Recent Thailand Bird Sightings (Feb 2007)

24/02/07 : Doi Ang Kang was said to provide slow birding earlier this month, but, as ever, there were some interesting records. On the 10th February 2 Eye-browed Thrushes, a single Rufous-bellied Niltava, an Orange-flanked Bush Robin, 2 Abberrant Bush Warblers and 6 Red-faced Liocichlas were the highlights found along the trail at Km 21.5.

Raptors were the main feature at the Agricultural Research station at Ang Kang on the 9th, with 3 Oriental Honey Buzzards, 2 Crested Goshawks, 2 Changeable Hawk Eagles and 2 Mountain Hawk Eagles. A Crested Finchbill and an adult male Common Rosefinch were also seen. Also on the 9th, on the Ang Kang Forestry Trail a White-browed Piculet was found as was a male Violet Cuckoo (1500m!). Other nice birds were Maroon Oriole, a Slaty Blue Flycatcher, 1 Rufous-bellied Niltava, 1 Slaty-backed Forktail and 4 Yellow-cheecked Tits.

On the 8th February a White-tailed Robin, 3 Oriental Turtle Doves, an Orange-flanked Bush Robin and 4 Grey-headed Parrotbills were found at various points around Doi Ang Kang.

Also on the 8th 6 White-headed Bulbuls and a Rufous Woodpecker were present at the forest temple at Chiang Dao.

Higher up Doi Chiang Dao on the 7th, at Den Ya Kat, a number of interesting sightings were made. A Rufous Woodpecker at the unusual elevation of 1400m was notable as were 3 Oriental Turtle Doves, a Slender-billed Oriole, an Indochinese Cuckooshrike, 1 Scaly Thrush, 1 Slaty-backed Flycatcher and a Rufous-bellied Nilatva. A female Daurian Redstart was found around buildings at DYK where it has apparently been present since at least late November. The cunstomary Giant Nuthatches were seen as were 80 Chestnut Buntings and 40 Common Rosefinches. Less commonly seen species were a single Abberrant Bush Warbler and a flock of at least 40 Grey-headed Parrottbills.

On the 6th February 2 Javan Frogmouths were heard calling at the temple car park, Chiang Dao and the nature trail on the same day revealed a Large Hawk Cuckoo and 2 Sultan Tits amongst other, more often seen birds.

Chiang Dao rice paddies on the 5th held a Yellow-legged Buttonquail, 1 Pied Harrier, 2 Wire-tailed Swallows, 30 Grey-headed Lapwings and 3 Oriental Skylarks. Also on the 5th, at the forest temple Chiang Dao, 2 Wedge-tailed Pigeons and some White-headed Bulbuls were seen in a fruiting tree.

Other records from Chiang Dao were 3 Pin-tailed Pigeons on the Checkpoint road on the 4th, Rusty-naped Pitta at the start of the nature trail, Bamboo Woodpecker and Asian Stubtail on the same trail on the 3rd with 4 Black-throated Laughingthrushes feeding outside the monks kitchen at the temple, also on the 3rd. Four Oriental Pied Hornbills were seen and heard every evening between the 3rd and 8th at the checkpoint road.

At Kanchanaburi a Little Cormorant was seen on the 25th January and 4 Small Pratincoles on the 24th.

57 Grey-headed Lapwings were seen near U-Thong on the 22nd January.

A visit to some wetlands at Pha Mok, Suphanburi, turned up a Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, 29 Grey-headed Lapwings, 6 Black Kites, 5 Vinous-breasted Starlings and a group of at least 10 Indochinese (Rufous-winged) Bushlarks.

The above sightings from Doi Ang Kang, Chiang Dao, Kanchanaburi and Pha Mok were submitted by Neil Lawton.

21/02/07 : An excellent find at Huay Tung Tao, Chiang Mai, was a female Spot-winged Starling amongst a flock of Chestnut-tailed Starlings on the 19th February. At the same location on the same day 4 Common Snipe and a Green Sandpiper were also seen along with a single Wire-tailed Swallow.

The above sightings from Huay Tung Tao were taken from Tony Ball's Birdwatcher's Diary blog with his kind permission.

