2010 Tour Narrative
In Brief: This year’s peninsular Thailand and Gurney’s Pitta tour was successful, with stunning views of a male Gurney’s on the first afternoon. In addition, we had excellent views of both Banded and Mangrove Pittas. Other highlights included Chinese Egret, hundreds of Lesser and ten or more Christmas Island Frigatebirds, nesting Blyth’s and Wallace’s Hawk-Eagles, all of Thailand’s malkohas including the scarce and local Chestnut-bellied, Javan Frogmoouth, and three large owls: Spotted and Brown Wood-Owls and a Barred Eagle Owl with a youngster. In addition we had Nicobar Pigeon, Thick-billed Spiderhunter, Brown-streaked and an immature male Mugimaki Flycatcher, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Pied Triller, and a cooperative Rail-babbler. Our rarest find was a male Eurasian Blackbird at Laem Talumphuk, the first for southern Thailand.
In Detail: Our 2010 tour began with a short meeting and an evening meal in Bangkok. We arose early the next morning for our flight to Krabi, where we were met by Yotin, our expert local leader. Along the way we stopped at Khlong Thom for Jungle Myna, a localized species in the lowlands of peninsular Thailand and Malaysia; we had good scope views. Continuing to the Morakot, near the entrance to Khao Nor Chu Chi, we checked in and noted a few species on the grounds, notably Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (coming to fruit) and a single male Purple-throated Sunbird. Nearby was our site for the Gurney’s Pitta, and after studying several Forest Wagtails, a winter visitor, we climbed into a blind overlooking a gulley. After a time, a stunning male Gurney’s came into sight and remained for outstanding views. Once thought extinct, only a few pairs remain in Thailand. An unknown number also survive in adjacent Myanmar. Later that afternoon we went to a site where birds came down to drink. Here we had a variety of bulbuls, a male Lesser Green Leafbird, Black-and-yellow Broadbills, a Siberian Blue Robin, and a superb singing Short-tailed Babbler. Later that evening, Yotin located a male Javan Frogmouth perched over the trail.
The following morning we visited Khao Nor Chu Chi, where a scarce breeder, the Brown-streaked Flycatcher, was present in the parking lot; this was a new bird for Jon. After getting good scope studies of that bird, we entered another blind in the forest where we immediately had splendid views of a beautiful male Banded Pitta. Birding Khao Nor Chu Chi eventually brought a number of rewards, notably Rufous-bellied Eagle and Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle (an adult on a nest with a young bird), Black Baza, Silver-rumped Needletails, several Red-throated Barbets, two Banded Broadbills, a variety of bulbuls including Hairy-backed, and good prolonged views of the scarce Thick-billed Spiderhunter. We won’t soon forget the song of the Large Wren-Babbler, even though the singer remained hidden. That evening Yotin took us to a site where a fledgling Barred Eagle-Owl was present. We were fortunate to see the adult come in to feed the young bird, bringing it a headless barbet. Later, Yotin called in a Spotted Wood-Owl, which gave decent views.
The next morning we were up early for the several-hour drive to Krung Ching Waterfall. Shortly after leaving the Morokot in darkness, Yotin spotted a Slow Loris, which we eventually located in the flashlights. Later we arrived at the extensively forested Khung Ching, where we saw many species we had missed at Khao Nor Chu Chi. These included Drongo Cuckoo (several), Black-bellied and Chestnut-breasted Malkohas, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Banded Kingfisher, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Rufous Piculet, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Dark-throated Oriole, Crow-billed Drongo, Spectacled Spiderhunter, and a variety of new babblers including Ferruginous, Moustached, Scaly-crowned, Gray-throated, Gray-headed, and Chestnut-winged. Our main target, the spectacular Rail-babbler walked across the path. A Whiskered Treeswift on a nest was also memorable.
We returned to Krung Ching Waterfall the next morning, where new birds included Raffles’s and Red-billed Malkohas, a Rufous-collared Kingfisher, two Wreathed Hornbills, a Red-bearded Bee-eater, a pair of Lesser Cuckooshrikes, a spectacular pair of flyover Wreathed Hornbills, a lovely Scaly-breasted Bulbul (perhaps the finest looking bulbul in the world), and Blyth’s and Wallace’s Hawk-Eagles. That last species is a scarce lowland forest bird of peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, and Krung Ching is a noted locality. A Rufous Piculet gave us prolonged eye-level views as it worked on a termite-infested stump. We remained until dark, seeing a single Brown Wood Owl.
The next morning we headed to the east coast of the peninsula, where we had a variety of waterbirds and more open-country species. Notable sightings included Yellow Bittern, Watercock, and Pintail Snipe, along with a variety of terns including comparisons of White-winged and Whiskered. Other memorable finds included Pied Triller—our main target—with good views of three birds, a single male and a pair. A single Mangrove Whistler was also new. By far the rarest bird of the trip was a male Eurasian Blackbird, no doubt of the eastern mandarinus subspecies, which flew past us near the tip of Laem Talumphuk, briefly landed, and continued; casual in Thailand, the species had previously been recorded only in the far north.
The next morning we departed early for our boat trip to the Similan Islands. Eventually we got to Miang Island (Island Number 4), where we were treated to good views of Pied and Green Imperial Pigeons and several White-bellied Sea Eagles. But our main target here was the striking Nicobar Pigeon; Yotin located a perched bird that remained for extended studies. On our return drive we stopped by a river crossing where we found three species of lapwing: River, Gray-headed, and Red-wattled.
The next morning we birded a mangrove area west of Krabi. Here our target species was the Mangrove Pitta, and we soon had a male calling, but it took a while before all of us saw it. Here we also had a beautiful calling Ruddy Kingfisher, and nearby we encountered a pair of scarce Chestnut-bellied Malkohas, our last malkoha. Later in the day we took our own private charter to the Phi Phi island group. We stopped briefly at the touristy beaches of Ko Phi Phi Don and viewed Ko Phi Phi Le, where“The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was shot. Our main target was Ko Pi Da, the last island in the Phi Phi chain, where all of the frigatebirds come to roost. We encountered small flocks on the way out, nearly all Lesser Frigatebirds. But after arriving on the back side of Ko Pi Da, we spotted some ten Christmas Island Frigatebirds, including several spectacular adult males with their pure white abdomens. In all, we conservatively estimated 750 Lesser Frigatebirds, and we might have had an immature Great Frigatebird, too, although the exact underwing pattern was equivocal. That frigatebird show was one of the most spectacular avian sights I had ever witnessed. Also on the island were several Blue Rock Thrushes, and an adult Peregrine Falcon was standing guard. We eventually departed and watched the sun set on our return.
On our final morning we took the boat into the Krabi mangroves, where we saw a few new species including Brown-winged Kingfisher, Streak-breasted Woodpecker, Dusky Crag Martin, and the strikingly cinnamon-bellied badia subspecies of Striated Swallow. Farther out on the flats we located a single Chinese Egret and a scattering of shorebirds, including a number of Terek Sandpipers. Several Lesser Crested Terns accompanied us on our return. Later in the afternoon we departed for our flight to Bangkok, where the tour concluded.
- Jon Dunn
Updated: March 2010