Doi Ang Khang

Most of Saturday was spent at Doi Ang Khang with Kurt, my brother-in-law, Peter my nephew and Me one of the family dogs. It was not really a birding trip, the idea was to do some hiking and show Kurt some of the trails in the area, despite this I did manage to see plenty of birds including some of the Ang Khang specialities.

Flavescent Bulbuls
by Fred Rowe

We started on the trail which begins at kilometre 21, carried on along the firebreak trail and then onto the Mae Phur Valley trail and back along the road to the car, the hike included a very steep downhill section were I ended up on my backside a dozen times, followed by a paddle across a stream and then a section were I had to crawl on my hands and knees through bamboo! Birds on this section of the hike included remains of a male Silver Pheasant,3 Bay  and 2 Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Golden-throated Barbet, 2 Oriental Turtle Dove, Grey-backed Shrike, 4 Grey Treepie, 15 Long-tailed Minivet, male Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, 4 White-bellied Redstart, 2 Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Yellow-browed Tit, 7 Crested Finchbill, 15 Brown-breasted Bulbul, 4 Aberrant Bush Warbler, 5 Silver-eared Laughingthrush, 9 Blue-winged Minla and 35 Striated Yuhina.

Swallowtail Moth Lyssa macleayi
flushed from roadside trees Doi Ang Khang

After lunch we drove to the Ang Khang Pagoda and spent sometime exploring  the trails and firebreaks in the area, best birds were a male and 3 female Silver Pheasant flushed by the dog. Also seen in the area were 2 Rufous-backed Sibia, Mountain Hawk-eagle, 25 Cook's Swift and 50 Asian House Martin.

The Thai Burma Boarder Doi Ang Khang

Burmese Encampment

After a brief sightseeing visit to the Thai/Burma boarder we then walked the first part of the trail up to the Ang Khang summit (1900m) near the army camp, birds were few here but did include 5 very obliging Crimson-faced Liocichla and a big party of at least 35 Silver-eared Media.

View from main army camp

Also seen during the day was a Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Hopooe, Eastern Buzzard, Blue Whistling Thrush, many Ashy, Flavescet, Mountain and Black Bulbul, several Mountain Tailorbird, 2 Rusty-checked Scimiter Babblers, hundreds of Chestnut-flanked and Japanese White-eye, 8 Gould's Sunbird, plenty of Fire-breasted Flowerpecker and numerous Davidson's Leaf Warblers.