Introduction
Susan Hartley contacted me in late 2022 asking me to assist
her in creating a birding trip to Thailand for herself and
two friends in early 2024. With long and convoluted journeys
to get to Thailand all three members of the group were keen
to spend as long birding in the country as possible. For first
time visitors the best areas for birding are the north and
central regions but we added some time in the south for trip
that started in Chiang Mai and finished in Phuket. The itinerary
was designed to maximise the birding opportunities while having
enough time for some early finishes and midday breaks without
missing too many species.
Participants Nick Upton, Susan Hartley, Mark Cavallo, Kathryn Besbekos
Vehicle
We used a Toyota Commuter van which had plenty of space for
the four of us and our luggage. This vehicle was able to access
all of the areas we wanted to visit although we were not able
to cross the second stream at Kaeng Krachan due to the entry/exit
to the ford being steep and very rutted. The water level was
very low so we were able to walk across it easily. We had
intended to access Doi Lang East and this vehicle would not
have been able to do that (hiring a local vehicle is usually
the answer) but the area was closed to visitors by the Thai
military. Equally, we decided against going to the high altitudes
at Kaeng Krachan as it was not suitable birding for our group
and we had seen many of the species in the north anyhow. Usually
hiring a local driver with a 4-wheel drive vehicle is the
solution here too.
Accommodation
All accommodation was chosen to be close to the birding sites
and their convenience for providing early breakfasts and dinners.
At Khao Yai and Laem Pak Bia hotel upgrades were requested
and the hotels we used had very nice rooms. At other sites
upgraded hotels were not practical in terms of proximity to
the birding sites.
Accommodation used
Notes on Finding Birds
Birding was generally good in all areas visited with decent
levels of bird activity and high quality of birds at most
sites. Activity levels were perhaps a bit lower than expected
at Doi Lang and Doi Ang Kang, probably due to intense sunshine
for long periods of the day but the shadier Doi Inthanon provided
quite high levels of activity. A couple of mornings on the
mountains were harder birding than hoped for due to fog and
windy weather.
Birding in open areas was typically simple, although hot weather
meant that birding at first light and the last hour of the
day were essential for good results.
We took quite lengthy breaks on most days, sometimes stopping
by 10am, which meant that some species that would normally
expected were not seen; time in the field always produces
more birds. Slight mobility issues in the group also meant
that km 27-28 of Kaeng Krachan were not suitable for birding,
so were not visited, and most of the forest trail at Krung
Ching was too tough. Missing out these areas meant that there
were a number of species missed that would normally be possible.
However, all of this was done at the pace that was comfortable
for the three group members and highlights the advantage of
a private tour for those who do not want to be birding at
all hours.
Doi Ang Kang: White-tailed Robin, Black-breasted Thrush,
Slender-billed Oriole, Crested Finchbill, Silver-eared Mesia,
Spot-breasted Parrotbill Fang Rice Fields: Pied Harrier, Bluethroat,
Citrine Wagtail Doi Lang: Mrs Hume's Pheasant, Scarlet-faced Liocichla,
Ultramarine Flycatcher, Giant Nuthatch, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar
Babbler, Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher, Necklaced Woodpecker,
Hodgson's Frogmouth, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Silver-eared
Mesia, Black-throated Tit, White-spectacled Warbler, Crested
Finchbill Mae Ai Rice Fields: Yellow-breasted Bunting,
Long-billed Plover Fang Hot Springs: Great Barbet, Rosy Minivet Doi Inthanon: Green Peafowl, White-browed Shortwing,
Pygmy Cupwing, Black-backed Forktail, Collared Falconet, Rufous-throated
Partridge, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Speckled Woodpigeon, Spectacled
Barwing, Large Niltava, Small Niltava, Lesser Shortwing, Blossom-headed
Parakeet, Slaty-bellied Tesia Wat Praphuttabaht Noi: Rufous Limestone Babler Khao Yai: Buffy Fish Owl, Long-tailed Broadbill,
Great Hornbill, Rufous Woodpecker, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl,
Great Eared Nightjar, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Banded Broadbill,
Silver Pheasant, Collared Owlet, Red-headed Trogon, Common
Green Magpie, Orange-breasted Trogon, Wreathed Hornbill, Green
Warbler, Banded Kingfisher Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale: Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's
Greenshank,Malaysian Plover, Chinese Egret, Terek Sandpiper,
Asian Dowitcher, Indian Nightjar. Pied Kingfisher Petchaburi Rice Fields: Greater Spotted Eagle, Pink-necked
Green Pigeon, Freckle-breasted Woodpecker, Cotton Pygmy Goose,
White-browed Crake, White-shouldered Starling, Grey-headed
Lapwing Kaeng Krachan: Great Hornbill, Tickell's Brown Hornbill,
Black-and-red Broadbill, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Orange-breasted
Trogon, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Buff-rumped Woodpecker,
Violet Cuckoo, Black-thighed Falconet, Great Slaty Woodpecker,
Kalij Pheasant, Dusky Broadbill, Sultan Tit Chumphon: Purple-backed Starling, Vinous-breasted
Starling, Chestnut-cheeked Starling Hat Sai Ri - Pu Krajud: Lesser Coucal, Oriental Pratincole Krung Ching: Dusky Broadbill, Rufous-collared
Kingfisher, Green Broadbill, Orange-headed Thrush, Banded
Woodpecker, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Chestnut-naped Forktail,
Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Malayan Black-capped Babbler Phang Nga Mangroves: Mangrove Pitta, Ruddy
Kingfisher, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Brown-winged Kingfisher,
Copper-throated Sunbird
Birding Diary
Doi Ang Kang Leaving the Tangerine
Ville Hotel at 6am, after our early breakfast, we arrived
at our first birding spot at Doi Ang Kang as the early morning
sunshine was hitting the hillside. This usually results in
quite the flurry of activity but for some reason apart from
some Flavescent Bulbuls and Sooty-headed Bulbuls there was
little action. So, we moved a kilometre or so down the road
to an area of pines and things were quite different with a
Grey-backed Shrike posing close to the road and several Golden-throated
Barbets feeding on a fruiting bush. A couple of Eyebrowed
Thrushes were also great, perched out in the open, giving
us a very good 'scope view.
Striated Bulbul is a surprisingly handsome bird and they
were very obvious in this area, as they often are, while our
list was increased with birds such as Long-tailed Minivet,
Ashy Bulbul, lots of Hume's Warblers, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch
and a couple of Blue-winged Minlas. The Chinese cemetery was
kind to us with an awesome encounter with a Spot-breasted
Parrotbill and plenty of Brown-breasted Bulbuls raiding an
orchard. Further along the road we spent the remainder of
the morning in the King's Project area, a collection of orchards
and ornamental gardens. A couple of male White-tailed Robins
delighted us at a stakeout and we were lucky with a few Black-breasted
Thrushes feeding behind the project restaurant where they
can often be found. Flowering trees in the gardens were an
excellent place to see Mrs Gould's Sunbirds, looking like
Christmas ornaments in the trees, as well as Black-throated
Sunbird. Among lots of Indian White-eyes we managed to spot
one Chestnut-flanked White-eye before lunch was calling us
in the nearby village.
After a lunch of fresh local food we did some touristy stuff
and went to see a Burmese Shrike at the Thai/Myanmar border
before heading back to the hotel for a few hours of rest with
the aim of going out again later.
Fang By-Pass Rice Fields
Arriving at this site in the late afternoon meant that we
avoided the hottest part of the day and arrived when birds
were starting to become active again.
Although walking across narrow bunds through rice to get
to the drier stubble fields was tricky for some of the group
it was worth it for the lovely display given by several Oriental
Skylarks towering up into the sky right in front of us and
performing their song spectacular song flight, which contained
snatches of mimicry of many species including Green Sandpiper,
White Wagtail, Asian Green Bee-eater, Red-wattled Lapwing
and Paddyfield Pipit. We had good views of many common open
country birds such as White Wagtail, Brown Shrike and Little
Ringed Plover as well as several smart Citrine Wagtails. However,
the undoubted highlight was a superb male Pied Harrier hunting
over the rice stubble, allowing us to watch it for quite some
time. There are few raptors as stunning as male Pied Harrier
in my opinion.
Before heading back to the hotel we took a look into a secluded
pool where Garganey, Eurasian Teal, Lesser Whistling Duck
and Common Coot were hanging out and we were treated to a
nice sunset; a nice sight for a few photos before dinner.
Doi Lang West (Doi San Ju)
We made a couple of visits to this excellent site and, as
usual, it turned up the goods with a lot of excellent species.
On our first morning it seemed like we were out of luck when
arriving at the Mrs Hume's Pheasant stakeout there were dozens
of other people and cars already there. Well, somehow we worked
it out so everyone could sort of hide and still gt a view
of the right spot and incredibly the pheasants arrived, even
with all this disturbance. We were able to enjoy these fantastic
birds, 1 male and 5 females, for a long time until they finally
disappeared back into the grassy vegetation. The pheasants
were not the only birds here with Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler,
Olive-backed Pipit, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Rufous-gorgetted
Flycatcher and Ultramarine Flycatcher all performing for the
crowd with Giant Nuthatch flitting around in the trees behind
the pheasants. As if this was not enough a pair of gorgeous
Black-throated Tits came down low in a pine tree to wow everyone.
