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Thailand was one of the places I most desperately wanted to visit since knowing we were going to move to Sri Lanka. The country is excellent for birding, with both a high quantity and quality of species. This trip was focused on visiting some of the best birding sites and seeing the beautiful landscapes this country has to offer, as well as experiencing some of the culture and spending time at the beach.
It turned out to be a great trip, with a large number of my target birds seen, as well as many monkeys, lizards and other animals. Highlights were Green Cochoa, Kalij Pheasant, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Blue-winged Pitta, two species of trogon, four broadbills, three hornbills and many more colourful birds, as well as gibbons, flying lizards, impressive rainforest and an enjoyable time at the beach.
Most information was gleaned from trip reports and two excellent websites - thaibirding and norththailandbirding, both of which have a lot of information on the sites we visited. We had enough time so we chose to stay relatively long in each place, even though if it did not have that much birding potential. The sites we visited were Kaeng Krachan NP, Doi Inthanon NP, Doi Chiang Dao, Doi Lang, Doi Angkhang, Sri Phangnga NP and Railay Beach. Rain considerably affected birding in every place we stayed, especially in the north and in Sri Phangnga NP. Although some resident birds might be easier to find at this time, I would recommend visiting earlier in the year, when there are migrants present and much less time is lost due to rain. Due to the limits of my school holidays this was not possible for me.
Accommodation
Baan Maka Nature Lodge
The classic place for birders to stay outside Kaeng Krachan National Park, we stayed for two days to have enough time to visit some of the local hides and especially to relax. The lodge grounds hold many birds, the highlight being Blue-winged Pitta in the wet season. The restaurant is quite good, although the breakfast, which is included in the room price, only consists of toast and bananas. We paid 1460 baht er night for the room, which was very spacious and comfortable.
For 2000 baht per day we rented one of the lodge's 4x4, a Toyota Fortuner, which was a good choice because otherwise it would have been nearly impossible to get up the steep and slippery road.
Games, who runs the lodge, also provided help in getting into the national park by announcing our visit to the rangers at the entrance gate as they don't speak English. They also arranged a taxi from Bangkok to the lodge, which was expensive at 2500 baht, but is by far the easiest way to get there.
Bang Krang campsite, Kaeng Krachan National Park
The first of the two campsites in Kaeng Krachan, situated at a lower altitude than Panoen Tung. We camped here with our mosquito net-tent under the shelter on the campsite to avoid the (very frequent) rain. This was also useful for preparing food. We rented sleeping mats and pillows from the office, but used our own sleeping bags. The food at the restaurant here was the best we had on the whole tour. It is not possible to book in advance, but we timed our visit on week days, when the park is much less crowded.
Royal Diamond Hotel, Phetchaburi
Not as fancy as it sounds, this place was still a good place to stay, with a fairly good breakfast and clean room. The room cost about 900 baht/ night including breakfast. With enough time, a morning or afternoon in the rice fields can yield a good number of birds.
Awana House, Chiang Mai
This was a very charming place to stay in Chiang Mai's Old City. The room was clean and spacious, the breakfast was good and there is even a pool. The people at the reception can give you a lot of information on activities in the region and organised a rental double cab pick-up for 1400 baht/ day.
Inthanon Highlands Resort
Despite being quite a drive up the mountain from here, this lodge is recommendable with good rooms and a good restaurant. The gardens offer a good opportunity to see birds that don't occur inside the national park. In the high season, this is also quite busy with birders, which might be a good opportunity to exchange sightings. The room was about 1500 baht including breakfast (we chose a packed breakfast).
Malee's Nature Lover's Bungalows, Chiang Dao
This place was very nice, a good room and a green garden set in nice surroundings. The breakfast was very good. The price is 1600 baht/night but we got it for 1500 baht as we stayed for quite long. Malee and her husband, Kurt, are friendly people and we spent much time talking with them, especially since Kurt is German-speaking.
Kuraburi Greenview Resort, Sri Phangnga NP
We planned to stay in the Si Phangnga National Park bungalows but they were under maintenance, so we had to stay here. We got a (small) room for 780 baht/night, which was a good deal but the room was not great. We had a mouse in the room here, but fortunately it didn't go to our food, thanks to my mother who got up in the middle of the night to secure it in the car.