A White-browed Piculet was found close to the Juldis Resort, near Khao Yai National Park on the 14th February. Inside Khao Yai the Silver Oriole was still in residence on the 13th and a Common Rosefinch was feeding in bamboo with a group of Pin-tailed Parrotfinches. 3 Coral-billed Ground Cuckoos were feeding at the Pha Gluai Mai campsite stakeout on the 12th.

On the 8th February Mr Tii skillfully located a single Spoon-billed Sandpiper and an Asian Dowitcher at Khok Kham.

The above sightings from Khok Kham, Juldis and Khao Yai were submitted by John Furse.

19/02/07 : 55 species were seen at Muang Boran on the 18th February with 3 Chestnut Munias, 1 Cinnamon Bittern and a single Purple-backed Starling being the most notable sightings. - Michael Allen.

17/02/07 : A male Blue-rumped Pitta was seen at an altitude of 760 metres at Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary on the 15th February. - Bob Harwood.

16/02/07 : Some interesting records from around Chiang Saen included 2 Long-billed Plovers on the Mekong on the 16th February; one adult and one sub-adult. On the 12th singles of Siberian Rubythroat, Eurasian Wryneck, Bluethroat and Hoopoe were seen and an impressive flock of 200 Red Collared Doves was present. On the 10th another large flock, this time of Common Rosefinches must have been quite impressive and from the 10th onwards various flocks of Chestnut and Crested Buntings were noted, totalling 60 and 20 birds respectively.

The above sightings from Chiang Saen were kindly submitted by Mick Davies & Dowroong Damlamajak of Nature Thailand.

A visit to Lumphini Park, Bangkok, on the 10th February turned up a flock of House Swifts, a single Plain-backed Sparrow in the company of Tree Sparrows and 2 Ashy Drongos of the race mouhoti. - Michael Allen.

A Black Baza was seen in flight and then perched in Suan Luang, Bangkok, on the 14th January. - John Ross.

14/02/07 : A male Gould's Sunbird and a Eurasian Wryneck were seen at Ka Mu Phuket, Chiang Mai, on the 12th February.

Two Common Rosefinches were feeding in bamboo with a flock of White-rumped Munias at Mae Hia, Chinag Mai, on the 7th February.

A single Rosy Minivet and scores of Asian House Martins were present at Huai Tung Tao, Chiang Mai, on the 5th February with Eurasian Wryneck and 2 Rufous Treepies present on the 31st January.

The above sightings from Huay Tung Tao were taken from Tony Ball's Birdwatcher's Diary blog with his kind permission.

12/02/07 : On the 7th February 2 Yellow Bitterns were seen in a secluded lake at Suan Rot Fai, Bangkok.

Two Javan Pond Herons were seen in breeding plumage at Muang Boran Fishponds on the 6th February.

A single male Bluethroat was found in typical habitat at Bang Pra, Chonburi, on the 5th February.

A male Silver Oriole was observed at Khao Yai National Park on the 1st February with a bird guide from the Khao Yai Garden Lodge.

The above sightings from Suan Rot Fai, Muang Boran Fishponds, Bang Pra and Khao Yai were submitted by Benedikt Bierwisch.

07/02/07 : Doi Suthep/Pui doesn't seem to get too many visiting birders, but perhaps it should. Some nice birds seen near the summit of Doi Pui today (7th February) were Long-tailed Broadbill, Little Pied Flycatcher, Gould's Sunbird, Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Speckled Piculet and most notable of all, a Grey-sided Thrush foraging amongst leaf litter. - Mick Robson.

06/02/07 : A few interesting sightings were received from Ko Surin, which isn't an area that gets heavily watched. A Two-barred Warbler was at park HQ on the 23rd January. On the previous day 3 White-breasted Waterhens were in a small swamp on the north island and a Crested Serpent Eagle was displaying over the south island. On the 21st a bird tentatively identified as a female Cinnamon Bittern was seen in a small patch of mangroves on the north island. Also on the 21st and on the north island were two Greater Flamebacks, a Black-naped Oriole at Ao Mai Ngam and an Orange-bellied Flowerpecker at HQ. A Brown Shrike was seen on the north island on the 20th.

