THAILAND

 

Gurney’s Pitta pre-tour extension:

 

“Our pre-tour extension to peninsular Thailand began with an early morning flight from Bangkok to Krabi, where we were met by our local guide and driver. They would be with us throughout the extension.

 

Our main birding destination was about an hour away, at Khao Nor Chuchi Wildlife Preserve, and after lunch we were able to do a bit of birding in the area. On the grounds of the Morokot, where we had most of our meals, we found a Forest Wagtail, a migrant from China, and across the road we had Emerald Dove, Purple-throated Sunbird, and Yellow-eared Spiderhunter. Later in the Wildlife Preserve, a few got scope views of an Oriental Cuckoo, a scarce migrant from the north. We hiked down to a streamside bathing area for songbirds, which proved to be excellent. Along the way, we had excellent views of a perched Whiskered Treeswift, a truly stunning bird. At the bathing pool, there were quite a few birds that stopped in. Streaked Bulbul was a regular visitor, and it was one of sixteen species of bulbul that we either saw or heard (Hairy-backed Bulbul) during the extension, most of which are found from southern Thailand south. Other species of note included an Orange-headed Thrush and a single stunning male Green Broadbill. Some saw a Chinese Blue Flycatcher, a migrant from the north, while most saw what can only have been a male White-tailed Flycatcher, a rather rare and highly local forest stream species. Later we did a bit of owling, where after a good deal of effort, we located a Javan Frogmouth that remained for scope studies. On the way back our torch light picked up the eye shine of what turned out to be an Oriental Scops Owl, another migrant from the north, which remained to be studied in a scope.

 

The next day, just after dawn, we hiked a short distance to where the guide and his assistant had set up a blind. Rotating in two groups, everyone got superb views of a pair of Gurney’s Pittas, feeding for grubs right out in front of the blind, our main goal of the trip. We spent a good while enjoying the spectacle. Later on nearby trails, we saw a juvenile Yellow-bellied Bulbul begging for food. More notable was a rare snake as Cohn’s Bronzeback (Dendrelophis striatus), known from only a few records for peninsular Thailand. We then went to a nearby pool where we had good views of a pair of the spectacular Black-and-red Broadbill.

 

Later in the sanctuary we found a nice variety of birds including many bulbuls, highlighted by Puff-backed and Spectacled, many Thick-billed Pigeons, both Buff-rumped and Gray-and-buff Woodpeckers, and Thick-billed Spiderhunter, a rather scarce species throughout its range. Some saw a Crow-billed Drongo, another northern migrant. After dusk we ventured out and got excellent studies and photos of another species of frogmouth, Gould’s. And we almost saw and certainly had excellent audibles of Bay Owl, its voice haunting us in the forest.

 

On our final day at Khao Nor Chuchi, we went to another blind that had been set up, where we were rewarded with a pair of Banded Pittas, just as stunning as the Gurney’s with its banded plumage and purple-and-orange colors. Later along the road we had flight views of Red-bearded Bee-eater. Other species of note included a Black-bellied Malkoha, two Black-and-yellow Broadbillls, a Dark-throated Oriole, and two Gray-bellied Bulbuls, one of the more colourful members of the family. On our way back to Krabi, we stopped at Khlong Thom, where we had ‘scope studies of six Jungle Mynas, a scarce species in Thailand.