Bird
Watching Trips:
The Gulf of Thailand, Kaeng Krachan and the northern
mountains always form the core of most Thailand itineraries
but depending on the time of year this can vary to
reflect where the best birding is to be found.
The wetlands are superb between November-late March
but the forests of the Central region are best visited
January to July while the Northern mountains are at
their best late December-February; but there are always
lots of good birds to be seen.
The southern region offers the best birding between
February and July but can often require a lot of patience.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
Getting lucky with the pheasants on our first morning on
the mountain meant that we were able to concentrate on other
areas for the remainder of our time here. Birding in the more
open patches of forest in the early mornings and then moving
to the more shady areas later where bird activity persisted
for longer. A constant throughout was the superb male Hodgson's
Frogmouth on a nest which had been found recently by other
birders and was now being appreciated by all at any time of
the day, having chosen its nest site right next to the road.
On our second morning on the mountain we went straight past
the pheasant stakeout and went to an open area much further
up the road where we were hoping for a flurry of morning activity.
However, broken cloud meant that the sun was blocked for some
time and there was not quite the burst of birds we were hoping
for. However, it was a good spot to see several Mountain Imperial
Pigeons, some flying past with a few perched on exposed branches,
small groups of Black Bulbuls, both Golden-throated and Blue-throated
Barbets as well as Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker. However,
the real prize was a superb Necklaced Woodpecker which showed
off for us on a couple of different nearby trees for around
15 minutes or so, allowing us to get some photos of this rare
woodpecker.
A couple of visits to the area at the military checkpoint
were quite different to each other. The first, at around 11am,
was not very fruitful with hot temperatures and few birds
to be seen at all. However, a second visit, much earlier in
the morning at about 8.15am proved completely different. Firstly
a flock of colourful Silver-eared Mesias made their way through
the forest towards us and then proceeded to feed in low, berry
bushes close to the road. These little gems are always a highlight
and these were our first of the trip so it was an exciting
moment. To follow these we could hear a pair of Scarlet-faced
Liocichlas making an irritated noise from the undergrowth
but we were delighted when they emerged to feed on little
orange berries on a roadside bush. A superb bird that became
an early candidate for bird of the trip. In the earlier morning
this area was also a good spot for Crested Finchbill as well
as Maroon Oriole, Large Cuckooshrike and a single Brown-breasted
Bulbul.
The shady areas of habitat were where we retreated, on both
of our visits, as the temperature rose and bird activity tailed
of in the more open woodland and grassy areas. Small groups
of Yunnan Fulvettas had hangers on like Golden Babbler, White-throated
Fantail and Marten's Warbler but what we were watching for
was the broken eye ring of White-spectacled Warbler which
we eventually located in a small flock; a bird that was only
first recorded in Thailand in late 2022 and that bird seems
to have returned to the same wintering location since then.
Bird activity in this area was not as high as might be expected
but it was still a good spot for a wide variety of northern
birds including a wide selection of Phylloscopus warblers.
With still some post-flight fatigue setting in we didn't work
these areas as hard as I would usually which resulted in a
few key species being missed but we still had some amazing
birds at this excellent site.
Mae Ai Rice Fields A late afternoon visit to the fields near the village
of Mae Ai was very enjoyable. Arriving around 4.15pm we found
a nice place to stand in the shade, overlooking the river
and fringing vegetation while birds gathered to drink, bathe
and assemble before heading to roost elsewhere. In the river
itself a few waders were present with both Common and Green
Sandpipers quite obvious but we also were treated to a brief
visit by a Long-billed Plover; a very rare bird in Thailand
but early 2024 seemed to be a good time for them with more
records than usual. A couple of Little Ringed Plovers also
turned up for comparison and further down the river we spotted
Common Greenshank and Common Snipe. However, our main reason
for visiting this area was to see the critically endangered
Yellow-breasted Bunting and we were not disappointed with
around 100 of these birds gathering in the reeds and some
coming down to drink from the water's edge. The reedy vegetation
held some nice birds too with a Dusky Warbler showing well,
calling Yellow-bellied Prinias and a nice pair of Chestnut-capped
Babblers, colourful in the late afternoon light. Possibly
this was all topped by a male Pied Harrier passing by as we
were leaving, always a stunning bird and one that is impossible
to get bored of. A nice session
was rounded off by a nice sunset before heading back for dinner.
Fang Hot Springs
Visiting this location meant only a 15 minute drive from our
accommodation at Tangerine
Ville Hotel, a much-needed slower start to the day for
most of the group. This park-like location on the edge of
the forest is an easy place to stroll around in the morning
and see a nice variety of birds.
Usually the main attraction
here is a flock of Spot-winged Grosbeaks but somehow, for
several weeks of this year, they had disappeared but we did
not let this stop us from enjoying the birds that we did see
including several Asian Barred Owlets that were almost begging
to have their photos taken. Some noisy Eurasian (White-faced)
Jays showed well and while this species may be familiar to
many birders, this white-faced subspecies (split by some)
is a smart bird indeed. Fruiting trees in one of the camping
areas provided us with several Lineated Barbets, Coppersmith
Barbets and a calling Blue-eared Barbet but it was the impressive
Great Barbet that provided a "wow" moment when it
perched nearby on an exposed branch.
Beginning our walk around the site we bumped into a small
flock of Long-tailed Minivets which also contained a couple
of the much less common Rosy Minivets. Greater Racket-tailed
Drongos with their improbable tail streamers are always fun
to see and we came across our only Shikra of the trip here;
strange as it is a common bird but this always seems to be
a good location to see them. Blue Whistlingthrush put on a
nice display, bouncing around the rocks and buildings while
a Blue Rockthrush did its typical thing of sitting on the
roof of one of the buildings. A visit to another fruiting
tree revealed a flock of Asian Fairy Bluebirds giving us good
views of the stunning males, which were joined by a variety
of bulbuls including our first Black-headed Bulbuls of the
tour. After this it was time for a leisurely iced tea on the
veranda of the coffee shop before starting our journey to
our accommodation at Doi Inthanon; a five hour or so drive
with a stop for lunch along the way.
Doi Inthanon
Our first birding at Doi Inthanon was from our accommodation,
at Touch
Star Resort, as dusk approached to try for a couple of
owls. As we got ourselves to the right place a surprise was
a flock of Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes bouncing through
the trees, but what was even more surprising was a Black-throated
Laughingthrush along with them. Once in place we were rather
confused by the location of the origin of the call of Spotted
Owlet but eventually we found it peeping out from a hole under
the roof of the building we were standing next to; a very
photogenic sighting. Our next target always takes a bit more
patience but well before dark we heard the distinctive call
of Brown Boobook. I mimicked the call and bit by bit the bird
came closer until it eventually flew into exactly the tree
I was expecting it in to give us a good view through the 'scope
of it calling before a second bird flew in to join it and
then they both eventually flew off; a great encounter.
Our first full day at Doi Inthanon was probably the most bird-filled
day of the entire tour. Starting at the Mae Ouam area we caught
up with Spectacled Barwing, a group of three of these attractive
birds showing themselves well. Species such as Yunnan Fulvetta
and Silver-eared Mesia formed the core of a good flock here
which also included Clicking Shrike Babbler, White-bellied
Erpornis, Grey-chinned Minivet and a Rufous-backed Sibia.
All wonderful, colourful birds that typify birding in the
upland forests of northern Thailand. Mountain Tailorbird is
an abundant bird but one that can be tough to see so we were
pleased to get great views of this one in low undergrowth
while a couple of Chestnut-crowned Warblers were also lovely.
Moving on to the Pha Tang area there was some easier walking
for the group along fairly flat and very quiet roads and more
flocks of birds! This time, in slightly different habitat
with pines, the flock composition was a little different too
with Japanese Tits noisily proclaiming their presence and
a couple of Speckled Piculets. An open area gave us a Grey-backed
Shrike, typically perched on an exposed location and while
we saw a nice selection of species such as Verditer Flycatcher,
Golden-throated Barbet and White-throated Fantail possibly
the most memorable bird was a male Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
that came down to eye level and gave us the type of views
that are not obtained very often.
Lunch was at the power station restaurant where the stream
contained a tame White-capped Redstart as well as a female
Plumbeous Redstart and surrounding trees with flowers had
Common Rosefinches, Golden-throated Barbet and Yellow-cheeked
Tit feeding on them. After lunch we moved down the mountain
a little to Mr Boontham's hide which gave us a couple of hours
of top quality photographic opportunities with a whole load
of brown birds such as Buff-breasted Babbler, Brown-cheeked
Fulvetta and a Lesser Shortwing although there were more colourful
birds too. Indeed, they don't get much brighter than Rufous-bellied
Niltava and even Grey-throated Babbler is surprisingly colourful
when seen so well rather than skulking around in the dark
undergrowth. Little Spiderhunter performed the warm up act
for Streaked Spiderhunter, both feeding on sugar water provided
in a little bamboo cup while on the ground underneath them
White-tailed Robins competed for food with Snowy-browed Flycatcher
darting in among them.
