Introduction
I have made several trips with David Scott and James Thomson-Glover
and once again we got together to visit some sites that they
had not before been to. We had toyed with the idea of visiting
northern Thailand but the probable heavy rain put us off and
instead we decided to base our trip around visiting Nam Nao,
a location that all three of us enjoy. I also suggested a
side trip to Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park and David wanted
to visit Bueng Boraphet for Glossy Ibis; the decision to visit
Mae Wong was taken on the spot when we realized that we had
time for it.
Transport
We used a four-wheel drive Ford Ranger which performed excellently
on highways and proved to be essential on some of the muddy
dirt tracks that we drove down to our accommodation and for
birding. In the wet season there is always a distinct possibility
of very muddy tracks and flooded roads so our decision to
use a sturdy, four-wheel drive vehicle was a good one.
At Bueng Boraphet we took a boat out onto the lake with the
Khun Phanom piloting the boat. The fee for boat trips is 500
baht per hour.
Accommodation
Baanraithorfun
Hilltop Retreat at Nam Nao - comfortable and conveniently
close to Nam Nao but only accessible along a muddy track.
Iyara
Lake Hotel and Resort near Uthai Thani - a huge hotel
which was very comfortable but looked like something a Premier
League footballer would dream up. Rather too far away from
Bueng Boraphet to be convenient.
Food
Thailand is a country in which it is hard to find bad food
and all the places we stayed in and stopped at provided us
with good quality meals.
Notes on Finding Birds
Throughout the trip finding birds was harder than expected.
Usually many species would be feeding fledged young at this
time but it seemed like unusual weather conditions earlier
in the year had resulted in forest species having finished
breeding early. Despite this, several species were easier
to see than in the dry season and there were a few excellent
birds that are not present in Thailand outside of the wet
season.
Field Guides
1. A
Field Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia by Craig Robson
2. Birds
of Thailand - Thai language field guide by various contributors
Birding Highlights
Nam Nao: Red-headed Trogon, Bar-backed Partridge, Great
Slaty Woodpecker, Black-and-buff Woodpecker, Red-billed Scimitar-babbler,
Collared Babbler, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Red-billed Blue Magpie
Phu Hin Rong Kla: Nepal House Martin, Dusky Crag Martin,
Large Niltava, Chestnut-crowned Warbler
Bueng Boraphet: Pied Cuckoo, Spot-billed Pelican, Glossy
Ibis, Oriental Darter, Streaked Weaver, Asian Golden Weaver,
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Mae Wong: Streaked Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler,
Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Silver-eared Mesia, Clicking Shrike-babbler
Daily Account
29th June - Bangkok to Nam Nao
Having met David and James at the Oriental Mandarin Hotel,
Bangkok, at 10am we drove directly to Nam Nao national park
in Petchabun, stopping only briefly for some lunch. Finding
our accommodation close to the national park was easy, although
we were very pleased to have a four-wheel drive vehicle as
reaching it required a 2.5 kilometre drive down a very muddy
road.
After checking in we headed straight for the national park
headquarters and after paying the 200 baht per person entry
fee we took a walk around the campsite which is usually very
busy with birds. However, on this occasion, with very high
humidity and heavy grey skies, bird activity was less than
expected. Although we were expecting a bit more activity,
many of the usual suspects from the camp site were in evidence;
we had nice close-up views of several groups of White-crested
Laughingthrush, Red-billed Blue Magpie both with their attendant
Green Magpies and a male Red-headed Trogon. Grey Treepie was
nice as were views of both Lesser and Greater Yellownapes
although a calling White-bellied Woodpecker remained frustratingly
out of view. However, when the clouds became heavier and rain
seemed imminent we decided to go back to our accommodation
for a 6 o'clock beer!
30th June - Nam Nao
After breakfast we were allowed back into the HQ area using
the previous day's entry tickets where we spent the first
hour or so walking on the forested loop trail just behind
the headquarters buildings. As we walked down the trail from
the car park we were a little surprised to see a pair of Bar-backed
Partridges. This species is regular here, in fact it is one
of the best places to see this bird, but to see it so close
to the car park was unusual.
