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October is not exactly a time when foreign birders flock to Thailand to fill up their bird lists. (Many migrants are not here yet and some who have arrived are still only in small numbers.) However, Rich Waldrop of the US, formerly Ecuador, was to attend an International conference in Pattaya and so asked me if I could organize a trip for him. He had been to Nepal, southern Malaysia and Khao Yai years ago so I deemed it best to go to the North to get as many new ticks as possible. We did not allow for very long stays at each site and so missed out on some normally seen birds but by incorporating more sites he would get more lifers this way. He has a list of over 4000 and added 68 from this trip. I myself had my secret wishes but had to be satisfied with one new bird: Pale-footed Bush Warbler at Doi Angkhang.

6th. Headed to Beung Borapet some 3 hours drive North of Bangkok. No surprises but a good variety of wetland birds, which included a flock of White-shouldered, and Chestnut-rumped Starlings.

In the afternoon we entered Mae Ping National Park with its fabulous dry dipterocarp forest. The main reason for going here is the Black-headed Woodpecker, a favorite of mine. It didn’t let us down but even let us see 4 birds simultaneously on one tree. A treat was to have a Changeable Hawk Eagle obligingly perched some 25 meters away. A Crow-billed Drongo was a rare sight.

We stayed at a hotel right by the T-junction at Jom Thong town. This is only a few kilometers before the entrance to Doi Inthanon and the hotel offers clean beds, hot showers and there is a nice restaurant across the road.

7th. The lower levels of Doi Inthanon was a disappointment. I prefer Mae Ping, which has the same type of forest but is more alive.

We stayed at Doi Inthanon for the day. Got most of the normal things but were set back by the news that just the day before a local hill tribe boy had tried his sling shot on the endangered Black-trailed Crakes and succeeded in killing two of them. No wonder the remaining 4 birds didn’t show up as usual. We camped for the night, as the park bungalows have to be booked in advance from Bangkok. An alternative is to use the Eco lodge run by local hill tribes a few kilometers before headquarters. Their accommodations looked better then previous years and definitely would be considered an alternative from the long drive back down to Jom Thong.

8th. We waited in earnest at the second checkpoint in the wee hours of the day. Birds often come to feed on insects that have died while being attracted to the neon lights at the checkpoint. We were not to be let down but such normally elusive specie as the Large Niltava decided to come out fully in the open. The graveled road at km 34.5 has a gulley that produced its normal Slaty-bellied Tesia. Great bird! The Summit had most of the common birds but also included Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird which was a surprise to me seeing that it is still early in the season.

In the afternoon we drove to Chiang Mai town and dropped by Mae Hia agricultural research station. Not far from here we found some Wire-tailed Swallows, which thrilled our hearts.

We proceeded to Doi Chiang Dao where we stayed at Malees guesthouse. She has built another two bungalows and is ready to take on more birders.

9th. Did the temple grounds in the morning but nothing unusual.Decided to take the scenic route to Doi Angkhang. Follow road signs to the left not far after Chiang Dao town. This road has a good number of checkpoints and is well guarded by the Thai Army. We arrived at Angkhang at noon and checked into Bahn Looang resort. This is the most price friendly resort and offers newly built bungalows. Everything else is pricey except for at Mae Pleu watershed station where accommodations are cheaper. Also possible is camping and a number of Thais were doing so.

Doi Angkhang is always a challenge as the birds there have been hunted out and so what remains tend to be shy end elusive. Never the less, so many species are not found else where and being surrounded with unfamiliar calls is a thrill. This was my first time to have very good looks of Crested Finchbills, a specialty of the mountain. My only lifer came here as mentioned above. We did dip on some other things but still felt we had a worthwhile visit.

10th. Drove to Chiang Mai but passed by Mae Taang Irrigation project where we enjoyed some lowland birds. This included Wire-tailed Swallows and Sand Martins feeding over the flowing waters.

11th. Stayed at Prince Hotel in town, which is of good standard and comes at 600 Baht for a double room. The night market is only 10 minutes walk away and I had the local specialty, Khao Suay for dinner.

12th. Visited Huay Krong Krai some 20 minutes drive out of town. Immediately picked up a flock of Green Peafowls as well as an Asian Barred Owlet.

Then we started the long drive to Khao Yai. Tried for Limestone Wren Babbler at a temple but failed. We got a room at a resort to the right, right before the park gates. Very spacious and inexpensive.

13th. Khao Yai has undergone a major face-lift as far as infra structure goes. Over a million annual visitors makes the park very attractive for tourism. Still, birding is as good as ever and the vast majority of visitors are seldom seen on any of the trails.

Slaty-backed Forktails were feeding at Wang Jumpee. No Pheasants at the radar station. We found a flowering tree at Pah Gluai Mai campsite, which held Thick-billed, Buff-rumped, and Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers. That night we stayed in a tent in pleasant temperatures.

After a morning in the park we headed to Khok Kham at Samut Sakorn where we had a good variety of waders. Terek Sandpiper, Broad-billed SP, Great Knots etc. (No Spoon-billed SP has been seen yet this season).