A Maroon Oriole seeks nectar on the slope of Doi Inthanon. Photo: Jon Dunn
Thailand is one of the most fascinating and ornithologically exciting countries in Asia. A wide variety of habitats and an extensive park and sanctuary system support a huge number of resident bird species and a rich array of Palearctic migrants. Our tour samples habitats from the marshy plain and mangrove coastline around Bangkok, to the lovely forest national park at Khao Yai and the cool mountains near the northern capital of Chiang Mai. In the Thaton Highlands, we visit mountainous regions in the country’s extreme northwest, where a number of new species await us.
Our Gurney’s Pitta pre-tour extension to peninsular Thailand will offer a chance to see 50 or more southern species restricted to peninsular Malaysia and the Greater Sundas. Our time will be spent mostly in lowland forest, secondary growth, and cultivated lands at Khao Nor Chuchi, where our primary aim will be to see the critically endangered and stunningly beautiful Gurney’s Pitta. We stand a decent chance of seeing this species, thanks to the expertise and careful arrangements of our local guides. Our other birding location is at Krabi Bay on the west coast of the peninsula, where we’ll explore by boat mangrove forest, open mud, and sandflats amid delightful limestone karst scenery.
This tour can be taken in conjunction with Malaysia and Borneo or with Cambodia.
Gurney’s Pitta Pre-tour Extension
Day 1: The pre-tour extension begins with an evening meeting in our hotel in Bangkok.
Day 2: We’ll fly this morning to Krabi, where we’ll be met by our local guide. We’ll go directly to the Khao Nor Chuchi area for an afternoon’s birdwatching. Night at the Morakot Resort.
Day 3: We’ll spend the first of two mornings in the Khao Nor Chuchi area in search of the superb Gurney’s Pitta. Afterwards we’ll search for specialty species such as Red-crowned and Red-throated Barbets, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Black-thighed Falconet, Banded Pitta, Banded, Black-and-Yellow, and Green Broadbills, Dark-throated Oriole, Rufous-winged Philentoma, Fulvous-chested Flycatcher, and Ferruginous and Large Wren Babblers, among others. Wintering species from eastern Asia may include Crow-billed Drongo, Orange-headed Thrush, Asian Brown and Chinese Blue Flycatchers, Siberian Blue Robin, and both Arctic and Eastern Crowned Warblers. The rare Green-backed Flycatcher is also a possibility. We’ll bird on at least one of our evenings, and have a good chance of seeing the localized, distinctive-sounding, and rare White-fronted Scops-Owl. Other nocturnal species might include Spotted and Brown Wood-Owls, and with very good luck, either a Gould’s or a Javan Frogmouth. Night at the Morakot Resort.
Day 4: Morning at Khao Nor Chuchi, including the possibility of further working for Gurney’s Pitta if we have not already seen it. Otherwise we’ll walk the splendid forested trails of Khao Nor Chuchi or bird areas north of Krabi. In the afternoon we’ll return to Krabi. Night in Krabi.
Day 5: This morning we’ll take a boat through mangroves and to the mouth of the river. In the mangroves we’ll be searching carefully for Brown-winged Kingfisher, Streak-breasted Woodpecker, Mangrove Pitta, and Ashy Tailorbird, among other species. In addition to the hoped-for Chinese Egret and Nordmann’s Greenshank, other shorebirds may include Great Knot, Terek Sandpiper, and Great and Lesser Crested Terns. Brahminy Kites and White-bellied Sea Eagles soar overhead; Dusky Crag Martins are resident, bright orange Striated Swallows of the race badia skirt the cliff-faces, and in some years Oriental Hobby nests here. Pacific Swallows are common as they fly up and down the river. Later in the day we’ll return to Bangkok, where the pre-tour extension concludes.
Main Tour
Day 5: The trip begins at 6 p.m. in Bangkok. Night in Bangkok.
Day 6: We’ll explore brackish and saltwater habitats (mudflats, sandflats, mangroves, and salt pans) in the western sectors of the Gulf of Thailand in Phetchaburi Province, searching for a variety of shorebirds including Red-necked and Long-toed Stints, Great Knot, Broad-billed and Marsh Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, and, if we’re lucky, Spoon-billed Sandpiper (world population now no more than 300 pairs) and the similarly threatened Nordmann’s Greenshank. We should also find Brown-headed Gull, Brahminy Kite, and Black-capped and Collared Kingfishers, among many other species. If time allows, we’ll explore some freshwater marshland and parkland before returning to our hotel in the late afternoon. Night in Bangkok.
Day 7: In the early morning we’ll visit a freshwater marsh on the outskirts of the city to look for a variety of marsh birds and wintering passerines including Yellow Bittern, Ruddy-breasted Crake, the secretive Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Oriental and Black-browed Reed Warblers, and perhaps Siberian Rubythroat. As we journey onward to Ayutthaya, we’ll stop to examine concentrations of feeding Asian Openbills in the marshy fields en route.