 

The following day we took a boat trip to the mangroves and the flats. Species of note included both Ruddy and Brown-winged Kingfishers, Streak-breasted Woodpecker, and Common Flameback. Later on the flats we had at least three of the threatened Chinese Egrets and two Nordmann’s Greenshanks. Later after lunch we did a bit more birding in open woodland north of Krabi. Here we had good studies of two Drongo Cuckoos and several Spectacled Spiderhunters, as well as a spectacular pair of Banded Kingfishers. We headed finally back to the Krabi airport ,where we witnessed from the dry indoors a spectacular thunderstorm with torrential rain. Eventually our flight left for Bangkok, where after a short drive, we arrived at the Asia Hotel to join the main tour and the rest of the group.” Jon Dunn

 

Main tour:

 

“From Phetchaburi on the Gulf of Thailand we journeyed to Khao Yai, first spending some more time in marshy lowlands where we saw the secretive Black Bittern. A stop on the grounds of a temple in spectacular limestone karst country gave us Limestone Wren Babblers before we entered the towering semi-evergreen rainforest of Khao Yai National Park. Our three and a half days here yielded some spectacular birds, including Oriental Hobby (watched eating a bat), Siamese Fireback, four species of green pigeon including the rare White-bellied Pigeon, all four possible hornbills, Mountain Scops Owl, Blue Pitta, Dusky and Banded Broadbills, Red-headed and Orange-breasted Trogons, Great Eared-Nightjar, Siberian Blue Robin, and a Mountain Hawk Eagle building a nest. Mammals were good too. In addition to seeing White-handed Gibbon, we had (from the safety of our vehicles) two close encounters with a bull Asian Elephant, and also picked out a Small-toothed Palm Civet by its eyeshine while we were out owling.

 

We were based in Chiang Mai Province in the north for a further nine days, during which we worked three mountains and covered a range of habitats from plains up to the summit of Thailand’s highest mountain at 8,400 feet. Doi Suthep-Pui gave us a gentle introduction to a new avifauna, but two more broadbills that we’d missed in Khao Yai, Long-tailed and Silver-breasted, brought our tally to all four of the possible species. We also saw Pale Blue Flycatcher, in addition to many other species that would be seen multiple times later in the tour. We added Burmese Shrike, Wire-tailed Swallow, and a few other species in the lowlands during the afternoon of the same day, and a Black Baza and seven Green Peafowls, including a displaying male, the following morning.

 

During three full days on Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain, we found species as diverse as Blossom-headed Parakeet, Crested Treeswift, Rufous Treepie, and the scarce endemic White-headed Bulbul in the deciduous woodlands of the lower slopes, as well as a great range of babblers, bulbuls, warblers, and flycatchers at the higher elevations. One of the outstanding birds was the scarce and hard-to-find Green Cochoa. After we had tracked its piercing monotone note to its source, the bird sat motionless in the forest upperstory, where it gave us superb scope views and digiscoping opportunities. The other memorable birds here included Rufous-throated Partridge; Ashy Woodpigeon; Asian Emerald Cuckoo; Golden-throated and Great Barbets; Maroon Oriole; Dark-sided, Gray-sided, Chestnut, and more than 100 Eyebrowed Thrushes; Lesser and White-browed Shortwings; Brown-throated Treecreeper; Spectacled Barwing; Rufous-backed Sibia; Buff-barred, breeding Ashy-throated, Blyth’s, and White-tailed Leaf Warblers; and Rufous-gorgeted, Snowy-browed, Hill Blue, and Blue-throated Flycatchers.

 

Two full days on Doi Ang Khang opened with uncharacteristically foggy weather, but we nevertheless enjoyed superb and prolonged views of Red-faced Liocichla, White-browed Laughingthrush, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler, and Spot-winged Grosbeak. Garden and plantation habitats rewarded us with prolonged, close-range views of up to six Black-breasted Thrushes, three Scaly Thrushes, and a female blackbird that we have concluded was a Gray-winged Blackbird with an unusually indistinct wing patch. Some of the group saw Streaked Wren Babbler. Other good birds included Blue-throated Barbet, White-crowned Forktail, Small Niltava, Black-headed Greenfinch, and Little Bunting.

 

Our last morning on Doi Ang Khang started at 3:30 with a nightbird excursion, during which we heard three Hodgson’s Frogmouths, and ended with the Giant Nuthatches mentioned above.

