Thailand Custom Tour

18th - 28th December 2006

Leader: James Eaton

 

Mr’s Hume’s Pheasant, Doi Chiang Dao                               ©James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

This 11-day custom tour concentrated on finding some of the special birds that inhabit north and central Thailand. In total 281 species were observed with a further 11 heard only, highlights in the north included fine views of 4 Mrs Hume’s Pheasants, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Green Peafowl, 3 Rusty-naped Pittas, Black-tailed Crake, Giant Nuthatch, White-headed Bulbul and a pair of Black-breasted Thrushes. Heading south we faired equally well, in just 2 days we managed 5 Spoon-billed Sandpipers, Blue Pitta, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Ferruginous Partridge and White-fronted Scops-Owl.

Blue skies welcomed us as we arrived into Chiang Mai International Airport, the heart of northwest Thailand. We were soon on our way north, noting many of the more common roadside species, with the occasional surprise including a perched Rufous-winged Buzzard, followed by both Oriental Honey-Buzzard and Himalayan Buzzard soaring low overhead. A short stop for lunch produced Red-throated Flycatcher, a common species throughout the tour, along with a buzzing flock of Oriental White-eyes and large numbers of Himalayan Swiftlets swooping down to drink from a nearby ornamental pool. We arrived at our first destination, Doi Ang Khang, in the mid-afternoon. After a quick wash and change of clothes in our comfortable hotel we headed for the forest. The forest edge was teeming with feeding flocks and we soon got to grips with some of the more common species; Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Large Niltava and Verditer Flycatchers sallied overhead, a Stripe-breasted Woodpecker knocking nearby which soon revealed itself, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Long-tailed Minivet, Davison’s Leaf- (a recent split from the White-tailed complex), Yellow-browed and Greenish Warblers, Chestnut-flanked & Japanese White-eyes and Blue-winged Minlas were all present in some numbers. A sudden movement in the undergrowth revealed itself to be one of our main target birds, the stunning Red-faced Liocichla, and before long we were treated to prolonged views as it sang from an exposed perch. An excellent to our first day!

Red-faced Liocichla, Doi Ang Khang                                     ©James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

Rising early we were greeted by thick mist and a strong northerly wind from China, not what we were hoping for! In spite of the weather birding along the road produced several large feeding flocks, largely consisting of the previous day’s core species and included yet another sighting of a rather more skulking Red-faced Liocichla. Many of the roadside trees were in flower, attracting Mrs Gould’s & Black-throated Sunbirds which dazzled even in the early morning mist, as large flocks of white-eyes moved quickly through and a variety of bulbuls, Black-backed Sibia and Orange-bellied Leafbirds fed lazily just above our heads. As the mist slowly began to clear we moved from the road to the trails which cut through the open forest. An Asian Stubtail was the first bird found as it moved off the trail in front of us, shortly followed by a skittish pair of Mountain Bamboo-Partridge. The rest of the morning produced pleasant birding, feeding flocks were regularly nearby and many produced something new; White-browed Scimitar-babblers were becoming more regular and a male Small Niltava showed well in a lush gulley but calling Rufous-throated Partridges refused to show. Scanning the flowering trees that surrounded our lodges gave us nice views of Olive-backed Pipit, many Red-whiskered and Himalayan Black Bulbuls and yet more Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds, while a White-capped Water-Redstart was a surprise find as we tucked into an al fresco lunch.
Our afternoon was spent birding in open habitat near to a busy campground and as soon as we escaped the crowds the birds started to appear; a flock of Black-backed Sibia contained a pair of our target bird; Spectacled Barwing, which eventually showed exceptionally well, perched atop a bare bush, followed  by a rather more distant flock of White-browed Laughingthrushes and we flushed another Mountain Bamboo-partridge. As the late afternoon sun began to disappear a flock of over 50 Common Rosefinches suddenly dropped in, landing beside us, followed by a vocal Striated Bulbul, 2 skulking Spot-throated Babblers and an Aberrant Bush-Warbler which proved elusive until it responded to our ‘pishing’ by coming within feet of us. A short detour to a nearby waterfall on our way back produced both Plumbeous and White-capped Water-Redstarts in the same binocular view, a fitting end to the day.

