Pak Thale,
Kaeng Krachan & Rice Fields - 3 Days in Petchaburi Province,
31st January-2nd February 2022
Introduction
Both Sam Hambly and Alan Dunne had asked me if there was a
possibility of going out on a short trip, so I suggested a
three day excursion from Bangkok to several sites in Petchaburi.
This province has a wide variety of habitats and as such is
one of the best for birding in Thailand. I proposed that we
visit Pak Thale for shorebirds, one of the hides close to
Kaeng Krachan as well as the national park itself, with a
quick visit to an area of rice fields on our way back to Bangkok.
With such a diversity of habitats we could look forward to
a high number of species in a short space of time.
Vehicle
We used a 4-door Toyota Vios which has a good level of fuel
economy and handles the highways well. It does not have high
ground clearance but was ok on level dirt tracks around the
rice fields and could access Neung hide. However, this vehicle
cannot manage the stream crossings at Kaeng Krachan so we
parked and walked in that area while we hired a local driver
to take us up to Panoen Tung.
Road Quality
The roads between Bangkok and Petchaburi are good. At Pak
Thale some of the tracks between the salt pans had become
potholed and rutted. The dirt track to Neung Hide is a little
loose at points but mostly level and negotiable in a saloon
car. At Kaeng Krachan the road up to stream 1 is sealed but
since February 2015 saloon cars and minivans have not been
allowed to go uphill to Panoen Tung; only pickups and 4-wheel
drive vehicle are allowed to be driven uphill.
Accommodation & Food
For both of the two nights of this trip we stayed at Baan
Maka Nature Lodge, close to Kaeng Krachan national
park. Comfortable accommodation, excellent food, great service/help
and early breakfasts make this a natural choice. Most of our
meals were taken at Baan Maka where the food is very good.
We had lunch on our second day at Bang Krang camp site in
Kaeng Krachan National Park; there is a simple menu in Thai
and English and the food was tasty and the staff helpful.
Notes on Finding Birds
At Pak Thale finding birds was, as always, just a matter of
searching through the flocks of shorebirds and terns and picking
out each different species. We made this as easy for ourselves
by getting into a position with the sun behind us for the
best light. At any time between November and late March there
will always be a large number of birds here. When visiting
a hide seeing birds was simply a question of sitting for a
long period of time and being very patient through times when
there was little activity. Forest birding at this time of
year is beginning to be very good with resident species starting
their breeding cycle and becoming more vocal than in preceding
months. We just visited regular hotspots, walking slowly and
listening for the calls of interesting birds, while also stopping
to examine any movements that we noticed. The weather was
rather hotter than expected for the time of the year, resulting
in low periods of activity in the middle of the day. However,
we continued to find new species at all times.
Bird Calls
In the forest at Kaeng Krachan resident species were beginning
to call and pair up and with this activity playing calls was
not required very much. A little call playback helped lure
in a few species but mostly it did not work and as always
I did not play calls for any longer than necessary to know
that there was either a response or not. Bird calls used were
downloaded from Xena
Canto.
31st January: I picked up Alan from W22
by Burasari in Bangkok, followed shortly after
by collecting Sam from near his home before getting straight
onto a tollway out of town towards the province of Petchaburi.
Around two hours later we arrived, just after first light,
at Pak Thale. Quite rightly this site is famous with birders
around the world, not only for being one of the most reliable
places to see the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper,
but for its large numbers of birds, diversity of shorebird
species and other rare waders too.
On arrival we could see impressive numbers of wading birds
in small and large groups all across the salt farms but as
we were staring into the rising sun the first thing we did
was to walk into the salt pans, to a position whereby the
sun was on our backs and illuminating the birds that were
now in front of us. And what a scene was revealed! We could
now see the beautiful details of the plumages of the multitude
of species amassed upon the linear grid of the salt pans laid
out in front of us. Large numbers of Lesser Sand Plovers,
punctuated with smaller clusters of Greater Sand Plovers,
Curlew Sandpipers probing away with their curved bills, carpets
of Broad-billed Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints racing around
in pursuit of food, large groups of Marsh Sandpipers alongside
Spotted Redshanks, their needle-like bills in contrast to
those of the stumpy-billed Grey Plovers dotted around the
soil bunds separating the salt pans; an exciting array of
birds but so far none of the rarer species.
