Introduction
Due to popular demand and success of previous trips, this
short Central Thailand birding tour was arranged for those
who did not have the time to participate in a longer tour.
The itinerary was the same as the central section of longer
birding tours of Thailand, an itinerary which has proved enjoyable
and successful over previous years - very much a case of,
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Participants Nick Upton, Ray Davies, Mike Potts, Norman Briden,
Simon Levene, Nigel Oram, Kath Oram
Vehicle
We used a Toyota Commuter van which was comfortable for the
seven of us, with the luggage occupying the back seats. At
this time vans were not being allowed to drive up the dirt
road to Panoen Tung at Kaeng Krachan so we hired a local driver
(Mr Neung) to take us up the hill. For those people in the
cab it was comfortable enough but those on the back of the
vehicle found it a little bumpy.
Accommodation
All the places we stayed in were simple, but comfortable and
clean local hotels and guesthouses. All accommodation had
air conditioning and private bathroom with heated showers
and complimentary bottled water.
Food
Good food was served in the restaurants of all the places
we stayed in and several lunches were eaten in local restaurants
where tasty dishes are always available. Indeed, the quality
and variety of the Thai cuisine is was a highlight of this
trip for many participants.
Notes on Finding Birds
Forest birding is always tricky, and at times can be extremely
difficult, requiring a lot of patience. However, on this trip
birding in the forest was not at its hardest and although
patience was needed, this patience was rewarded with regular
sightings of wonderful birds. At times things became slow,
but this is to be expected, and it did not usually take too
long before we found a feeding flock of small birds or were
on the track of something exciting that was calling nearby.
Birding in the wetlands is always very rewarding and armed
with the knowledge of where to find particular species we
had some exceptional birding in these habitats even though
windy weather hampered things a little.
Wat Pra Phuttabaht Noi
Leaving the Mariya
Boutique Residence at 5am we arrived at this photogenic
temple, nestled within a natural limestone amphitheatre a
little after 7am. Overcast skies made birding rather slow
but the group was patient and by waiting in the right place
we were all able to get good views of our target bird - the
calcicola race of Limestone Wren Babbler.
This site is always good for a few of the commoner woodland
species too and we enjoyed a good sighting of Asian Barred
Owlet as well as Lineated Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Common
Iora and the only Sooty-headed Bulbuls of the trip. Watching
a Peregrine Falcon of the race peregrinator having
a face-off with a Variable Squirrel was quite a memorable
sighting too.
Khao Yai
Rain on arrival at Khao Yai did not bode well for our short
stay but fortunately the weather cleared up after a few hours
and things were back to normal. Even with the rain we got
great views of a regular wintering male Mugimaki Flycatcher
and came across a mixed flock containing Brown-rumped Minivet,
White-bellied Erpornis and Claudia's Leaf Warbler. A short
walk also provided unusually close-up views of Pale-legged
Leaf Warbler, our first Orange-breasted Trogons and one of
the birds of the morning - a pair of Banded Broadbills which
loafed around long enough for everyone to get some fairly
good photos despite the poor light.
A visit to Pa Gluai Mai campsite was very productive for us,
particularly as we used it as a location to see birds during
a quiet middle-of-the-day period. A beautiful White-throated
Rockthrush was a nice find and a pair of Great Hornbills were
the first of a number of sightings of this awesome bird. A
short wait at a stakeout in this area was very enjoyable with
superb close-up views of the expected Orange-headed Thrush,
Siberian Blue Robin, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, White-rumped
Shama and Puff-throated Babbler with an Alstrom's Warbler
into the bargain.
We spent part of a morning at the top of the Khao Khieo road,
at the military checkpoint, getting some fantastic views of
Black-throated Laughingthrush doing some very comical things
in the snack shop as well as photographic opportunities of
Radde's Warbler at the base of some small bushes. Early morning
activity up here was good with Common Green Magpie, White-browed
Scimitar Babbler, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Moustached Barbet,
Common Kestrel, Barred Cuckoo Dove, Grey-backed Shrike and
Mountain Imperial Pigeon all performing as hoped for. Birding
further down the Khao Khieo road also turned up some good
birds over the course of our stay, although it was always
quieter than expected. However, patience brought us fine views
of Red-headed Trogon, Laced Woodpecker, White-crested Laughingthrush
and Black-and-buff Woodpecker.
We had two evenings to spend at Khao Yai and on the first
of these wonderful views of Great Eared Nightjar calling overhead
was a great end to a day's birding and while waiting at a
Myna pre-roost gathering, on our second evening we got lucky
with excellent sightings of Long-tailed Broadbill and Lesser
Yellownape as well as our target birds Common Hill Myna and
Golden-crested Myna.
