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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

South Thailand (1 Viewer)

robby thai

Well-known member
Dont know if this can be called a holiday but on the 18th of this month we are starting a trip to the South of Thailand camping for a few nights in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries on the way.

We have 18 national parks and sanctuaries on the 'to visit' list and expect to take 3 months. First stop will be Kaeng Krachan NP which is a renowned park for large mammals as well as birds.

Hope to have many photos of species that I dont see farther north, however I have no idea if or when on the trip I will have internet access but I will post a photo or three when I can.
 
Go Robby! Look forward to seeing the pics and reading the account. Kaeang Krachan is brilliant, I loved the place. Don't forget to check under the toilets in the camp site for porcupines!

Good luck

James
 
Got back from the south of Thailand Yesterday and have been sorting photos and reports all today.
Had hoped for 50 new Bird species for the trip and so far I am up to 46 birds with several mammals, lizards and many butterflies with a few photos still to sort through.

In our travels we have had the camp raided by (in ascending size) Mice, Rats, Martens, Civets, Monkeys, Porcupines, Wild Pigs and a Bear and had an Elephant walk round the tent one night, that one didnt try to steal anything

In the next few days I will do brief reports on the most interesting places we visited, with species lists.
 
Our first and last stop was at Kaeng Krachan so I will leave it till last, our next stop was at:

Huai Yang Waterfall National Park.

First impressions, clean and well maintained with a good camping area and toilets with a restaurant open most of the day. Vendors turn up during the day selling meat, fish, ice and cakes.

The track up the waterfalls is easy and well maintained, the most notable bird is Blue–winged Pita which are numerous and easily seen up to the third waterfall above that Bulbul's are dominant but difficult to ID with Blue-whistling thrush also easily seen. A notable bird was a Black Bulbul sitting on the branch of a dead tree, a bit out of it's recognised range.

There are also large rodent looking things which race around very quickly so I was unable to get a photo.
Around the camping area Indian Roller fly around as well as Barbet and Drongo.
The area across the small bridges from the camp site warrants more investigation as there is a fair bit of bird life in that area.

A problem there are dogs from the temple just down the road, I saw several wandering around on their own up around the waterfalls and when I went up to the first waterfall in the evening to see if any birds came down to bath 3 monks turned up with 10 dogs following along behind, that ensured there would be little birdlife however in spite of their presence I still saw 2 Blue Winged Pita.

A place worthy of more time than the 2 nights we spent there.

Bird list (Photos).

Green-eared Barbet,
Hoopoe
Blue-winged Pita,
Moustached Barbet
Blue-whistling Thrush,
Green-billed Malkoha
White-rumped Sharma,
Black Bulbul
Forest Wagtail
Liniated Barbet
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
Indian Roller
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
 

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Hey Robbie, think you'll find that your Black Bulbul pic is actually a Dollarbird
Great area to visit - we did Hala Bala back in 04 and it was awesome, equally as good as KK imo

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Sri Phang Nga National Park

I was keen to get to this park as I had read some great reviews of what was to be found here however what we found was not up to expectations. I had read of others seeing up to 70 bird species in a day but very few of those showed themselves for me with the only hornbills being the pair I saw flying.
For a start nowhere was it mentioned that they have an ‘office hours’ policy that you are not allowed to leave the camping ground before 8am and must return by 5pm a policy I have never seen at any other national park I have visited. This to me in unacceptable as it wastes the best 2 hours of the morning when it is cool and, arguably, bird life is at its peak.

There is a big camping ground which seems little used as we were the only ones camped there for the first 2 nights, small toilets only one of each, M&F, a long way from camp however they are clean with a western style toilet as well as Thai. The showers are the best I have seen with good water pressure.

There are two main trails to waterfalls which start about a K up the road from the camping area at a picnic, parking place where kids and big kids can slop around in the water where 2 streams converge the short trail, about 300m, to the Tam Nang Waterfall starts across a bridge on the left of the parking area, this is on the larger of the 2 streams and is quite a nice waterfall. I walked this on the afternoon we arrived, saw very little birdlife other than at a bird bathing spot at the parking area, birds there were all Bulbul of 3 or 4 species which I haven’t ID’d yet. I spent a bit of time watching and saw 2 Hornbill fly to a roost out of sight high on the hill, I then got told off for getting back to camp after 5pm.

The other trail to the Ton Dang Waterfall is longer and with more birdlife, I got photos of Chestnut-crowned Forktail and some other birds along this stream, also heard and glimpsed Bamboo Woodpecker but no photos. There is a sign 50m before the waterfall and here a short track leads to where guides have set up a feeding place for Pita. Regardless of how you feel of the ethics of feeding to attract wild birds and animals this seems to be the only realistic chance to get photos of Hooded and Banded Pita. I snuck in once the guides had left with their clients and as well as smaller birds got some good photos of the 2 species of Pita. There is a Hooded Pita that has laid claim to the place and chases away any small birds which makes it difficult to get a look at any small species.

Another trail is a steep one which branches off to the right about 50m along the Ton Dang Waterfall trail it heads steeply uphill then to the left along a ridge top to end at a fallen tree. This trail may in the past have continued on but I could find no sign of it. Ropes have been put along most of the steep part of this trail which are a help both going up and down and it appears some surveying has been done up on top as there are marker pegs with string between them and red paint on trees. This trail is through thick mature forest and allows no opportunity to see the few birds that are calling.