However, I knew where to find a flock of roosting Terek Sandpipers
and we were able to get great views of over 200 of these birds
with their upturned bills and proportionally short orange
legs within a few minutes of walking. As we were admiring
the Tereks we noticed a large group of waders jostling for
roosting space just behind them; Great Knot. Although there
were hundreds of metres of mud bunds for them to use for roosting,
they appeared to prefer being in a tight mass with over 250
birds in a constant squabble. On closer inspection there were
also good numbers of Red Knot among them but we did not get
to count them before a Brahminy Kite flew over and sent the
whole congregation of birds into the sky. There is hardly
a more spectacular site than thousands of waders wheeling
around in the sky and we were treated to some amazing sights
before they began to rearrange themselves back on the salt
pans after the raptor had disappeared. We began to notice
groups of Asian Dowitchers coming in to feed and as we watched
them yet more and more arrived in groups of ten, twenty and
more with eventually over 200 birds assembling; an unusually
large number of these rare birds here.
Changing the focus of our attention to a small beach and
coastal lagoon we found another rare bird; Chinese Egret.
In fact two of these birds were found feeding alongside Little
Egrets for a nice comparison. Further along in the lagoon
a dark morph Pacific Reef Egret was fishing while out to sea
several Great Crested Terns were resting on bamboo poles.
Birds kept coming quickly with Little Terns in flight alongside
massive Caspian Terns, their gigantic orange bills earning
them the nickname "the flying carrot". Earlier we
had viewed a large flock of hundreds of Eurasian Curlews but
with intense light behind them and at some distance it was
not possible for us to pick out the few Far Eastern Curlews
that are usually with them, but with a closer position and
better light we could find at least three of these birds as
they preened, revealing their brown rumps. Vast flocks of
Great Knot were alongside the Curlews as well as groups of
Black-tailed Godwits, a few Pacific Golden Plovers and, best
of all, 10 Nordmann's Greenshank. This rare shorebird was
easy to pick out, with its pale appearance obvious among the
darker species.
Throughout this time we had been checking all the small shorebirds
for Spoon-billed Sandpipers but with no luck, although we
did find a Dunlin that was barely any bigger than a stint
and which we managed to convince ourselves was something rarer
for a while. With time starting to run out I led the other
two to an area I thought would be worth checking out only
to find Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderling instead. I had to
resort to staring at distant small waders with the sun behind
them but amazingly this turned out to be the thing to do -
a Spoon-billed Sandpiper facing us. The views were a little
distant and before we could go closer the whole group took
off, quite a disappointment, but on our way back to the car
we had some luck and refound the bird, this time giving us
a much better view. A fantastic morning of birding topped
off with one of the world's rarest and most iconic birds.
With this the next part of our trip was beckoning and we
departed, making the trip of little over an hour to our accommodation
at Baan Maka where we had our lunch. I had pre-booked us into
one of the hides dotted around the edge of Kaeng Krachan National
Park for the afternoon but we had a little time for a quick
walk around the grounds of Baan Maka where we quickly found
Hair-crested Drongo, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Chestnut-headed
Bee-eaters and, best of all, a pair of Greater Flamebacks
prospecting for food in some of the more mature trees in the
garden. Their methodical probing gave us plenty of opportunity
to study them in detail; they are not rare but they are still
spectacular birds and a suitable hors d'oeuvre to what we
would see in the hide.
A twenty minute drive through farmland took us to Nueng hide,
nestled on the edge of the forest; a simple canvas hide furnished
with plastic garden chairs allowing us to wait quietly for
birds to arrive to feed and bathe just a few metres away from
us. On arrival it was hot and sunny which meant that activity
levels were high with birds arriving to bathe and drink including
gangs of garrulous Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes and Greater
Necklaced Laughingthrushes that repeatedly came in and out
over the course of the next five hours. Black-naped Monarchs
were also very active, dive-bombing the water pool to cool
down and then lurk in the safety of the undergrowth, to be
followed by a White-rumped Shama, several Streak-eared Bulbuls,
Brown-cheeked Fulvettas and Racket-tailed Treepies, looking
amazing with their glossy black plumage and striking blue
eye. Our attention was drawn away from the water pool as a
party of four Kalij Pheasants emerged from the forest to feed
on grain provided for birds such as these and the Red Junglefowl
that joined them. At one point so many Junglefowl joined the
party that it resembled a chicken farm but several Emerald
Doves among them reminded us that we were looking at wild
birds, indeed the ancestors of domestic chickens. The flurry
of activity, lasting about 1.5 hours, was rounded off with
a superb surprise; two Common Green Magpies, one of which
decided to drop down and take a bath in the water. The stunning
green and red plumage of this awesome bird could be enjoyed
in close up as it took a prolonged, cooling bath, a real ornithological
treat.
