Thailand; Day 6 - Chiang Dao

   Our only full day in Chang Dao was spent at the nearby monastery, just a short walk up the road from our accommodation. The actual temple itself was up a flight of apparently 500 stairs, but this passed through some stunning forest, and this was where the birding was done. We spent the early morning birding around the lodge, and while there were a few nice birds, there was nothing that we had not seen already.

  Once in the temple grounds, we quickly started to see birds. Although there were a lot of stairs, because we were moving slowly we did not exhaust ourselves going up and we picked up birds along the way. We started with a nice Great Iora in the canopy above us, followed by Black-hooded Oriole and our first of the brilliant White-throated Fantails, although we would see more during the day. Continuing up the mountain, we also had a nice Pale Blue Flycatcher and our first Hornbills of the trip, with a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills passing over us as we hiked. Once we reached the top we had probably the bird of the morning with a stunning Violet Cuckoo which showed nicely despite the strong midday sun. Despite the heat, on our way down we added a few more species with a nice Velvet-fronted Nuthatch.

  After lunch the team headed off to a nearby wetland but I decided to stay behind and return again to the monastery forest. Obviously the forest was quieter but there were still a few nice birds. The highlight was walkaway views of Streaked Wren-Babbler, which were incredibly confiding and frequently scuttled along next to the path. There was also a nice Streaked Spiderhunter, although high up in the canopy, and Blue Rock-Thrush was a good trip tick.

  I stuck around until after dark to try to find some owls, and was able to find a Mountain Scops Owl near the summit which was a new species for me. The other species I tried did not come in or respond to the tape, but at least four other species were singing during the two hours I spent searching.

  The undoubted highlight of the evening was an unbelievable Indochinese Flying Squirrel. I was simply scanning the canopy for something when a shape flew through the light. Assuming this would be an owl, and quite pleased about this, I followed it to where it landed, upon which it became clear that it was in fact not an owl, or even a bird, but a Squirrel. It then scuttled up the tree it was in and began to feed on the abundant figs growing off the trunk. Unfortunately it had a strong aversion to the light, and it was very difficult to get photos of them. 

Species List:
Chiang Dao: Spotted Dove, Violet Cuckoo, Himalayan Swiftlet, Chinese Pond Heron, Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Mountain Scops Owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Brown Boobook, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Peregrine Falcon, Black-hooded Oriole, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Common Iora, Great Iora, White-throated Fantail, Ashy Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Eastern Jungle Crow, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Common Tailorbird, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Barn Swallow, Striated Swallow, Puff-throated Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, Streaked Wren-Babbler, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, White-rumped Shama, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Blue Whistling Thrush, Taiga Flycatcher, Blue Rock Thrush, Black-throated Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Blue-winged Leafbird, Golden-fronted Leafbird, White-rumped Munia, Grey Wagtail, Olive-backed Pipit, 

Thailand; Day 5 - Doi Inthanon National Park & Chiang Dao

  For our final day in Doi Inthanon National Park we birded the dry forests at the bottom of the mountain on the Mueang Ang KM13 road, a less birdy area but with a different composition of species than those we had seen at the top of the mountain. We unfortunately arrived late, having spent some time around the Motho Homestay with a few birds such as a Blue-winged Leafbird and Small-billed Minivet visiting the trees around the house.

  Once we started birding along the road, we picked up a few bits but it was generally quite slow going. The standout bird was a stunning pair of Black-naped Monarch which showed nicely in the adjacent forests. Otherwise most of our attention was spent on the good numbers of raptors that passed over, including Crested Goshawk, Crested Honey Buzzard and Crested Serpent Eagle, a full house of crested raptors. A distant Collared Falconette was also nice, but was a struggle even with the scope. Around lunchtime we found another area slightly further along the trail which was a bit wetter, and here we added more birds including Golden-fronted Leafbird, Black-headed Bulbul and Pin-striped Tit-Babbler.

  With the temperature already hot, we started our three-hour drive north to the town of Chang Dao where we would spend the next couple of days. We arrived at our next hostel, Malee’s Nature Lovers Bungalows, early evening and were delighted to find that it had a raised balcony where we could scan the nearby woodland. Although it was late, we had our first Stripe-faced Bulbul and Sooty-headed Bulbuls, both common species but new for us. Whilst visiting a nearby restaurant we had our first Asian Fairy Bluebird come to visit us.