We awoke this morning to the sound of strong winds and even thicker fog than the previous morning. We braved the weather however and birding along the road again produced several feeding flocks. The flowering trees continued to produce good numbers of the regular species with the occasional surprise, first a Striated Bulbul, followed by 4 Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeons and then splendid views of low-feeding White-browed Shrike-babblers. Along a nearby trail an elusive flock of Silver-eared Laughingthrushes were encountered along with yet more Mountain Bamboo-partridges. Back at the hotel we enjoyed close, prolonged views of a Scaly Thrush pattering its feet on the soil to encourage worms to the surface right in the middle of the hotel gardens. As the weather once again closed in we headed south ahead of schedule to the milder climes of Doi Chiang Dao.
Arriving at our relaxing lodge at Doi Chiang Dao we received the customary warm welcome and were soon enjoying a hearty lunch. In the afternoon we headed for the scenic forest that surrounds the nearby Buddhist Temple; fruiting trees dominated proceedings with Asian Fairy-Bluebirds, Black-crested, Black-headed and Grey-eyed Bulbuls all enjoying the ripened fruits. Things were distinctly quieter upon entering the forest but the rewards were rich; Hill Blue-Flycatchers and White-crowned Forktails favoured the dark gully and to end the day, a Rusty-naped Pitta was found feeding quietly just feet from the trail in the dense understory, allowing some brief views before it vanished up the slope.

   

       Mrs Hume’s Pheasant, Doi Chiang Dao             Scaly Thrush, Doi Ang Khang

An early start the next morning was greeted by a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl calling from the nearby hillside, we resist the temptation to search as we had to drive the long, rocky road up the steep slopes of Doi Chiang Dao, where we reached the ridge shortly after dawn. The 5km road that follows the ridge is famous for two species in particular, Giant Nuthatch and the elusive Mrs Hume’s Pheasant. Rather surprisingly, it wasn’t long before we encountered a pair of pheasants as they ran off a side-road, allowing only brief views of the male. As the light improved, birds become more conspicuous, Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush showed well on several occasions, Puff-throated Babblers called from the undergrowth, several small feeding flocks were seen and a Blue Pitta was heard in the distance. Slowly driving back along the ridge we suddenly came to a halt, as a pair of Mrs Hume’s Pheasant were feeding on the roadside, allowing sumptuous views as we soaked up every detail of the males’ stunning plumage before they slowly melted away into the bamboo. After this amazing experience, the rest of the day would struggle to compete, though by the late morning a vocal pair of our second target species, the Giant Nuthatch eventually showed, as a pair worked their way along a dead snag, their huge size evident compared to the Chestnut-vented & Velvet-fronted Nuthatches that we saw later in the day in the same tree as yet another pair of Giant Nuthatches. The rest of the day was spent walking along the ridge, searching through feeding flocks for the more cryptic species of the forest, though a flock of 20 Long-tailed Broadbills were anything but cryptic, other species seen included rodophei Rufous-fronted Babbler, a taxon once considered a separate species, Deighnam’s Babbler, Grey Treepie, Great & Blue-throated Barbet, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Hill Prinia and a surprise Slaty-backed Flycatcher. Vocal Slender-billed Orioles showed on 3 occasions, another speciality of the ridge, as dusk began to fall, we ventured to a nearby marsh where a vocal Black-tailed Crake, a little-known, localised species, revealed itself all too briefly before darkness slipped in and our night-birding exploits began. Unfortunately the cold weather had an obvious effect on night-birds calling, with just a single Hodgson’s Frogmouth heard all too briefly, though an impressive Brown Wood-Owl perched above the road on our way back for a well-earned nightcap.

After the excitement of being woken up by the Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl the previous morning, we were up and about early this morning, in position well before dawn to try and see this impressive bird. After some initial playback and waiting in the darkness, the bird eventually responded, but much closer than expected, and it was just a few seconds before the gigantic shape of a Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl appeared in the beam of our flashlight, allowing a brief, but excellent view before flying back to the forested hillside.
A walk along the nature trail proved relatively quiet compared to the previous morning, though several new species showed, White-rumped Shama, Grey-crowned Warblers, Southern Blyth’s Leaf-Warblers flocking with Brown-cheeked Fulvettas and brilliant views were had of a female Siberian Blue-Robin as it fed quietly on the trail ahead of us, shivering its tail in characteristic fashion.

