Phu Suan Sai National Park covers an
area of 117 square kilometres in Loei province; formerly this
location was known as Na Haew National Park after a nearby
village, the name change occurring around the turn of the
century.
This national park has an altitudinal range from around 600
to 1350 metres above sea level at the peak of Phu Khum Khao,
consisting of mixed evergreen forest and large areas of bamboo
scrub; the national park also contains two villages with areas
of farmland around them for a variety of habitats.
Phu Suan Sai is off the beaten track and not part of the typical
Thailand birding circuit, meaning that it is underwatched
and quite peaceful with low visitor numbers at most times.
Although it is not easy to quickly see a lot of birds at this
site, with around 20 kilometres of road to go birding along
and a well-kept birding trail some effort can reveal quite
a high tally of species as well as a few exciting species
that are seldom seen in Thailand.
For birders who like to try something different this national
park offers the opportunity to go birding in one of the extremities
of the country meaning that the potential to add to the park
list is high and possibly find something new; this is the
site that Blue-naped Pitta was discovered in less than 10
years ago.
Phu Suan Sai National Park is home to a few species of birds
which are extremely range-restricted within Thailand, indeed,
Blue-naped Pitta is currently only known from this site within
the Kingdom. Short-tailed Parrotbill and Rufous-throated Fulvetta
are the other specialities here and while the Fulvetta is
not too difficult to find, both Short-tailed Parrotbill and
Blue-naped Pitta are hard for bird watchers to see.
Indochinese Yuhina also occurs here and is split from Striated
Yuhina by many authorities (but not on the official Thai list
yet), although it is scarce and in my opinion field guides
over-emphasize the differences between these two taxons and
they certainly have pretty much the same calls.
Speckled Piculet and Bamboo Woodpecker both seem to be commoner
here than at most sites and due to the large amount of bamboo
habitat birders have a good chance of seeing these species.
Apart from the few speciality species found here one of the
real highlights is to go bird watching in a seldom-visited
part of the country with the chance to make some interesting
observations.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Use the interactive map below to plan your route to
Phu Suan Sai National Park. The blue line show the route from
the town of Dan Sai (Red Pin) to Phu Suan Sai (Blue Pin).
By Car/Motorcycle
Although Phu Suan Sai National Park is a bit out of the way,
it is not actually very complicated to find if driving your
own vehicle. From Bangkok head north out of the city and take
Highway 21 towards Petchabun. Continue on the highway to Lomsak
and from there continue north on the same road until seeing
signs for Dan Sai, following Route 2014 to the town. At Dan
Sai there are signposts in English to Na Heaw following Route
2113. Upon reaching the village of Na Heaw there will be signposts
for Phu Suan Sai National Park, following Route 1268 until
seeing the sign for the park entrance which has a large picture
of a Short-tailed Parrotbill on it.
If heading to Phu Suan Sai from Northern provinces the cross-country
route from Highway 11 is perfectly good with decent roads
from the highway to the village of Chat Trakan (signposted
in English from the highway) from where Phu Suan Sai National
Park is signposted; easy.
By Bus
Getting to this site using public transport would be very
tough indeed. However, there are regular buses to Lomsak from
Bangkok's Morchit bus station and amazingly car rental with
Budget can be arranged in advance to collect in this town
from where the fairly simple drive to the national park can
be made. Otherwise there would be regular buses from Lomsak
to Dan Sai where you may be able to charter some sort of transport
to the national park, there are some villages along the way
but it would be hard work and time-consuming to attempt this.
By Train
The nearest main station is in the town of Phitsanulok. From
here it would be possible to book a hire car and drive on
to the national park. There are probably buses to Dan Sai
too but getting from there to the national park by public
transport is difficult.
Finding Birds
Most birding can be done along the long loop road which
goes through the national park. Stopping and walking at a
number of locations along the road will eventually lead to
a large number of species seen and a number of the key species.
Exploring along the bird watching trail will get birders right
into the forest and give them a chance of spotting some more
skulking species.
Heaquarters
Area : The region around headquarters consists
of open-country, accommodation blocks and gardens surrounded
by moist forest and large areas of bamboo and many of the
key species can be seen in and around this area.
Spotting birds in the open areas around HQ is easy, although
most of the birds likely to be encountered are fairly common
species. Sooty-headed Bulbul is abundant in the low trees
and during the dry season White Wagtail and Olive-backed Pipit
are found on the ground below. Due to the open nature this
is a good spot for viewing raptors such as Crested Goshawk,
Shikra and Crested Serpent Eagle and it is also a good place
to spot noisy Grey Treepies perched on trees in nearby forest.
In the dry season birders should also be able to find both
Brown and Grey-backed Shrikes too.