However, this was the last piece of excitement for several
hours as activity levels dropped off and no new species appeared
until much later, perhaps due to the strange breezy conditions
that disturbed the forest for this period of time. Alternatively
there could have been a predator in the area because the birds
seemed very nervous for several hours but just about as we
started to think things would never pick up again, suddenly
small birds such as Indochinese Blue Flycatcher, Abbott's
Babbler and Puff-throated Babbler began to appear and take
a bath. This activity was very welcome but not as welcome
as the three Bar-backed partridges that descended a forest
slope to feed on grain. This secretive forest bird is really
hard to see anywhere away from these hides and was another
exciting sighting although perhaps not as exciting as the
Slaty-legged Crake that appeared from nowhere to perform an
amusing bathing action. If the partridges are hard to see
then Slaty-legged Crake is almost mythical and all my sightings
of this forest crake have been in various hides around Kaeng
Krachan. You can watch the crake for yourself in the video
featured here.
This was the end of the show for us, with the light fading
we left the hide but there was still a spot to visit for some
Nightjars before returning for dinner. As the daytime became
dusk we waited for the final birds of the day and right on
cue we could hear the haunting call of Great Eared Nightjar
moments before the first of four birds cruised overhead. These
raptor-sized Nightjars gave us an excellent performance as
the last of the light disappeared for a great end to the day,
except it was not quite the end for as we were about to get
in the car, the sound of Large-tailed Nightjar began. The
call was very quickly followed by a fly-by of two Large-tailed
Nightjars, the white spots on their wings, smaller size and
different flight pattern clearly separating them from the
Great Eared Nightjars still calling overhead. Finally we headed
back to Baan Maka and enjoyed a great dinner when we agreed
it was hard to choose a bird of the day although Slaty-legged
Crake and Common Green Magpie were prime candidates. This
might seem strange given that we had seen many people's "dream
bird", Spoon-billed Sandpiper, but we all agreed that
the close up views of interesting behaviour gave us a more
meaningful connection to the birds we had seen in the hide
compared to the 'scope views of the Spoonie.
1st February: First light was at around 6.30am so
we had breakfast at 5.45am and drove to Km 9 where we would
start our birding within the forest proper. Noisy Greater
Racket-tailed Drongos sat on prominent perches announcing
the start of the day while it was hard to know which bird
to look at next with a quick flurry of Common Flamebacks,
Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Greater Yellownapes and Greater Flamebacks
active as the sun began to hit the treetops. This wonderful
start to the day continued with colourful Thick-billed Green
Pigeons perched on exposed branches alongside a calling Blue-eared
Barbet. A pair of peculiar Heart-spotted Woodpeckers with
their noisy duet were the next highlight as they sat above
us contributing to the "dawn chorus" but we had
to have our wits about us with birds coming thick and fast;
Bronzed Drongo, Black-naped Oriole, Oriental Pied Hornbill,
Blue-winged Leafbird and then a pair of Hill Mynas pairing
up, inspecting nest holes and using a dead lizard as a pair-bonding
food offering. A less common sight were two Golden-crested
Mynas arriving to feed in a fruiting tree for us to admire;
these birds would be better named "Yellow-crowned Mynas"
as they completely lack a crest and the colour is a deep yellow.
Taking a short walk down the road we heard the call of a
Collared Owlet. This tiny owl is usually very hard to spot
but this time we were lucky as this one was perched out in
the open and being mobbed by Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Black-crested
Bulbul and Yellow-browed Warbler. Sometimes I spend a long
time trying to locate Collared Owlet from its call so this
was a really lucky day, especially when it flew away from
its attackers and landed even closer to us. We spent some
time admiring this bird before moving on down the road, checking
out some areas for something very special. After a few failures
our third stop presented us with what we had been searching
for: Black-and-red Broadbill. The splendid contrast between
the deep black and red plumage and the outrageous bright blue
bill makes this bird one of my favourites and at this time
of the year it is not an easy bird to find so we were very
pleased with this encounter. Birding in the forest, though,
does not always go according to plan and the nearby call of
a pair of Orange-breasted Trogons remained elusive in the
dense secondary forest despite our best efforts but I had
a feeling we would get another chance with this bird.
