Friday 9th – Monday 26th January 2009

With southern extension & Gurney’s Pitta
Sunday 4th Jan – Friday 9th Jan

From a birder’s point of view Thailand is a perfect destination to visit during the winter months, with an extremely rich and varied resident population augmented by an influx of migrants from the Himalayas and northern Asia. It is home to an exceptionally diverse range of habitats from coastal marshes and mudflats teeming with shorebirds to vast lowland rainforest and montane evergreen forest with their attendant mixed feeding flocks and seemingly endless possibilities!

Starting off with a visit to Khok Kham for Spoon-billed Sandpiper, we will then visit Khao Yai where we will look for Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo before flying north. Here we will look for two of the most wanted species in the country, Green Peafowl and Giant Nuthatch before reaching Thailand’s highest mountain, the classic birding destination of Doi Inthanon. We also visit some lesser known sites such as Kaeng Krachan and Doi Ang Khang ensuring our itinerary is one of the most comprehensive on the market. There is also a pre-tour extension to the south in search of Gurney’s Pitta, as well as a host of other species not found on the main tour.

Our Tour Itinerary

Days 1 - 2
We will meet at London Heathrow for the overnight scheduled flight to Bangkok, via the Middle East. On arrival it is only a short distance to transfer to our hotel where we will spend the night.

Day 3
This morning we will drive to the nearby Gulf of Thailand and explore the numerous salt pans, tidal flats and mangroves that attract a very good selection of resident and migrant species. In recent years this has been a regular wintering site for Spoon-billed Sandpiper and we shall make a special effort to find this much wanted species. For the wader enthusiast this is heaven as amongst the more familiar species we can find Pacific Golden and Kentish Plovers, Broad-billed and Marsh Sandpipers, large flocks of Greater and Lesser Sandplovers and both Red-necked and Long-toed Stints are also present. If we are lucky then we may find Terek Sandpiper, Great Knot, or maybe even Nordmann’s Greenshank or Asiatic Dowitcher as well. Amongst a whole list of other possibilities we could see Little Green Heron, Yellow Bittern, White-browed Crake, Slaty-breasted Rail, Brown-headed and Heuglin’s Gulls, Whiskered and Great Crested Terns, Black-capped and Collared Kingfishers, Germain’s Swiftlets, Brown-throated and Yellow-bellied Sunbirds, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Black-browed Reed-warbler, Pied and Crested Mynas and Chinese Starling. After lunch we will drive to Kaeng Krachan and check in to our superbly situated accommodation near the park entrance for a 3 night stay.

Days 4 - 5
We have 2 full days to explore the hill and lowland evergreen forest of the largest national park in Thailand, which is situated close to the border with Myanmar. Our visit here gives us the possibility of seeing many lower elevation species as the park only rises to 1513m on Panern Thung, the highest point of the mountain. Birding is done mainly from the single entrance road and a series of trails and amongst many fantastic possibilities here we can find Grey Peacock-pheasant, Bar-backed Partridge, Thick-billed and Yellow-vented Pigeons, Collared Scops-owl, Wreathed Hornbill, Common Flameback, Greater Yellownape, Great Slaty and Grey-and-Buff Woodpeckers, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Great and Blue-throated Barbets, Black-thighed Falconet, Large-tailed Nightjar, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Vernal Hanging-parrot, Asian Emerald, Indian and Banded Bay Cuckoos, Black-naped Oriole, Banded Kingfisher, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Red-headed and Orange-breasted Trogons, Blue, Eared and even Giant Pitta, Chestnut-naped Forktail, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Himalayan Swiftlet, Brown-backed Needletail, Silver-breasted, Banded and Dusky Broadbills, Large Woodshrike, Sultan Tit, Grey-chinned and Swinhoe’s Minivets, Yellow-bellied and Sulphur-breasted Warblers, White-browed Shrike-babbler, White-browed Scimitar-babbler, Spot-necked, White-hooded and Golden Babblers, Black-throated Laughingthrush, Pin-tailed Parrotfinch, Crested Jay and both Grey and Ratchet-tailed Treepies. This is also one of the few places to find the rare White-fronted Scops-owl and we shall make a special effort to see this bird.

