Baan Maka

Common Kingfisher Baan Maka Kaeng Krachan

Wednesday morning we checked out of Cha-am and decided to head towards Kaeng Krachan and check out Baan Maka resort just outside the park. We had only intended to have a look around and get a bite to eat, but were so impressed by the place we decided to stay over night. It was great choice, it was a very friendly, clean resort with some excellent if spicy Thai food and plenty of birds in the grounds.

Bungalow Baan Maka Kaeng Krachan

Garden Baan Maka Kaeng Krachan

View from Baan Maka Kaeng Krachan

With the national park not opening until next month, birding yesterday evening and this morning was confined to the resort grounds and surrounds. Though nothing special was noted, best birds included at least three Pale-legged Leaf Warblers, three Large Scimiter Babblers, six Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, two Vernal Hanging Parrots, Racket-tailed Treepie, five Oriental Pied Hornbill, a dozen Red Junglefowl, male Eastern Marsh Harrier, Yellow Bittern and 80 Ashy Minivets over. At least 20 Taiga Flycatchers were present around the resort, along with half a dozen Black-naped Oriole, many Two-barred and Yellow-browed Warblers, Hoopoe, Crested Treeswifts, Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds, Little Spiderhunter, 80 Blue-tailed Bee-eater and ten Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike. Also recorded were Crested Serpant Eagle, Shikra, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-naped Monarch, Ashy, Spangled and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Brown Shrike, Black-capped and Common Kingfisher, White-rumped Shama, Green-billed Malkoha and Asian Fairy Bluebird.

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Baan Maka
Kaeng Krachan

The garden and lake were also excellent for butterflies and especially dragonflies a few of which I managed to identify including Fulvous Forest Skimmer Neurothemis fulvia, Common Picture Wing Rhyothemis variegata and Yellow-banded Skimmer Pseudothemis jorina.

Fulvous Forest Skimmer Neurothemis fulvia
Baan Maka Kaeng Krachan