With our group in a positive mood we continued to see new
birds at every stop; Vernal Hanging Parrot, Chestnut-headed
Bee-eater, Rufescent Prinia, Bright-capped Cisticola, Puff-throated
Bulbul, Scarlet Minivet and Blue Rockthrush being just a few
of them. However, a couple of our most memorable birds came
just before lunch on our second day, a time at which many
people would not have been expecting much to happen. Walking
down a forest trail I heard a Banded Kingfisher calling; this
species can be really difficult to locate and take some patience
but this one was relatively easy to find and I tracked it
down within about 10 minutes of first hearing it. Seeing the
bird through foliage was a little tricky but everyone in the
group worked together so that all could see it well at the
same time. Further down the same trail we were watching some
small birds in a flock when I heard an Eared Pitta call just
once. I knew that a nearby side trail would take us towards
the bird but we were all still shocked when suddenly a pair
of Eared Pittas were there feeding in front of us. Their cryptic
plumage and the undergrowth at first made them difficult for
everyone to see but they hung around so that eventually everybody
had exceptionally good views of this seldom-seen species.
This moment was going to be difficult to beat!
Bird
Watching Trips to Central Thailand:
Khao Yai and Kaeng Krachan national parks together with
the multitudes of shorebirds in the Gulf of Thailand
always form the core of the Central Thailand birding
itinerary.
The wetlands are superb between November-late March
but the forests of the Central region are best visited
January to July; but there are always lots of good birds
to be seen.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to discuss
the best bird watching options for you: nickupton@thaibirding.com
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
& Red-necked Stint (Photo by Nick
Upton)
Eared Pitta was excellent but on our last morning we would
have an experience that would come close to beating it. We
had searched along the roads for Pheasants a few times but
with no luck so on our last morning it was very pleasing to
come across a group of Siamese Firebacks in the road, giving
us all great views and then not much further along the same
road, a male Silver Pheasant - a wonderful result. Driving
further up the road we were shocked to see another group of
Silver Pheasants and then a third sighting of another male.
This third hung around in the road, just in front of us for
10 minutes or more giving us time to get lots of photos and
give us another very memorable sighting that we would all
be talking about for the remainder of the trip.
On our way out of the park, heading to our next location,
we made a stop to see Van Hasselt's Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird
and Little Spiderhunter, all of which we had good views of
before leaving.
Petchaburi Rice Fields We arrived at the rice fields at around 3pm giving us
the best birding hours of the afternoon at this productive
location. Our first stop quickly gave us the opportunity to
study the differences between Asian Golden, Streaked and Baya
Weavers as they fed in the rice fields and a nice surprise
was a male Asian Golden Weaver in near breeding plumage. A
couple of soaring raptors were good sightings too with Greater
Spotted Eagle and Booted Eagle as well as the commoner Brahminy
Kite.
Wind made finding some of the more skulking birds more or
less impossible but a nice damp field held a good variety
of species with Asian Openbill, Grey-headed Lapwing, Watercock,
Common Snipe, Bronze-winged Jacana, Black-winged Stilt, Wood
Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Common Moorhen and Purple
Swamphen among the Egrets and Pond Herons.
The wind and drainage of ponds, depriving us of suitable habitat
for some of the hoped for birds became a bit of a problem
for us but we still managed some more nice birds with Pink-necked
Green Pigeon, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Eastern Yellow Wagtail,
Black-winged Kite and flyover Oriental Pratincole before making
the 10 minute drive to our hotel.
Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale
For many in the group the critically endangered Spoon-billed
Sandpiper was the most anticipated bird of the tour and although
it gave us a little more trouble than I had hoped for we were
still enjoying good views of this species feeding within the
first hour of arrival at Pak Thale. We were able to watch
this bird at length and it was nice to see everyone in the
group enjoying this bird until it eventually departed after
putting on a show for about 20 minutes.
This area of salt pans and mudflats has much more to offer
than just Spoon-billed Sandpiper and it is one of the best
wader sites in the world (in fact it is a candidate for THE
best wader site in the world) with the number of species and
individual birds seen in a day often overwhelming. As well
as the Spoonie we also obtained good views of many of the
commoner shorebird species: Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed
Godwit, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Marsh Sandpiper,
Spotted Redshank, Kentish Plover and Lesser Sand Plover. At
Pak Thale we were also successful in finding some of the scarcer
shorebirds; 2 Far Eastern Curlews, 5 Red-necked Phalaropes
and 13 Terek Sandpipers were good. A Slender-billed Gull was
a surprise but Caspian, Gull-billed, Common, Little and Whiskered
Terns were expected.
Although the heat was quite oppressive by mid-morning we still
had time to head to salt pans at Laem Pak Bia and find two
more of the shorebird specialities of the area, Nordmann's
Greenshank (49) and Asian Dowitcher (12), getting close enough
to appreciate all the identification features of both species.
Creeping along in the van also gave us exceptional views of
many species including Temminck's Stint, Pacific Golden Plover,
Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Long-toed Stint, Eastern
Black-tailed Godwit, Great Knot, Common Redshank, Grey Plover,
Red-necked Stint, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper.
Quite a lot to take in before lunch!