Garden View Resort, Railay
This place has great views of the sea and is probably quieter than many other places in Railay. We managed to get a good price of 1000 baht/night - half as much as it would cost in the high season. The rooms are fine, with mosquito nets for the beds, these are necessary. Nice birds can be seen in the garden.
Itinerary
7th June - Arrival in Bangkok & drive to Baan Maka Nature Lodge
8th June - Baan Maka Nature Lodge
9th June - Baan Maka Nature Lodge
10th June - Baan Maka Nature Lodge - Kaeng Krachan National Park
11th June - Kaeng Krachan National Park
12th June - Kaeng Krachan National Park
13th June - Kaeng Krachan National Park - Phetchaburi
14th June - Phetchaburi - Chiang Mai
15th June - Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon National Park
16th June - Doi Inthanon National Park
17th June - Doi Inthanon National Park
18th June - Doi Inthanon National Park - Doi Chiang Dao
19th June - Doi Chiang Dao
20th June - Doi Chiang Dao
21st June - Day trip Doi Lang & Doi Angkhang
22nd June - Doi Chiang Dao
23rd June - Doi Chiang Dao - Chiang Mai
24th June - Chiang Mai - Sri Phangnga National Park
25th June - Sri Phangnga National Park
26th June - Sri Phangnga National Park - Railay Beach
27th June - Railay Beach
28th June - Railay Beach
29th June - Railay Beach
30th June - Railay Beach - Bangkok
Day-by-day report
7th June
After our arrival at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, my mother and I quickly found our taxi driver to Baan Maka. The drive was uneventful, with a few common birds seen, but the few remaining hours of daylight at the lodge produced many birds, including Greater Goldenback, Lineated Barbet, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Blue Whistling Thrush and Baan Maka's special, Blue-winged Pitta, which is guaranteed in front of the restaurant the wet season. A pair was even building their nest close to the restaurant and was present all the time, collecting nesting material.
8th June
After a breakfast consisting of toast and bananas, we visited Ban Song Nok hide. The hides in this area are popular stakeouts for photographers, but in the wet season there is not much to see. The best birds were Red Junglefowl and Red-legged Crake. The garden in front of the hide also produced Green-eared Barbet, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Golden-fronted Leafbird. It was rainy all of the time which made birding not very enjoyable. The rest of the day was spent birding at Baan Maka, which produced Green-billed Malkoha and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, along with several sunbirds and bulbuls.
9th June
The day started well with a pair of Kalij Pheasants seen from the restaurant foraging together with some Red Junglefowl. I was very happy to see this bird which, despite not being particularly colourful, is very beautiful due to its intricately marked plumage and the contrast of the black underparts and light grey upperparts. Today we visited Lung Sin hide, where the highlight was a cute Lesser Mouse Deer, which wasn't even larger than the Red Junglefowl. This afternoon, a pair of Racket-tailed Treepies was seen at the lodge.
10th June
In the morning I waited at the lake, hoping to see Bronze-winged Jacana. I was lucky as I saw a beautiful individual foraging between the water lilies. We rented a 4x4 from Baan Maka and drove to Bang Krang campsite in Kaeng Krachan National Park, on the way stopping at a tree with Black-thighed Falconets and Oriental Dollarbird, which was about twice the size of the falconets - quite amazing. We also saw a group of Stump-tailed Macaques. The camp was immediately productive with Sultan Tits and a Black-and-red Broadbill. I also saw Violet Cuckoo, Vernal Hanging-Parrot and even a bathing Blue-winged Pitta, plus a flying lizard that glided away through the trees. Later in the afternoon, we birded the stream crossings area for our first taste of true rainforest birding. Apart from the impressive trees and the beautiful butterflies, bird activity was high, the highlights being Silver-breasted Broadbill, Emerald Dove, Greater Yellownape and Asian Fairy Bluebird - all of them common but colourful birds. At dusk Large-tailed Nightjars were flying around the campsite, and a quick check behind the restaurant produced the Malayan Porcupine that comes here every evening to feed on the scraps.