Further along the trail things were a bit quiet again, perhaps
due to the high humidity and low cloud that birds typically
do not enjoy. A small group of Collared Babblers were the
highlight along with a pair of Red-headed Trogons but a calling
Banded Kingfisher refused to show itself and the expected
Red-billed Scimitar-babbler was nowhere to be seen. Commoner
birds were active with Ashy Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul,
Green-billed Malkoha, Striped Tit Babbler and Moustached Barbet
all seen but with things being much quiet than hoped for we
decided to head into the pine forest and walk along the Dong
Paek trail.
Pine Forest along Dong Paek Trail
(Photo by Nick
Upton)
|
As soon as we arrived we heard a Chinese Francolin which
we quickly spotted in a pine tree, getting fabulous views
of the male through the telescope. When seen clearly this
bird is very beautiful with intricate markings and vibrant
colours making this sighting a real highlight.
There was a flurry of activity at the start of this trail
with a group of Small Minivets, a Large Cuckooshrike and a
Golden-fronted Leafbird but as we walked along things, again,
were pretty quiet although we did see a few of the species
which are specialists of this habitat - Brown Prinia, Indochinese
Cuckooshrike and Rufescent Prinia.
We all enjoyed walking through this open habitat on what turned
out to be a bright, sunny day and our patience paid off eventually
as we entered a more moist area of forest where we found some
excellent species including Long-tailed Broadbill, Black-and-buff
Woodpecker and a group of four Great Slaty Woodpeckers which
responded to call playback.
At the end of a four kilometre stroll we were all ready for
lunch and turned around for the return journey which turned
out to be a very hot walk. We managed to call in a Black-hooded
Oriole for a decent 'scope view and a juvenile Blossom-headed
Parakeet obligingly landed in a nearby tree after flying around
us a few times.
After lunch at the headquarters we took a drive along the
dirt road to Phu Goom Khao. Here is where we were happy to
have a sturdy vehicle with four-wheel drive as at some points
the road was very muddy and slippery. The 13 kilometre drive
through open pine forest was very nice but in the heat of
the day the birding was pretty slow and biting horseflies
were quite uncomfortable. Although we hung around until late
afternoon and tried various points for birding, it was a bit
of a struggle to find birds. We did locate a few small flocks
which contained Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Velvet-fronted
Nuthatch, Small Minivet and Common Iora but we had expected
to see several species of woodpecker which were completely
absent. I spotted a very distant White-rumped Falcon but this
flew away before others could see it but a juvenile Mountain
Hawk Eagle was more obliging and a little unexpected at this
location at this time of the year. Oriental Dollarbird and
distant Crested Treeswifts were other additions but having
enjoyed some lovely forest, if rather slow birding, we headed
back to our accommodation for a great view over the adjacent
valley and House Swifts.
1st July - Phu Hin Rong Kla - Nam Nao
We decided on a change of habitat and location by heading
to Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park; the journey took just around
an hour from our accommodation. Heading up the road from Lomsak
to the national park we stopped several times to take in the
spectacular views and to look for Nepal House Martin, this
being the only known breeding location for this species in
Thailand.
Swirling cloud made spotting birds in flight a bit tricky
but we did find Striated Swallow and a group of Dusky Crag
Martins, but no House Martins! We decided that we would have
another look for these birds on our way out later on.
Once in the national park we birded the stretch of road to
the air force radar station which took us through some lovely
high altitude forest where we enjoyed some birds that we would
usually see in northern Thailand; Large Niltava, Blue-winged
Minla, Dark-backed Sibia, Mountain Bulbul and Golden-throated
Barbet. We enjoyed the cool temperature here and the abundance
of Blue-winged Minlas but decided to move on and find another
birding spot.