We’ll have lunch at a riverside restaurant in Ayutthaya, the former capital of Old Siam, where among the ruins we’ll find a further variety of chiefly garden birds including Coppersmith and Lineated Barbets, Common Iora, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, and perhaps Small Minivet. On our way to Khao Yai we’ll visit limestone karst country to search for Limestone Wren Babbler. We’ll arrive at Khao Yai in the late afternoon. This and the next three nights will be spent in a luxury resort amid spectacular cliff and wooded scenery by the northern gate of Khao Yai National Park. We’ll search for Red-breasted Parakeets and other birds right on the resort grounds. Night near Khao Yai National Park.
Days 8-10: We’ll spend three full days exploring the densely forested hills, clear rivers, and waterfalls at Khao Yai, one of the loveliest and best-preserved tracts of tropical evergreen forest in all of Indochina. Khao Yai is noted for larger forest birds, among which we’ll be looking for three or four species of hornbill, including the magnificent Great Hornbill; Orange-breasted and Red-headed Trogons; Banded Kingfisher; Banded and Long-tailed Broadbills; and Sultan Tit. In addition we can expect a variety of raptors, pigeons, barbets, woodpeckers, leafbirds, bulbuls, laughingthrushes, babblers, warblers, sunbirds, and flowerpeckers. Red Junglefowl and Siberian Blue Robin haunt the undergrowth, and there is a chance of other, scarcer ground birds such as the elegant Siamese Fireback and the elusive Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo or Blue Pitta. At dusk we’ll look for Great Eared-Nightjars, and we’ll make a nocturnal excursion for Brown Boobook, and perhaps other nightbirds, on our hotel grounds. Khao Yai is especially rich in mammals, including Pig-tailed Macaque, monkeys, gibbons, Black Giant Squirrel, civets, Sambar and Barking Deer, and Asian Elephant. Nights near Khao Yai National Park.
Day 11: After a final morning’s birdwatching in Khao Yai we’ll return to Bangkok in time for an afternoon flight to Chiang Mai. Night in Chiang Mai.
Day 12: The avifauna of northern Thailand differs markedly from that of the central region, and many Himalayan birds begin to appear. Our visits over the following week to a succession of habitats, from open plains to forested mountain slopes, will bring us a wealth of new species including numerous new barbets, bulbuls, and babblers, among many others. This is also one of the most exciting parts of the country for wintering Palearctic birds including Eyebrowed and other thrushes, Olive-backed Pipit, and Common Rosefinch.
By special arrangement we’ll visit the summit of Doi Pui, an area of open oak and pine forest and cypress plantations at over 5,000 feet. It is ideal for wintering and resident birds, and always seems to produce a surprise or two. We’ll focus on flycatchers, chats, thrushes, Phylloscopus warblers including both resident White-tailed and wintering Hume’s Leaf Warblers, perhaps Chestnut Bunting, and such resident species as Blue-throated Barbet, Gray-chinned and Long-tailed Minivets, and Yellow-cheeked Tit. There is also a possibility of finding Hume’s Pheasant. After a picnic lunch on the mountain, we’ll visit open scrub and grassland on the western outskirts of the city to search for Rufous-winged Buzzard, Burmese Shrike, Ashy Woodswallow, Indochinese Bushlark, and other birds. Night in Chiang Mai.
Day 13: We’ll visit the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Project, a lovely area of low rolling hills covered with deciduous forest and containing scattered lakes. Here we’ll be looking for one of the most elusive and threatened large birds in Asia, Green Peafowl, which has recently recolonized this area after being accorded greatly approved protection. We may also visit lowland paddy habitats to look for Oriental Skylark, Pintail Snipe, Gray-headed Lapwing, Bluethroat, and perhaps, if we are lucky, Small or Yellow-legged Buttonquail. After lunch we’ll travel on to Doi Inthanon, where we’ll spend the next three nights in a pleasant resort at the foot of the mountain. Night at Doi Inthanon Highland Resort.
Days 14-15: We’ll spend these days exploring the huge range of habitats on 8,400-foot Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain. Habitats range from open deciduous dipterocarp woodland on the lower slopes, upward through a succession of pine, open woodland, and deforested open country to moist, broadleaved evergreen forest.
Our first morning on the mountain will be spent around the summit, which supports an abundance of gorgeous flowering rhododendrons and orchids. A visit here is certain to reveal a multitude of brightly colored small birds, including Chestnut-tailed Minla, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Yellow-bellied Fantail, and the stunning Gould’s and Green-tailed Sunbirds. As we follow a boardwalk around a sphagnum moss bog, we’ll look for ground-skulkers such as Rufous-throated Partridge, White-browed Shortwing, Dark-sided and Gray-sided Thrushes, Red-flanked Bluetail, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, and Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush. After a picnic lunch, we’ll begin our descent, looking for additional birds as we go.