After an enjoyable lunch at a local restaurant it was time
for our boat trip to the sand spit. This is always an enjoyable
little trip with some special birds to see and our boatman,
Mr Daeng, is always really helpful and good at spotting the
target birds. Our trip was a very hot one but fantastic views
of large numbers of feeding shorebirds at close range took
our minds off of this. A huge flock of Great Knot along with
many Sanderling, Greater Sand Plovers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone,
Lesser Sand Plovers and Red-necked Stints was quite a sight
but our attention was drawn away by a Chinese Egret. Our other
target birds here were Malaysian Plover and White-faced Plover
both of which we obtained good views of fairly quickly giving
us time to study the Gull and Tern flock. Among the commoner
terns we also spotted Greater and Lesser Crested Terns while
5 Pallas's Gulls were obvious, towering above the other birds.
While watching these, a flock of Gulls came in and settled
on the sea. At first they all seemed like Heuglin's Gull but
we quickly noticed that one bird was different. I photographed
this bird and it may be that it is Thailand's first Steppe
Gull (barabensis) but this is yet to be confirmed.
One thing we do know is that gulls often present an id challenge.
A single Black-tailed Gull was easier to identify and quite
a surprise, making for an exceptional gull day, something
that is not to be expected in Thailand.
After the boat trip we went to a nearby rubbish tip to look
for White-shouldered Starling, which we found, but they were
totally eclipsed by one of the birds of the trip; a wonderful
male Pied Harrier which gave us superb flight views.
Our last stop of the day was at the King's Project where we
added Ruff, Red-wattled Lapwing and Pintail Snipe to our wader
day list as well as getting good views of Painted Stork, Indian
Cormroant and White-winged Tern. Our wait for crakes was fruitless
but several thousand Lyle's Flying Foxes was appreciated by
all and the subsequent Indian Nightjars were a great way to
finish an exceptional day's birding. I never get bored of
visiting Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, it really is one of the world's
great birding sites, one that every birder should visit at
least once.
Khao Look Chang
Our single morning at this small patch of relict dry dipterocarp
woodland was primarily about finding Black-headed Woodpecker,
a bird which is a real habitat specialist and regional endemic.
It did not take too long to locate a couple of these stunning
birds and for everyone to get cracking views of them feeding,
low on the trunks of the woodland trees.
It is always nice to get the target birds quickly but it is
also nice to have a good birding session with a good selection
of species and our morning certainly gave us this with Asian
Barred Owlet, Lineated Barbet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Spotted
Owlet, Rufous Treepie and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. These
species were more or less expected but a flock of 11 Orange-breasted
Green Pigeons most certainly were not. Birding around the
small lake at the site also turned up a Cinnamon Bittern in
flight, a pair of Racket-tailed Treepies, Little Ringed Plover,
White Wagtail, Green Bee-eater, Intermediate Egret and a whole
host of Red-wattled Lapwings.
Not a bad morning's birding before heading to our accommodation
near Kaeng Krachan for lunch.
Lung Sin Hide
On our first afternoon at Kaeng Krachan we did not enter the
national park, instead as we were a small group, we were able
to visit the nearby Lung Sin Hide, where I was expecting a
number of species to come to bathe and feed; many of them
species that are extremely hard to find in the forest.
Some members of the group were not sure if they could remain
in the hide for our 5-hour session but all doubts were swept
away by the procession of birds that displayed themselves
right in front of us. We were treated to stunning views of
Scaly-breasted and Bar-backed Partridges as well as 2 Large
Scimitar Babblers which allowed themselves to be photographed
at length as they bathed. The gangs of Greater and Lesser
Necklaced Laughingthrushes which repeatedly visited were popular
with everyone but it was a real treat to see a number of fairly
common forest birds at close range, allowing us to see them
at their best. In particular Black-naped Monarch and Racket-tailed
Treepie seemed like completely different birds, seen at just
10 feet away in good light without any foliage in front of
them.
Other species we saw on this afternoon were Black-crested
Bulbul, Streak-eared Bulbul, Stripe-throated Bulbul, White-bellied
Erpornis, Abbott's Babbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Siberian
Blue Robin, Pin-striped Tit Babbler, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher,
Chinese Blue Flycatcher, Blue-throated Flycatcher and Red
Junglefowl. Everyone agreed that it had been an afternoon
of amazing bird watching.
Kaeng Krachan
Kaeng Krachan never seems to disappoint and on this trip it
was to serve us some real delights. Over the next few days
we concentrated our efforts on the three main zones at Kaeng
Krachan; the lowland mixed deciduous forest, the lowland moist
forest and the moist highland zone.
Our first morning in the national park was spent in the drier
lowland forest and it did not disappoint with prolonged 'scope
views of Great Slaty Woodpecker with Black-thighed Falconet,
Sultan Tit, Greater Flameback, Common Flameback, Greater Yellownape
and Asian Drongo Cuckoo all quickly following. Subsequent
stops in this zone also gave us Grey-rumped Treeswift, Great
Hornbill, Grey-headed Woodpecker and 2 Brown Boobooks on the
point of dusk. On another morning we visited a trail on the
transition between the drier and moist forest in the lowlands
and this was highly successful with a pair of Black-and-red
Broadbills which were following a flock of very smart Silver-breasted
Broadbills. A nice sighting of Streak-breasted Woodpecker
was also very good.