A long road runs through the forest but opportunities for
stopping are few, particularly when thick fog reduces visibility
to just a few metres. However, we found a straight stretch
of road with no fog and stopped there.
At this stop we ran into another flock of nice, northern species
including lots more Blue-winged Minlas along with Grey-cheeked
Fulvetta, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Golden Babbler and Grey-chinned
Minivet. Perhaps the bird we enjoyed most at this stop was
a Chestnut-crowned Warbler that came in to call playback -
a very beautiful and under-rated species. With the fog closing
in we moved on to the park HQ to have lunch.
The food served in the national park restaurant was very good
and afterwards we decided to head back to the radar road.
There was still a fair bit of bird activity even in the mid
afternoon and we saw most of the species that we had seen
earlier but also added Oriental White-eye, Rufous-winged Fulvetta
and Davison's leaf Warbler to our list. With the clouds building
it seemed like rain was likely so we decided to head back
downhill and look for Nepal House Martin on our way back to
Nam Nao.
Once again the views along the road were fantastic and as
we rounded a bend I spotted a number of Martins in flight.
We stopped and immediately identified them as Nepal House
Martin due to their black throats, black undertail and tails
without forks. We were able to get excellent views of a group
of about 50 of these birds as they fed on insects that were
moving in front of a rain shower which soon engulfed us. I
was particularly happy to find this bird as although I had
seen them before, in Nepal, this was a new bird for my Thai
list!
This excitement made for a good end to our brief visit to
this seldom-visited national park and we got back to Nam Nao
in time to have a quick look along the Dong Paek trail where
we saw a pair of Blossom-headed Parakeets, an Indochinese
Cuckooshrike, Brown Prinia and several Rufescent Prinias before
the rain caught up with us and made us retreat to our accommodation
for dinner.
The Sites Visited
The
four sites visited on this short trip all contained
different habitats and distinct avifaunas, allowing
us to see a wide variety of species in a fairly short
space of time.
Nam Nao National Park is a six hour drive from Bangkok
with good roads all the way and Phu Hin Rong Kla took
just one hour to reach from Nam Nao.
The drive from Nam Nao to Bueng Boraphet took three
to four hours and then continuing on to Mae Wong took
another two hours; this left us with a three hour journey
back to Bangkok.
All three of the national parks as well as Bueng Boraphet
Non-hunting area are signposted in English from main
highways, making them easy to find. |
2nd July - Nam Nao & Bueng Boraphet
For our last morning at Nam Nao we decided to go back to the
HQ area where we found the campsite quiet again although we
did get great views of a Northern White-crowned Forktail that
seemed oblivious to our presence as it foraged on the ground.
However, just a couple of Hill Mynas were the only other birds
seen so we headed along the river trail to see if we could
find one of this locations specialities - Red-billed Scimitar-babbler.
The habitat along the river trail is very different to the
pine forests that are such a feature of Nam Nao. The forest
along the river is much wetter and has a lot of bamboo within
it. We walked along the trail for about 1.5 kilometres but
once again bird activity was low. We did come across a party
of Collared Babblers and I played their call to try and lure
them in, hoping that a Scimitar-babbler might join them. The
Babblers came in immediately and a few minutes later we spotted
a single Red-billed Scimitar-babbler climbing up a tree trunk.
Another bird which gave us a nice reaction to call playback
was White-bellied Erpornis but keeping an eye on the time
we decided it was time to leave Nam Nao and start our journey
to Bueng Boraphet where we were hoping to investigate an area
on the north side of the lake.trail.
 Bird
Watching & Photography Trips in Thailand:
The early wet season is a good time to see some
species that are hard to find at other times of
the year, as well as a good time to see breeding
birds. However, all of these locations are perhaps
even better in the dry season.