Moving on into more mature forest beyond Bang Krang camp
site we took a slow walk along the road but with the day warming
up quickly the level of activity began to tail off. However,
a pair of Buff-rumped Woodpeckers entertained us for some
time, progressively coming lower down towards us from the
high canopy. Several Sultan Tits were great to see while we
added Verditer Flycatcher, Ochraceous Bulbul, Great Iora and
the taxonomically questionable Baker's Bulbul to our lists
all coming to feed on a small tree with tiny fruits on it.
While we were also able to see Sulphur-breasted Warbler, Yellow-bellied
Warbler and Rufous-fronted Babbler it was frustrating to hear
Banded Kingfisher, Banded Broadbill and Black-and-yellow Broadbill
without seeing any of them. Still, there was enough activity
and calling to suggest that spending the afternoon in this
area would give us some more good birds after lunch.
The small restaurant at Bang Krang camp site provided us
with a decent lunch and gave us somewhere to rest for a while.
Both Sam and Alan decided to take an afternoon nap but I spent
some time photographing common birds such as Black-crested
Bulbul, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike and Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
seeing a Banded Bay Cuckoo and soaring Black Eagle at the
same time. When it became time to go back to action one of
the park rangers told me about a nesting bird and took us
over to stare up into the high boughs of a tree where a Grey-rumped
Treeswift was sitting precariously on a tiny nest. The park
ranger told me that when the chicks hatch the adult birds
have to keep squashing them down onto the nest to stop them
from falling out and this was not hard to believe considering
that the next was barely visible under the sitting female.
Back down the forest road things were starting to liven up
as the temperature started to dip in the late afternoon. Parties
of small birds began to be active but the whirring wingbeats
of an Orange-breasted Trogon retreating into the forest. Luckily
for us it did not go far and we were able to get good views
of this stunning forest jewel as it chased around after insects
and perching within a clump of bamboo between snapping up
meals. Less happily the Banded Kingfishers that teased us
in the morning managed to inflict more mental torture on us,
remaining hidden and winning the battle with us 3:0. Overhead
a Mountain Hawk Eagle was a nice sighting but much of the
rest of the afternoon was swallowed up searching for a calling
Banded Broadbill. This bird was sitting high in the canopy,
mocking us for a long time before we eventually managed to
spot not one, but two Banded Broadbills, gaining good views
of these great birds through the telescope as they finally
posed for us to enjoy them. After a long day we drove back
towards Baan Maka but there was still time for a great bird
indeed: Great Hornbill flying across the road outside the
national park. Superb.
2nd February: Having birded in salt farms, forest
edge and lowland forest, on this morning we were looking forward
to another different habitat; higher altitude forest. The
road up to Panoen Tung is not in good shape so we engaged
the services of a local driver who picked us up at 6am. Along
the lower levels of forest we made a couple of quick stops
when spotting interesting birds which included a perched Crested
Serpent Eagle and an Asian Barred Owlet. Best of all though
came just before we reached the uphill section as we came
across a fair bit of bird activity which included the faint
call of Silver-breasted Broadbill. We got out and within a
few minutes a flock of these elegant little birds arrived,
with more than 20 individuals collecting on the low branches
above us. Having not heard not seen this smart bird yesterday
this was a really unexpected bonus but with limited time we
continued uphill. Along the way we saw a few Emerald Doves
and Kalij Pheasants on the road and eventually arrived at
a busy Panoen Tung campsite.
Bird
Watching Trips:
Petchaburi
province provides some great birding & is good for
a short visit or as part of a longer birding itinerary
in Thailand.
At all times of the year there is something good to
see at Kaeng Krachan and the rice fields with the best
time at Pak Thale being November-March.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
We had been tipped off to a particular tree that Ratchet-tailed
Treepies had been visiting but with the numbers of people
and disturbance near this tree it seemed very unlikely that
birds would visit it. Looking around the campsite we obtained
great views of Great Barbet and Blue-throated Barbet perched
in exposed trees but after that there was very little activity.