We had several morning sessions in the moister lowland forest
which allowed us the time needed to find some really good
birds. In this area we found a pair of stunning Black-and-yellow
Broadbills, a species that looks like someone let the kids
loose with the crayons and utters quite the most crazy of
calls. We also did well for woodpeckers in this area seeing
both Crimson-winged and Banded Woodpeckers giving us the pleasure
of two write-ins on the checklist based on previous years'
tours; we also appreciated more views of Orange-breasted Trogon
too. Several mixed flocks allowed us all to see the attractive
Sulphur-breasted Warbler well and study the identification
features of Eastern Crowned Warbler; more views of Sultan
Tit at close range were also great and Little Cuckoo Dove
was a bit of a surprise.
On our last morning in this zone we all finally got satisfying
views of a group of 5 Tickell's Brown Hornbills which actually
came in too close at first but then settled down at a good
distance.
The remainder of our birding at Kaeng Krachan
was spent at higher altitudes, between Km 27-30. This area
actually gave us our slowest birding of the trip but the group's
patience and trust in my decisions paid off with Collared
Babbler, Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill and eventually,
exceptional views of a pair of Ratchet-tailed Treepies nest-building.
On one of our visits to this area rain seemed like it may
spoil proceedings but after it stopped many species came out
giving us fabulous sightings of Great Barbet, Great Hornbill
and Red-bearded Bee-eater as they came out to sit on exposed
areas in order to dry off. The journey downhill gave us the
chance to encounter a nice male Kalij Pheasant as it strutted
around on the road.
Laem Pak Bia & Wat Khao Takrao
On our last day we revisited Laem Pak Bia district to do some
birding at a freshwater pool and then moved on to Wat Khao
Takrao where I hoped to finish the trip with something special.
We enjoyed a really good hour and a half at our first stop,
seeing many of the species that we had missed at the rice
fields due to the windy weather at the time; this time we
were blessed with calm conditions. Standing in one spot, overlooking
a pool, we had great sightings of Greater Painted Snipe, a
species that many in the group had hoped for, as well as Watercock,
Bluethroat, Streaked Weaver, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Yellow
Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern and Purple Heron. The birds came
thick and fast and we also got some nice views of Plain-backed
Sparrow perched on a post and a quick burst of call playback
drew in a singing Indochinese Bushlark. A flyover Red Avadavat
was glimpsed as a red flash by a few but a few reedbed birds
showed themselves nicely - Yellow-bellied Prinia, Black-browed
Reed Warbler and Oriental Reed Warbler. Other species seen
included Brown Shrike, Zitting Cisticola, Blue-tailed Bee-eater,
Common Iora and a Richard's Pipit.
We stopped briefly to enjoy some close views of some of the
waders including more views of Asian Dowitcher and Nordmann's
Greenshank while adding Pied Avocet to our long list of shorebirds.
Another quick stop at Wat Komnaram was also successful with
large numbers of Oriental Pratincoles hanging around on the
dry mud which also attracts Oriental Skylark, a bird we always
manage to see in song flight here; another species seen in
song flight this visit was a Paddyfield Pipit.
The final stop of the tour was at Wat Khao Takrao where we
saw a number of Black-headed Ibis and Painted Storks but the
real prize that I had hoped for was Black-faced Spoonbill;
spotted at long range through heat haze but we then drove
much closer for very nice views of it preening and walking
around. As it turned out, this was not the last stop as we
spotted a large group of Black-eared Kites over a nearby drained
fishpond and a quick look there revealed huge numbers of Painted
Storks, Egrets and Pond Herons with more Black-headed Ibis
and at least 5 Greater Spotted Eagles loafing around on the
mud. While we were all marvelling at this scene another large
eagle in flight turned out to be an adult Steppe Eagle which
obliged us by flying in low and close before landing on the
mud. What a finish! All that remained was to drive back to
Bangkok where I said goodbye to the group at the Mariya
Boutique Residence where I had met them.
Wat PraPhuttabaht Noi: WPN
Khao Yai: KY
Petchaburi Rice Fields: PRF
Laem Pak Bia: LPB
Pak Thale: PT
Wat Komnaram: WKN
Khao Look Chang: KLC
Kaeng Krachan: KK
Lung Sin Hide: LSH
Wat Khao Takrao: WKT
1.
Bar-backed Partridge: LSH &
Km 23, KK.