Yellow-bellied Fairy
Fantail
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
Our final stop of the day was at the summit where another
bounty of birds was awaiting us with a Grey-sided Thrush and
Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker in a low tree being particularly
welcome. The normal collection of Silver-eared Laughingthrushes,
Chestnut-tailed Minlas and Mrs Gould's Sunbirds were in attendance
but we had to wait a little longer for the much anticipated
Green-tailed Sunbird. Weary legs were now an issue but venturing
down onto the boardwalk produced wonderful views of the tiny
Slaty-bellied Tesia which was only surpassed by watching a
group of three Rufous-throated Partridges feeding on the forest
floor. Heading down the mountain we were able to catch Speckled
Woodpigeons at a pre roost gathering before heading back to
our accommodation for dinner.
Our second morning at Doi Inthanon began by heading straight
to the summit where the weather was very unexpected and unwelcome.
Wind and cloud made conditions very difficult for birding
with poor visibility and uncomfortably low temperatures. In
fact it took quite some time, the best part of an hour in
fact, before enough sunshine emerged to warm patches of the
forest up to stir up some bird activity. In the dark shadows
we got great views of the cute little Pygmy Cupwing as it
mooched around on the forest floor and another dark shape
on a muddy patch revealed itself to be a wonderful male Himalayan
Shortwing. As the sun hit the foliage of the surrounding trees,
things began to warm up and flocks of small birds were actively
hunting for insects. Ashy-throated Warblers crept through
the low branches along with Rufous-winged Fulvettas scampering
along mossy branches and a couple of Buff-barred Warblers
joined the fun. A couple of Yellow-bellied Fantails darted
around like woodland sprites while a Yellow-browed Tit appeared
among a group of leaf warblers to give us point blank views.
Back at the coffee shop a nice hot chocolate warmed us up
while the attendant Silver-eared Laughingthrushes, Dark-backed
Sibias and Chestnut-tailed Minlas amused us. The flowers and
fruits on nearby bushes and trees attracted good numbers of
sunbirds allowing us to get superb views of both Mrs Gould's
Sunbird and Green-tailed Sunbird; two beautiful birds before
we descended to the small power station stream but human disturbance
meant that only the tame White-capped Redstart was present.
It was decided that we would call it a morning and take a
break until later in the day.
In the late afternoon we made a visit to the lower areas of
the mountain, the KM 13 area of dry dipterocarp forest in
search of a few specialities. However, as usual things were
exceptionally quiet with only a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
and Purple Sunbird as we searched in vain for Collared Falconet.
Scanning every exposed branch for miles the falconets were
not obliging so we moved to another area to try again, getting
lucky with Black-backed Forktail as we drove across a bridge.
Eventually, we found a single Collared Falconet perched on
top of a distant tree. Certainly the telescope was required
but with perfect late afternoon light we were able to see
all of this cute bird's features.
For our final morning at Doi Inthanon we visited the parakeet
observation tower, just outside of the national park and only
five minutes away from our accommodation, arriving a little
before 7am. The observation deck gave us a great view over
an area of dry woodland with several flowering trees very
close to us which over the course of the morning gave us superb
views and photo opportunities of a wide range of birds including
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Purple Sunbird, Golden-fronted
Leafbird, Black-naped Oriole, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
and Ornate Sunbird. However, the parakeets themselves were
a bit trickier to see. Although we could hear them for much
of our time at the tower, they kept us waiting. This was no
hardship with a nice Asian Barred Owlet to photograph in the
morning light with a Green-billed Malkoha coming to investigate
it.
A procession of common birds were nice for making up the numbers,
Streak-eared Bulbul, Racket-tailed Treepie, Great Myna, Ashy
Drongo, Hair-crested Drongo, Sooty-headed Bulbul to mention
a few, but several Red-billed Blue Magpies were a really nice
addition, particularly after having poor views of them along
the road inside the national park. Eclipsing these, though,
were a group of Green Peafowl creeping through the forest
to an area where supplementary food had been supplied. These
rare and range-restricted birds can be very tough to catch
up with so this was a really exciting sighting and we were
able to watch these for a long time along with several Red
Junglefowl. Eventually, as things began to warm up, a pair
of Blossom-headed Parakeets flew in and perched in some bare
branches for us to admire to conclude a nice short morning
full of birds. The only thing left for us on our northern
section of this Thailand birding tour was to pack up, check
out of our accommodation and drive to Chiang Mai airport for
our early afternoon flight to Don Muang airport in Bangkok
where we had a comfortable night in the Amari
Don Muang Airport Hotel.
Wat Praphuttabaht Noi
Leaving our hotel at 5.30am we had our breakfast on the run
this time, allowing us to arrive at Wat Praphuttabaht Noi
by around 7am with the early morning light illuminating the
limestone outcrops that tower around the temple.
Even if there were to be no birds here the setting is a
memorable one but there was nothing to worry about as a short
walk immediately revealed a pair of Rufous Limestone Babblers
feeding on the ground in an area of rocky woodland to the
rear of the temple. These birds gave us some great photographic
opportunities before sloping off into the limestone before
we came across a second pair. With this immediate success
we were able to enjoy the atmosphere including the Long-tailed
Macaques and Variable Squirrels.
The supporting cast of birds including White-rumped Shama,
Pied Fantail and Common Iora while a constant feature as we
walked around were several Blue Rockthrushes. A couple of
Black-naped Orioles showed well in low trees as did Lineated
Barbet and Coppersmith Barbet. Some local schoolchildren treated
us to some cultural music before we went back to the vehicle
where an Asian Brown Flycatcher posed on a small shrub for
us to take some eye-level photos. As things warmed up we began
our journey towards Khao Yai and
an appointment with some parakeets.
Khao Yai National Park
Our first port of call at Khao Yai was outside of the national
park in the local government compound where a colony of Red-breasted
Parakeets exist, nesting in old, tall trees. We could hear
them on arrival but it took a little while to spot a nice
adult male high in the trees. Enjoying these garrulous birds
we eventually found a couple of good examples of this colourful
bird low enough to get a few good photos of.
We had to hang around for some time, and take lunch,
before we could check into our hotel, Ozone
Hotel Khao Yai, and take a break in the heat of the day
in our comfortable rooms. Over the course of the next few
days we enjoyed some excellent birding at Khao Yai, always
being out early but also taking breaks in the heat of the
day back at our hotel to recover our energy and maximise the
best parts of the day for birding.
Over the course of our few days here we spent much of our
time along the Khao Khieo road searching for some of the specialities
of the national park. We were treated to wonderful views of
a couple of male Silver Pheasants along the road but despite
much trying we never could find Siamese Firebacks. However,
a fruiting tree supplied lots of Thick-billed Green Pigeons
as well as a couple of Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons along with
some superb early morning sightings of both Wreathed and Great
Hornbillls feeding on the mass of figs. As hoped for, this
area provided us with a lot of good bird sightings as well
as a bundle of commoner species such as Asian Fairy Bluebird,
Puff-throated Bulbul, Claudia's Leaf Warbler, Grey-eyed Bulbul
and Grey-headed Canaray Flycatcher. Banded Kingfisher can
be a tough bird to find and after one abortive attempt we
had a fine male provide us with prolonged views one afternoon.
Banded Broadbills were easy to find, but no less impressive
while a male Red-headed Trogon made us work much harder. Flocks
of White-crested Laughingthrushes were a feature along here
and we also managed to find a nice Lesser Yellownape moments
after eventually tracking down a Collared Owlet that had been
taunting us with its call for more than thirty minutes. Perhaps
the most noteworthy sighting, although not the most spectacular,
was a Green Warbler at the Khao Khieo Shrine. This bird had
been found, as a first for Thailand, several weeks earlier
in this area and much photographed by local twitchers. I played
the song in the area more out of duty rather than expectation
and the bird came straight in to us, performing well in overhead
branches, allowing us to get a few photos and observe the
far richer green plumage than the confusion species in the
area while calling. This went some small way towards compensating
for the hours spent waiting for the calling Coral-billed Ground
Cuckoo to emerge from the roadside vegetation only for it
to be scared off by regular passing vehicles!
A visit to the viewpoint close to the radar station was very
good in the early morning with point blank views of a small
group of Black-throated Laughingthrushes busying around in
the bushes without a care to the people wandering around.
This was also a good place to get photos of Grey-backed Shrike
and Blue Rockthrush which were also used to the proximity
of humans as well as White-browed Scimitar Babbler which popped
up from the foliage right in front of us. This can also be
a good place to see Green Magpie and on this occasion we were
lucky with this spectacular bird foraging on the low branches
of the trees next to the coffee shop.