With some effort we added Ashy Bulbul, Flavescent Bulbul,
a female Scarlet Minivet and a Short-billed Minivet to our
list but birding was hard. I have been to this spot many times
and it is very hit-and-miss with some visits being very birding
and others being extremely quiet. This was a quiet day. Fortunately
most people headed downhill quite early leaving us to begin
walking downhill in peace.
The walk through the forest was pleasant and quiet but bird
activity was low, although we did get nice views of a pair
of Golden Babblers foraging within some bamboo. The narrow
forest road offers limited visibility due to the dense vegetation
so that when we heard the wingbeats of some Great Hornbills
it was difficult to get a view into the trees in which we
could hear them. But walking along the road a little and looking
back gave us a great view of four of these magnificent birds
feeding on a tree heavily laden with fruit; great by name
and great by nature. Further along the call of Rufous-browed
Flycatcher attracted my attention but this skulking little
bird can be really hard to spot. Luckily it began to make
a scolding call, which is easier to pinpoint than the high-pitched
song and we were able to get a spot where we could see through
the foliage to this attractive little bird with its rufous
face and striking white throat. Further along the next bird
was a Greater Green Leafbird, a scarce bird in this area,
which perched in the open making it easy to observe but a
nearby Bay Woodpecker was typically less confiding, laughing
at us from the dense forest foliage. This is one of the most
infuriating birds in Thailand, not rare but so difficult to
get a decent view of it, so with limited time we moved on.
This proved to be a wise decision as the call of Ratchet-tailed
Treepie rang out from the nearby forest. On most occasions
this can be a difficult bird to track down but this time we
were lucky with four birds heading out of the forest to mob
us and give us not only excellent views but prolonged views
of this extremely range-restricted species in Thailand.
From here, along the next kilometre or so the bird activity
levels increased quite dramatically with several flocks of
small birds that included a nice Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo,
a pair of White-throated Fantails that performed an impressive
dance, some Brown-rumped Minivets, a pair of Scarlet Minivets
and plenty of Sulphur-breasted Warblers, Grey-headed Canary-flycatchers
and Black-naped Monarchs. Unfortunately our time was running
out but we had time to stalk down a calling Red-headed Trogon
that we first heard quite distantly but by slowly walking
towards the call we pinpointed sitting in the forest, chirping
away at us. This superb bird was a fitting result to end our
morning on the mountain and very convenient as it we located
it very close to our waiting vehicle. We did not make any
stops on the way out, instead getting back to Baan Maka as
quickly as we could where we had lunch.
Soon after, we made the journey towards the rice fields
at Petchaburi. This journey took about one hour and made a
good spot to visit part of the way through our journey back
to Bangkok. We headed into an area of wet rice fields where
there were large numbers of common species such as Great Egret,
Asian Openbill, Eastern Cattle Egrets and suchlike but we
also found plenty of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, some Bronze-winged
Jacanas, Common Moorhen and several parties of handsome Grey-headed
Lapwings. Birds come thick and fast in this type of habitat
with Blue-tailed Bee-eaters catching prey overhead, Yellow-bellied
Prinias in emergent vegetation with Amur Stonechats and Brown
Shrikes on exposed perches. In a wet ditch I heard the call
of a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler which with some effort we
managed to get some brief views of but our attention was then
drawn to a flock of nine Glossy Ibis in flight. Further along
the road we saw large numbers of Whiskered Terns but little
else to add so we moved to a different area where we hoped
to find some raptors.
Fifteen minutes later raptors were immediately in evidence
with several Black-eared Kites (Milvus migrans lineatus)
and Brahminy Kites before Alan spotted a nice Eastern Marsh
Harrier. Western Osprey and Peregrine Falcon were added to
our raptor list but a flooded field then grabbed our attention
containing large numbers of Grey-headed Lapwings as well as
both Temminck's and Long-toed Stints along with a few Little
Ringed Plovers. A couple of Purple Herons were really illuminated
in the afternoon sunlight but the real excitement happened
when we spotted an eagle being attacked by a crow. However,
once we got out of the car to look at it properly it disappeared
into the smoke from fields being burned by the famers so we
had to make do with some Grey-headed Swamphens in an overgrown,
flooded field. With very limited time remaining before we
needed to head back to Bangkok we drove towards a large area
of rice fields where stubble-burning might attract large raptors
and we were in luck with Sam spotting a Greater Spotted Eagle
gliding along above us. We could have perhaps spent another
ten minutes or so looking for more species, but probably failing,
so I decided it was best to finish on a high and we began
our journey back to Bangkok having recorded over 200 species
in just three days.
