HTT.
153. Common Myna: Many, TBJ, LPB, KP, HTT.
154. White-vented Myna: Many, TBJ, LPB, KP, HTT.
155. Chestnut-vented Nuthatch: DI, DAK.
156. Giant Nuthatch: 1, DAK.
157. Hume's Treecreeper: 1, Km 37.5 trail, DI.
158. Sultan Tit: Several, KK.
159. Yellow-cheeked Tit: Several, DI & DAK.
160. Barn Swallow: Everywhere in small numbers.
161. Wire-tailed Swallow: 1 at HTT.
162. Striated Swallow: A few, DI & DAK.
163. Crested Finchbill: Abundant, DAK.
164. Striated Bulbul: A few, DAK.
165. Black-headed Bulbul: A few , KK.
166. Black-crested Bulbul: A few, DI & DAK.
167. Red-whiskered Bulbul: Many, HTT & DAK.
168. Brown-breasted Bulbul: Abundant DAK.
169. Sooty-headed Bulbul: A few near KK, abundant at HTT & DAK.
170. Stripe-throated Bulbul: A few, KK.
171. Flavescent Bulbul: Abundant DAK.
172. Streak-eared Bulbul: TBJ, LPB.
173. Grey-eyed Bulbul: 2, KK.
174. Puff-throated Bulbul: 2, CD.
175. Ochraceous Bulbul: Many, KK.
176. Ashy Bulbul: A large flock at DAK.
177. Mountain Bulbul: Common DI & DAK.
178. Black Bulbul: Common DAK.
179. White-headed Bulbul: A flock of about 12 at DAK.
180. Golden-bellied Gerygone: A few, KP.
181. Zitting Cisticola: Several at HTT.
182. Bright-headed Cisticola: 2m, HTT.
183. Hill Prinia: 3, DAK.
184. Grey-breasted Prinia: Several, HTT.
185. Yellow-bellied Prinia: 1, TBJ.
186. Plain Prinia: Numerous, TBJ, LPB, HTT.
187. Mountain Tailorbird: A few, DI.
188. Common Tailorbird: Abundant, KK.
189. Ashy-throated Warbler: Several, summit DI.
190. Blyth's Leaf Warbler: A few, DI.
191. Davison's Leaf Warbler: Abundant, DI & DAK.
192. Oriental White-eye: Numerous, DI & DAK.
193. Chestnut-crowned Warbler: A few, DI.
194. Yellow-bellied Warbler: 3, DI.
195. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush: A few, KK.
196. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush: Several groups, KK.
197. White-browed Laughingthrush: Several groups, DAK.
198. Silver-eared Laughingthrush: A few at summit DI & 1 DAK.
199. Spot-throated Babbler: 2, DAK.
200. Puff-throated Babbler: A few, KK.
201. White-browed Scimitar Babbler: Several groups, DAK.
202. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: Many, KK.
203. Chestnut-capped Babbler: A small group, HTT.
204. Yellow-eyed Babbler: 3, DAK.
205. Rufous-fronted Babbler: A few, KK.
206. Golden Babbler: Several, DI & DAK.
207. Grey-throated Babbler: 2, CD.
208. Spot-necked Babbler: 2 pairs, KK.
209. Silver-eared Mesia: Several groups, DI & DAK.
210. White-browed Shrike-babbler: 1f at DI, 1m at DAK.
211. Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babbler: 1f, DI.
212. Chestnut-tailed Minla: Common, summit DI.
213. Rufous-winged Fulvetta: Common, summit & Km 37.5 jeep track, DI.
214. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta: A few small groups, KK.
215. Grey-cheeked Fulvetta: Common DI & DAK.
216. Whiskered Yuhina: A party of about 12 at DAK Km 25.
217. White-bellied Erpornis: A few, KK & DI.
218. Rufous-backed Sibia: A few, DI & DAK.
219. Dark-backed Sibia: Common DI & DAK.
220. Spot-breasted Parrotbill: A group of 4, Mae Per trail, DAK.
221. Black-throated Parrotbill: A small group, jeep trail Km 34.5, DI.
222. Plain Flowerpecker: Common, DAK.
223. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: KK & HTT.
224. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: A few pairs, KK.
225. Olive-backed Sunbird: A few, KK & HTT.
226. Green-tailed Sunbird: A few, summit DI.
227. Black-throated Sunbird: 3 or 4, DI & DAK.
228. Little Spiderhunter: 1, DI.
229. Streaked Spiderhunter: Fairly common, DI & DAK.
230. Paddyfield Pipit: 1 at LPB, a few at HTT.
231. Indochinese Bushlark: 2 at TBJ, 3 or 4 at HTT.
232. Grey Wagtail: 2, KK & 3 DI.
233. Plain-backed Sparrow: Several, TBJ, KP.
234. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Ubiquitous.
235. Streaked Weaver: Small numbers, TBJ.
236. Baya Weaver: Abundant, TBJ.
237. Asian Golden Weaver: Small numbers, TBJ.
238. Scaly-breasted Munia: Common, TBJ & a few at DAK.
239. White-rumped Munia: A few, DI & common at DAK.
240. Chestnut Munia: 2, TBJ.

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

1.Chinese Francolin: 1 at HTT.
2. Rufous-throated Partridge: Lots calling on Km 37.5 jeep track, DI on 20th, but not after that.
3. Scaly-breasted Partridge: Many at KK.
4. Greater Yellownape: Common at KK, but eluded being seen.
5. Rufous Woodpecker: HTT.
6. Great Barbet: DI & DAK.
7. Lineated Barbet: HTT.
8. Large Hawk Cuckoo: Briefly heard at DAK.
9. Vernal Hanging Parrot: Common at KK, but only seen speeding through the canopy.
10. Collared Scops Owl: At Ban Maka, KK & Nature Resort, DAK.
11. Collared Owlet: KK.
12. Eared Pitta: Heard frustratingly close at KK.
13. Green Cochoa: Km 37.5 jeep track DI, seen only as it flew across the canopy.

14. Hill Blue Flycatcher: DI.
15. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher: HTT.
16. White-tailed Robin: Common DI & DAK but elusive.
17. Slaty-bellied Tesia: Common DI but difficult to see because of rain.
18. Russet Bush Warbler: A few, DAK.
19. White-crested Laughingthrush: DI & HTT.
20. White-necked Laughingthrush: Km 37.5 jeep track, DI.
21. Red-tailed Laughingthrush: DAK.
22. Red-faced Liocichla: DAK.
23. Abbott's Babbler: Common, KK.
24. Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler: DI & DAK.
25. Pygmy Wren Babbler: DI & DAK.

Nick Upton can be contacted at nickupton@thaibirding.com

More information on Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale
More information on Kaeng Krachan
More information on Tung Bang Jak (Petchaburi Rice Fields)

More information on Doi Inthanon
More information on Doi Ang Kang
More information on Huay Tueng Tao

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

Email me at nickupton@thaibirding.com

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