Khao Yai

We left Bangkok early doors and rather bleary-eyed, stopping at the nearest ‘7 and 11’ for coffee and toasted sandwiches, before setting out on the hour or so drive to the limestone cliffs and the search for our next target species. It didn’t take too long to locate a pair of Limestone Wren-babblers clambering around the rockface, and we watched them come lower and lower until they were only 20 feet away from us. What views we had and were able to study them in some detail for a good ten minutes before they moved off. With Long-tailed Macaque and numerous white Variable Squirrels, David was in his element but not me! 

Limestone Wren-babbler

 The next stop was on the way to Khao Yai NP and a few Red-breasted Parakeets made their way onto our lists before entering the park. We headed up to one of the campsites where a Mugimaki Flycatcher had returned for its 3^rd consecutive winter and sure enough we spotted him straight away. The White-throated Rock-thrush took a bit longer  to come in, so we walked down the road a short distance to scan the forest edge.

Mugimaki Flycatcher

White-throated Rock-thrush

A good move as it turned out as a flock of Brown-rumped Minivets were present and we then had a superb Asian Emerald Cuckoo, along with Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Sultan Tit and a few other things. So we walked back up the hill and got the rock-thrush before driving to the campsite where the usual photo stake-out produced male Siberian Blue Robin, Puff-throated Babbler, Olive-backed Sunbird, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker, White-rumped Shama and Black-naped Monarch.

Green-billed Malkoha

We also had a fine Asian Paradise-flycatcher coming into the owlet call, along with Green-billed Malkoha, and both Puff-throated and Grey-eyed Bulbuls. Lunch was taken at the small restaurant here and was rather timely considering the heavy shower that had been threatening for some time suddenly materialised. But with a scope we enjoyed terrific views of a Moustached Barbet chasing a Blue-eared Barbet, and a Green-eared Barbet was seen as well, plus a pair of Greater Flamebacks and Red Junglefowl. When the rain stopped and the sun came out it became rather steamy but the heat encouraged an Oriental Pied Hornbill to perch out in the open and sun itself.

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Then a Heart-spotted Woodpecker appeared and a couple of Mountain Imperial-pigeons flew over. Leaving here we drove to one of our favourite trails and stumbled across a huge Asian Elephant that crossed the road in front of us, threatening at one point to turn and charge our vehicle!

Asian Elephant

But once safely on the trail we spent a good hour and managed to locate a flock of around 30 Long-tailed Broadbills and a group of 6+ Dusky Broadbills as well but only managed some poor record shots, plus several Asian Fairy-Bluebirds.

Long-tailed Broadbill

Dusky Broadbill

So by late afternoon we returned to the minibus and drove back down the road to a good spot for Great Eared Nightjar, and sure enough a pair appeared at dusk and hawked for insects nearby to round off a successful day.

Heading Back to Bangkok

We had one last morning on Doi Inthanon, so returned to our favourite trail just after first light and spent the next few hours having a very enjoyable time amidst some very nice forest. We hit a flock almost immediately with all the usual suspects present and also added a female Vivid Niltava to the list as well. We messed around with a group of White-necked Laughingthrushes that called back to the ipod a little bit but didn’t want to show themselves and also saw a few previously seen species as well. We moved up to an area of pine trees and here we spotted a Silver-eared Mesia feeding in a tree at eye-level and it turned out to be the leader of a flock of maybe 7 or 8 birds. 

Nice scenery on Doi Inthanon

Then we walked out above the treeline and checked the scrub where we had a flyby Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler, female Siberian Rubythroat, a Streaked Spiderhunter and also managed to call in a Banded Bay Cuckoo from about a mile away. 

Banded Bay Cuckoo

So we walked back down to the minibus and returned to the lodge, where after loading the luggage aboard managed to finally see the reported Lesser Shortwing – yayyyy! All that was left was to have lunch, drive back to Chiang Mai airport and fly to Bangkok for the night.