Photo by Axel Braunlich

At Lumphini Park, Bangkok, a juvenile Asian Emerald Cuckoo was photographed on the 12th January (See above).

The above sightings from Ko Surin and Lumphini Park were submitted by Axel Braunlich.

03/02/07 : The temple steps at Doi Chiang Dao provided good views of Streaked Wren Babblers on the 28th January; they can be very easy to see here, but the temple gulley was said to be "slow" with just White-crowned Forktail and Asian Stubtail seen on the same day.

On the 27th at least four Pin-tailed Parrotfinches were seen in bamboo around halfway up the road to Den Ya Kat, with Pin-tailed Pigeon close-by.

The road between the checkpoint and Den Ya Kat substation on Doi Chiang Dao held a male Blue Pitta and a Rufous-bellied Niltava in a gulley, whilst the trail beyond DYK provided views of a mixed flock of birds with a number of Grey-headed Parrotbills. A Russet Bush Warbler was also seen in thick grass just before DYK.

A single Grey-sided Thrush was the only thrush positively identified amongst many at the Km 37.5 jeep track on Doi Inthanon on the 26th January and a Dark-sided Thrush appeared outside Mr Daeng's kitchen on the 25th. Also on the 25th was a Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker in a fruiting tree a little further up the mountain from Mr Daeng's.

On the 24th January the Km 13 trail on Doi Inthanon was good for Black-headed Woodpecker, 3 Collared Falconets and Rufous-winged Buzzard.

Huai Krong Krai project area near Chiang Mai was aid to be good for raptors on the 23rd January, with Rufous-winged Buzzard, Black Baza and Crested Serpent Eagle. A Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo was also seen.

A trip to Khao Yai between the 18th and 22nd January provided sightings of 1 or 2 Coral-billed Ground Cuckoos at Pha Gluai Mai campsite along with Orange-headed Thrush. A Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo was found along the trail from the campsite to Haew Suwat and Large Scimitar babbler was also seen in bamboo. Near the visitor centre a group of Pin-tailed Parrotfinches were seen and a Rufous-bellied Eagle flew overhead.

A single Spoon-billed Sandpiper was seen at Khok Kham salt pans on the 18th January.

The first gulley along B trail, Khao Nor Chu Chi, held a male Gurney's Pitta with a calling Moustached Cuckoo nearby on the 16th January.

A "good selection of waterbirds" were present at Muang Boran Fishponds on the 15th January, with 2 Watercocks, a Bluethroat and 12 Grey-headed Lapwings the highlights.

The above sightings from Muang Boran, KNC, Khok Kham, Khao Yai, Huai Krong Krai, Doi Inthanon and Doi Chiang Dao were submitted by Patrick O'Donnell.

The most notable sighting from a list of species seen on Ko Pha Ngan was a Copper-throated Sunbird in coastal mixed woodland, near Chaloklum village on the 8th January. - Ann Follows.

02/02/07 : Between the 14th and 19th of January a Collared Falconet was seen at the Km 13 trail on Doi Inthanon, along with 3 Black-headed Woodpeckers.

At Khao Yai a "small flock" of Pin-tailed Parrotfinches were feeding in seeding bamboo at the park headquarters on the 13th January and a Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo was present at the behind-the-restaurant stakeout at Pha Gluai Mai campsite, proving that this is still a good place to find this much sought-after species.

The above sightings from Khao Yai and Doi Inthanon were taken from Joe Cockram's Birding Blog.

01/02/07 : Newly published Recent Reports from late November 2006 to January 2007 (BCST Bull. Vol 23, no. 12) are now online on the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand's website. A couple of the most notable sightings reported there are 7 Greylag Geese on flooded stubbles a little north of Beung Boraphet from the 6th to 8th of January 2007, 3 Baer's Pochard at Nong Bong Khai on the 3rd of January and a single male on the 21st January. A Grass Owl was seen at Nong Lom, Chiang Rai on the 20th and 21st January, confirming this species place on the Thai list. A probable sighting of 300 Common Cranes in flight near the Mekong, Chiang Rai province is one of the most amazing records in the report. - BCST website for full report.