1. Bar-backed Partridge:
3 at NH. 2. Red Junglefowl: Lots at NH. 3. Kalij Pheasant: 3m &
1f at NH plus 2m at Km 24, KK. 3. Feral Pigeon 4. Red Collared Dove: Many
at PRF. 5. Spotted Dove: Many
at PRF; a few at NH, KK & PT. 6. Zebra Dove: PT &
PRF. 7. Common Emerald Dove: 5
at NH & a few at Km 20-24 KK. 8. Thick-billed Green Pigeon: Several
flocks at Km 9, KK. 9. Mountain Imperial Pigeon: 1
at Panoen Tung, KK. 10. Great Eared Nightjar: 2
at NH. 11. Large-tailed Nightjar: 2
at NH. 12. Grey-rumped Treeswift: Several
at Km 13 & 1 nesting at Bang Krang camp site, KK. 13. Pale-rumped (Germain's) Swiftlet: Many
at PT, KK & PRF. 14. Asian Palm Swift: KK &
PRF. 15. Greater Coucal: A
few at Km 9, KK. 16. Green-billed Malkoha: One
at Km 9, KK. 17. Asian Koel: Several at PRF. 18. Slaty-legged Crake: 1 at
NH. 19. White-breasted Waterhen: 1
at Km 9, KK. 20. Grey-headed Swamphen (viridis):
5 at PRF. 21. Common Moorhen: Lots
at PRF. 22. Painted Stork: Several at
PT. 23. Asian Openbill: Many at PRF. 24. Black-headed Ibis: 1 at PRF.
25. Glossy Ibis: 9
at PRF. 26. Chinese Pond Heron: Many
at KK, presumed at PRF, BM & PT. 27. Javan Pond Heron: Many presumed
at PRF & PT. 28. Eastern Cattle Egret: Many
at PRF. 29. Grey Heron: A few at PT &
PRF. 30. Purple Heron: 2 at PRF. 31. (Eastern) Great Egret: Many
at PRF & PT. 32. Intermediate Egret: PT &
PRF. 33. Little Egret: Many at KK,
PT & PRF. 34. Pacific Reef Egret: 1
at PT. 35. Chinese Egret: 2
at PT. 36. Little Cormorant: KK, PRF
& PT. 37. Indian Cormorant: PT. 38. Black-winged Stilt: Many
at PT & PRF. 39. Grey Plover: Many
at PRF. 40. Pacific Golden Plover: Many
at PT. 41. Little Ringed Plover: Many
at PRF. 42. Kentish Plover: Many
at PT. 43. Lesser Sand Plover: Many
at PT. 44. Greater Sand Plover: Many
at PT. 45. Grey-headed Lapwing: c100
at PRF. 46. Red-wattled Lapwing: A
few at KK & PRF. 47. Pheasant-tailed Jacana: Good
numbers at PRF. 48. Bronze-winged Jacana: A
few at PRF. 49. Whimbrel: 60+
at PT. 50. Eurasian Curlew: c600
at PT. 51. Far Eastern Curlew: 5
at PT. 52. Bar-tailed Godwit: A
few at PT. 53. Black-tailed Godwit: Lots
at PT. 54. Ruddy Turnstone: c10
at PT. 55. Great Knot: 200+
at PT. 56. Red Knot: 50+ at
PT. 57. Broad-billed Sandpiper: Lots
at PT. 58. Curlew Sandpiper: Lots
at PT. 59. Temminck's Stint: Several
at PRF. 60. Long-toed Stint: c20
at PRF. 61. Spoon-billed Sandpiper: 1
at PT. 62. Red-necked Stint: Many
at PT. 63. Sanderling: A
few at PT. 64. Dunlin: 1 at PT. 65. Asian Dowitcher: 250+
at PT. 66. Terek Sandpiper: 200+
at PT. 67. Common Sandpiper: A
few at PT. 68. Spotted Redshank: Many
at PT. 69. Common Greenshank: A
few at PT. 70. Common Redshank: Several
at PT. 71. Wood Sandpiper: A
few at PRF. 72. Marsh Sandpiper: Lots
at PT. 73. Nordmann's Greenshank: 10
at PT. 74. Brown-headed Gull: Many
at PT. 75. Little Tern: Many
at PT. 76. Gull-billed Tern: Several
at PT. 77. Caspian Tern: 50+
at PT. 78. Whiskered Tern: Abundant
at PT & PRF. 79. Common Tern: Abundant
at PT. 80. Great Crested Tern: 4
at PT. 81. Collared Owlet: 2
at Km 9-13, KK. 82. Asian Barred Owlet: 1
at Km 12, KK. 83. Western Osprey: 1
at PRF. 84. Black-winged Kite: 1 at PRF.