Doi Inthanon

It sure was freezing up at the summit of Doi Inthanon this morning, although our sighting of 10+ Speckled Woodpigeons and a Striated Bulbul on some sunlit trees on the way up kept us going! As the sun slowly crept over the trees at the edge of the summit car park, a few common birds began to appear although not the hoped for Grey-sided Thrush. So we headed down the road a bit and struck gold when a Rufous-throated Hill-partridge began calling and when it ran down the slope towards us and perched on a log, giving its haunting call we knew we were on a roll. 

Rufous-throated Hill-partridge

Well a few cups of reviving, hot coffee later and we were watching one of the very few records of Brambling for Thailand along the boardwalk - only a shame I didn't get a pic. A White-browed Shortwing, Dark-sided Thrush, Green-tailed Sunbird and hordes of tourists later and we were back up on the main road. This time enjoying Ashy Woodpigeons in the morning sunshine and a little later enjoyed even more the close views of a Pygmy Wren-babbler singing from a horizontal branch right in front of us. 

Pygmy Wren-babbler

We then drove down the mountain and checked out a trail which was very quiet in the late morning heat, so drove down to our lunch stop. Still nothing coming to Mr Deang’s feeding station so after a short rest we staked out the Black-tailed Crake site without any joy, and continued our dismal run of failures today with a complete blank. And even extended this run to some night-birding to draw the day to a close. Funny how birding is a great leveller and from a great morning the day petered out into a damp squib, but fortunately everyone was in good humour and we still enjoyed our day. 

Rusty-naped Pitta

So blown away was I with our sighting of this female Rusty-naped Pitta from Doi Lang in northern Thailand, that I feel compelled to share a few more photos of this bird. Bearing in mind I flew to Fraser's Hill in Malaysia last year especially to tackle this species and got brief views, i'm not sure whether it was tears of joy or frustration after this memorable encounter!

Anyway, here's a few more pics and no more bragging - honest!

Rusty-naped Pitta

Doi Inthanon

The day began with an Asian Barred Owlet in the hotel gardens, followed by a few Red-billed Blue Magpies beside the road as we drove up Doi Inthanon. Stopping beside the river produced the hoped for Slaty-backed Forktail – a beautiful species. Then we took a trail up into good forest and began strongly with a mixed feeding flock encountered almost immediately. Grey-cheeked Fulvettas were in the front, and we picked up Golden Babbler, Spectacled Barwing, Sapphire Flycatcher, a brief White-browed Piculet, followed by two cracking Black-throated Parrotbills. Further up the hill and a stunning Clicking (formerly Rufous-fronted) Shrike-babbler performed admirably in the canopy overhead. Both Maroon Oriole and Claudia’s Warbler were also seen, along with Hume’s Treecreeper and a flock of wonderful Long-tailed Broadbills passed by. Best of all was a cooperative Slaty-bellied Tesia that gave very good views as it ‘danced’ to the ipod tune amongst some low bushes…!  

Returning to the minibus we saw a male Slaty-backed Flycatcher high up in the canopy and a pair of Golden-throated Barbets were spotted which looked very nice through the scope. A short drive up the mountain followed and we walked along the road a little way, finding a pair of confiding Grey-throated Babblers, Mountain Tailorbird and a Chestnut-crowned Warbler. A nearby trail held a large flock with Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, more fulvettas, Small Niltava, Yellow-cheeked Tit, White-bellied Erpornis, Blyth’s Leaf-warbler and other commoner species. 

Hill Blue Flycatcher (female)

Ashy-throated Leaf-warbler

Lunch at Mr Daengs failed to produce any hoped-for goodies at his feeding station apart from a female Hill Blue Flycatcher and Blue Whistling-thrush so we drove to the top of the mountain.

Bar-throated Minla

Up at the summit we quickly nailed Ashy-throated Leaf-warbler and a surprise find in the shape of Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker - a lifer for me and a species i'd really wanted for a number of years now.

Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker

There were also some Green-tailed Sunbirds, and then had a flock of Bar-throated Minlas, Rufous-winged Fulvettas, Buff-barred Warbler and the flowerpecker again.

Eurasian Woodcock

On the summit boardwalk the first of 2 Dark-sided Thrushes appeared, followed by a cracking White-browed Shortwing, Eurasian Woodcock, Snowy-browed Flycatcher and a superb Northern White-crowned Forktail.