Woodpeckers are one of my personal favourite bird groups and
with a little time to spare one late afternoon we had an amazing
experience with three different species. In an open area,
close to one of the staff/youth camp areas I heard the drumming
of a Rufous Woodpecker, although the call of a Laced Woodpecker
came from the same place: confusing. While trying to work
out if I was hearing things or indeed two species of woodpecker
were in the same place we were able to enjoy colourful Chestnut-headed
Bee-eaters and a close-up Green-billed Malkoha. Before the
woodpecker conundrum could be solved I heard the sound of
Heart-spotted Woodpecker. A little call playback and we were
watching this cute little woodpecker on a small, leafless
tree before in flew in closer before disappearing into the
forest. Laced Woodpecker calls were coming from the forest
and again, a little call playback made it come blasting out
and it landed in the same leafless tree as the Heart-spotted
Woodpecker had visited. To complete the trio, the distinctive
drum of Rufous Woodpecker was still coming from the same place
as originally and the same trick resulted in exactly the same
result with a lovely Rufous Woodpecker perched in exactly
the same tree as the previous two species of woodpecker; an
awesome half an hour. This was all preceding a visit to the
swift pool where good numbers of Brown-backed Needletails
came in to bathe on the wing as well as a single Silver-backed
Needletail. To finish the day we had wonderful flyover views
of Great Eared Nightjar, calling in flight, before heading
back for dinner.
One of the highlights of our time at Khao Yai was an evening
visit back at the area government compound where a Spot-bellied
Eagle Owl had been discovered a few weeks previously. By waiting
discretely and looking at a huge tree this wonderful owl eventually
emerged from a large cavity, looking enormous as it spread
its wings upon bursting out of its daytime hideout. Another
awesome owl was Buffy Fish Owl. Again we got lucky with a
couple of these seldom-seen birds at a daytime stakeout on
the stream behind the restaurant at headquarters for some
more additions to what turned out to be a good trip for owls.
Our final birding at Khao Yai was in the car park for Haew
Suwat Waterfall where we were successful in finding both Crimson
Sunbird and Van Hasselt's Sunbird. Two very nice little birds
to finish with before a long drive to the other side of Bangkok
towards the town of Petchaburi.
Pak Thale & Laem Pak Bia
Our visits to this area were split before and after visiting
Kaeng Krachan national park and over the course of these days,
taking things more slowly than usual, we saw a lot of great
species with the minimum of stress and avoiding the most blistering
hours of sunshine.
Over the last few years Spoon-billed Sandpiper
has often been very difficult to find among the vast numbers
of birds present at Pak Thale but on this occasion it did
not take too long. However, before we enjoyed lengthy views
of this iconic little bird we were able to admire a mixed
flock of Asian Dowitchers, Great Knot and Nordmann's Greenshank
at close range as a sort of ornithological amuse-bouche, although
more than our bouches were amused by this triumvirate. While
we were scanning through the masses of Red-necked Stints and
Broad-billed Sandpipers we were joined by Mr Daeng, the local
boatman and I was lucky that he spotted a Spoon-billed Sandpiper
while I was showing the others the various selection of shorebirds
that also included both Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Curlew
Sandpiper and a few Red Knots mixed in with the Great Knots.
Obviously Spoon-billed Sandpiper immediately drew our attention
away from all other distractions.
Feeding towards the back of a group of small waders we were
able to watch Spoon-billed Sandpiper feeding by shovelling
and probing where the shallow water met the mud. As we watched
over the course of half an hour or so the bird gradually came
closer to us, never really being close enough to obtain the
best photographs but certainly close enough to give us excellent
views through the telescope and nice views through binoculars.
Having seen our three main target birds so quickly gave us
plenty of time to track down a group of Terek Sandpipers as
well as find a smart Chinese Egret lurking among a group of
Brown-headed Gulls and Caspian Terns.
Our boat trip to what little remains of the sand spit at Laem
Pak Bia provided us with an extreme high tide which meant
that there was very little sand exposed and while we could
get good, close views of Malaysian Plovers there was no sign
of the usual White-faced Plovers. Sanderling, Greater Sand
Plover and Pacific Reef Egret were all easily seen before
we headed back to the boatyard for some refreshments. When
exiting the boatyard we stopped, in the late afternoon, to
look along the river to spot a couple of Collared Kingfishers
perched on posts, giving us nice views of these colourful
birds. More surprisingly a pair of Pied Kingfishers were also
loafing around in the same area; always a lovely bird especially
when they hover before plunging into the water to catch a
fish; a performance that one of the birds we saw put on for
us. A visit to the abandoned building area turned up a real
surprise in the form of an Indian Thick-knee, in some dry,
shrubby habitat very close to the van.
Staying so close to the birding at Pak Thale and Laem Pak
Bia, in the very comfortable
iTara Resort & Spa, we were able to make a late afternoon/dusk
visit to an area close to the King's Project where we were
able to see large numbers of birds congregating before roosting
as well as thousands of Lyle's Flying Foxes emerging from
the mangroves. As we left we also came across a couple of
Indian Nightjars before dinner where the hotel staff struggled
with our requests for cocktails!
Kaeng Krachan National Park
Kaeng Krachan is one of the most reliable of birding sites
in Thailand and on this visit it certainly did not disappoint.
Staying at Baan Maka we split our time between the lowland
areas of forest and the hides around the edge of the forest.
Usually we would also explore the upper areas of the park
but given the terrible state of the road and the problems
with walking along a steep road with an unstable surface for
our group we decided to leave this area out. As we had seen
most of the species of that area in the north it only meant
that we missed out on a few key species, albeit including
Ratchet-tailed Treepie.
We arrived in the afternoon at our accommodation and after
a break from the most severe heat we took a late afternoon
walk around the property and out onto the road before finishing
with a drink in the sunset bar. It did not turn up anything
very special but it did give us nice opportunities to photograph
Indochinese Roller and Ornate Sunbird with a flock of eight
Chinese Sparrowhawks being a very early date for migration.
Our first morning was a real bumper one at kilometre nine
with one of the birdiest mornings of the trip. Arriving at
first light we immediately saw a couple of Dollarbirds and
a pair of Common Hill Mynas before Oriental Pied Hornbill
put in an appearance. It was still half light when I spotted
a pair of Golden-crested Mynas on an exposed snag and as the
light improved we added a nice collection of woodpeckers;
Greater Flameback, Common Flameback, Greater Yellownape, Heart-spotted
Woodpecker and just before we left the area, Grey-headed Woodpecker.
The birds came thick and fast here with some lovely Greater
Racket-tailed Drongos as well as leucogenis Ashy
Drongo perched high up and these were joined, as the sun lit
up the treetops, by Thick-billed Green Pigeons, Green-eared
Barbet, Blue-eared Barbet and, finally, Black-thighed Falconet,
one of the cutest birds of the trip. A couple of Great Hornbills
brought a smile to our faces, how can you not be pleased to
see this bird? A single Tickell's Brown Hornbill was 'scoped
briefly too before it flew away never to be seen again. Approximately
forty species were seen in a two hour session here but we
did have to revisit on the next morning to make sure we saw
the mighty Great Slaty Woodpecker.
A little further down the road we stopped hoping for Black-and-red
Broadbill and three of these stunning birds turned up immediately;
that's how birding should be. Also not to be sniffed at were
a pair of Sultan Tits, a really lovely bird and a vocal one
too.
We made several visits to the moist area of forest between
the stream crossings where we were able to see the long-staying
White-fronted Scops Owl on its daytime roost. A real treat
as this is a rare and extremely range-restricted species.
A Blue Pitta was annoyingly close at one point but would not
come into an area to be viewed but this was a good location
for broadbills with Black-and-yellow, Banded, Silver-breasted
and Dusky Broadbills all putting on a good show for us. This
is a really nice family of birds so I am always keen for groups
to see as many as possible and this left us with just Green
Broadbill, in the south, to complete the set of Thai broadbills.
Great views of orange-breasted Trogon were nice and White-browed
Piculet was one of those birds that you only see when birding
is good at Kaeng Krachan. A couple of Violet Cuckoos were
seen one day, joining a bird wave that was hunting caterpillars
in the treetops and a pair of Buff-rumped Woodpeckers were
holding a territory and seen in the same area on several days.
Our final morning in this area gave us a spectacular experience
with a flock of ten Tickell's Brown Hornbills and a taster
of things to come in the south with Raffles's Malkoha and
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha.
The hides at Kaeng Krachan are always fun to visit and we
spent afternoons at two different hides which were quite hot
but provided some point blank views of some excellent birds
including Kalij Pheasant, intricately plumaged Bar-backed
Partridge, Scaly-breasted Partridge and lots of garrulous
Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes.
At one of the hides we got nice views of Common Green Magpie
but it never came down to drink because of a lot of disturbance
from other people in the hide. In fact we saw fewer shy birds
than expected partly because of rain a few days before our
visits but also because of the crazy amount of disturbance
by some people we shared the hides with. However, having both
Greater Yellownape and Common Flameback feeding and drinking
right in front of us for long periods was a really memorable
experience.
Phetchaburi Rice Fields & Bang Tabun Duck Lake
Not to be neglected are the wetland areas represented by rice
farms and fish ponds in the vicinity of the town of Petchaburi.
We had a couple of mornings in these habitats and they were
very productive for us with a wealth of species. From raptors
such as Greater Spotted Eagle to waders like Grey-headed Lapwing
and Oriental Pratincole there was a wide variety of species.
