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.

Field Guides
1. Birds of Thailand by Uthai Treesucorn & Wich'yanan Limparungpatthanakij
2. A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Craig Robson

Birding Highlights

Pak Thale: Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank, Chinese Egret, Asian Dowitcher, Far Eastern Curlew
Neung Hide: Kalij Pheasant, Common Green Magpie, Bar-backed Partridge, Slaty-legged Crake
Kaeng Krachan: Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Black-and-red Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Sultan Tit, Buff-rumped Woodpecker, Orange-breasted Trogon, Red-headed Trogon, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Great Hornbill, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Collared Owlet
Petchaburi Rice Fields: Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Greater Spotted Eagle, Glossy Ibis, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler

Take a look at this gallery featuring a selection of birds seen on this birding trip - Petchaburi Birding Trips (3 Days).

Birding Diary

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.

Broad-billed Sandpiper (Photo by Nick Upton)

Terek Sandpiper (Photo by Nick Upton)

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.

Common Green Magpie (Photo by Nick Upton)

Black-naped Monarch (Photo by Nick Upton)

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.

Collared Owlet (Photo by Nick Upton)

Black-and-red Broadbill (Photo by Nick Upton)

Grey-rumped Treeswift (Photo by Nick Upton)

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.

Ratchet-tailed Treepie (Photo by Nick Upton)

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.

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Some More Trip Reports North & Central Thailand Tour, December 2014 Kaeng Krachan & Petchaburi Wetlands, June 2013 Chumpon Raptor Watch & Petchaburi Wetlands, October 2011 Rainy Season Bird Watching Tour of Thailand, June-July 2012

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.

Nick Upton (nickupton@thaibirding.com)

Pak Thale: PT
Kaeng Krachan: KK
Baan Maka: BM

Neung Hide: NH
Petchaburi Rice Fields: PRF

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.

Mammals:

1. Northern Treeshrew
2. Stump-tailed Macaque
3. Long-tailed Macaque
4. Dusky Langur
5. White-handed Gibbon
6. Black Giant Squirrel

7. Grey-bellied Squirrel
8. Burmese Striped Squirrel
9. Indochinese GroundSquirrel
10. Red-cheeked Squirrel
11. Crab-eating Mongoose
12. Fea's Muntjac

Nick Upton can be contacted at nickupton@thaibirding.com

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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