Introduction
Having been alerted to the presence of Limestone Wren Babblers
(calcicola subspecies, also known as Rufous Limestone-babbler)
at Wat Pra Puttabaht Noi, in Saraburi province, Central Thailand,
some years previous I decided that a visit was way overdue.
Although the site is only about a one and a half hour drive
from Bangkok I had never visited due to the fact that I had
seen Limestone Wren Babbler (crispifrons subspecies,
also known as Greyish Limestone-babbler) before at Hellfire
Pass, Kanchanaburi province. However, the Wren Babblers
were reportedly much easier to see at Wat Pra Puttabaht Noi
and this location is much more convenient than Hellfire Pass,
being closer to Bangkok and close to the route taken when
travelling from Bangkok to Khao Yai; making it a convenient
stop off for this species with a very restricted range when
en-route to other birding locations.
I decided to visit the site on the spur of the moment and
having missed the best time to find birds in the early morning
I decided to head to Wat Pra Puttabaht Noi in the afternoon,
aiming to arrive at about 3.30pm when the birds should be
becoming active again, having been told by other birders that
it would probably be tough to find the Wren Babblers in the
heat of the middle of the day.
Getting There
My wife and I set off from our home, in the southwestern part
of Bangkok, taking the expressway north. For those beginning
nearer the city centre the expressway heading north from Din
Daeng and on past the old airport towards Rangsit is the one
to take; signs for Saraburi appear shortly after the expressway
finishes. We travelled in the afternoon on a Sunday when the
traffic was light and it took somewhere in the region of 1.5
- 2 hours to reach the temple. Usually, if heading to Wat
Pra Puttabaht Noi from Bangkok, it would be advisable to start
the journey at around 5am to avoid heavy traffic heading out
of the city.
One should head directly into Saraburi and drive straight
through the town, following signs north on highway 1 to Lopburi.
After some distance one comes to an intersection with traffic
lights, signs still indicate Lopburi straight ahead and Pra
Puttabaht is also signposted. Be aware that the Pra Puttabaht
that is signposted is not the destination that you want to
end up at.
Eventually
an intersection is reached ("Phu Khae Intersection")
where signposts indicate that Petchabun is straight on with
Lopburi and Pra Puttabaht to the left. The highway actually
bears left and to go straight on one must stop at some lights.
Head towards Petchabun (straight on) and not Lopburi/Pra Puttabaht.
A few hundred metres further on take a u-turn and drive back
towards Saraburi and immediately after Phu Khae junction (
a few hundred metres back) turn left, just before a footbridge
over the road; this footbridge over the road can be seen some
distance before reaching the junction, and this is the indication
to slow down and keep left.
Traffic
is heavy here so if any of the turnings are missed, carry on,
do a u-turn somewhere and try again. Don't dangerously cut across
heavy traffic which will not slow down to let you through.
At this intersection the natural route of the traffic is shown
by the black lines. To follow the red lines one must wait at
some traffic lights. From Saraburi head straight on, following
the red line towards Petchabun and then take the u-turn. If
you find yourself heading towards Lopburi, don't panic, do a
u-turn, follow the road towards Petchabun and then take the
next u-turn before heading back to the turning for Wat Pra Puttabaht
Noi.
Having made the turning you will soon (about 100m along the
road) see signs in English for Ban Song Khon, this will let
you know you have taken the correct turning. Follow this road
for a little over 10km and you will reach a sharp 90 degree
right hand bend with a small police post on the corner in front
of you. Turn left on the dirt track here and follow the main
track to the temple gate; cars can be aprked shortly after passing
through the gate.
Finding
the Limestone Wren Babblers
I had been told by a number of birdwatchers that finding Limestone
Wren Babbler here was a relatively easy affair and so it proved
to be. After arriving at 4pm, just a brief search around the
car park and then up some stairs that go behind parts of the
temple and climb up the limestone rocks, we found a single Limestone
Wren Babbler foraging amongst some offerings in front of a small
golden Buddha. The bird performed quite well for about 1 minute,
juttering its distinctive churring call, before disappearing
into some cracks in the limestone. A short wait saw it return
but never again to close range and we saw it vanish up the rock
face after a few more minutes of viewing.
Golden Buddha in limestone rocks, where we
saw our first Limestone Wren Babbler
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
Looking down the staircase from where we saw
our first Limestone Wren Babbler
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
As
we came down the staircase, back towards our car, I heard
another Limestone Wren Babbler below us, but did not see it.
However, a small flock of migrants passed through the forest
halfway down the staircase and in this flock we saw several
Black-naped Orioles, a Crow-billed Drongo, 2 Ashy Drongos,
1 Eastern Crowned Warbler and 1 Yellow-browed Warbler.
I wanted
to see for myself how easy the Limestone Wren Babblers were
to find here so decided to look for some more at another part
of the temple. Going through some sort of gateway I walked
through a forest patch with limestone boulders either side.
Very quickly I caught a glimpse of another wren babbler jumping
around on rocks. I didn't make any attempt to call it out
and didn't see it again but having found 2 Limestone Wren
Babblers and heard one more in a visit that lasted only about
1 hour I was fairly convinced that the birds are easier to
find here than anywhere else I know of.
Other
Bird Species of Note
Wat Pra Puttabaht Noi turned up a few other interesting birds
on my visit; here I will mention a few that can probably be
found on any visit to the temple. Coppersmith and Lineated Barbets
were very vocal and fairly easy to see on top of dead snags.
Ashy Drongos and Blue Rock Thrushes were easily found on tree
tops and limestone pinnacles. Asian Barred Owlet was quite vocal
at 5pm and I found one without much trouble. A Tickell's Blue
Flycatcher was another nice bird and considering that most birding
trips spend very little time at the right (low) altitude for
this species, it is probably worth searching for it here.
Forest where we saw our second Limestone Wren Babbler
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
Limestone crags and forest at Wat Pra Puttabaht Noi
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
I would think that a morning or afternoon session
at Wat Pra Puttabaht Noi could turn up a fair number of the
commoner forest birds and, particularly during migratory periods,
a few less common ones. Below is a list of the birds I saw
in just 1 hour, between 4 and 5 pm.
Lineated Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Asian Koel
Asian Palm Swift
Asian Barred Owlet
Rock Pigeon
Spotted Dove
Shikra
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Cattle Egret
Black Drongo
Ashy Drongo
Crow-billed Drongo
Black-naped Oriole
Pied Fantail
Common Iora
Blue Rock Thrush
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Taiga (Red-throated) Flycatcher
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Oriental Magpie Robin
Ashy Woodswallow
Barn Swallow
Black-crested Bulbul
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Streak-eared Bulbul
Eastern Crowned Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Limestone Wren Babbler
Striped Tit Babbler
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Olive-backed Sunbird
Information
on Limestone Wren Babbler (Greyish Limestone-babbler) at Hellfire
Pass
If you are interested in arranging a bird
watching tour you can see some suggested itineraries here
- Birdwatching Trips
- and you can contact me at the above email address to discuss
the best options.
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