One of my favourites were a couple of White-shouldered Starlings
feeding in a few small tamarind trees while Stork-billed Kingfisher
was a crowd pleaser. Rice fields are obviously agricultural
areas but serve as extensive wetlands in which we found Oriental
Reed Warbler, a nice flock of Cotton Pygmy Geese, several
groups of Glossy Ibis, Pheasant-tailed Jacana and Oriental
Darter just to mention a few. White-browed Crakes chasing
around is low rushes was one of the highlights but there were
so many birds that it would be ridiculous to mention them
all here. Suffice to say that it is always worth spending
time in this area for a lot of good birds.
A short drive to the "duck lake" did indeed pad
our list with three Northern Shoveler, one Northern Pintail
and around one hundred Eurasian Wigeon. Best of all, though,
were the nine Spot-billed Pelicans and groups of Black-headed
Ibis that we had gone there for.
Chumphon
Having had a short rest in our rooms we went out again in
the late afternoon and headed to Phanang
Tak Bay. However, strong winds were coming in from the
sea and there were almost no birds on the beach and finding
tree-dwelling birds in those conditions was going to be very
unrewarding.
Instead we drove into the town centre, to a park next to the
sports stadium where a variety of uncommon starlings are often
seen. For some time we could not find these birds with only
Racket-tailed Treepie, Oriental Magpie Robin and Lineated
Barbet to show for our efforts. While tired legs took a rest
I marched around the stadium to see if I could find our missing
starlings and found some Asian Glossy Starlings. After collecting
the rest of the group we took a few photos of these before
I noticed a high number of mynas collecting in trees near
the main entrance. We hurried over and found a big group of
Purple-backed Starlings feeding on some low fruiting trees
in a compound on the opposite side of the road from the stadium.
We found ourselves in a strange situation with music coming
out of the stadium, traffic around us and lots of people while
the starlings gorged themselves on the fruit. With some scrutiny
I was able to point out a nice Chestnut-cheeked Starling,
a real rarity but a speciality of Chumphon. As the light was
fading a couple of Vinous-breasted Starlings also turned up
on a nearby concrete post before we headed back to the hotel
and dinner in a nearby pub. Pru Krajud, Chumphon
After an early breakfast at Nana
Buri Hotel we drove the short distance for some birding
at Pru Krajud sedge swamp, a small area of wetlands and woodland
close to the coast.
As usual with open country and wetland areas we were able
to see a good number of species in a short amount of time
before things became really hot. Most notable were the high
numbers of Oriental Darters perched on top of trees and flying
by, as well as nice views of Purple Herons glowing in the
early morning light. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and Pink-necked
Green Pigeons provided more colour while open country birds
such as Siamese Pied Starling, Great Myna and Yellow-vented
Bublul were abundant. One of the highlights of our short morning
here were four Oriental Pratincoles walking around on bare
soil. We had seen these birds earlier in the trip but in flight
only so it was great to get such excellent views of them on
the ground which allowed us to appreciate their smart plumage
on their face.
There were birds including Yellow-bellied Prinia, Ornate Sunbird
and Grey-headed Swamphen but another of the morning's highlights
was a Burmese Shrike, hunting in the car park; a very uncommon
bird this far south. The other stand out species was Lesser
Coucal, two of which flew away as we entered the boardwalk
but showed themselves really well to us just as we were driving
out of the site.
Krung Ching
Our journey from Chumphon to Krung Ching took us to a nice
little noodle stall for lunch before taking us along a ridiculously
rutted road for many kilometres which was barely passable
in some patches and made slippery by rain. Mrs Google Maps's
short cut was an abomination although we should count ourselves
fortunate that it did not result in a dead end and a massive
backtrack of our route. Our accommodation at Krung Ching Hills
Resort was very nice indeed with a bird feeder in front of
the lobby area. Over the course of our stay here we revisited
the feeding area, where fruit was put out every day, and saw
some nice birds including several Orange-backed Flowerpeckers,
Olive Bulbuls, a pair of Greater Green Leafbirds, Little Spiderhunter
and Yellow-eared Spiderhunter. In addition to these, roadside
wires just outside of the accommodation provided daily views
of cute Whiskered Treeswifts.
In the national park itself birding was varied. On one afternoon
the birding was good with a colourful Banded Woodpecker, a
group of Dusky Broadbills (which we were to see on a daily
basis), Raffles's Malkoha as well as Chestnut-breasted and
Red-billed Malkohas. Malayan Brown Barbets posed for us on
a treetop while birds such as Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Asian
Fairy Bluebird and Blue-winged Leafbird were all seen. However,
on another afternoon we struglled to see anything at all.
Strangely, birding in the mornings was also quite unpredictable,
being difficult on one morning and much more productive on
another day. On one morning we struggled somewhat, squeezing
out Chestnut-winged Babbler and Black-bellied Malkoha along
the access road between seeing Black-thighed Falconet and
a couple fo Dollarbirds. However, after getting to the campsite
things improved with close views of the cartoonish Black-and-yellow
Broadbill and a mass of activity on a tall, flowering tree.
This included a trio of spiderhunters, Spectacled, Grey-breasted
and Yellow-eared Spiderhuntes, colourful Thick-billed Green
Pigeons and Vernal Hanging Parrot. On a nearby tree three
Grey-and-buff Woodpeckers were foraging, one of those funny,
little hammer-headed woodpeckers. Although this morning had
flet slow, a stop along the road, on our way back, turned
up a stunning Green Broadbill as well as Maroon Woodpecker
to complete a good morning.
On a second morning we started at the flowering tree, adding
Crimson-winged Woodpecker to our long woodpecker list before
hearing the much-anticipated Rufous-collared Kingfisher in
the nearby forest. This can be a tough bird to track down
but with some patience we managed to get good views of this
bird on a perch at eye level. While this was all excellent
we joined a local to visit a hide, some distance into the
forest. We settled down and did not have long to wait before
a stunning Chestnut-naped Forktail showed up at point-blank
range. Orange-headed Thrush and White-rumped Shama added to
the colour before another Rufous-collared Kingfisher arrived
and gave us the type of views that we will never forget. While
this was superb the show was not yet over but the next arrivals
were a little more subtle; Malayan Black-capped Babbler and
Fulvous-chested Jungle-flycatcher.
These types of views of birds are exactly what we wanted so
we also spent an afternoon in another hide, a little outside
of the national park. At first sitting in the steamy hot hide
was dismal with almost no activity at all, which was weird
considering how hot things were and the main attraction at
this location, for the birds, was a pool of water for bathing
and drinking. However, eventually things kicked off with a
procession of bulbuls; Puff-throated Bulbul, Red-eyed Bulbul,
Spectacled Bulbul, Black-headed Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul
and Olive Bulbul. Pin-striped Tit Babbler, Chestnut-winged
Babbler and Abbott's Babbler all sneaked in for a bath but
huge excitement was sparked by the arrival of a white morph
Blyth's Paradise-flycatcher with long trailing tail. This
bird is like some sort of fairy in the dark forest and these
were the best and longest views I have ever had. In some ways,
though, a pair of Green Broadbills eclipsed this treat; this
is a truly curious bird with a stunning plumage and to see
it in such as way was a real pleasure.
Our final morning at Krung Ching saw us walking along the
forest trail looking for White-crowned Hornbill. Although
we heard this magnificent bird we did not get a view, however,
we did finish our time here with a really awesome bird: Scarlet-rumped
Trogon.
Ao Phang Nga Mangroves
Having arrived at our hotel, Le
Erawan in Phang Nga, a little later than hoped for, because
of a delay caused by the poor punctuality of a plate of fish
and chips, we had time for a short break in our rooms before
a late afternoon birding session in the mangroves at Ao Phang
Nga National park headquarters area. We had a fairly short
set list of target species here but finding them at this time
of the year is usually mot too difficult and so it proved
on this occasion. It was quite hot so we parked in a shady
area and kept to the parts of the track that gave us some
respite from the sun. At first things were quiet but a calling
Ruddy Kingfisher caught our attention but although it was
very persistent in its serenade to us we could not spot it.
A flash of colour, a red bill between the roots of mangroves
and excitement hit us, but instead of the Ruddy Kingfisher
we expected, we found ourselves with great views of a giant
Brown-winged Kingfisher.
The call of Mangrove Pitta suddenly joined the cackle of Brown-winged
Kingfisher and trilling of Ruddy Kingfisher appearing in front
of us moments later before we late relocated it calling from
a soil mound. On this territorial sounding post we were able
to watch Mangrove Pitta at length only pausing when we finally
located the Ruddy Kingfisher a short distance to our right.
What a magic moment! Three of our main target birds all within
moments of each other and all three giving us splendid views.
There was time for more, however, with a pair of Streak-breasted
Woodpeckers showing up; nice of them to show themselves to
us without making us move from our lucky spot. Walking back
to the vehicle I heard a soft "chucking" sound that
alerted me to the presence of Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, a
rare bird in Thailand but one I frequently see at this location.