11th June
In the early morning we drove down to km 9, hoping for pigeons and woodpeckers as the sun comes up. We saw Thick-billed Green-Pigeon and Common Goldenback, plus an entertaining group of Blue-bearded Bee-eaters, but not much more. Later we drove up the road, past the stream crossings and up to Panoen Tung campsite. The road is very steep and slippery in places, so we were lucky to have a 4x4 - people with normal pick-ups struggled to get up. The Panoen Tung area was very foggy and windy, which made birding nearly impossible, but we found Blue-throated Barbet, Golden Babbler, Flavescent and Ashy Bulbuls and Yellow-bellied Warbler. The nature trail produced a brief White-crested Laughingthrush and White-browed Piculet. The highlight however was a pair of fly-by Wreathed Hornbills. As we headed down, we flushed a stunning Red-headed Trogon, which flew into a roadside tree, allowing us brief views before it disappeared into the forest. We stopped at km 27.5, where we had a large bird party consisting of Scarlet Minivet, White-browed Scimitar-Babbler, funny Velvet-fronted Nuthatch as they hopped upside-down along the tree trunks and Buff-rumped Woodpecker. Again, however, the hornbills stole the show, this time it was a huge Great Hornbill that flew noisily above the trees. The remainder of the day didn't produce anything new, but investigation of a calling White-fronted Scops-Owl resulted in a birder sitting next to the road playing the call.
12th June
We drove straight up to km 27.5 this time, hoping for Long-tailed Broadbill, Red-bearded Bee-eater and especially Ratchet-tailed Treepie. We ended up seeing only Long-tailed Broadbill, but had great views of this exceedingly beautiful and unusual bird. Many other birds were in evidence, most notably two more Wreathed Hornbills, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Streaked Spiderhunter and more White-crested Laughingthrushes. We still missed several of our targets at the stream crossings area, so this was were we spent the remaining time. Activity was quite high again and we saw Red-throated Barbet, Asian Barred Owlet, Blue-eared Kingfisher and, finally, Banded Broadbill, our fourth broadbill species and a very striking bird too. We also had two sightings of Black Giant Squirrel, but the highlight where two White-handed Gibbons swinging and jumping through the trees at an incredible speed, even more impressive than the cute Dusky Langurs nearby. Today we also saw four (unidentified) species of snake, two, of which one was a cobra, at km 27.5 and two in the stream crossings area, quite unusual. However, the apparently common Orange-breasted Trogon still eluded us; the only sign of it was a brief call on the first afternoon.
13th June
Our last morning in the park, we decided to make most of it - plans that were quickly shattered when we awoke to heavy rain. However, when we finally got up, I watched a very large group of at least 40 Oriental Pied Hornbills leaving their roosting trees. I was surprised to see them in such a large group. The stream crossings area was rather quiet - in terms of birds at least, the Thai photographers on the other hand were already busy, setting up their hides and tripods. We were already working our way back from the 3rd stream crossing when I suddenly heard an Orange-breasted Trogon calling not far away, followed soon afterwards by another bird. After some scanning we found both birds perched high up in the trees an then had extended views of this beautiful bird which is much more impressive than the field guide illustration suggests, especially the fine barring on the wing coverts and the orange underparts. The only other new bird was a Blue-eared Barbet excavating its nest hole. We then packed up our tent and drove back to Baan Maka to return the car. At the lodge we saw, according to Games, Baan Maka's first Orange-bellied Flowerpecker of the season. We were dropped at a bus stop, where we took a minibus to Phetchaburi.
14th June
After a quick breakfast, we took a taxi to Don Mueang airport, were we met my father and then flew to Chiang Mai, where some Oriental Pratincoles were flying around the runway. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at Awana House.
15th June
In the morning we organized a rental car from a small business that was mainly renting motorbikes. After buying some supplies, we drove to Inthanon Highlands Resort, about two hours away. In the afternoon we drove to Mae Klang waterfall, which was impressive after the rains and produced a striking Black Baza. A search for the Blossom-headed Parakeet pre-roost site was unsuccessful, but we saw Plain-backed Sparrow and Streaked Weaver.