Contact me to arrange a birding trip and/or to
discuss the best bird watching options for you:
nickupton@thaibirding.com |
|
The journey to Bueng Boraphet took only 3 hours and we found
our way into an old experimental area on the north side of
the lake where we were able to drive around dirt tracks and
bird from the car, which was excellent considering the heat
outside. Birds that we saw on our drive in included some beautiful
Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in breeding plumage, Black-shouldered
Kite and Chestnut-tailed Starling. A quick walk around revealed
Baya Weaver, Striated Grassbird and Blue-tailed Bee-eater
as well as buckets of sweat, so we decided to jump back inside
the air-conditioned car and bird from the vehicle for a bit
longer.
The "experimental" rice fields gave us great views
of both Asian Golden Weaver and Streaked Weaver as well as
Yellow Bittern perched in the reeds and a flight view of Cinnamon
Bittern but hoping for Savanna Nightjar we braved the heat
for another short walk. We walked around an area that I had
frequently seen the nightjar in with no luck but then flushed
a black and white bird from some Typha which had
me confused. Both David and I looked at each other and said
"Pied Cuckoo" a real rarity in Thailand. Fortunately
I had the call of this species and had played it just twice
when the Pied Cuckoo came blasting out of its hiding place,
calling as it flew around, giving us great views. Getting
closer to it in a perched tree I also managed to get some
record shots of this bird - something that I had not expected
to see, even though it has been recorded as a breeding bird
from this location.
With this excitement it was time for some more birding from
the vehicle before heading out to our accommodation. On the
way we found a female Greater Painted Snipe and a flock of
Chestnut-tailed Starlings bathing.
3rd July - Mae Wong
David and James had never visited Mae Wong National Park before
and although the lengthy journey would mean that we could
not spend the best birding hours of the day there, they decided
that they would like to see the place anyway. The journey
took a couple of hours and when we arrived at Chong Yen campsite
there was a strong breeze and cool weather which was nice
but not great for birding. We walked down the trail from the
campsite to get out of the wind but still struggled to find
birds, although we did come across a nice flock that contained
Silver-eared Mesia, Rufous-backed Sibia and Clicking Shrike-babbler,
all very beautiful species. We also tried our luck along the
road but once more things were really quite due to the windy
weather conditions. Silver-eared Mesias were very obvious
in a couple of spots and we got nice views of Mountain Bulbul
but after struggling for some time we went for lunch at HQ.
After lunch we returned to Chong Yen and again saw little
although a little downhill we came across a spot where 2 Eyebrowed
Wren Babblers were causing a commotion and gave us point-blank
views. From the same spot David noticed something else and
it turned out to be a pair of Streaked Wren Babblers; usually
Wren Babblers are hard to see, so to find 2 species in quick
succession was a treat. A third species joined the show -
a Rufous-browed Flycatcher - a bird we had tried hard to see
in the morning and failed. With this success, on an otherwise
quiet day, we decided to start our journey back to our hotel.
4th July - Bueng Boraphet
On our last day together we opted to visit Bueng Boraphet
again, heading to the Waterbird Park so that we could take
a boat trip. Khun Phanom took us out but the water levels
were exceptionally low and the habitat was not very good for
birding - either thick vegetation or open water. We did see
a few Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in their finery and several
Oriental Darters - a bird that is getting progressively more
common - with the highlight being a few Spot-billed Pelicans.
Phanom got us quite close to some nesting Oriental Pratincoles
but we decided to cut the ride short and let Phanom show us
a colony of nesting waterbirds.
An intricate drive through rice fields took us past many colonies
of all three species of Thailand's weavers before we finally
arrived at a small area of trees and thick undergrowth in
the middle of the rice fields - this is where a colony of
Little Egrets, Great Egrets, Eastern Cattle Egrets, Black-crowned
Night Herons and Glossy Ibis exist. It was the Glossy Ibis
that we were after and it was great to finish with several
nesting pairs of this bird which only colonized Thailand in
the late 2000s and was up to 80+ pairs by 2013.
With this it was time for us to make the 3 hour drive back
to Bangkok and part company after a very enjoyable trip.
Nick Upton (nickupton@thaibirding.com) |
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