On our second day, we’ll start by working the dry dipterocarp forest on the lower slope looking for Collared Falconet, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Black-hooded Oriole, and woodpeckers, perhaps including Black-headed (an Indochina endemic) or White-bellied. There is also an outside chance of another Indochina endemic, White-rumped Falcon. Ascending further, we’ll have a picnic lunch and spend the remainder of the day in a quiet valley amid cultivated land and regenerating forest, looking for Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Blue-throated Flycatcher, and perhaps, if we are lucky, Black-tailed Crake. Nights at Inthanon Highland Resort.
Day 16: We’ll spend our final day on Doi Inthanon exploring the loftiest and most species-rich forest at elevations of roughly 5,000-6,000 feet. Among the many birds we’ll be seeking are Maroon Oriole, Short-billed Minivet, Brown-throated Treecreeper, White-necked Laughingthrush, Silver-eared Mesia, Spectacled Barwing, Rufous-backed Sibia, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Slaty-bellied Tesia, and Large Niltava. There is also the possibility of finding Green Cochoa. We’ll return to Chiang Mai in the late afternoon. Night in Chiang Mai.
Day 17: We’ll leave early for the Mae Taeng Irrigation Project, partway to Chiang Dao District. The open country, where a shingle river descends from the steep mountains to the west, should produce a fine variety of birds including Green Sandpiper, breeding Little Ringed Plover, Wire-tailed Swallow, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Chestnut-tailed Starling, and Crested Bunting. Siberian Rubythroat is often found here, and we’ll hope for views of this living jewel. We’ll also look out for Rufous-winged Buzzard and Baikal (Spotted) Bush Warbler, among other species.
We’ll have lunch en route and drive on to our accommodation at Ang Khang Nature Resort, which lies close to the prime birding areas on Doi Ang Khang at around 5,000 feet elevation. There may be some time for afternoon birding in scrub, cultivation, and plantations. Night at Ang Khang Nature Resort.
Days 18-19: We’ll spend two full days exploring Doi Ang Khang, a rugged and scenically beautiful mountain perched on the Thai-Burmese border. The mountain is home to Chinese (remnants of some of Chiang Kai-shek’s armies, who settled here following the Chinese Revolution) as well as to Shan, Lahu, and Palong tribespeople. The Thai government has established watershed protection and upland agriculture projects to help conserve the environment. Though forest cover is much reduced, a great diversity of forest birds remains. Open oak-pine forests support Long-tailed Minivet, Slender-billed Oriole, and a few Giant Nuthatches, though this last species is very hard to find.
Among the specialties we may expect to see are Brown-breasted Bulbul, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler, White-browed Laughingthrush, Red-faced Liocichla, and Spot-breasted Parrotbill. Buff-throated and Chinese Leaf Warblers are present. We’ll also be looking for Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Black-breasted Thrush, Crested Finchbill, and Black-browed Parrotbill, and there is a further possibility of seeing Hume’s Pheasant and perhaps Giant Nuthatch. The airspace above at times teems with Pacific Swifts that nest and roost in a cave on the mountain, and there is always the chance of seeing something unexpected—perhaps a rare thrush, bunting, or finch. The proximity of our accommodation to the prime birding areas means that we’ll be able to return to the hotel for lunch and a relaxing midday break. Nights at Ang Khang Nature Resort.
Day 20: We’ll spend the pre-dawn darkness trying for Hodgson’s Frogmouth, then make the most of the early morning birding opportunities before our departure, with perhaps Hume’s Pheasant or Giant Nuthatch as our main target species before we leave the mountain. We’ll leave in the late morning for Thaton Resort, a further 25 miles to the north on the extreme northern plains. Late afternoon will find us birding at Mae Fang National Park Hot Springs for White-capped and Plumbeous Redstarts and Slaty-backed Forktail. We’ll also have the chance to add a few more forest birds, perhaps including Pin-tailed Pigeon, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Crimson Sunbird, or Spot-winged Grosbeak. Overnight at Thaton Riverview Resort.
Day 21: We’ll make a very early morning start for Doi Lang, where a steep blacktop road enables us to attain over 6,500 feet in elevation. We’ll bird mostly along the roadside forest edge, which allows for spectacular views over a steep scarp sloping away across the border into the Burmese hills to the north and west. Crested Finchbills, which are scarce on Doi Ang Khang, usually abound on Doi Lang. Other species for which we’ll be searching include Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Black-throated Tit, Whiskered Yuhina, White-bellied Redstart, and, if we are very lucky, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Spotted Wren Babbler, Golden Bush Robin, Fire-tailed Sunbird, and Scarlet Finch. We’ll have all day on the mountain, with a picnic lunch, before we return to Thaton Riverview Resort for the night.
Day 22: We’ll have time for early morning birding in the marshy plains around Thaton, followed by the three-hour drive back to Chiang Mai for our late afternoon flight back to Bangkok.
Day 23: The tour concludes this morning in Bangkok.
Updated: 03 April 2008
Prices
- 2009 price not yet available.
Notes
Main Tour: maximum group size 14 with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the main tour irrespective of group size. Gurney’s Pitta Extension: maximum group size 6 with Jon Dunn and local guides as leaders.