16th June
We arrived to heavy fog and a surprisingly chilly 14°C at the summit. Common birds were still in evidence with Dark-backed Sibia, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Silver-eared Laughingthrush and Bar-throated Minla all being tame and beautiful. The Ang Ka boardwalk trail produced White-browed Shortwing, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Ashy-throated Warbler, Yellow-browed Tit and Snowy-browed Flycatcher, while the splendid Green-tailed Sunbird, was seen at the coffee shop. On the way down we stopped at km 37.5, but due to the overgrown and leech-infested trail, as well as thick fog, we chose to stick to the road. This resulted in beautiful Yellow-cheeked Tit, Silver-eared Mesia, Large Niltava, Mountain Tailorbird, Grey-throated Babbler and Chestnut-vented Nuthatch but no cochoas. The fog made birding quite unenjoyable, so we drove down to km 34.5. This track is far better than the one at km 37.5, being easily walkable (but slippery) and nearly free of leeches. It started well with a large colony of swarming Giant Honey Bees and a butterfly, called Orange Oakleaf, that looked just like a dead leaf. Later, we were scanning a tree above the track for a Blyth's Shrike-Babbler, when I saw another shape moving in the foliage. I brought up my binoculars and was surprised to see a Green Cochoa in the open! I didn't expect to see this difficult species, which unfortunately disappeared before my parents could see it. Slaty-bellied Tesias were calling all the time from the undergrowth, but never close to the track. In the afternoon we drove along the km 13 road, where we saw a pair of the very beautiful Black-headed Woodpecker.
17th June
Like the day before, we headed straight up the mountain, this time finally finding Ashy Woodpigeon and White-crowned Forktail, and a Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush. I hoped for Pygmy Wren-Babbler and Rufous-throated Partridge, but both species remained heard only. We then headed straight to km 34.5 (on the way seeing another Green Cochoa flying across the road) where this time we saw Hume's Treecreeper, Rufous-backed Sibia and Grey-chinned Minivet. The latter species turned out to be the 1000th bird species I have seen in my life, although I did not realise it until I updated my checklist after the trip. The biggest surprise however was a calling Lesser Shortwing next to the track, not a very common bird and hard to get views of. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and strolling around the grounds of the resort, which produced the hoped-for Rufous Treepie.
18th June
No more birding in the morning, after a relaxed breakfast we drove to Doi Chiang Dao and settled into our nice accommodation at Malee's. In the afternoon we went to the Wat Thamphaplong temple grounds, enjoying the impressive sight of the golden temple in the evening light. Bird activity always seemed to be high here and we saw Speckled Piculet, Streaked Wren-Babbler, Black-throated Laughingthrush, leafbirds, bulbuls and drongos, while a Rusty-naped Pitta was heard calling far away from the temple steps. We also bought the entrance tickets at nearby park HQ to drive up the mountain the next day, which turned out to be completely unnecessary.
19th June
I got up early today to do some more birding at the temple before we would head up the mountain, this time seeing Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Great Iora, Striated Swallow, Japanese White-eye and Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, along with the species seen yesterday. The surprisingly long drive up the mountain was uneventful apart from a Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo. We couldn't get up all the way to the campsite, as we didn't have a 4x4, but that was no problem as it wasn't far to walk anymore. The Den Ya Kat area was disappointingly quiet, but after about two hours we had Pale Blue Flycatcher, Maroon Oriole, Eurasian Jay, Grey-capped Pygmy-Woodpecker, Little Cuckoo-Dove, Great Barbet, Grey Treepie, Lesser Yellownape and Rufescent Prinia, and other more common birds. The definite highlight however was a brief Giant Nuthatch. I didn't expect to see this species, one of the two main targets on the mountain. Another highlight was a large bird party made up of minivets, treepies, woodpeckers, Black-throated Sunbird, Long-tailed Broadbill and, surprisingly, a pair of Green Cochoas, our third sighting of this species.
20th June
Another early walk to the temple produced nothing new apart from a Purple-naped Sunbird and a calling Hooded Pitta, which remained heard-only, despite a long search. This time we drove to a viewpoint which Kurt and Malee recommended. This was a good decision as the views were quite nice, although the only bird of note here was Plain Flowerpecker. On the way down, we had another bird party which held most of the species we saw yesterday, but added Large Cuckoo-Shrike, Orange-bellied Leafbird and Striated Yuhina.
