Kaeng
Krachen is the largest national park in Thailand and the focus of our birding
for the next three days. We began by working the area between the entrance and
the campsite which under the hot conditions (with the temperature much hotter
than two weeks ago) turned up some decent birds with the best being a pair of
Blue-bearded Bee-eaters hawking for insects on the hill above the road. A pair
of Dollarbirds showed well near a
water hole, and the same area held Ruby-cheeked
Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker,
Banded Bay Cuckoo, Crimson Sunbird, Blue-winged Leafbird, Asian
Brown and Taiga Flycatchers, Black-headed Bulbul and Dark-necked Tailorbird, whilst overhead
we saw Grey-rumped Treeswift, Fork-tailed and House Swifts, Ashy
Woodswallow, Red-rumped and Barn Swallows and several Brown-backed Needletails. A large fruiting
tree over the road held several Common
Hill-mynas as well as a pair of Golden-crested Mynas, Coppersmith, Blue-eared and Green-eared
Barbets, Oriental Pied Hornbill,
Thick-billed Green-pigeon, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black-naped Oriole, several Sultan Tits and Black-winged Cuckooshrike,
We then spent the rest of the day at a special site only used by very small
groups which consists of a large blind where you can view a couple small
drinking pools. Almost immediately we had the strange-looking Kalij Pheasant and a quick view of a
Scaly-breasted
Partridge, quickly followed by Greater
and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes.
After lunch we returned to the blind and spent the whole afternoon watching an
amazing variety of shy forest dwellers from just a few metres away. The
laughingthrushes were present most of the time and for a few minutes a Large Scimitar-babbler flew in and
landed in the open before scooting off into the trees where it was just visible
for a couple of minutes. A pair of Black-naped Monarchs spent some time bathing,
followed later by a male Chinese Blue
and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher before
the star of the show appeared. Walking quietly out of the dense forest to the
edge of the clearing before us was a pair of Bar-backed Partridges, a normally extreme shy and skulking bird
which has been visiting here recently. In fact they made several appearances
here during the course of our vigil and we had numerous photo opportunities! Also
seen were Abbott’s Babbler, Racket-tailed
Treepie, Greater
Racket-tailed Drongo, two Siberian Blue Robins, Black-crested,
Stripe-throated and Streak-eared Bulbuls, White-rumped Shama and a pair of Puff-throated Babblers which later came round to our side of
the blind and rooted in the leaf litter by our feet! Told you!
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| Bar-backed Partridge |
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| Scaly-breasted Partridge |
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| Kalij Pheasant - apparently? |
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| Siberian Blue Robin |
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| Siberian Blue Robin (female) |
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