Doi Inthanon National Park

Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker 

Doi Inthanon

We spent the two and half days birding in Doi Inthanon National Park Jan 17th-19th, we largely concentrated on two main areas, we had two morning sessions around the summit marsh and adjacent forest, despite it being incredibly busy and noisy we managed some excellent birds. In addition to the previous mentioned Brambling, best birds here were Eurasian Woodcock, Dark-sided Thrush, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, White-browed Shortwing, Pallas's Warbler, Black-eared Shrike Babbler, at least one male Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker and a dozen Common Rosefinch. Common species included many Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Dark-backed Sibia, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Ashy-throated and Davison's Leaf Warbler, at least 50 Gould's and a dozen Green-tailed Sunbird.

Green-tailed Sunbird

Doi Inthanon

We also spent a considerable amount of time birding around the second checkpoint, alongside the road beyond and the jeeptrack. There were always plenty of birds around, with several Golden-throated Barbet, a Large Hawk Cuckoo, 3 Asian Emerald Cuckoo, 3 Maroon Oriole, both Black-billed and Yellow-billed Blue Whistling Thrush, at least 40 Eye-browed Thrush, Little Pied Flycatcher, 4 Large Niltava, 5 Rufous-bellied Niltava, 2 Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, 6 Yellow-cheeked Tit, 4 Striated Bulbul, 2 Slaty-bellied Tesia with many calling birds early mornings, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, many calling Pygmy Wren Babbler, Golden and Grey-throated Babbler, 4 Blue-winged Minla, 5 Spectacled Barwing, two Rufous-backed Sibia and a Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler. Also impressive were the huge numbers of Davison's Leaf Warblers present in forest around the area, with large feeding flocks regularly encounted and calling birds everywhere. 

Plumbeous Water Redstart
Doi Inthanon

White-capped Water Redstart
Doi Inthanon

On the way down the mountain, we made several stops at various waterfalls and added both White-capped  and Plumbeous Water Redstart to the trips list and enjoyed incredible views down to a few feet of three Scaly/White's Thrush.With the campsite ponds looking more like a construction site there was no sight or sound of any Black-tailed Crakes.

Scaly/White's Thrush

Doi Inthanon

All videos courtesy of Uthai Cheummarung www.chiangmaibirding.com

Peafowl and Parakeets

On the 16th we left Chiang Dao and headed towards Doi Inthanon National Park, on the way we stopped at Hua Hong Krai Royal Project just outside Chiang Mai to look for Green Peafowl. Very soon after arriving we located two male Green Peafowl just outside the small zoo, as soon as they saw us one sprinted off into the forest, whilst the other flew across the nearby lake. Additional birds in the forest included a male Hainan Blue Flycatcher, several Greater-racket Tailed Treepie and Black-naped Monarch.  High over one of the lakes was a group of 8 Black Baza and a displaying Crested Serpent Eagle.

After an excellent lunch in Chiang Mai we headed to Doi Inthanon National Park and checked into the very average Touch Star Resort, from where we headed to the nearby Blossom-headed Parakeet roost. After 30 minutes we had heard several and one of the group had seen two zip over, but at around 530pm we located a small group settled in distant trees, over the next 30 minutes numbers swelled to at least 20 before all disappeared to roost. Also in the area was a single Eastern Buzzard, Rufous-winged Buzzard, two distant Collared Falconets, 4 Rufous Treepie, 5 Linneated Barbets, 50 Striated Swallow, Hoopoe, White-rumped Shama and at least 9 Purple Sunbirds in a flowering tree.

Brambling

Whilst at Doi Inthanon, Uthai found two Brambling a male and female on the summit marsh on the 17th and 18th Jan despite huge number of noisy visitors around the boardwalk, both birds fed quietly just a few feet away. Our driver and fellow birder Uthai Cheummarung of www.chiangmaibirding.com was also lucky enough to take the above video, perhaps the first ever film of Brambling in Thailand. The two birds represent just the 5th or 6th record of Brambling in Thailand.

Gould's Sunbirds

Brown Shrike
Chiang Dao
by Michael Rooney

On Jan 15th we spent the day birding around the DYK sub station at Chiang Dao, with all the cherry trees in blossom around the campsite there were plenty of birds around including at least 15 stunning Gould's Sunbirds. The same trees also held at least 12 Orange-bellied Leafbirds and many fast feeding flocks of Japanese and Chestnut-flanked White-eye.

First birds of the morning were two Giant Nuthatch, with birds seen almost continuously during the morning including one singing male in cherry trees around the campsite and probably 7 different birds seen during the day. Other notable sightings included calling Mountain Bamboo Partridge, three Slender-billed Orioles, 40 Cook's Swifts, 150 Indochinese Swiftlet, Burmese Shrike, Grey-backed Shrike, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, 15 Grey Treepie, Long-tailed and Grey-chinned Minivet, three White-bellied Redstart, Grey Bushchat, 200 Black Bulbuls (in one flowering tree), Buff-throated Warbler, Pallas's and Sulphur-breasted Warbler, 3 Blyth's Shrike Babbler, 4 Blue-winged Minla, 12 Common Rosefinch and 8 Chestnut Bunting.