21st June
Today we chose to do a day trip to Doi Lang, however, due to very bad weather, we only stayed there for a short while and then made our way to Doi Angkhang, where the weather was better. The only species of note on Doi Lang were Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler, Striated Bulbul, Grey Bush Chat and Long-tailed Shrike. We weren't allowed past the first army checkpoint, and therefore could not get into good montane habitat. Due to heavy fog and rain, we continued to Doi Angkhang, hoping for better weather. We were lucky as both the weather and many of the birds cooperated. We had lunch at the King's Project - which was very interesting to see - and had a good time birding from the restaurant. Highlights were Verditer Flycatcher, Mountain Bulbul, close-up Silver-eared Mesia and especially Crested Finchbill. We then walked the short Nature Trail, where we saw Stripe-breasted Woodpecker and enjoyed fantastic views from the top, while I was lucky to see a fly-by Bay Woodpecker along the road. With that we made our way back along the Ban Arunathai road, which passes through interesting Chinese villages.
22nd June
In the morning we had a delicious breakfast of pancakes and fruit before we strolled around the area, looking at the cave temple and relaxing in the garden at Malee's. In the afternoon, one last look at the temple revealed a Shikra, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Buff-breasted Babbler and Oriental Pied Hornbills. This is apparently one of the few places in northern Thailand for this species. A spotlighting session was, as usual, unproductive.
23rd June
Another travel day, we left Malee's and arrived in Chiang Mai at noon, which gave us half a day to hang around, clean the optical equipment and enjoy some french-style crêpes with Nutella in the Old Town.
24th June
We had an early flight so had to skip breakfast and be at the airport at 5:00. After a boring flight, we arrived in Krabi, where we rented a car at the airport. First thing we did was visit the mangrove boardwalk, which is quite scenic, but didn't reveal my target, Mangrove Pitta; the only bird was a striking Collared Kingfisher. We then bought some supplies at the 7/11 and drove to Sri Phangnga National Park, about 2.5 hours away. The food at the park's restaurant was excellent and low-priced, just as in Kaeng Krachan NP. While eating I saw an unusual bird fly over the campsite. It turned out to be a Red-bearded Bee-eater, an absolutely stunning bird, and one of my biggest targets of the tour. As the gate closes earlier than we expected, we only had the time to drive to the picnic spot and back. It was rainy, but we were very lucky as we saw a fly-by Blue-banded Kingfisher. We then drove to the resort and settled in to our (tiny) room.
25th June
We arrived at the park early to maximise our chances of seeing Malayan Banded Pitta, my main target here. The campsite produced a beautiful Banded Woodpecker and Silver-rumped Spinetail and more common birds like Chestnut-headed Bee-eater. Arriving at the picnic area, I quickly spotted another of my targets, the cute Chestnut-naped Forktail, hopping around the rocky stream. We then went on to the 'Pitta Trail', which is apparently the best place for its namesake bird. The trail makes several stream crossings and the water level was high at the time of year. Unfortunately, my mother slipped at the second stream crossing, which ended fatally for her phone (and in a soaking for her). After the third stream crossing, the trail was obstructed by a huge impassable fallen clump of bamboo. So very disappointing as we couldn't reach the pitta stakeout. We walked the waterfall trail instead, which produced our only Chestnut-winged Babblers. We left the park and returned to the resort, and in the afternoon went to check out the nearby beach. It started raining (again), so we did not stay for long.
26th June
Having packed our bags the previous evening, we left early, this time driving the road that passes Khao Sok National Park and goes through impressive landscape dominated by large limestone cliffs. After returning the car, we drove to the pier from where we got a boat to Railay. We had not booked anything in advance so just looked around and chose Garden View Resort. The rest of the day was spent at the beautiful beach and at the accommodation.
27th - 29th June
These days were spent hanging around on the beaches and at the accommodation. The veranda of our room was an excellent vantage point and we had close views of Lesser Green Leafbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Little and Grey-breasted Spiderhunters and Dusky Langurs, while Blue Rock-Thrush and Pacific Reef Egret were always present at the beach. On the 28th we did a snorkeling trip, which was great. Highlights were three species of clownfish, parrotfish, beautiful corals (although the reef was not intact) and many more colourful fish. The most memorrable moment was when we dived down to watch a family of Ocellaris Clownfish (Nemo) in an anemone, then coming to the surface and watching a group of the striking Pied Imperial Pigeons fly overhead.
30th June
After a delicious buffet breakfast at Princess Resort right at the pier, we took a boat back to Krabi, from where we flew to Bangkok. Here we unfortunately had to say goodbye to my father, who had to go back to Colombo to work, while we continued to Borneo. This marked the end of a beautifully varied trip, which will not be forgotten in a long time.