Days 6 - 8
Tearing ourselves away from this amazing site we will drive to Khao Yai for a 3 night stay. The 542,000 acres of hills and mountains here are covered by dry deciduous forest at lower elevations and tropical moist evergreen forest higher up, interspersed with productive areas of grassland. This site represents some of the best remaining tracts of lowland forest in the country and is a haven for all forms of wildlife. A single road ascends to the highest point at 1,300m and from here a network of trails will give us access to the forest where we will search for a good selection of the numerous species to have been recorded here. By quietly walking the trails we have a chance of finding some of the shyer denizens of the under story such as Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Red Junglefowl, Blue Pitta, Forest Wagtail or Scaly-thrush, whilst there is a pretty reasonable chance of locating the much-wanted Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo. One of the features of our birding will be the sudden appearance of a mixed species flock within which numerous birds occur and just as quickly as they arrived, the flock moves off deep within the forest leaving silence where mere minutes before the trees reverberated to strange calls and the noise of wings. These bird waves usually contain species such as Red-headed Trogon, Verditer Flycatcher, Striped Tit-babbler, White-bellied Erpornis, Spangled Drongo and Blyth’s Leaf-warbler, whilst we need to thoroughly search each flock for new species such as Long-tailed Broadbill, Green-billed Malkoha, Little Spiderhunter or Common Green Magpie amongst many other possibilities. Other birds here include Collared Owlet, Great-eared Nightjar, Great and Wreathed Hornbills, Mountain Imperial-pigeon, Green-billed Malkoha, Blue-bearded and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, Blue-eared and Banded Kingfishers, Brown-backed Needletail, Blue-eared, Moustached and Green-eared Barbets, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Asian Fairy Bluebird, White-rumped Shama, Indian Roller, Rosy and Ashy Minivets, Siberian Rubythroat, Puff-throated and Grey-eyed Bulbuls, Hainan Blue and Hill Blue Flycatchers, White-crowned Forktail, Olive-backed Pipit, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Yellow-vented and Buff-bellied Flowerpeckers, Pale-legged, Thick-billed, Yellow-browed and Radde’s Warblers, Black-throated, Purple-throated and Crimson Sunbirds, White-crested and Lesser-necklaced Laughingthrushes, Large and White-browed Scimitar-babblers, Abbott’s Babbler and Pin-tailed Parrotfinch. Other animals present here include Asian Elephant, Pig-tailed Macaque, White-handed Gibbons, Sambar, Muntjac, East Asian Porcupine and a whole range of amphibians and small reptiles to keep the all-round wildlife enthusiast happy. One of the major non-avian highlights is a visit one evening to marvel at the exodus of 500,000 Wrinkle-lipped Bats from their hillside caves.

Day 9
Some final birding around the hotel before breakfast could be productive with some interesting species such as Asian Barred Owlet, Japanese White-eye, Two-barred Greenish Warbler and Grey-headed Starling all possible. But we shall have to leave this wonderful place and drive to Bangkok International Airport for the midday flight to the northern city of Chiang Mai, where a short transfer will take us to our centrally located hotel. In the evening there will be some spare time to enjoy the shopping at the famous night market. Overnight Chiang Mai.

Days 10 - 11
An early start will see us heading towards Huai Hong Krai, where a healthy population of Green Peafowl has been discovered and we shall arrive at dawn in order to hear the males uttering their loud cries from the treetops. From here we will proceed to our lodge near the entrance to Doi Chiang Dao for a 2 night stay. These northern mountains have a different avifauna from the rest of the country as many Himalayan species are close to the southern limit of distribution in this region. Most of our efforts will be concentrated on the higher regions where we can find stands of huge pines amidst the submontane evergreen forest. This particular mountain is the prime site for two of Thailand’s rarest birds, Giant Nuthatch and Hume’s Pheasant. The former species is as big as a medium-sized woodpecker and is found high in the canopy of the tallest trees, whilst the latter inhabits the higher slopes which are dotted with trees. Other species present here include Large Hawk-cuckoo, Fork-tailed (Pacific) Swift, Grey-capped and Stripe-breasted Woodpeckers, Hooded and Rusty-naped Pittas, Asian House Martin, Long-tailed Minivet, Sooty-headed and Mountain Bulbuls, Grey Bushchat, Slaty-backed, Little Pied and Pale Blue Flycatchers, Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Rufescent Prinia, Aberrant Bush-warbler, White-tailed and Hume’s Leaf-warblers, Rufous-fronted Babbler, Blue-winged Minla, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Striated Yuhina, Burmese Shrike, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, Maroon Oriole, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Streaked Spiderhunter and Common Rosefinch.

Days 12 - 13
A short distance away is the rugged frontier range of Doi Ang Khan, where we will be looking for some restricted range species such as Mountain Bamboo-partridge, Crested Finchbill, Brown-breasted Bulbul, White-browed Laughingthrush, Red-faced Liocichla, Spot-breasted Parrotbill and Buff-throated Warbler. But there are many more new species here and during our stay we also have a chance of seeing Mountain Hawk-eagle, Speckled and White-browed Piculets, Striated Bulbul, Daurian Redstart, Hill Prinia, White-tailed Robin, Mountain Tailorbird, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Russet Bush-warbler, Spot-throated Babbler, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler, White-browed Laughingthrush, Silver-eared Mesia, Spot-breasted and Grey-headed Parrotbills, Dark-backed Sibia and Chestnut Bunting. We will spend 2 nights at a superbly situated mountain resort.

