Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive Bangkok the capital of Thailand . Night at Maruay Garden Hotel, Bangkok .

Day 2
Morning we will visit Wat Thien Thawai (Wat = Buddhist Temple ) for the start of our bird trip. We will see some common birds like Spotted Dove, Peaceful Dove and Red Collared Dove, Asian Koel, Spotted Owlet, Small Minivet, Streak-eared Bulbul, Coppersmith Barbet, Common Tailorbird, Oriental Magpie Robin (the emblem of the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand), Plain Prinai, White-throated Kingfisher, White-vented Myna, Common Myna, Pied Fantail, Olive-backed Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Scaly-breasted Munia and Plain-backed Sparrow.

Green-tailed Sunbird © Ken Wilson

We then drive to Wat Pai Lom, a famous Buddhist temple where a colony of thousands of Asian Openbills can be closely observed. We will see more birds around the temple areas such as Greater Coucal, Little Cormorant and Cattle, Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets. Both Chinese Pond-Heron and Javan Pond Heron are in this area. We then, will drive to Rangsit Marsh which will introduce us to some typical birds of the central plains such as Black-shouldered Kite, Lesser Whistling Duck, Bronze-winged Jacana, Ruddy-breasted Crake, White-breasted Waterhen, Plaintive Cuckoo, Black-capped Kingfishers, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Indian Roller, Asian Palm-Swift, Yellow-vented Bulbuls, Black Drongo, Large-billed Crow, Pallas’s Grasshopper, Oriental Reed and Black-browed Reed Warblers, Siberian Stonechat, Asian Pied and Black-collared Starlings, Red Avadavad and others. We will have lunch on the way to Khao Yai national park. Afternoon, we will be birdwatching in “Khao Yai” the first national park of Thailand . Overnight at Juldis Hotel just 5 minutes drive from the park gate.

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Day 3-4
We will spend our time in this park. The semi-evergreen forest is the home of many birds. Scaly-breasted Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Banded Kingfisher, Blue Pitta and the elusive Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo are always special birds for birdwatchers. Grassy areas hold Thick-billed Warbler, Rufescent Prinia and Bright-capped Cisticolas, while streams and waterfalls will give us a chance to see Slaty-backed and White-crowned Forktails. Khao Yai is a place to see Red Junglefowl, Red-wattled Lapwing, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Emerald Dove, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Vernal Hanging-Parrot , Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Collared Owlets, Black-and-buff Woodpecker, Scarlet and Rosy Minivets, Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill and Oriental Pied Hornbill, Moustached Barbet, Green-eared Barbet, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Large Woodshrike, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Black-crested, Black-headed, Stripe-throated, Ashy, Puff-throated and Grey-eyed Bulbuls, Long-tailed Broadbill, Orange-breasted and Red-headed Trogon, Abbott’s Babbler, Radde’s, Arctic, Pale-legged Leaf and Sulphur-breasted Warblers, the skulking Siberian Blue Robin, White-crested and Black-throated Laughingthrush, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Hill Myna, Golden-headed Myna, Olive-backed Pipit, Ashy Woodswallow, Brown Shrike, Ruby-cheeked and Black-throated Sunbirds, Little Spiderhunter, Yellow-vented and Buff-bellied Flowerpeckers, and Oriental White-eye. Khao Yai also a good place for mammals such as Sambar Deer, Indian Muntjac or Common Barking Deer, Pigtail Macaque, White-handed Gibbon and Black Giant Squirrel. If we are lucky we will come across Indian Elephant or even Tiger. We also will look for night birds such as Collared Scops Owl, Brown Hawk Owl and Asian Barred Owlet. Overnight at Juldis Hotel.

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Day 5
Early this morning we will birdwatch near our hotel for Lineated Barbet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Lanceolated Warbler and others. We will drive to Wat Thum Phra Pho Thisat for Limestone Wren Babbler then drive to Smut Sakorn to look for Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint and other shorebirds.
Lunch on the way and overnight at the Keang Krachan Country Club.

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Day 6-7
Kaeng Krachan national Park; We will spend these 2 days in the largest national park in Thailand . Kaeng Krachan National Park is situated on the eastern side of the remote Tenasserim mountain range near the Burmese border. The range of forest habitats offers an even richer avifauna than Khao Yai National Park . Special birds in this park including Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Ferruginous Partridge, Large Scimitar Babbler, Kalij Pheasant, Yellow-vented Green Pigeon and Ratchet-tailed Treepie ( the only place for this species in Thailand ). Other Birds in the park include Rufous Woodpecker, Bay Woodpeckers, and the biggest Woodpecker in Asia, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Crested Goshawk, Shikra, Besra, Black Eagle, Bar-backed Partridge, Drongo Cuckoos, Green-billed and Chestnut-breasted Malkohas, Large-tailed Nightjar, Fork-tailed Swift, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and Red-bearded Bee-eater, Dollarbird, Brown, Oriental Pied and Great Hornbills, Great, Golden-throated, Blue-throated, Red-throated, Green-eared and Blue-eared Barbets, Greater Yellownape, Streak-breasted, Grey-headed, Bamboo and Heart-spotted Woodpeckers, Greater and Common Flamebacks, Dusky, Banded, Black-and-yellow and Silver-breasted Broadbills, Striated Swallow, Ashy Minivet, Common and Great Ioras, Greater Green, Blue-winged and Orange-bellied Leafbirds, Flavescent, Ochraceous and Buff-vented Bulbuls, Ashy, Bronzed, Greater Racket-tailed, Lesser Racket-tailed and Hair-crested Drongos, Black-naped Oriole, Asian Fairy Bluebird, the elusive Crested Jay, Green Magpie, Sultan Tit, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, White-hooded Babbler, Striped Tit-Babbler , White-browed Shrike-Babbler, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Striated and White-bellied Yuhinas, Yellow-bellied, Yellow-browed and Greenish Warblers, Plain-tailed Warbler, Dark-necked Tailorbird, White-rumped Shama, Dark-sided, Asian Brown, Verditer, Red-breasted, Pale Blue and Grey-headed Flycatchers, the skulking Rufous-browed Flycatcher, White-throated Fantail, Black-naped Monarch, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Forest Wagtail, Thick-billed and Plain Flowerpeckers, Everett’s White-eye and White-rumped Munias.