 

Post-tour extension to Thaton and Doi Lang:

 

While some of the group headed back to Chiang Mai for the flight back to Bangkok, the remainder continued to Thaton, another 30 miles north. After lunch and a brief siesta, we went to the Hot Springs at Mae Fang National Park, where a clearwater rushing stream descends to the plains, and we enjoyed Slaty-backed Forktail, White-capped and Plumbeous Redstarts, Crimson Sunbird, and Thick-billed Flowerpecker.

 

The following morning we left at 5:00 for the nearly two-hour drive along the blacktop road delineating the Thai-Burmese border, which took us up into spectacularly scenic country at an elevation of 6,500 feet on Doi Lang, offering views over the Burmese Shan States stretching away, ridge after ridge, to the west. Until the construction of this road, Doi Lang was an insecure area, over which the Shans and the Wa fought for control of the opium trade. Much more secure now, it offers the best high-elevation birding of any site in the country. Apart from us birdwatchers and the occasional border policeman on a motorcycle or in a pickup truck, there was absolutely no traffic, making for an utterly delightful birdwatching experience.

 

Special birds that we saw included Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, many Crested Finchbills and Striated Bulbuls (birds we usually struggle to see on Doi Ang Khang), the cooperative and engaging Whiskered Yuhina, and Chestnut-crowned Warbler. Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Chinese Leaf Warbler, Black-eared Shrike Babbler, and Spot-breasted Parrotbill were also new for us on this tour. We heard Spotted Wren Babbler in this, it’s only known station in Thailand, but could not bring it in. Several Large-tailed Nightjars were seen on the homeward descent in the early evening.

 

A couple of hours in open lowlands around Thaton early the following morning gave us a flock of 60 Oriental Turtle Doves, three Siberian Rubythroats, and two Striated Grassbirds. We drove back to Chiang Mai for our late-afternoon flight back to Bangkok and enjoyed our farewell dinner in the Novetel Suwannabhumi Hotel by the airport.”  Phil Round

 

BIRD LIST

 

Column A = Number of years out of six species has been seen on the Main Tour

Column B = Number of days this species was seen on the last Main Tour

Column C = Maximum daily count for this species on the last Main Tour

Column D = H = Heard Only (Main Tour )

 

Column E = Number of years out of four species has been seen on the Pitta Extension

Column F = Number of days this species was seen on the last Pitta Extension

Column G = Maximum daily count for this species on the last Pitta Extension

Column H = H = Heard Only (Pitta Extension)

 

 

A

C

B

D

E

F

G

H

 

Little Grebe

6

2

3

 

0

 

 

 

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Little Cormorant

6

2

400

 

0

 

 

 

Phalacrocorax niger

Grey Heron

6

4

5

 

0

 

 

 

Ardea cinerea

Purple Heron

5

2

5

 

0

 

 

 

Ardea purpurea

Great Egret

6

2

30

 

4

1

1

 

Ardea alba

Intermediate Egret

1

4

20

 

3

1

1

 

Egretta intermedia

Little Egret

6

5

100

 

4

2

8

 

Egretta garzetta

Chinese Egret

2

1

3

 

3

1

3

 

Egretta eulphotes

Chinese Pond Heron

5

9

10

 

0

 

 

 

Ardeola bacchus

Javan Pond Heron

1

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

Ardeola speciosa

Cattle Egret

6

6

300

 

4

3

2

 

Bubulcus ibis

Little Heron

6

5

3

 

1

1

3

 

Butorides striata

Black-crowned Night Heron

5

 

 

 

4

1

1

 

Nycticorax nycticorax

Malayan Night Heron

1

1

1

 

0

 

 

 

Gorsachius melanolophus

Yellow Bittern

5

1

1

 

0

 

 

 

Ixobrychus sinensis

Cinnamon Bittern

0

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

Ixobrychus cinnamomeus

Black Bittern

1

1

1

 

0

 

 

 

Ixobrychus flavicollis

Painted Stork

3