Jon Dunn on his late winter tour to Thailand

This year’s tour, including the extension, recorded 467 species.  Highlights on the main tour included three species of pheasants, including a female Hume’s, good views of multiple foraging Rufous-throated and Mountain Bamboo Partridges four broadbills, three hornbills, a Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, an adult Besera perched for over an hour, a close standing Eurasian Woodcock, Giant Nuthatch, and three Limestone Wren Babblers.  We also had a number of uncommon to rare winter visitants including Ultramarine and Mugimaki  Flycatcher (males), an adult male Red-flanked Bluetail side-by-side with an adult male Himalayan Bluetail, Golden Bush Robin, White-throated Rock Thrush (male), Chestnut Thrush, and a Fire-tailed Sunbird.  We also had an Asian Elephant.

On the extension we managed to see three Spoon-billed Sandpipers and fifty Nordmann’s Greenshanks along with both Malaysian and the re-discovered White-faced Plovers.  In all (including the main tour) we recorded 46 species of shorebirds.  A Collared Pratincole (with Oriental Pratincoles) and a Bay-backed Shrike, both stakeouts, were firsts for Thailand and Southeast Asia.  Scarce gulls included Black-tailed and Great Black-headed (Pallas’s).  At Kaeng Krachan National Park and vicinity we had a fine variety of woodpeckers, including Great Slaty, five species of broadbills, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, and Kalij Pheasant, and Bar-backed and Scaly-breasted Partridges along with a single male Blue Pitta.  Mammals were numerous and included Dusky and Banded Langurs, Fea’s Muntjac, Binturong, Masked Palm Civet and a briefly seen Yellow-throated Marten.

Eurasian Woodcock 

Himalayan Bluetail

Collared Pratincole

Silver-breasted Broadbill

Black-backed Kingfisher

Gray-rumped Treeswift

Bar-backed Partridge

A field lunch