2. Scaly-breasted Partridge: LSH.
3. Red Junglefowl: A few at KY
& KK. 4. Kalij Pheasant: 1m
at Km 23, KK. 5. Silver
Pheasant : Single males at 2
locations on Khao Khieo rd, KY, plus a group of 8 birds on the
same road. 6. Siamese Fireback: 1m
& 2f on Khao Khieo rd, KY. 7. Lesser Whistling-duck: 200+
at LPB; 1000+ at WKT. 8. Eurasian Wigeon: 1m
at WKT. 9. Northern Pintail: A
large flock of 500+ at WKT. 10. Garganey: Large numbers
at WKT. 11. Little Grebe: A few
at PRF & LPB. 12. Painted Stork: A
few at LPB, PT & many at WKT. 13. Asian Openbill: Many
at PRF; a few at KLC. 14. Black-headed Ibis: c20
at WKT. 15. Black-faced Spoonbill: 1
at WKT. 16. Yellow Bittern: 2
at LPB. 17. Cinnamon Bittern: 1
at PRF; 1 at LPB. 18. Black-crowned Night Heron: King's
Project, LPB. 19. Striated Heron: 2
at LPB sand spit. 20. Chinese Pond Heron: Common
and seen at all sites. 21. Javan Pond Heron: Known
to be common at LPB, PT, WKT, WKN & PRF but inseperable
from Chinese Pond Heron in non-breeding plumage. 22. Eastern Cattle Egret: WPN,
PRF, KLC, WKN & LPB. 23. Grey Heron: PT, LPB,
WKN & WKT. 24. Purple Heron: A few
at WKT. 25. Eastern Great Egret: PRF,
PT, LPB, WKN & WKT. 26. Intermediate Egret: PT,
LPB, WKN & WKT. 27. Little Egret: Seen
at all sites. 28. Chinese Egret: 2
at LPB sand spit. 29. Little Cormorant: KY,
PRF, PT, LPB, WKN, KLC & WKT. 30. Indian Cormorant: Fairly
common at PRF, PT, LPB & WKT. 31. Western Osprey: 1
at WKT. 32. Oriental Honey-buzzard: 1
at KY. 33. Black-winged Kite: 2
at PRF. 34. Black-eared Kite: 40+
at WKT. 35. Brahminy Kite: PRF,
PT, LPB & WKT. 36. Crested Serpent Eagle: A
few at KY & KK. 37. Eastern Marsh Harrier: A
few at PRF & LPB. 38. Pied Harrier: 1 adult
male at LPB rubbish tip. 39. Crested Goshawk: 1
at KY. 40. Japanese Sparrowhawk: 1
at PRF. 41. Greater Spotted Eagle: c5
at WKT; 1 at PRF. 42. Steppe Eagle: 1 adult
at WKT. 43. Booted Eagle: 1 at
PRF. 44. Black-thighded Falconet: 1
at Km 9, KK. 45. Common Kestrel: 1j
at checkpoint, Khao Khieo rd, KY. 46a. Peregrine Falcon: 1
peregrinator at WPN. 46b. Peregrine Falcon: 1 japonensis
at PT. 47. White-breasted Waterhen: PRF,
LPB, KLC & WKT. 48. Ruddy-breasted Crake: 1
at LPB. 49. Watercock: 2 at PRF;
1 at LPB. 50. Purple Swamphen: A
few at PRF. 51. Common Moorhen: A
few at PRF & LPB. 52. Black-winged Stilt: Common
in wetlands. 53. Pied Avocet: c60
at LPB. 54. Grey-headed Lapwing: A
few at PRF & WKN. 55. Red-wattled Lapwing: Seen
at all locations. 56. Pacific Golden Plover: PT,
LPB & WKN. 57. Grey Plover: PT,
LPB & WKT. 58. Little Ringed Plover: PRF,
PT, LPB, WKN, WKT. 59. Kentish Plover: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 60. White-faced Plover: 1m
at LPB sand spit. 61. Malaysian Plover: A
few at LPB sand spit. 62. Lesser Sand Plover: Common
at PT & LPB. 63. Greater Sand Plover: A
few at PT & LPB. 64. Greater Painted-snipe: A
few at LPB. 65. Bronze-winged Jacana: A
few at PRF. 66. Pintail Snipe: A
few at King's Project, LPB. 67. Common Snipe: A few
at PRF. 68. Asian Dowitcher: 12
at LPB. 69. Eastern Black-tailed Godwit: Large
numbers at PT & LPB. 70. Bar-tailed Godwit: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 71. Whimbrel: 40-50 at
PT. 72. Eurasian Curlew: 800+
at PT. 73. Far Eastern Curlew: 2
at PT. 73. Spotted Redshank:
Common at PT & LPB. 74. Common Redshank: A
few at PT & LPB. 75. Marsh Sandpiper: Very
common at PT, WKN & LPB. 76. Common Greenshank: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 77. Nordmann's Greenshank: 49
at LPB. 78. Wood Sandpiper:
PRF, WKN, WKT, PT & LPB. 79. Terek Sandpiper: 13
at PT. 80. Common Sandpiper: 1
at PRF; a few at PT, WKT & LPB. 81. Ruddy Turnstone: 1
at PT. 82. Great Knot: Large
numbers at PT & LPB. 83. Sanderling: A few
at PT & LPB. 84. Red-necked Stint: Very