Forest and Paddie Birding

Ashy Bulbul
Doi Cum Fa

On Sunday Jan 13th, we spent the morning and early afternoon birding along the lower stretches of the jeep track at Doi Cum Fa. It did not take long for us to hear and then briefly see two Giant Nuthatch. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch were everywhere with at least a twenty seen, also common were Japanese and Chestnut-flanked White-eyes with large flocks feeding in fruiting trees. In the same fruiting trees were good numbers of bulbuls including Ashy, Mountain, Black and Flavescent. One large and fast moving feeding flock contained at least 20 Grey-headed Parrotbills, Black-winged Cuckooshrike and many Grey-cheeked Fulvetta. Woodpeckers included several Grey-capped and Stripe-breasted, a Rufous and two calling Bay. Many Hair-crested Drongo and a large flock of Chestnut-tailed Starlings were feeding in flowering trees.

Also present were Green-legged Partridge, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Crested Serpent Eagle, Orange-bellied Leafbird, three Grey-backed Shrike, Grey Treepie, Davison's Leaf Warbler and Black-throated Sunbird.

White Wagtail
Chiang Dao Rice Paddies

On the way back to Chiang Dao we had a look around the rice paddies south of Chaing Dao, with one lot of rice recently harvested, the paddies being ploughed and flooded there was huge numbers of White Wagtails present with at least 400 recorded. All the usual suspects were present including 9 Grey-headed Lapwing, half a dozen Wire-tailed Swallow along with a Kestrel, three Black-collared Starling, four Little Ringed Plover, Eastern Stonechat, Pied Bushchat, Paddyfield and Richard's Pipit.

Wedge-tailed Pigeons

Red-whiskered Bulbul
Chiang Dao
Still a common bird around Chiang Dao
but declining across much of Thailand due to trapping

Between Jan 11th and 16th we spent five nights at Chiang Dao, during when we spent some time birding around Wat Tham Pha Plong and along the road to Muang Khong. Best birds were a large flock of 28 Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons feeding in fruiting trees around 10 kilometers past the checkpoint, probably the largest flock of this species I have ever seen. The were plenty of birds along the higher parts of the Checkpoint Road including several Grey-capped Pygmy and Stripe-breasted Woodepckers, Blue-eared and Blue-throated Barbets, two Grey-backed Shrike, Slender-billed Oriole, Long-tailed and Grey-chinned Minivet, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Hill Blue Flycatcher and Grey Tit.

Birding around the Wat was pretty slow but did include Green-legged Partridge calling from at least five locations, the tame Silver Pheasant, Bay Woodpecker, Drongo Cuckoo, calling Emerald Ground Dove, Asian Fairy Bluebird and several Grey-crowned Warbler.

The heat of the day and one morning was spent birding around Malee Nature Lover Bungalow, where a large clump of seeding bamboo always contained plenty of birds including an obliging male Chestnut Bunting, a Grey Crowned Warbler, several large flocks of Japanese White-eyes and numerous bulbuls. Birds overhead included a a Rufous-winged Buzzard, Crested Serpant Eagle and many Striated Swallows, but as usual during the colder winter months no Crested Treeswifts.    

Kaeng Krachan

White-fronted Scops Owl
Kaeng Krachan

Between Jan 7th-11th we spent four nights at Baan Makka resort just outside Kaeng Krachan National Park, whilst in the park we spent a day birding around the streams, another day along the road to Panom Teung and around the campsite and a morning along the lower sections of the entrance road. 

Tickell's Hornbill
Kaeng Krachan

Best birds included 4 Great Slaty Woodpecker, 6 Great Hornbill, 4 Tickell's Hornbills, two Wreathed Hornbills, Red-headed Trogon, 2 White-fronted Scops Owl, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, 2 Dusky Broadbill, 4 Rachet-tailed Treepie, Silver Oriole, male Mugimkai Flycatcher, 4 Hill Myna, 2 Golden-crested Myna, 2 Sulpur-breasted Warbler, 5 Black-throated Laughingthrush,  four Spot-necked Babbler and 2 Collared Babbler.  

Great Hornbill
Kaeng Krachan

Commoner species also seen included Laced Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker, Orange-breasted Trogon, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Violet Cuckoo, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Collared Owlet, Emerald Dove, Short-billed Minivet, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Chesnut-tailed Starlings, Sultan Tit, Lesser and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Blyth's Shrike Babbler and Straited Yuhina.  

Oriental Pied Hornbill
Baan Makka

Species seen in the garden at Baan Makka inlcuded several Red Junglefowl, a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbill, Banded Bay Cuckoo (feeding on the ground), many Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Brown Boobok, Collared Scops Owl, Racket-tailed Treepie, Black-hooded Oriole and Ruby-cheeked Sunbird.

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Baan Makka

One afternoon we spent between 230pm and 620pm in Lung Sin hide over looking an artificial waterhole just outside the park, though none of the hoped for crakes or pittas appeared, there was always plenty of birds on show all down to just a few meters, including 6 Green-legged Partridge, 4 Bar-backed Partridge, 3 Red Junglefowl, Black-naped Monarchs, Orange-headed Ground Thrush, 6 Tickell's Blue Flycatchers, 8 Siberian Blue Robins, a Large Scimiter Babbler, a mixed flock of 20 Lesser and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, several Abbott's and Puff-throated Babblers.

Asian Brown Flycatcher
Kaeng Krachan