We were lucky in that a pair of these birds decided to forage
in the trees above our heads, giving us the opportunity to
see all of the details on this species.
Jumping into the vehicle we took a quick spin around the corner
to check to see if a particular tree was in fruit (it wasn't)
but we were able to photograph both Pacific Swallow and striking
Rufous-bellied Swallow sitting on roadside wires at close
range. A search for Ashy Tailorbird turned up Scarlet-backed
Flowerpecker, Common Iora and Coppersmith Barbet instead before
we decided to go back to the hotel for dinner.
The following morning we had breakfast in the hotel and then
returned to the same area for an hour and a half, adding a
pair of White-chested Babblers to our list and getting amazing
views of Mangrove Pitta perched high in a tree close to us.
Olive-winged Bulbul was another new bird, but almost overlooked
before we took a drive towards Bang Phat Mangroves, about
30 minutes away. We drove slowly along the entry road to this
area, searching for Jungle Myna, successfully finding 3 of
these declining birds as well as a dozen or so Oriental Dollarbirds
perched on roadside wires. Another stop at a fishpond gave
us some nice photographic opportunities with Blue-tailed Bee-eater
and Little Cormorant. Things were very hot by the time we
walked into the mangroves but we lured in a pair of Copper-throated
Sunbirds, although they were not easy to connect with due
to their hyper-activity. A Collared Kingfisher did pose, though,
for photographs. With the morning drawing to a close we went
back to the hotel, loaded the vehicle before having lunch
in a mangrove restaurant and then making the one hour drive
to drop Susan, Mark and Kathy off at their hotels to conclude
a very pleasant trip.
Doi Ang Kang: DAK
Fang Rice Fields: FRF
Doi Lang West: DLW
Mae Ai Rice Fields: MAR
Fang Hot Springs: FHS
Doi Inthanon: DI
Khao Yai: KY
Petchaburi Rice Fields: PRF Pak Thale/Laem Pak Bia: PT
Daap Toon Hide: DTH
Bird Hide: BH
Kaeng Krachan: KK
Chumphon: C
Hat Sai Ri-Pu Kraduk: PK
Krung Ching: KC
Phang Nga Mangroves: PNM
Wat Khao Takrao: WKT
1. Rufous-throated Partridge:
DI summit.
2. Bar-backed Partridge: DTH. BH.
3. Green-legged Partridge: BH.
4. Green Peafowl: DI.
5. Red Junglefowl: KK, KY, DI, BH,
DTH. 6. Mrs Hume's Pheasant: 5 at
DLW.
7. Kalij Pheasant: DTH, KK. 8. Silver Pheasant: 2m
at KY. 9. Lesser Whistling-duck: FRF,
PRF, PK, WKT. 10. Cotton Pygmy Goose: A flock
at PRF. 11. Garganey: WKT, FRF. 12. Northern Shoveler: 3
at WKT. 13. Eurasian Wigeon: Up
to 100 at WKT. 14. Northern Pintail: 1m at WKT. 15. Eurasian Teal: A
few at FRF. 16. Little Grebe: FRF, PRF, WKT
& PT. 17. Rock Pigeon
18. Speckled Woodpigeon: A
few near summit of DI.
19. Oriental Turtle Dove: DLW.
20. Red Collared Dove: Common
in open country. 21. Spotted Dove: Common
in open country, seen daily. 22. Barred Cuckoo Dove: 1
flyover at KY.
23. Zebra Dove: Common in open
country.
24. Common Emerald Dove: DI,
KK, DTH, BH. 25. Pink-necked Green Pigeon: PRF,
PK. 26. Thick-billed Green Pigeon:
KK, KY, KC. 27. Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon: A
few at KY. 28. Mountain Imperial Pigeon: KY,
KK . 29. Hodgson's Frogmouth: 1
at DLW. 30. Great Eared Nightjar: A
few at KY. 31. Large-tailed Nightjar: KK. 32. Indian Nightjar: 2
at King's Project, LPB. 33. Whiskered Treeswift: Several
at KC. 34. Silver-backed Needletail: 1
at KY. 35. Brown-backed Needletail: Many
at KY. 36. Himalayan Swiftlet: MAR,
KY . 37. Pale-rumped (Germain's) Swiftlet: PRF,
PT, KK, C, PK 38. Asian Palm Swift: Common. 39. Cook's Swift: Common
at DL & DAK. 40. House Swift: A
few at MAR. 41. Greater Coucal: Many
sites. 42. Lesser Coucal: 2
at PK. 43. Raffles's Malkoha: 1
at KK, a few at KC. 44. Red-billed Malkoha: A
few at KC. 45. Black-bellied Malkoha: 1
at KC. 46. Chestnut-bellied Malkoha: 2
at PNM. 47. Green-billed Malkoha: A
few at PRF, KK & DI. 48. Chestnut-breasted Malkoha: 2
at KK, a few at KC. 49. Asian Koel: A few
at PRF. 50. Violet Cuckoo: 2
at KK. 51. Banded Bay Cuckoo: 1
at DLW. 52. Plaintive Cuckoo: 1f
at PRF. 53. Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo: 1
at KK. 54. White-breasted Waterhen: Many
sites. 55. White-browed Crake: 3
at PRF. 56. Grey-headed Swamphen:
A few at PRF. 57. Common Moorhen: A
few at FRF & PRF. 58. Eurasian Coot: 1
at FRF. 59. Painted Stork: PT, &
WKT. 60. Asian Openbill: PRF, PT. 61. Black-headed Ibis: A few
at WKT. 62. Glossy Ibis: Good
numbers at PRF. 63. Yellow Bittern: Just 1 at
PRF. 64. Black-crowned Night Heron: A
few at MAR, PT, PRF. 65. Striated Heron: 1 at PT.
66. Chinese Pond Heron: Common
& widespread. 67. Javan Pond Heron: A
few in breeding plumage at PRF & PT. 68. Eastern Cattle Egret: Many
sites. 69. Grey Heron: Many sites. 70. Purple Heron: PRF, PK. 71. (Eastern) Great Egret: Many
sites. 72. Medium Egret: Many sites. 73. Little Egret: Seen at all
wetland sites. 74. Pacific Reef Egret: A few
at Laem Pak Bia sand spit. 75. Chinese Egret: 1
at PT. 76. Spot-billed Pelican: A
few at WKT. 77. Little Cormorant: PRF,
PT, WKT, PK. 78. Indian Cormorant: PT
& WKT. 79. Oriental Darter: PRF,
PT. 80. Indian Thick-knee: 1
at PT. 81. Pied Avocet: PT. 82. Black-winged Stilt: Common
in wetlands. 83. Grey Plover: PT.
84. Pacific Golden Plover: PT. 85. Long-billed Plover: 1
at MAR. 86. Little Ringed Plover: Many
sites. 87. Kentish Plover: Fairly
common at PT. 88. Malaysian Plover: 10+
at Laem Pak Bia sand spit. 89. Lesser Sand Plover: Common
at PT. 90. Greater Sand Plover: A
few at PT. 91. Grey-headed Lapwing: A
few at PRF. 92. Red-wattled Lapwing: Common.
93. Pheasant-tailed
Jacana: A few at PRF. 94. Bronze-winged Jacana: A
few at PRF. 95. Whimbrel: PT.
96. Eurasian Curlew:
PT. 97. Black-tailed Godwit: Large
numbers at PT. 98. Ruddy Turnstone: PT.
99. Great Knot: Large
numbers at PT. 100. Red Knot: Several
at PT. 101. Broad-billed Sandpiper: Fairly
common at PT. 102. Curlew Sandpiper: Common
at PT. 103. Long-toed Stint:
PT, WKT. 104. Spoon-billed Sandpiper: 1
seen well at PT. 105. Red-necked Stint: Ccommon
at PT. 106. Sanderling: PT.
107. Asian Dowitcher: Many
at PT. 108. Pintail Snipe: 2
at PRF. 109 Terek Sandpiper:
PT. 110. Common Sandpiper: MAR,
PRF, PT. 111. Green Sandpiper: FRF,
MAR. 112. Spotted Redshank:
Common at PT. 113. Common Greenshank: PT,
MAR. 114. Common Redshank: A
few at PT & LPB. 115. Wood Sandpiper: FRF,
PRF, PT. 116. Marsh Sandpiper: PT,
WKT. 117. Nordmann's Greenshank:
PT. 118. Oriental Pratincole: A
few at PRF, 4 at PK. 119. Brown-headed Gull:
PT. 120. Little Tern: Common
at PT. 121. Caspian Tern:
PT. 122. Whiskered Tern: Common
at PT. 123. White-winged Tern: A
few at PT. 124. Common Tern:
PT. 125. Lesser Crested Tern: 2
at PT. 126. Great Crested Tern: PT.
