Thailand; Day 9 - Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park & Fang

   Having dipped out on the pheasants the previous morning, we decided to try again on our second morning and see if we would have more success this time around. Even though it required another 04:30 start, we still managed to make it up the mountain well before sunrise. This time there were a couple of birders, but most people present were Thai photographers who seemed to have a better idea of what was going on. They instructed us where to wait and explained the situation to us, rather than the chaos of the previous morning.

  We waited in suspense, but need not have worried this time, as just after sunrise the birds emerged from the vegetation and began to scrat around on the roadside verge in front of the assembled photographers hides. We were not sure how long the birds were supposed to linger, but it seems we were in for a treat today, with them lingering for a couple of hours in total giving us time to properly watch them at leisure. In total, we had five female-type birds, and a single spectacular male who was much more reluctant to show but eventually came out later in the morning.

  Satisfied with our pheasants, once the birds returned to the forest, we drove up to the Myanmar border checkpoint to try and find out last remaining target with the Scarlet-faced Liocichla. It did not look like we were to have any success, although birding the area produced other goodies such as Silver-eared Mesia and Striated Bulbul, as well as a displaying Crested Serpent Eagle. But fortunately a group of the Thai birders also came up and pointed out a feeding station for the Liocichla just down from the border post. After a short wait, the birds finally came in and showed very nicely for us.

  While we were watching the Liochichla, some of the other birders present told us about a Hodgsons Frogmouth nest further down the valley. One of them was kind enough to head down and point it out to us, giving me my first-ever encounter with this elusive nocturnal bird. The nest itself was right by the road, but it was hardly a surprise we missed it due to the phenomenal camouflage. The circumstances of our encounter meant we could watch it for an extended period at our leisure. It was already midday at this point, we had cleared up all the target birds we wanted and we were exhausted from the morning, so decided to head down the mountain and have a more relaxed afternoon.

  After lunch and a nap, we spend the cool end of the afternoon birding some nearby rice paddies to our accommodation. Although the birding was good, it was usually common species. There were our first Citrine Wagtails here, which were present in good numbers. For the last hour we found ourselves in amongst some dry fields, not on purpose, but it worked out nicely as it offered an excellent vantage point over the valley below and as such we got to catch a few birds moving in the evening. Rufous-winged Buzzard, Eastern Marsh Harrier and Racket-tailed Treepie were all new birds for me. We also enjoyed an almost murmuration by an estimated 900 Lesser Whistling Ducks in the distance, and the fields themselves were full of Richards Pipits. An excellent place to watch the sunset descend over the mountains. 

Species List:
Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park: Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant, Spotted Dove, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Cooks Swift, Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, White-browed Shrike-babbler, Grey-backed Shrike, Barn Swallow, Striated Bulbul, Crested Finchbill, Flavescent Bulbul, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Giant Nuthatch, Spectacled Barwing, Silver-eared Mesia, Scarlet-faced Liocichla, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Grey Bush Chat, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, White Wagtail, Olive-backed Pipit,
Fang Rice Paddies: Feral Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Greater Coucal, Common Moorhen, White-breasted Waterhen, Little Ringed Plover, Grey-headed Lapwing, Red-wattled Lapwing, Pin-tailed Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Chinese Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Purple Heron, Asian Green Bee-eater, Black Drongo, Brown Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Barn Swallow, Striated Swallow, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Black-collared Starling, Common Myna, Great Myna, Amur Stonechat, Pied Bush Chat, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, Richard's Pipit,