Overnight at the Kaeng Krachan Country Club.

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Day 8
We will spend the early morning in the vicinity of our accommodations looking for Rain Quail, Racket-tailed Treepie, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Indochinese Bushlark and others. We then drive to salt pan in Kok Kham for more shorebirds, Gulls and terns. Lunch on the way to Bangkok . We will take a late afternoon flight to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in northern Thailand . We then drive to the lower part of Doi Inthanon.

Overnight at Inthanon Highland Resort.

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Days 9-10
Doi Inthanon National Park is protecting the Hill evergreen forests of Doi Inthanon (2565m), Thailand ’s highest mountain. The birdlife of this great mountain changes dramatically as one ascends from low to high altitudes. Species that we will concentrate upon will be those characteristic of higher altitudes together with some scarcer ones that occur only at lower levels. At the summit of Doi Inthanon, we should see Pygmy Wren-Babbler bouncing along fallen logs, colourful Chestnut-tailed Minlas and Rufous-winged Fulvettas, Yellow-bellied Fantail and Blyth’s Leaf Warbler in the same bird wave searching for insects on the lichen encrusted trees, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrushes, White-browed Shortwings and Rufous-throated Partridge feeding on the ground, Dark-sided Thrush digging into the damp leaf litter with its huge bill, Ashy-throated Warblers and Snowy-browed Flycatchers flicking through the undergrowth. We hope to see the flash of bright male Gould’s and Green-tailed Sunbirds at the Rhododendron flowers. If we are lucky we will come across birds like Ashy Wood Pigeon, Scaly Thrush and Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker. At the mid elevation, we will see Large Niltava, Grey-throated and Golden Babbler, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babblers, Blue-winged Minlas and Grey-cheeked Fulvettas mixing with Chestnut-crowned, White-tailed Leaf Warblers and Yellow-cheeked Tits. Along the road or along the forest edge, we will find Short-billed Minivet, Spectacled Barwing and Rufous-backed Sibia. Closely scrutinizing fruiting trees gives us a chance of finding the rare and secretive Green Cochoa or even Purple Cochoa. Other species at this altitude include Rufous-bellied, Vivid and Small Niltava and Brown-throated Treecreeper. In the lower part of the mountain, rushing streams and beautiful waterfalls are home to the shy Slaty-backed Forktail, Plumbeous and White-capped Water Redstarts. In the Dry Dipterocarp woodland in the lowest part of the park, we will find a selection of birds that are very different from Hill evergreen forest. The White-bellied, Black-headed, Grey-capped Woodpeckers, Common Flameback and Greater Yellownape will be feeding in the morning. The Black-hooded Oriole, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Common Woodshrikes, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch and Purple Sunbird are also common in this type of forest. If we are lucky, the rare White-rumped Falcon may show up on one of the trees near the dirt road.

Overnight at Inthanon Highland Resort.

B.L.D.

Day 11
After a final morning’s birding on Doi Inthanon we will drive to Doi Angkhang. Lunch on the way, stopping for birdwatching along the road to Doi Angkhang.

Overnight at Ang Khang Nature Resort.

B.L.D.

Day 12
| Doi Ang Khang, a fascinating place. The area is mostly deforested and partially cultivated by hill tribes. There are some species here that have a very restricted distribution outside Burma and South China including Brown-breasted Bulbul, White-browed Laughingthrush, Spot-breasted and Grey-headed Parrotbills and Buff-throated Warbler. The Mountain Bamboo-Partridge can be seen along tracks in the early mornings. Other species regularly encountered here include Speckled and White-browed Piculets, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Striated Bulbul, Silver-eared Mesia, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler, White-bellied Redstart, Common Rosefinch, and Crested and Chestnut Bunting. If we are lucky, we will even come across one or two of the more elusive birds of the area such as Crested Finchbill, Giant Nuthatch, Red-faced Liocichla, Russet Bush Warbler or the rare Hume’s Pheasant. We will try to find a Hodgson’s Frogmouth, during our night excursion.

Overnight at Angkhang Nature Resort.

B.L.D.

Day 13
We will spend a full morning on Doi Angkhang. In the afternoon we will drive back to Chiang Mai town. We will have time to birdwatch in the lowlands of Chiang Mai before we check in to the Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel.

B.L.D.

Day 14
Early in the morning we will drive to the King Project area at Huai Hong Khrai for Green Peafowl. Other species we could find here include Black Baza, Rosy Minivet and Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher. After that we will drive to the paddy of Doi Saket for open area birds such as Grey-headed Lapwing, Baya Weaver, Siberian Rubythroat and Bluethroat, Oriental Skylark and Greater Painted-snipe. After lunch we will drive to Doi Suthep-pui National Park to find some more birds like Sapphire Flycatcher and Pale Blue Flycatcher or even Rusty-naped Pitta if we are really lucky. We drive to Chiang Mai airport and take a late afternoon flight back to Bangkok .

We will then stay overnight in Bangkok or connect with our flights back home.

B.L.

Click here to see more photos from our 2007 trip to Thailand.