Lost with Black-headed Woodpeckers

On Tuesday afternoon we headed around 40 kilometers inland from Cha-am, to the dry forest around Khao Luk Chang, though the number of birds in the area were few it did not take long to find the first of four Red-breasted Parakeets. Whilst following a trail through the forest we flushed a Spotted Owlet and saw several Greater Racket Tailed Drongo and two Rufous Treepie. We were hoping to find Black-headed Woodpecker, after around an hour we eventually heard tapping coming from a woodpecker somewhere off the trail, so we left the trail and eventually heard and had very poor views of two Black-headed Woodpecker as they flew away. We headed back towards the trail but after 20 minutes it was clear that somehow we had missed it and had no idea where we were or where the car was!. With only an hours worth of light left and a slight concern beginning to set in we pushed on in what we though was the right direction and found another pair of Black-headed Woodpeckers right in front of us. Eventually we emerged out of the forest onto a track but still had no idea in which direction to head, we eventually flagged down a passing motorbike and with a combination of my broken Thai and a quick phone call to the wife we were pointed in the right direction and thankfully eventually found the car.

Red Junglefowl

Also seen in the area were five Red Junglefowl, 3 Hoopoe, 4 Racket-tailed Treepie, Purple Sunbird, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and 5 Olive-backed Pipit.