Only a short walk down the road from HQ takes birders into
some secondary forest where parties of small birds are common
including Orange-bellied Leafbird, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and
lots of Brown-cheeked Fulvettas with their musical call. Although
I haven't personally seen them at this spot, I have been told
by others that Short-tailed Parrotbill occurs on this downhill
section of road from the HQ.
Just a little up the road, however, just past the accommodation
blocks, I have seen Short-tailed Parrotbill nest-building
and a number of other birders have made observations of this
species here too; this is a good area to look for owls at
night due to its open aspect.
The forest in this few hundred metres uphill of the HQ can
be productive birding with Rufous-throated Fulvetta being
fairly easy to find during the breeding season, giving itself
away with its song. Other birds likely to be seen in this
area are Golden Babbler, White-throated Fantail, Oriental
White-eye and Speckled Piculet.
Walking further along the road from HQ takes birders through
some good forest for the next few kilometres and most of the
key species can be found along here. It is quite likely that
Blue-naped Pitta could be heard calling along here but it
is only a very few extremely fortunate birders that have ever
seen this species in Thailand. White-browed Scimitar Babbler,
White-browed Piculet and Bamboo Woodpecker are all relatively
abundant along this stretch of road and it is here that the
most productive and comfortable birding is obtained; some
lucky birders have even seen Green Cochoa in this area.
Bird
Watching Trips to Phu Suan Sai National Park:
Phu Suan Sai is not on the regular birding circuit and
it provides an opportunity to see some species that
are very range-restricted in the Kingdom of Thailand.
This is a good site to add to your birding trip if you
have previously been to all of the more regularly visited
locations and combines well with visits to Phu Hin Rong
Kla and Nam Nao. If you wish to look for Short-tailed
Parrotbill in Thailand this is a must-visit location.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
Bird
Watching Trail: This well-maintained trail
runs for a few kilometres from the accommodation area and
emerges on the road at its end. Many have seen some of the
most sought-after species along here including sightings of
Short-tailed Parrotbill and it is probably this trail which
gives the best chance of finding a Blue-naped Pitta, although
dense vegetation makes this tricky. However, on my visits
to this location the leeches have been extremely bad and even
when I have kept moving I have been covered in leeches very
quickly. Still, Red-headed Trogon is readily found here and
it is probably a good place to see shy forest interior species
including White-crested and Black-throated Laughingthrushes
& Rufous-throated Fulvetta while Buff-breasted Babbler
is common. It is also worth looking out for small parties
of Collared Babbler with which Red-billed Scimitar Babbler
associates.
Farmland
& Villages: Doing some birding in these
areas will certainly increase your bird list but is unlikely
to add much that can't be seen easily elsewhere. In late morning
these open areas would be the best places to look out for
soaring raptors, particularly during migratory periods.
Common open country species such as Indian Roller, White-throated
Kingfisher, Sooty-headed Bulbul and Ashy Woodswallow can be
frequently seen in this habitat but it is also worth scanning
these areas for Grey-backed Shrike in the dry season and I
have seen Cinnamon Bittern in the small streams.
Facilities are fairly limited in this area with just a few
small villages within a sensible driving distance; these villages
have small shops which sell basic groceries such as noodles,
rice, canned fish, snacks and drinks but not a whole lot else.
At Na Haew village there are a couple of places that serve
food but they cannot be relied upon to be open in the evenings,
so it is best to take food and camping cooking equipment with
you for your stay. At park HQ there is a restaurant which
is open from 8am to 4pm, but you can order something to be
cooked up just before they close and they will provide it
in a box so that you can eat it later. There is also a small
snack shop where they sell cold drinks with the same opening
hours.
There are a few accommodation options available. At park headquarters
there are a variety of cabins available ranging from very
basic to more-or-less ok. The better cabins have hot water
showers but most of them do not - a bit chilly in the cool
season. There is also a campsite where you can pitch a tent
or hire one. Near the village of Na Haew there are a couple
of basic guesthouses with cabins for rent; Falkland Resort
and Na Haew
Resort. Neither of them has air-conditioning and only Na Haew
Resort has hot water showers - no food is available at either
of these locations. A few small fuel stations can be found
in the village of Na Haew for those that need to refuel.
Phu Suan Sai is a national park and, on my last visit I was
charged 100 baht entry.
Some Useful Books
Woodpeckers
of the World This is a beautiful collection of photographs detailing
every species of woodpecker in the world. The amount
of text is very limited so there are no detailed species
accounts but it is a wonderful way to become familar
with woodpeckers of the world.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
Bird
Watching Trips:
For those birders who like to get a little off the beaten
track, Phu Suan Sai is a good option. A few days of birding
at this location should provide views of some of the speciality
species, which makes it a good site to add to any birding
itinerary that visits the northeast region.
Download
a full 