85. Oriental Honey-buzzard: 1
at KK & 1 at NH. 86. Crested Serpent Eagle: 1
at Km 11, KK. 87. Mountain Hawk Eagle: 1
near stream 1, KK. 88. Greater Spotted Eagle: 1
at PRF. 89. Eastern Marsh Harrier: 1m
at PRF. 90. Brahminy Kite: A
few at PT & PRF. 91. Black Kite (lineatus): Several
at PRF. 92. Orange-breasted Trogon: A
male at 1st stream, KK. 93. Red-headed Trogon: 2
at Km 27, KK. 94. Great Hornbill: 4
at Km 29, KK & 1 near KK park gate. 95. Oriental Pied Hornbill: Many
at KK. 96. Eurasian Hoopoe: 2
at BM. 97. Green Bee-eater: 1
at PRF. 98. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater: A
few at BM. 99. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: A
few at PRF. 100. Indian Roller: KK
& PRF. 101. White-throated Kingfisher: A
few at Km 9. 102. Coppersmith Barbet:
A few at Km 9, KK. 103. Blue-eared Barbet: A
few at Km9, KK.
104. Great Barbet:
1 at Panoen Tung, KK. 105. Green-eared Barbet: A few
at lower elevations, KK. 106. Blue-throated Barbet: 1
at Panoen Tung, KK. 107. Heart-spotted Woodpecker: 2
at Km 9, KK. 108. Greater Flameback: A pair
at BM plus several in lowlands, KK.. 109. Common Flameback: A pair
at Km 9, KK. 110. Buff-rumped Woodpecker: 2
near stream 1, KK. 111. Greater Yellownape: 3
at Km 9, KK. 112. Grey-headed Woodpecker: 1
at Km 9, KK. 113. Peregrine Falcon: 1m
at PRF. 114. Black-and-red Broadbill: A
pair at Km 11, KK. 115. Silver-breasted Broadbill: c20
near stream 3, KK.
116. Banded Broadbill: A pair near
stream 1, KK. 117. Black-naped Oriole: Several
at Km 9, KK & BM. 118. White-bellied Erpornis: 1
near stream 2, KK. 119. Short-billed Minivet: 1m
at Panoen Tung, KK. 120. Scarlet Minivet: A pair
at Km 27, KK. 121. Brown-rumped (Swinhoe's) Minivet: Several
at Km 27, KK. 122. Black-winged Cuckooshrike: 1
at stream 2, KK. 123. Ashy Woodswallow: Several
at PRF. 124. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: Fairly
abundant at KK. 125. Large Woodshrike: 1
at Bang Krang camp site, KK. 126. Common Iora: BM
& Km 9, KK. 127. Great Iora: 1
at stream 2, KK. 128. Pied Fantail: A few at PRF. 129. White-throated Fantail: 2
at KM 27, KK. 130. Black Drongo: A few at PRF. 131. Ashy Drongo (leucogenis): Fairly
abundant at KK. 132. Bronzed Drongo: A few at
NH & KK. 133. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo: 1
at Km 28, KK. 134. Hair-crested Drongo: A few
at NH, BM & KK. 135. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo: Abundant
in lowlands at KK. 136. Black-naped Monarch: Abundant
at NH & KK. 137. Blyth's Paradise-flycatcher: 1
at stream 3, KK. 138. Brown Shrike: A
few at PRF. 139. Ratchet-tailed Treepie: 4
at Km 28, KK. 140. Racket-tailed Treepie: 3
at NH, KK. 141. Common Green Magpie: 2 at
NH. 142. Eastern Jungle Crow: Common
in open areas. 143. Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher: Plentiful
at KK. 144. Sultan Tit: A few at Km
9, KK. 145. Yellow-bellied Prinia: 1
at PRF. 146. Plain Prinia: 1
at PRF. 147. Common Tailorbird: BM &
Km 9, KK. 148. Dark-necked Tailorbird: BM
& KK. 149. Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler: 1
at PRF. 150. Barn Swallow: All
sites. 151. Ochraceous Bulbul: Common
at KK. 152. Baker's (Grey-eyed/Olive) Bulbul: Abundant
at KK (the taxonomy of this one is very confused). 153. Ashy Bulbul (davisoni): A
few at Panoen Tung, KK. 154. Black-crested Bulbul: Common
at KK. 155. Stripe-throated Bulbul: 1
at NH & a few at Km 9, KK. 156. Flavescent Bulbul: A few