127. Brown Boobook: 2
at DI. 128. Collared Owlet: 1
at KY. 129. Asian Barred Owlet: DI,
FHS, KK. 130. Spotted Owlet: 1
at DI. 131. White-fronted Scops Owl: 1
at KK. 132. Spot-bellied Eagle Owl: 1
at KY. 133. Buffy Fish Owl: 2
at KY. 134. Western Osprey: 1
at PT. 135. Oriental Honey-buzzard: FHS,
DI, KY, KK, PRF, PK, KC.. 136. Crested Serpent Eagle: KY
& KC. 137. Greater Spotted Eagle:
PRF. 138 Eastern Marsh Harrier: PRF. 139. Pied Harrier: FRF,
PRF. 140. Crested Goshawk: KY
& KK. 141. Shikra: FHS.
142. Chinese Sparrowhawk: A
small flock at KK. 143. Brahminy Kite: PRF,
PT, PNM. 144. Black-eared Kite: PRF.
145. Rufous-winged Buzzard: 1
at KY. 146. Eastern Buzzard:
1 at KY. 147. Orange-breasted Trogon: KY
& KK. 148. Red-headed Trogon: 1m
at KY. 149. Scarlet-rumped Trogon: 1m
at KC. 150. Great Hornbill: KY
& KK. 151. Tickell's Brown Hornbill: A
group of c10 at KK. 152. Oriental Pied Hornbill: KY
& KK. 153. Wreathed Hornbill: KY. 154. Eurasian Hoopoe: DLW,
KY. 155. Blue-bearded Bee-eater: KY. 156. Asian Green Bee-eater: Many
sites. 157. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater: WPN
& KY. 158. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: PRF
& PK. 159. Indochinese Roller: Many
open country sites. 160. Oriental Dollarbird: KK,
KC & PNM. 161. Common Kingfisher: PRF. 162. Pied Kingfisher: 2
at PT. 163. Banded Kingfisher: 1m
at KY. 164. Stork-billed Kingfisher: 2
at WKT. 165. Brown-winged Kingfisher: 2
at PNM. 166. Ruddy Kingfisher: 1
at PNM. 167. White-throated Kingfisher:
Common in open country. 168: Black-capped Kingfisher:
1 at PT. 169. Rufous-collared Kingfisher:
3 at KC. 170. Collared Kingfisher: PT
& LPB. 171. Malay Brown Barbet: 3
at KC. 172. Coppersmith Barbet: Many
sites. 173. Blue-eared Barbet: KY
& KK. 174. Great Barbet: FHS. 175. Green-eared Barbet: KY
& KK. 176. Lineated Barbet: FHS,
KY, PNM. 177. Golden-throated Barbet: DLW,
DAK & DI. 178. Gold-whiskered Barbet: 1
at KC. 179. Moustached Barbet: KY. 180. Blue-throated Barbet: DLW,
FHS, DAK. 181. White-browed Piculet: 1
at KK. 182. Speckled Piculet:
DI. 183. Heart-spotted Woodpecker: KK
& KY. 184. Maroon Woodpecker: 1
at KC. 185. Greater Flameback: KK.
186. Common Flameback: KK.
187. Rufous Woodpecker: KY. 188. Buff-rumped Woodpecker: 1
at KK. 189. Banded Woodpecker: 1
at KC. 190. Greater Yellownape: DLW,
KY & KK. 191. Crimson-winged Woodpecker: 1
at KC. 192. Lesser Yellownape:
1 at KY. 193. Laced Woodpecker: A
few at KY. 194. Streak-breasted Woodpecker: KK
& PNM. 195. Black-naped (Grey-headed) Woodpecker:
KK. 196. Great Slaty Woodpecker: 4
at KK. 197. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker: DLW,
DI. 198. Necklaced Woodpecker: 1
at DLW. 199. Stripe-breasted Woodpecker: DL
& DAK. 200. Freckle-breasted Woodpecker: PRF. 201 Collared Falconet:1 at DI. 202. Black-thighed Falconet:
2 at KK. 203. Common Kestrel: 1
at KY. 204. Vernal Hanging Parrot:
KY & KK. 205. Blossom-headed Parakeet:
A few at DI. 206. Red-breasted Parakeet:
KY. 207. Mangrove Pitta: 1
at PNM. 208. Long-tailed Broadbill: A
flock of 10+ at Km 28, KK. 209. Dusky Broadbill: KK. 210. Black-and-red Broadbill: 2
at KK. 211. Silver-breasted Broadbill: KK. 212. Banded Broadbill: KK,
KY & KC. 213. Black-and-yellow Broadbill: KK
& KC. 214. Green Broadbill: A
few at KC. 215. Golden-bellied Gerygone:
PT. 216. Dark-throated Oriole: 1
at KC. 217. Maroon Oriole: DLW,
DAK. 218. Black-hooded Oriole: KK. 219. Black-naped Oriole: DI,
KY, WPN, KK. 220. Slender-billed Oriole: 1
at KK. 221. Clicking (Chestnut-fronted)
Shrike-babbler: DI. 222. White-bellied Erpornis:
Several locations. 223. Grey-chinned Minivet: DLW,
DI. 224. Short-billed Minivet: DAK
& DI. 225. Long-tailed Minivet: DL
& DAK. 226. Scarlet Minivet: KK,
KY & DLW. 227. Swinhoe's (Brown-rumped) Minivet: KK
& KY. 228. Rosy Minivet: FHS,
KY. 229. Large Cuckooshrike: DLW.
230. Black-winged Cuckooshrike (melaschistos):
KY & KK. 231. Ashy Woodswallow: Seen
at many open country sites. 232. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: Many
sites. 233. Large Woodshrike: DLW,
KK, KC. 234. Common Iora: FHS,
DI, PRF, PNM. 235. Green Iora: KC. 236a. Great Iora (innotata): KK.
236b. Great Iora (lafresnayei):
KC. 237. Sunda Pied Fantail: WPN,
PT, KK, PT, PRF, PK. 238. White-throated Fantail: DLW,
DI.
239a. Black Drongo (albirictus):
Seen at all open country sites in north. 239b. Black Drongo (cathoecus):
Open country sites in central and south. 240a. Ashy Drongo (leucogenis):
A few at KK, KY. 240b. Ashy Drongo (mouhoti):
Fairly common at KK, also seen at DI. 240c. Ashy Drongo (hopwoodi):
Several at DAK & DLW. 241. Bronzed Drongo: DAK,
DLW, KK, KC. 242. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo:
DLW, DI. 243. Hair-crested Drongo: DLW,
FHS, DI, WPN, KY, KK. 244a. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (rangoonensis):
FHS. 244b. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (paradiseus):
KY, KK, DI. 244c. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (hypoballus):
KC. 245. Black-naped Monarch: KK
& KC. 246. Blyth's (Asian) Paradise-flycatcher (indochinensis):
A few at KC. 247. Brown Shrike (confusus): Common
in open country. 248. Burmese Shrike: DAK,
PK. 249. Long-tailed Shrike: FRF,
MAR. 250. Grey-backed Shrike: DAK,
DI, KY. 251. Racket-tailed Treepie: PRF,
C, PK. 252. Red-billed Blue Magpie: DI. 253. Grey Treepie: DLW.
254. Common Green Magpie: KY
& KK. 255. Eurasian (White-faced) Jay: FHS. 256. Large-billed (Eastern Jungle) Crow:
At many open country sites. 257. Yellow-bellied Fairy-fantail:
DI. 258. Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher: In
mixed flocks at most sites. 259. Yellow-browed Tit: DI. 260. Sultan Tit: KK. 261. Japanese Tit: DLW, DAK,
DI. 262. Yellow-cheeked Tit: DI. 263. Oriental Skylark: FRF.
264. Hill Prinia: DI. 265. Rufescent Prinia: DLW. 266. Yellow-bellied Prinia: MAR,
PRF, PK. 267a. Plain Prinia (herberti): PRF,
PK. 267b. Plain Prinia (blanfordi): MAR.
268. Common Tailorbird: KY, KK,
PRF, KC. 269. Dark-necked Tailorbird: KY,
KK, PNM. 270. Thick-billed Warbler: KK. 271. Black-browed Reed Warbler: PRF.
272. Oriental Reed Warbler: PRF.
273. Pygmy Cupwing: DI.
274. Red-rumped Swallow: KY &
PRF. 275. Striated Swallow: FRF, DLW,
DI. 276. Rufous-bellied Swallow: PNM. 277. Pacific Swallow: PNM. 278. Barn Swallow: Seen every
day. 279. Puff-throated Bulbul: DI
& KY. 280. Ochraceous Bulbul: KK &
KC. 281. Grey-eyed Bulbul: DI,
KY. 282. Baker's Bulbul: Listed
as Olive Bulbul by eBird in variance to the paper published
on the Iole bulbuls. Seen at KK. 283. Ashy Bulbul (hildebrandi):
DAK. 284. Mountain Bulbul: DI.
285. Black Bulbul: DLW, DI. 286. Crested Finchbill: DAK,
DLW. 287. Striated Bulbul: DAK.
288a. Black-crested Bulbul (xanthops): DAK,
DLW, DI. 288b. Black-crested Bulbul (johnsoni):
KY. 288c. Black-crested Bulbul (caecilii):
KK, KC. 289. Scaly-breasted Bulbul: KC. 290. Red-whiskered Bulbul: DAK,
MAR, DI. 291. Brown-breasted Bulbul:
DAK. 292a. (Northern) Sooty-headed Bulbul (latouchi):
DAK, DLW, DI. 293b. (Southern) Sooty-headed Bulbul (thais):
WPN, KK. 294. Stripe-throated Bulbul: KK.