Moving on from our productive stay at Doi Chiang Dao we headed east of Chiang Mai for a mid-afternoon break at the Huai Hong Krai Royal Project, a small zoo-like outside enclosure for some of Thailand’s rarest mammals. The Project contains many interesting captive birds, but the most notable is the captive population of Green Peafowl, which regularly attract wild birds to the enclosure. Today was no exception as over 25 of these wild birds graced the area; fighting with one another other, perched high in the trees and flying elegantly across the nearby lakes. Following our quick success here we moved on, via a co-operative Asian Barred-Owlet and roadside Leopard Cat, to one of Thailand’s most famous national parks, Doi Inthanon, at 2565m, Thailand’s highest peak.

  

     Brown Wood-Owl, Doi Chiang Dao                      Green Peafowl, Huai Hong Krai Royal Project

Arriving at the renowned ‘Summit Marsh’, high on Doi Inthanon shortly after dawn was a chilly experience. The birds were evidently feeling the cold too, as Silver-eared Laughingthrushes (a recent split from the ‘Chestnut-crowned’ complex), Blue Whistling-Thrush, Chestnut-tailed Minlas and Black-backed Sibias all came down to feed on scraps left out by tourists. Nearby a pair of Rufous-throated Partridges showed equally well, as they sat tight in the undergrowth, assuming we had not seen them. We spent 3 days birding the various trails at a variety of altitudes at Doi Inthanon allowing us to appreciate the different habitat zones and resultant avifaunas in this fascinating area. We birded the Summit area twice in the early mornings and although the cold weather had evidently pushed certain species further down the mountain than usual, Ashy-throated Leaf-Warbler, Yellow-browed Tit and Green-tailed Sunbird were only seen here, in active feeding flocks but Yellow-bellied Fantails had moved lower down and were commonly encountered several kilometres below here. As usual we spent much of our time in the vicinity of the Jeep track at KM37 and some of the more secretive forest dwellers were found along here; Dark-sided Thrush appeared on 3 occasions, once perched in full view, while a pair of Black-breasted Thrushes fed below a fruiting tree with the male being particularly showy. This fruiting tree was full of birds; Himalayan Black Bulbuls being particularly conspicuous with the occasional White-headed Bulbul, a flock of 35 Wedge-tailed Pigeons made an appearance and Golden-throated Barbets eventually gave themselves up as they gorged themselves on the ripened fruit. The odd Eye-browed Thrush and Blue Whistling-Thrush made appearances and frustratingly just a single Green Cochoa was heard but not seen nearby. Along the forest floor, Rusty-naped Pitta put in two appearances, once showing very well close to the roadside as it quietly hopped through the undergrowth and Asian Stubtail, Pygmy Wren-babbler and Slaty-bellied Tesia were all seen once. Feeding flocks passed through the undergrowth and mid-canopy; Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Rufous-backed Sibia, White-bellied Erpornis, Short-billed & Grey-chinned Minivets all making occasional appearances and Brown-throated Treecreeper was twice found in tow.

Lower down, a slight shift in avifauna and habitat resulted in yet more new species for the trip, Striated Swallows and large numbers of Fork-tailed Swifts and Crested Treeswifts raced overhead against the clear blue skies as the temperature rose considerably, a welcome relief as the layers were peeled off. Birding the dry deciduous forest near the base of the mountain produced lower numbers of birds than the higher altitudes but the quality was high; perseverance paid off when we had a close encounter with our target bird – Collared Falconet, and was followed by a further 2 sightings of this delightful species A small flock of Rosy Minivet, included birds that resembled the little-known ‘stanfordi’ form, possibly resulting from hybridising with the closely related Swinhoe’s Minivet, Grey-capped Woodpecker were common here and a Green-billed Malkoha scrambled around in the dense thickets and tangles. Fruiting and flowering trees resulted in massive numbers of bulbuls and other frugivores, including particularly nice views of several White-headed Bulbuls, a large flock of busy Silver-eared Mesias and a pair of delightful Speckled Piculets appeared close-by.
All too soon it was time to bid farewell to this fabulous part of Thailand and we took the short flight south to Bangkok then the short drive took us to Petchaburi, situated along the shores of the Gulf of Thailand in preparation for our early morning start the following day.