common at PT & LPB. 85. Temminck's Stint: A
few at LPB. 86. Long-toed Stint: Fairly
common at PT, WKN & LPB. 87. Curlew Sandpiper: Very
common at PT & LPB. 88. Spoon-billed Sandpiper: 1
seen well at PT. 89. Broad-billed Sandpiper: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 90. Ruff: A few at LPB. 91. Red-necked Phalarope: 5
at PT. 92. Oriental Pratincole: Good
numbers at PRF, LPB & WKN. 93. Slender-billed Gull: 1
at PT. 94. Brown-headed Gull: Common
at PT & LPB; a few at WKT. 95. Pallas's Gull: 5
of various ages, LPB sand spit. 96. Black-tailed Gull: 1
in almost adult plumage. 97. Heuglin's Gull: 5
of various ages, LPB sand spit. 98. Gull-billed Tern: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 99. Caspian Tern: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 100. Great Crested Tern: 30+
at LPB sand spit. 101. Lesser Crested Tern: A
few at LPB sand spit. 102. Little Tern: Common
at PT & LPB. 103. Common Tern: Fairly
common at PT & LPB. 104. Whiskered Tern: Common
at PT & LPB. 105. White-winged Tern: A
few at LPB. 106. Rock Pigeon
107. Red Collared Dove: Common
in open country. 108. Spotted Dove: Common
in open country. 109. Barred Cuckoo Dove:
A few at military checkpoint, Khao Khieo rd, KY. 110: Little Cuckoo Dove: 3
between streams 2 & 3, KK. 111. Common Emerald Dove: A
few at KY & KK. 112. Zebra Dove: Common
in open country. 113. Pink-necked Green Pigeon: A
few at PRF. 114. Orange-breasted Green Pigeon: 11
at KLC. 115. Thick-billed Green Pigeon: Several
at KY & KK. 116. Mountain Imperial Pigeon: Fairly
common at KY; a few at Km27-30, KK. 117. Vernal Hanging Parrot: A
few at KY. 118. Red-breasted Parakeet: Common
near KY park gate. 119. Greater Coucal: A
few at LPB, KK & WKT. 120. Green-billed Malkoha: A
few at WPN, KY & KK. 121. Asian Koel: A few
at PRF, LPB & KLC. 122. Banded Bay Cuckoo: 1
at Bang Krang campsite, KK. 123. Asian Drongo Cuckoo: 2
at Km 9, KK. 124. Large Hawk Cuckoo: 1
seen briefly by some, KY. 125. Asian Barred Owlet: 1
at WPN; 2 at KLC. 126. Spotted Owlet: 2
at KLC. 127. Brown Boobook: 2
at Km 9, KK. 128. Great Eared Nightjar: 4
at KY. 129. Indian Nightjar: 2
at King's Project, LPB. 130. Grey-rumped Treeswift: A
few at Km 12, KK. 131. Himalayan Swiftlet: A
few at KY. 132. Pale-rumped (Germain's) Swiftlet: Very
common at PRF, PT, LPB, WKN & WKT. 133. Brown-backed Needletail:
KY & KK. 134. Asian Palm Swift: Seen
at all locations. 135. House Swift: A few
at KY. 136. Orange-breasted Trogon: Seen
a few times at KY & KK. 137. Red-headed Trogon: A
pair at KY & 1f at Km 28, KK. 138. Indian Roller: KY
& KLC. 139. Oriental Dollarbird: A
few at KY & KK. 140. Banded Kingfisher: 1m
at Km 33, KY. 141. White-throated Kingfisher: KY,
PRF, KLC, WKT & LPB. 142: Black-capped Kingfisher: A
few at PT & LPB. 143. Collared Kingfisher: PT
& LPB. 144. Common Kingfisher: PRF,
LPB & WKT. 145. Red-bearded Bee-eater: 1
at Km 30, KK. 146. Blue-bearded Bee-eater: A
few at KY. 147. Green Bee-eater: WPN,
PRF, LPB & KLC. 148. Blue-tailed Bee-eater: A
few at PRF & LPB. 149. Chestnut-headed Bee-eater: WPN,
KY & KK. 150. Eurasian Hoopoe: A
few at WPN. 151. Tickell's Brown Hornbill: A
group of 5 at stream 2, KK. 152. Oriental Pied Hornbill: Fairly
common at KY & KK. 153. Great Hornbill: Seen
a few times at KK & KY. 154. Wreathed Hornbill:
2 in flight at KY. 155. Great Barbet: A
couple at Km 30, KK. 156. Lineated Barbet: A
few at WPN & KLC. 157. Green-eared Barbet: A
few at Km 9, KK. 158. Blue-throated Barbet: A
few at Km 27.5-30, KK. 159. Moustached Barbet: A
few at KY. 160. Blue-eared Barbet: A
few at KY & KK. 161. Coppersmith Barbet: WPN,
KLC & Km9, KK. 162. Heart-spotted Woodpecker: 1
at KY. 163. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker: 1
at stream 3, KK.