at Panoen Tung, KK. 157. Yellow-vented Bulbul: A
few at PRF. 158. Streak-eared Bulbul: All
sites. 159. Black-headed Bulbul: A
few at Km 9, KK. 160. Yellow-browed Warbler: BM
and KK. 161. Marten's Warbler: 1
at Km 27, KK. 162. Two-barred Warbler: Km
9, KK. 163. Sulphur-breasted Warbler: In
flocks of small birds at all altitudes, KK. 164. Yellow-bellied Warbler: A
few at streams 1-2, KK. 165. White-browed Scimitar Babbler: 1
at stream 1, KK. 166. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: Common
at KK. 167. Golden Babbler: A few at
Km 29, KK. 168. Rufous-fronted Babbler: A
few at stream 1, KK. 169. Puff-throated Babbler: 2
at NH. 170. Abbott's Babbler: 2
at NH. 171. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta: Many
at NH. 172. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush: Many
at NH. 173. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush: Many
at NH. 174. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch: 2
at stream 1, KK. 175. Chestnut-tailed Starling: Many
at BM.
176. Asian Pied Starling: A
few at PRF. 177. Common Myna: Common at PT
& PRF. 178. White-vented Myna: Common
at PT & PRF. 179. Common Hill Myna: A pair
at Km 9, KK. 180. Golden-crested Myna: A pair
at Km 9 & Bang Krang camp ground, KK. 181. Oriental Magpie Robin: Common
at PRF. 182. White-rumped Shama: A few
at BM, NH & KK. 183. Asian Brown Flycatcher:
A few at KK. 184. Verditer Flycatcher: A
few at KK. 185. Rufous-browed Flycatcher: 1
at Km 28, KK. 186. Hill Blue Flycatcher: 1f
at Panoen Tung, KK. 187. Indochinese Blue Flycatcher: A
pair at NH. 188. Siberian Blue Robin: 1j
at NH. 189. Taiga Flycatcher: Abundant
in lowlands at KK. 190. Amur (Stejneger's/Japanese) Stonechat:
A few at PRF. 191. Asian Fairy Bluebird: 1f,
Km 9, KK. 192. Greater Green Leafbird: 1
at Km 29, KK. 193. Blue-winged Leafbird: A
few at Km 9, KK. 194. Thick-billed Flowerpecker: 1
at Bang Krang camp site, KK. 195. Plain Flowerpecker: 1
at Km 28, KK. 196. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: BM
& Km 9, KK. 197. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: A
few in lowlands, KK. 198. Olive-backed Sunbird: Common
at BM & KK. 199. Black-throated Sunbird: A
few at Km 29, KK. 200. House Sparrow: A few at
PRF. 201. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Common
at PT.
Leader seen only: Inevitably
there are a few species that appeared only to disappear before
anyone other than the leader saw them. A few species were
seen while others were taking a middle of the day rest.
1. Violet Cuckoo: 1
flyover calling male at stream 1, KK. 2. Banded Bay Cuckoo: 1
at Bang Krang camp site, KK. 3. Collared Scops Owl: 1
flew across the road on the way into KK.
4. Black Eagle: 1
at Bang Krang camp site. 5. Eyebrowed Thrush: 1
seen in flight at Panoen Tung, KK.
Species heard only: I am not
into padding out trip lists with species heard only, but I
include a list of those species heard but not seen for the
information of others looking for these birds.
1. Scaly-breasted Partridge: A
pair calling near stream 1, KK. 2. Grey Peacock Pheasant: 1 calling
distantly at stream 1, KK. 3. Yellow-vented Green Pigeon: Heard
calling at Km 28, KK.
4. Brown Boobook: Heard
during daytime at stream 2, KK. 5. Banded Kingfisher: Calling
consistently at stream 1 but frustratingly not seen.
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.
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