295. Flavescent Bulbul: Common
in northern mountains. 296. Yellow-vented Bulbul: MAR,
PRF. 297. Olive-winged Bulbul: PNM. 298. Streak-eared Bulbul: Common
in open country. 299. Cream-vented Bulbul: KC.
300. Red-eyed Bulbul: KC. 301. Spectacled Bulbul: KC. 302. Black-headed Bulbul: DI,
KK, KC. 303. Chinese Leaf Warbler: 1
at DLW. 304. Yellow-browed Leaf Warbler: Common
at most sites. 305. Hume's Leaf Warbler: Common
at DAK, DLW & DI. 306. Pallas's Leaf Warbler: DLW.
307. Buff-barred Leaf Warbler: A
few at Dl summit. 308. Ashy-throated Leaf Warbler: A
few at summit, DI. 309. Dusky Warbler: MAR.
310. Radde's Warbler: KY, KK.
311. Marten's Warbler: DLW. 312. Alstrom's Warbler: 1 at
KY. 313. Chestnut-crowned Warbler: 1
at DI. 314. Green Warbler: 1 at KY,
the long-staying bird.
315. Greenish Warbler: DI.
316. Two-barred Warbler: KY.
317. Sakhalin Leaf Warbler: 1
at KC. 318. Suphur-breasted Warbler: KK,
KY. 319. Claudia's Leaf Warbler: DI.
320. Blyth's Leaf Warbler: DI
summit. 321. Davison's Leaf Warbler: DLW,
DAK & DI. 322. Slaty-bellied Tesia: DI. 323. Yellow-bellied Warbler: DAK,
KK. 324. Mountain Tailorbird: DI.
325. Black-throated Tit: DLW. 326. Spot-breasted Parrotbill: DAK.
327. Chestnut-flanked White-eye: DAK,
KY. 328. Swinhoe's White-eye: DI. 329. Indian White-eye:
DAK, DI. 330. White-browed Scimitar Babbler:
DLW, KY. 331. Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler:
DLW. 332. (Northern) Grey-throated Babbler (spadix):
DI. 333. Grey-headed Babbler: 2
at KC. 334. Spot-necked Babbler: 2
at KK. 335. Chestnut-capped Babbler: MAR.
336. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: KY,
KK, KC. 337. Rufous-fronted Babbler: A
few at KK. 338. Rufous-winged Fulvetta:
DI. 339. Puff-throated Babbler: KK.
340. Malayan Black-capped Babbler: 1
at KC. 341. White-chested Babbler: 2
at PNM. 342. Buff-breasted Babbler: DI. 343. Abbott's Babbler: KK. 344. Rufous Limestone Babbler: WPN. 345a. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta (harringtoni): DI.
345b. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta (davisoni):
KK. 346. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush: KK.
347. White-crested Laughingthrush: KY. 348. Black-throated Laughingthrush: KY. 349. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush: KK.
350. Silver-eared Laughingthrush: DLW
& summit, DI. 351. Dark-backed Sibia: Common
in northern mountains. 352. Silver-eared Mesia: DLW,
DI. 353. Rufous-backed Sibia: DI.
354. Scarlet-faced Liocichla: DLW.
355. Blue-winged Minla: DAK,
DLW, DI 356. Chestnut-tailed Minla:
DI. 357. Spectacled Barwing:
DI. 358. Hume's Treecreeper: DLW.
359. Chestnut-vented Nuthatch: DL,
DAK & DI. 360. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch: DI,
KK, KC. 361. Giant Nuthatch: DLW.
362. Purple-backed Starling: C. 363. Chestnut-cheeked Starling: 2
at C. 364. Siamese Pied Starling:
Most open country sites. 365. Black-collared Starling: FRF,
MAR, FHS. 366. White-shouldered Starling:
PRF. 367. Chestnut-tailed Starling (nemoricola):
MAR, PRF. 368. Common Myna: Seen
at all open country sites. 369. Vinous-breasted Starling: C. 370. Jungle Myna: PNM. 371. Great Myna: Seen
at all open country sites. 372. Common Hill Myna: KK,
KY . 373. Golden-crested Myna: KK. 374. Orange-headed Thrush (innotata): KC.
375. Black-breasted Thrush: DAK.
376. Eyebrowed Thrush: DAK,
DLW. 377. Grey-sided Thrush: DI
summit. 378. Oriental Magpie Robin: Most
open areas. 379. White-rumped Shama: KY,
DI, KK, KC. 380. Asian Brown Flycatcher (dauurica):
WPN, KY, KK, PK, KC. 381. Brown-streaked Flycatcher: KC. 382. Rufous-bellied Niltava: DLW,
DI. 383. Large Niltava: DI.
384. Verditer Flycatcher:
DI, KY, KK. 385. Hill Blue Flycatcher: DLW,
DI. 386. Indochinese Blue Flycatcher: KK.
387. Chinese Blue Flycatcher: KK. 388. Hainan Blue Flycatcher:
KK. 389. Lesser Shortwing:
DI. 390. Himalayan Shortwing:
DI. 391. Siberian Blue Robin: DI,
KK . 392. Bluethroat: FRF,
MAR. 393. Siberian Rubythroat: DLW,
PRF. 394. White-tailed Robin: DAK,
DI. 395. Himalayan Bluetail: 1f
at DI summit. 396. Black-backed Forktail: 1
at Km 13, DI. 397. Chestnut-naped Forktail: 1
at KC. 398a. Blue Whistlingthrush (eugenei):
FHS, DAK & DI. 399b. Blue Whistlingthrush (caeruleus):
A few at DI. 400. Slaty-backed Flycatcher: DLW,
DI. 401. Slaty-blue Flycatcher (cerviniventris):
1m & 1f at DLW.
402. Snowy-browed Flycatcher:
DI.
403. Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher: DLW.
404. Ultramarine Flycatcher: 1m
at DLW. 405. Little Pied Flycatcher: DAK.
406. Taiga Flycatcher: Many
sites. 407. White-capped Redstart: 1
at DI. 408. Plumbeous Redstart: 1f
at DI. 409. Chestnut-bellied Rockthrush: 1m
& 1f at DLW. 410a. Blue Rockthrush (pandoo):
DAK, FHS, KY. 411b. Blue Rockthrush (philippensis):
WPN. 412. Grey Bushchat: DLW. 413. Pied Bushchat: FRF,
MAR. 414. Amur Stonechat: Many
sites. 415. Asian Fairy-bluebird: FHS,
KY, KK, KC. 416. Greater Green Leafbird: KC. 417. Golden-fronted Leafbird: DI.
418. Orange-bellied Leafbird: DAK,
DI. 419. Blue-winged Leafbird: KK,
KY, KC. 420. Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker: A
pair, DI. 422. Yellow-vented Flowerpecker: KY,
KK. 423. Thick-billed Flowerpecker:
KY. 424. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker: KC. 425. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: Common.
426. Fire-breasted Flowerpecker:
DI. 427. Cambodian (Fire-breasted) Flowerpecker:
KY. 428. Little Spiderhunter: DI,
KY, KK, KC. 429. Yellow-eared Spiderhunter: KC. 430. Streaked Spiderhunter:
DLW, DI. 431. Spectacled Spiderhunter: KC. 432. Grey-breasted Spiderhunter: KC. 433. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: KK. 434. Brown-throated Sunbird: DI,
PRF, C, PK, PNM. 435. Van Hasselt's Sunbird: KY. 436. Copper-throated Sunbird: A
pair at PNM. 437. Purple Sunbird: DI. 438. Ornate Sunbird: Many
sites. 439. Black-throated Sunbird: DAK,
DLW, DI, KY. 440. Green-tailed Sunbird (angkaensis):
Summit, DI. 441. Mrs Gould's Sunbird: DL,
DAK & DI. 442. Crimson Sunbird: KY,
KK. 443. Asian Golden Weaver: PRF. 444. Baya Weaver: MAR,
PRF. 445. Scaly-breasted Munia: Most
open country sites. 446. Chestnut Munia: PRF. 447. Pin-tailed Parrotfinch: 3f
at KK. 448. House Sparrow: MAR,
PRF. 449. Plain-backed Sparrow: KY.
450. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: All
open and urban areas. 451. Forest Wagtail: 1
at KK. 452. Olive-backed Pipit: DLW,
FHS, DI. 453. Richard's Pipit: FRF. 454. Paddyfield Pipit: FRF,
KY, PRF. 455. Grey Wagtail: Many
sites. 456. Citrine Wagtail (citreola): FRF,
MAR. 457. Eastern Yellow Wagtail: MAR,
PT, PRF. 458a. White Wagtail (leucopsis): FRF,
MAR, FHS. 458b. White Wagtail (ocularis):
FRF. 459. Common Rosefinch: DI.
460. Yellow-breasted Bunting: MAR,
PRF.
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.
Download
a full 