164.
Banded Woodpecker: 1 between
streams 2 & 3, KK. 165. Greater Yellownape: A
few at Km 9, KK. 166. Lesser Yellownape: 1
at KY. 167. Crimson-winged Woodpecker: 1
at stream 2, KK. 168. Streak-breasted Woodpecker: 1
near Youth Camp, KK. 169. Laced Woodpecker: 2
at KY. 170. Black-headed Woodpecker:
3 at KLC. 171. Grey-headed Woodpecker: 1
at Km 9, KK. 172. Common Flameback: A
few at KK. 173. Greater Flameback: A
few at KY & KK. 174. Black-and-buff Woodpecker: Once
each at KY & KK. 175. Great Slaty Woodpecker: 4
at Km 9, KK. 176. Black-and-red Broadbill: 2
near Youth Camp, KK. 177. Long-tailed Broadbill: KY
& KK. 178. Silver-breasted Broadbill: A
flock near Youth Camp, KK. 179. Banded Broadbill: A
pair at Boonsonglekagul Camp, KK. 180. Black-and-yellow Broadbill: A
pair at KK. 181. Eared Pitta: A pair
observed feeding, Km 33, KY. 182. Golden-bellied Gerygone: 2
at PT. 183. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike: Fairly
common, seen at KY & KK. 184. Large Woodshrike: A
small flock at KK. 185. Ashy Woodswallow: WPN
& KY. 186. Common Iora: A few
at WPN, KLC & LPB. 187. Great Iora: Seen
several times in mixed flocks at KK. 188. Black-winged Cuckooshrike: Seen
several times in mixed flocks at KY & KK. 189. Brown-rumped (Swinhoe's) Minivet: Fairly
common with mixed flocks at KY & KK. 190. Scarlet Minivet: A
few at KY & KK. 191. Mangrove Whistler: 1
at PT. 192. Brown Shrike: WPN,
KY, PRF, LPB & WKN. 193. Long-tailed Shrike: A
pair at PRF. 194. Grey-backed Shrike: A
few at KY. 195. White-bellied Erpornis: Several
in mixed flocks at KY. 196. Blyth's Shrike-babbler: 1f
at Km30, KK. 197. Black-naped Oriole: A
few at Km 9, KK. 198. Black Drongo: Common
in open country. 199a. Ashy Drongo (leucogenis): WPN,
KY & KK. 199b. Ashy Drongo (mouhoti): KY
& KK. 200. Bronzed Drongo: A
pair at Km 28, KK. 201. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo: A
few at Km 27.5, KK. 202. Hair-crested Drongo: WPN,
KY, KLC & KK. 203. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo: KY,
KLC & KK. 204. Pied Fantail: A
few at LPB & PT. 205. Black-naped Monarch: KY,
LSH & KK. 206. Asian Paradise-flycatcher: 1
in a mixed flock at Km 28, KK. 207. Common Green Magpie: 2
at military checkpoint, Khao Khieo rd, KY. 208. Rufous Treepie: A
few at KLC. 209. Racket-tailed Treepie: 2
at KLC; a few at LSH. 210. Ratchet-tailed Treepie: 2
nest-building at Km 28, KK. 211. Eastern Jungle Crow: WPN,
KY, PRF & LPB. 212. Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher: Fairly
common at KY & KK. 213. Sultan Tit: Seen
a few times at KK. 214. Indochinese Bushlark: 2
at LPB. 215. Oriental Skylark: A
few at WKN. 216. Black-headed Bulbul: A
few at KY & KK. 217a. Black-crested Bulbul: Common
at KK. 217b. Black-crested Bulbul (johnsoni):
Common at KY. 218. Red-whiskered Bulbul: A
few at PT. 219. Sooty-headed Bulbul: Common
at WPN. 220. Stripe-throated Bulbul: KY,
LSH & KK. 221. Flavescent Bulbul: A
few at Km 28-30, KK. 222. Yellow-vented Bulbul: A
few at PRF. 223. Streak-eared Bulbul: WPN,
PRF, PT, LPB, WKN, KLC, LSH & KK. 224. Puff-throated Bulbul: Fairly
common at KY. 225. Ochraceous Bulbul: Common
at KK. 226a. Grey-eyed Bulbul (propiniqua):
Common at KY. 226b. Grey-eyed Bulbul (lekhakuni):
A few at KK. 227. Mountain Bulbul: A
few at Km 30, KK. 228. Barn Swallow: Seen
every day. 229. Red-rumped Swallow: A
few at KY & KK. 230. Yellow-bellied Warbler: A
few at Km 27.5, KK. 231. Radde's Warbler: A
few at KY & KK. 232. Yellow-browed Leaf Warbler: Common. 233. Two-barred Warbler: A
few at WPN & KY. 234. Pale-legged Leaf Warbler: 1
bird reacted strongly to call playback at KY. 235. Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler: Several
in flocks between streams 2 & 3, KK. 236. Claudia's Leaf Warbler:
Seen frequently in mixed flocks at KY
& KK. 237. Sulphur-breasted Warbler: Several