 

    Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Doi Inthanon             Blue Whistling-Thrush, Doi Inthanon

We arrived shortly after dawn at the salt-pans by the small town of Pak Thale, which has recently played host to a tiny wintering population of the enigmatic Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Diligent searching eventually paid dividends as we were soon watching this unique species as it actively fed; its amazing spatulate bill moving side-to-side deep in the mud. It wasn’t long before another bird was feeding along side it, then a third, and a forth, and eventually a total of 5 of these charming birds feeding close together at ranges down to 20 metres in amongst large numbers of Red-necked Stints and Broad-billed Sandpipers. Other species seen during the morning including a rather obliging Ruddy-breasted Crake, seemingly unable to find anywhere to hide, large numbers of other shorebirds were predominately Lesser Sand-plovers, with small numbers of such eastern gems as Long-toed Stints and Pacific Golden-Plovers. As we moved inland, with Asian Pied Starling, Plaintive Cuckoo, Black-capped Kingfisher, a female Pied Harrier and Eastern Marsh Harriers dotting the roadside, we eventually reached our destination – Kaeng Krachen National Park, a quite wonderful, wild, national park nestled close to the Burmese border. The 15km drive along the entrance road through the deforested, scrubby hillsides was relatively quiet, but as soon as we parked up the birds began to perform. Our first bird proved to be a vocal Sultan Tit, with its yellow crest glowing in the sun, Blue-winged Leafbirds fed nearby, then the call of a Blue Pitta was heard in the nearby undergrowth and within 5 minutes we were enjoying close views of this dazzling forest jewel as it hopped in a circle around us before posing on the trail in front of us - a great start to the afternoon. A Grey Peacock-Pheasant was then heard from the slope above us; a short climb up the bank and some gently persuasion soon brought this fabulous galliform scuttling towards us and we were treated to point-blank views as the bird proceeded to call for several minutes before wandering slowly back into the undergrowth in response to another distant bird. Returning to the trail a male Orange-breasted Trogon appeared close to the road then the cooing calls of Thick-billed Green-Pigeons overhead drew our attention to a huge fruiting tree complete with a pair of huge Great Hornbills. Amazing views were had through the scope as the pair fed quietly in the lower canopy; quite how they can deal with such tiny fruits with their huge ivory-like bills is quite amazing! As dusk fell, the distinctive calls of Great Eared Nightjars started, and we were treated to great views as a single, tailless, bird hawked harrier-like overhead. A short while later a Brown Boobook began to call nearby and soon responded to our imitations by swooping in and landing right beside us allowing great views in the spotlight. We carried on along the track in search of our main prize and after a short while we eventually heard the subtle calls of a White-fronted Scops-Owl, one of the rarest and least known of Asia’s owls. Although it took us the best part of half an hour before the bird eventually showed, the effort was worthwhile as it sat just 2 metres above the ground perched on an open perch in the spotlight for a short while as it moved its head a full 180 degrees in search of its prey. Once again we had fabulous views of the species, keeping up our 100% record of locating the species here.
Our next morning was rather more leisurely after the previous day’s exertions. Our first birds of note were a pair of Ferruginous Partridges; their bright rufous underparts glowing in the undergrowth as they scuttled away from the trackside as did family parties of Red Junglefowl. A male Orange-breasted Trogon proved equally dazzling as it sat motionless allowing us exceptional views in the telescope for over 5 minutes. Once again a fruiting tree was located and new species added here included Black-bellied Malkoha and a fine pair of perched Vernal Hanging-Parrots along with fine looks at a group of playful Banded Langurs. Further new species followed as we walked quietly along the forested track; a pair of Greater Flamebacks, an obliging flock of Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Streak-breasted Woodpecker, Two-barred Leaf-Warblers and finally a fine male White-throated Rock-thrush perched in the bamboo. After yet another highly successful morning we took the easy drive back to the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok to connect with our international flights and reflecting on an extremely successful tour that encountered no less than 281 species with a further 10 species heard only.

 

Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Pak Thale                 Orange-breasted Trogon, Kaeng Krachen