Days 14 - 16
After a final mornings birding here we shall drive to a wonderful resort close to Doi Inthanon for a 3 night stay. This is the highest mountain in Thailand at over 2,500m and we shall have ample time to explore the dipterocarp forest of the lower slope and evergreen forest near the summit, where we shall concentrate our search for certain species. This is one of the classic birding sites in all Asia and at the summit a sphagnum bog surrounded by rhododendron trees draped in hanging moss and epiphytes is home to some special birds. At the edges of this bog Himalayan Red-flanked Bluetail, Dark-sided Thrush and White-browed Shortwing can be found skulking in the shadows, whilst Chestnut-tailed Minla, Grey-sided Thrush, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Chestnut-crowned and Ashy-throated Warblers, Pygmy Wren-babbler, Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Green-tailed and Gould’s Sunbirds, and occasionally Rufous-throated Partridge, Ashy Woodpigeon, Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker and Yellow-browed Tit can sometimes be found. We will encounter large mixed feeding flocks as we walk quietly along the trails and each one will hold new species for us and these sudden bursts of activity is what makes a visit here so exciting. Imagine hearing a cacophony of noise making its way up a densely wooded slope towards our position until there are birds all around and we find Blyth’s Leaf-warbler, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babbler, Black-headed Sibia, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Grey-throated Babbler, Pied Flycatcher-shrike and White-bellied Erpornis. Meanwhile, some movement amongst the leaf litter leads us to catch a glimpse of a cryptically camouflaged Scaly Thrush. Moving down the mountain we can find Black-tailed Crake, Spectacled Barwing, Rufous-backed Sibia, White-necked Laughingthrush, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, flocks of wintering Eye-browed Thrushes, the skulking Slaty-bellied Tesia, Black-throated Parrotbill, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Niltava and Brown-throated Treecreeper. Fruiting trees are always productive and the prize of Green or Purple Cochoa awaits us, along with Speckled or Wedge-tailed Green-pigeon. The more open grass and scrub areas lower down can also be productive and this is where we could find the rare and localised White-headed Bulbul, and continuing down to the dry deciduous woodland at the base of the mountain we should pick up Black-backed Forktail and both Plumbeous and White-capped Water-redstarts at some beautiful waterfalls. A whole new selection of birds awaits us at the bottom of the mountain and we can see Chinese Francolin, Collared Falconet, the stunning Black Baza, Lineated Barbet, Black-headed Woodpecker, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Common Woodshrike, Indochinese Bushlark and Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch amongst others.

Day 17
After a final mornings birding on Doi Inthanon we will make our way to the airport for a late afternoon flight back to Bangkok for a final meal together. before catching the evening flight to London where this wonderful tour concludes on Day 18.

Southern Thailand & Gurney’s Pitta Pre-tour Extension

Days 1 - 3
After an overnight flight from London, we will take an internal flight to Krabi and begin our birding with a morning boat ride through the nearby creeks and mangrove forest. This will give us access to such delights as Mangrove Pitta, Brown-winged and Ruddy Kingfishers, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Streak-breasted Woodpecker, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Mangrove Whistler, White-chested Babbler, Ashy Tailorbird and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. Other species in the area include Germain’s Swiftlet, Blue-eared Barbet, Black-and-Red Broadbill, Tiger Shrike, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Asian Glossy Starling. The tidal mudflats are also superb for waders and this is an excellent site to find Nordmann’s Greenshank, as well as Great Knot, Terek Sandpiper, Pacific Reef and Chinese Egrets. We will also take a speedboat out to the Kho Phi Phi islands where we will search for the endangered Christmas Island Frigatebird. Other birds present include Bridled and Black-naped Terns, Lesser and Greater Frigatebirds, White-bellied Sea-eagle and Pied Imperial-pigeon.

Days 4 – 6
After a final visit to the mangroves to pick up on any species we may still need, we shall proceed to Khao Nor Chuchi for a 3 night stay. This is undoubtedly the best site to search for the amazing Gurney’s Pitta. Classified as Critically Endangered due to the very small population to be found here and at another site in Myanmar, it is without doubt one of the most amazing birds to be found anywhere in the world. There should be some time to undertake an introductory birding walk this afternoon before meeting for our evening meal. Early mornings are the best time to try for the Pitta and we will spend two of them in an attempt to find this much-wanted bird. The rest of our time will be spent searching for the specialities of Southern Thailand and enjoying good views of everything. There are many other special birds to look for here such as Red-throated and Red-crowned Barbets, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Black-thighed Falconet, Banded Pitta, Silver-rumped Needletail, Black-and-Yellow and the amazing Green Broadbill, Buff-necked and Orange-backed Woodpeckers, Orange-breasted Trogon, Drongo Cuckoo, Black-bellied and Raffles’s Malkohas, Dark-throated Oriole, Rufous-winged Philentoma, Fulvous-chested Flycatcher, Moustached, Chestnut-winged and Black-throated Babblers, Ferruginous and Large Wren-babblers, Purple-naped Sunbird, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Pale-legged Leaf-warbler, Grey-bellied and Ochraceous Bulbuls, Grey-breasted Spiderhunter, Great Iora and Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker. Night birding can be productive with White-fronted Scops-owl, Spotted and Brown Wood-owls, and possibly even Gould’s or Javan Frogmouth.

Day 7
After breakfast we will drive to Phang-nga where a boat will be waiting to take us to the Similan Islands to search for the much-wanted Nicobar Pigeon. Later in the day we will transfer to Phuket and take the short internal flight back to Bangkok where we will join the main tour.

Leaders: Nick Bray, Kamol Komolphalin and Yotin Meekaew (ext only)