in flocks between streams 2 & 3, KK. 238. Alstrom's Warbler: 1
at Pa Gluai Mai campsite, KY. 239. Oriental Reed Warbler: A
few at PRF & LPB. 240. Black-browed Reed Warbler: A
few at LPB. 241. Zitting Cisticola: A
few at LPB & WKN. 242. Bright-capped Cisticola: 2
at KY. 243. Rufescent Prinia: 1
at KY. 244. Yellow-bellied Prinia: A
few at PRF & LPB. 245. Plain Prinia: A
few at LPB & WKN. 246. Dark-necked Tailorbird: 1
at KY. 247. Large Scimitar Babbler: 2
at LSH. 248. White-browed Scimitar Babbler: 2
at KY; a few at Km27.5-30, KK. 249. Rufous-fronted Babbler: A
few at KK. 250. Pin-striped Tit Babbler: KY,
LSH & KK. 251. Chestnut-capped Babbler: Seen
briefly by some observers at PRF. 252. Brown-cheeked Fulvetta: Several
at LSH. 253. Limestone Wren Babbler: A
few at WPN. 254. Collared (White-hooded) Babbler: Km
27.5-28, KK. 255. Abbott's Babbler: 2
at LSH. 256. Puff-throated Babbler: A
few at KY & LSH. 257. White-crested Laughingthrush: Several
flocks at KY. 258. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush: Many
at LSH. 259. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush: Several
at LSH. 260. Black-throated Laughingthrush: A
small flock at military checkpoint, Khao Khieo rd, KY; 2 at
Km 28, KK. 261. Chestnut-flanked White-eye: A
flock at KY. 262. Asian Fairy Bluebird: Fairly
common at KY & KK. 263. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch: 2
at Km 9, KK. 264. Golden-crested Myna: 1m,
1f at KY. 265. Common Hill Myna: Fairly
common at KY. 266. White-vented Myna: Common
in open country. 267. Common Myna: Common
in open country & urban areas. 268. Asian Pied Myna: Common
in open country. 269. White-shouldered Starling: A
few at LPB rubbish tip. 270. Orange-headed Thrush: 2
at Pa Gluai Mai campsite; 1 at ban Maka. 271. Eyebrowed Thrush: 1
at Km 9, KK. 272. Oriental Magpie Robin: WPN,
PRF, PT, LPB, KLC & Ban Maka. 273. White-rumped Shama: WPN,
KY, KK & Ban Maka. 274. Dark-sided Flycatcher: A
few at Km 30, KK. 275. Asian Brown Flycatcher: WPN,
KY & KK. 276. Verditer Flycatcher: Fairly
common at KY & KK. 277. Hainan Blue Flycatcher: 1m
at KY. 278. Hill Blue Flycatcher: 1f
at KY. 279. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher: Several
at LSH. 280. Blue-throated Flycatcher: 1m
at LSH. 281. Siberian Blue Robin: Juveniles
at KY & LSH. 282. Bluethroat: 1 at
LPB. 283. Blue Whistlingthrush (caeruleus):
1 at military chekpoint, Khao Khieo rd,
KY. 284. Mugimaki Flycatcher: 1m
at KY. 285. Taiga Flycatcher: Common. 286. Blue Rockthrush (pandoo): 1
at KY. 287. White-throated Rockthrush: 1m
at Pa Gluai Mai campsite, KY. 288. Eastern Stonechat: A
few at PRF & LPB. 289. Blue-winged Leafbird: Several
at KY & KK. 290. Thick-billed Flowerpecker: Singles
at KY & KK. 291. Plain Flowerpecker: 1
at KY. 292. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker: A
few at KY & KLC. 293. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird: 1m,
1f, near stream 2, KK. 294. Van Hasselt's Sunbird: A
few near Haew Narok, KY. 295. Olive-backed Sunbird: Common. 296. Black-throated Sunbird: A
few at KY. 297. Crimson Sunbird: 1m
near Haew Narok, KY. 298. Little Spiderhunter: A
few at KY. 299. Streaked Spiderhunter: A
few at Km 30, KK. 300. House Sparrow: PRF
& LPB. 301. Plain-backed Sparrow: WPN
& LPB. 302. Eurasian Tree Sparrow: Common. 303. Asian Golden Weaver: PRF. 304. Streaked Weaver: PRF
& LPB. 305. Baya Weaver: PRF. 306. Red Avadavat: 1m
in flight, LPB. 307. Chestnut Munia:
A few at LPB. 308. Forest Wagtail: 2
at KLC. 309. Eastern Yellow Wagtail: Several
at PRF & LPB. 310. Grey Wagtail: Seen
several times at both KY & KK. 311. White Wagtail (leucopsis): 1
at KLC. 312. Richard's Pipit: A
few at LPB. 313. Paddyfield Pipit: A
few at WKN.
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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