2. Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale
Best time to visit - November to March
Habitat - Salt farms, mudflats, mangroves & scrub

Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Photo by Nick Upton)

This is Thailand's premier site for shorebirds which can be reached within a couple of hours from central Bangkok and here we can search for one of Thailand's most sought-after species, the endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, as soon as we reach the site. Other excellent birds which regularly occur in this area are Nordmann's Greenshank, Far Eastern Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Great Knot and Asian Dowitcher; with the benefit of local knowledge we should be able to find most, if not all, of these species. Along the way there are lots of far commoner birds to appreciate too including Curlew Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Whiskered Tern, Painted Stork, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Brown-headed Gull and many more; 30+ species of shorebird in a day is quite normal here.

Having feasted on shorebirds we can have lunch and then enjoy another highlight of any day trip to this area -the boat trip out to the sand spit where Malaysian Plover is a resident breeding bird. It is also here that we can find Chinese Egret and White-faced Plover as well as checking for species such as Lesser & Greater Crested Terns, White-winged Tern or perhaps Heuglin's or Pallas's Gull. Usually the offshore breakwaters attract Pacific Reef Egret and either on the way out or on the way back we will expect to see Collared and Black-capped Kingfishers.

On completion of the boat trip we should have a little time remaining to check some scrubby areas for Indochinese Bushlark, Plain-backed Sparrow, Green Bee-eater and perhaps get lucky with White-shouldered Starling before making the journey back to Bangkok.

E-mail me and book a day tour to Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale: nickupton@thaibirding.com

3. Chulachomklao Military Academy & Pak Pli Rice Fields
Best time to visit - All year round
Habitat - Wooded parkland & rice fields

Black-eared Kite (Photo by Nick Upton)

Starting in the heavily wooded parkland at Nakhon Nayok's Chulachomklao Military Academy a variety of the commoner woodland/parkland species can easily be seen with Lineated and Coppersmith Barbets, Green-billed Malkoha, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-collared and Vinous-breasted Starlings, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Puff-throated Babbler and Indochinese (Tickell's) Blue Flycatchers all resident. Between the months of November to April plenty of wintering birds will also be present with Ashy Drongo, Black-naped Oriole, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Asian Brown Flycatcher and many others regularly found and all manner of migrants can be expected in March and April. From mid April to July this is an excellent place to see Blue-winged Pitta. With some determination and a little luck other forest birds here can include Heart-spotted Woodpecker and Common Flameback.

After some lunch the afternoon can be spent at nearby Pak Pli rice fields where large areas of rice agriculture attract a wide range of species. There are plenty of birds to be found at all times of the year but December to March is best when lots of migratory birds are present including vast numbers of Black-eared Kites, Brown Shrike, Bluethroat, Red-throated Pipit, Pied Harrier, Pin-tailed Snipe, Eastern Yellow Wagtail among others. Resident species include Long-tailed Shrike, Indochinese Bushlark, Oriental Skylark, Yellow Bittern, Greater Painted Snipe, Plain-backed Sparrow, Horsfield's Bushlark, Asian Openbill, Striated Grassbird and Bronze-winged Jacana. From March to July you can also expect to see Asian Golden Weaver and Baya Weaver in breeding plumage along with Javan Pond Herons while in the wet season Black Bittern, Oriental Pratincole and Spot-billed Pelican are all possible.

E-mail me and book a day tour to Bang Pra, Bang Poo & Muang Boran Fishponds: nickupton@thaibirding.com

4. Khao Luk Chang & Petchaburi Rice Fields
Best time to visit - December to April, although good all year round
Habitat - Woodland, rice fields & fish ponds

Spotted Owlet (Photo by Nick Upton)

Wat Khao Luk Chang, in Petchaburi Province, contains a small area of dry dipterocarp woodland where, in the morning, the stunning Black-headed Woodpecker can be found. Other species frequently seen here include Lineated Barbet, Asian Barred Owlet, Rufous Treepie, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Spoted Owlet. In the wet season, in the adjacent farmland, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Indian Thick-knee and Vinous-breasted Starling can also be seen and in April and October a number of migrants pass through.

In the afternoon you will move on to an area of rice fields close to the city of Petchaburi which is always full of a wide variety of species. Egrets, Herons and Bitterns can be found in good numbers here and Jacanas, Crakes, Reed Warblers and other tricky birds can be found with patience.

There are always a lot of birds to see in this area regardless of the time of year but, of course, things change with the seasons; between December and March there are a number of large raptors in the area including Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle and Pied Harrier; between end of February and July three species of Weavers can be seen in breeding plumage as well as Watercock; between late November and early March wintering passerines include Dusky Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Siberian Rubythroat.

E-mail me and book a day tour to Khao Luk Chang & Petchaburi Rice Fields: nickupton@thaibirding.com

5. Bang Pra, Bang Poo & Muang Boran Fishponds
Best time to visit - December to April, although good all year round
Habitat - Woodland, fish ponds, open water, mangrove & mudflats

Lesser Adjutant (Photo by Nick Upton)

Bang Pra reservoir and surroundings are home to a wide variety of open country, woodland and wetland species enabling us to see birds such as Rufous Treepie, Lineated Barbet, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, White-crested Laughingthrush, Racket-tailed Treepie and Freckle-breasted Woodpecker shortly after arrival. As the morning progresses we should be able to track down a variety of species such as Indochinese Bushlark, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Yellow Bittern, Lesser Coucal, Plain-backed Sparrow, Oriental Reed Warbler, Baya Weaver, Stork-billed Kingfisher and many others. If the water level is low we have an excellent chance of seeing the impressive Lesser Adjutants that inhabit this site and Asian Openbill can congregate in impressive numbers.

At the right time of year there is a chance for Chinese Francolin, although it is never easily seen, and other possibilites include Greater Painted Snipe, Asian Barred Owlet and Laced Woodpecker. This location can also be very good, in April and October, for passage migrants and if the water level is low (usually in March/April) Oriental Pratincole can be found breeding here in good numbers while Blue-winged Pitta calls from the fringing woodland in late April and May.

Having found a wide selection of freshwater wetland species we can move on and have lunch at Bang Poo where, between Ocober and April, mudflats and pools provide an opportunity to see shorebirds, gulls and terns. A large flock of Brown-headed Gulls winter here and occasionally other gull species show up too and in the mangrove remnants we can track down Golden-bellied Gerygone at any time of the year. In October and April this is also a good site for passage migrants.

Set between Samut Prakarn's Muang Boran open air museum and large factories, the fishponds near Muang Boran are a real surprise and full of excellent wetland birds. Having found our way into the site, through a maze of residential streets, good views across the wetlands provide the opportunity to find White-winged Tern, Pheasant-tailed Jacana and a myriad of egrets, herons and bitterns as well as one of the site's most conspicuous birds - Striated Grassbird.

A number of points around this site have their own specialities and with experienced knowledge of this location we should be able to find many types of crakes and rails, Asian Golden Weaver, Indian Cormorant and a variety of warblers with a chance of finding Manchurian Reed Warbler. This can be a superb site if one knows where to look!

E-mail me and book a day tour to Bang Pra, Bang Poo & Muang Boran Fishponds: nickupton@thaibirding.com