  At night we had our first serious session out looking for owls, after we were informed of a few nice species in the area. In two and a half hours we had some excellent success, with brilliant views of Brown Boobook near the entrance to the wildlife sanctuary, and a Collared Scops Owl on the road to the nearby monastery. The Scops Owl proved especially problematic, and it took us some time before we actually managed to see the bird. However, once we did it showed nicely for all of us. It is always a good feeling when an owl session produces the goods. 

Species List:
Doi Inthanon National Park: Spotted Dove, Green-billed Malkoha, Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, Crested Treeswift, Chinese Pond Heron, Crested Honey Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Asian Barred Owlet, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, Ashy Woodswallow, Black Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Barn Swallow, Black-headed Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, White-rumped Shama, Taiga Flycatcher, Purple Sunbird, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Grey Wagtail,
Chiang Dao: Spotted Dove, Himalayan Swiftlet, Black-crowned Night Heron, Collared Scops Owl. Brown Boobook, Striated Swallow, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Verditer Flycatcher, Taiga Flycatcher, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Grey Wagtail, Olive-backed Pipit, 

Thailand; Day 4 - Doi Inthanon National Park

   For our second morning in Doi Inthanon National Park we birded the 34.5 kilometre trail off the main road, which was a tarmacked road through a nice area of forest. It is a popular area with birders to access the forest, and in the hours we spent there we enjoyed many mixed species flocks with a few new birds for us, such as White-browed Shrike-Babbler and Rufous-backed Sibia. We also managed to finally see the Golden-throated Barbet that has been tormenting us since we got here, with its call constantly going on in the background.

  One of the reasons we decided to bird this trail was because we were told by our friend Sam Pitt-Miller about a feeding station well down in the valley where he had seen several interesting birds for us. As such we visited the feeder with our own worms to see if we could have the same success. And we did, with Slaty-breasted Tesia, White-gorgetted Flycatcher, Himalayan Shortwing and the absolute highlight with a Pygmy Cupwing that visited twice, but on both times passed through extremely rapidly. Whilst we were waiting, we also had a small group of Spectacled Barwing pass through.

  After a lunch stop at Mr Daengs we returned to the Yee Lee resort hide we had gone to the previous day where we had enjoyed some nice birds visiting a hide overlooking a stream. Sadly, the forktails we had hoped for did not visit in the hour we spent there, and the birds we did see were all the same as the previous day. Helpfully, once again, Sam came to the rescue and tipped us off to another location to check for forktails, on the river next to the Rong Fai Fa Ban Khun Klang Restaurant where we were delighted to have a Slaty-backed Forktail showing nicely, if a little distant and always remaining wary. In addition, there was a smart White-crowned Redstart here, a stunning riverside inhabitant.

  At the end of the afternoon we decided to visit the hide complex at Rang Bon Doi, slightly lower down the mountain, and as such had a completely different species composition visiting the feeders and watering hole. Despite arriving quite late, much to the surprise of the owner, in the 90 minutes of light we enjoyed brilliant birding with a constant stream of birds passing through. Although we only recorded 10 species, each one was new for us. The highlights were a fantastic pair of Orange-bellied Leafbirds drinking from a small bamboo puddle, and a pair of White-tailed Robin which were absolutely stunning birds. Plus we had a lot of mammal activity, with Northern Treeshrew and Himalayan Striped Squirrel both making appearances. The squirrels were especially entertaining as they were ever-present and constantly chasing each other around the site. 

Species List:
Doi Inthanon National Park: Spotted Dove, Asian Palm Swift, Asian Barred Owlet, Golden-throated Barbet, Short-billed Minivet, White-browed Shrike-babbler, Clicking Shrike-babbler, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Japanese Tit, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Pygmy Cupwing, Barn Swallow, Striated Swallow, Puff-throated Bulbul, Grey-eyed Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler, Davison's Leaf Warbler, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Grey-throated Babbler, Buff-breasted Babbler, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Yunnan Fulvetta, Spectacled Barwing, Rufous-backed Sibia, Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-rumped Shama, Large Niltava, Small Niltava, Verditer Flycatcher, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Lesser Shortwing, Himalayan Shortwing, Slaty-backed Forktail, White-tailed Robin, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Taiga Flycatcher, Plumbeous Water Redstart, White-capped Redstart, Daurian Redstart, Black-throated Sunbird, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Blue-winged Leafbird, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Grey Wagtail,