One more rarely used track goes to the left off the road to the parking-picnic area, it starts less than 100m from the camping ground and crosses the stream before following a small stream up to a waterfall, the last part of the track is in the stream bed and would be dangerous if there was a lot of water in the stream. By the look of the discarded PVC pipes this was at one time the camp water supply. With lots of little fish in the pools and minimal disturbance this should be ideal habitat for Forest Kingfishers but neither sight nor sound of them did I encounter, nor were there any other birds to be seen, only photos I got were of a pair of White-handed Gibbons high in the top of a tree.

I took Ying with me on the last evening up to where guides have been feeding birds and when we got to the short track to the feeding spot a Banded Pita followed us apparently looking for food, it hopped around in front of us, it was very tame and at one stage Ying was walking around following it taking pictures with both her camera and her phone, a Hooded Pita also turned up briefly.

I know from experience that guides have to provide clients with what they pay for but have to question the practice of getting birds (or animals) to the stage of expecting food and possibly relying on being fed. There is probably only one Banded Pita and one Hooded Pita that is using that feeding station as that is all we saw.

No large animal sign at all other than primates, Dusky Langur and Gibbons. Not as many squirrels as most other places but I did get a photo of a Common Tree Shrew.
Bird List.

Grey-headed Pygmy Woodpecker
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Banded Pita
Hooded Pita
Spectacled Bulbul
Grey-bellied Bulbul
Ochraceous Bulbul
Black-crested Bulbul
Brown Shrike
Grey-backed Shrike
Pacific Swallow
Paddyfield Pipit
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
 

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Khao Sok National Park.
First impressions, staff not so friendly, not happy we wanted to camp as “Tourists” are supposed to stay at their bungalows or one of the many resorts, eat at restaurants and hire guides. Camping site a disaster area, not going to attempt to put up a tent in that mess so we went to the other side of the road where there was a little grass but the ground is very stony and almost impossible to get a tent peg all the way in.

The so called ‘narrow trail’ is a series of deteriorating concrete staircases which leads to a stream with a swing bridge with a sign “Closed for repair”, even the sign is in need of repair , and this sign on the trail :


There is a trail which continues on the other side of the bridge which I presumed was the trail that continued to the waterfall but as I had seen very little bird life I turned round and headed back to camp.

Next day I tried the other trail which is in fact a road that goes for 7km and which follows the river with side tracks to the river which mostly go to swimming spots or are loops where the guides take their clients to walk in the forest.

Down a side track a bit over a kilometer down the road by a sign telling of bamboo there is what appears to be a Broadbill nest under construction so I hung around and was rewarded by the sight of a pair of Red and Black Broadbill presumably the owners of the nest, unfortunately not very good photos due to a misty morning .

When I went back the next morning hoping to get better photos the broadbill did not appear but instead a Chestnut-naped Forktail hopped into sight for a brief photo OP and a Wallace’s Hawk Eagle landed in a tree across the stream for a long range shot.

On both days I carried on to a sign pointing to Wing Hin Waterfall about two and a half KM down the road, never did see the waterfall but there is some interesting trees at the river crossing which were attracting small birds which I was able to get some photos of.

I have since heard from annoyed tourists that there is a ranger station about half a kilometer farther down that road where anyone who has not hired a guide is charged 1000 baht if they want to walk any farther. There is nothing to tell of this before you get there and that charge is causing a lot of resentment, fortunately I didn’t go that far.

Bird List:

Wallace’s Hawk Eagle,
Red and Black Broadbill
Blue-winged Leafbird,
Abbott’s Babbler
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter,
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Chestnut-naped Forktail,
Brown-throated Sunbird
Olive-backed Sunbird,
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
 

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Klong Phanom National Park

There was very little information about this park anywhere on the internet, the only thing I could find was that it had been a hideout for communists back in the sixties so we had to do everything by touch.

The HQ about is 100m off the main road (401) at the 21km milestone east of Khao Sok NP.

First impressions, great setting flanked by 2 massive rock pillers, good place to camp around the helicopter pad, staff friendly and very helpful, they don’t get many foreigners, boss speaks a little English, toilets clean and well maintained, there is a restaurant area where we charge batteries and I wrote a few things on the laptop but no food service.

There is a 2km nature trail starting from behind the HQ that leads to a big tree, there are also other access points 3 of which we explored. This is a little visited Park with great potential and I recommend it to anyone who plans to be in the area. There were what I would call ‘civilisation’ birds around the HQ like Common Myna and Magpie Robin plus some others on ripe bananas and a flowering tree up behind the staff houses as well as a pair of interesting little striped Squirrels racing around in the trees above our camp.

We were taken to what is called Bamboo on a 4WD track through rubber and palm oil plantations and into the forest they then showed us the start of the trail. They told us that no foreigner had been to that place for 13 years. We didn’t get to the Bamboo place as we lost the track on top of the ridge but we had another go a few days later after getting farther directions from staff this time we failed even to get to the start of the track up the hill as there had been heavy rain and even in 4WD the track proved too slippery so we walked the last 200m to where we had parked the previous time. I did however get some bird photos and information from a lady working in a palm oil plantation, she told us that 20 years ago there were lots of animals in the area including Tigers and Bears but now everything is gone.

We spent 2 nights in a comfortable rental house at Klong Boon Naak ranger station No 2, it is a ranger station 5km up a road about 10km back towards Khao Sok. The road gets progressively worse and the last stream crossing is definitely 4WD territory. The place is on a stream that comes from the forest, it is possible to camp there but we chose to leave our tent set up at the HQ.

I walked a fair way up the stream and up a track that led to the ridge top, difficult to see birds in the thick forest but I could hear calls of Great Aegus farther along the ridge and came across a patch about 6m X 3m that had been cleared of leaves which I presumed is a display area, I sat down and watched with soap,emm, hope in my soul for a time but no birds turned up.

There are Chestnut-Naped Forktail and kingfishers in the stream, got photos of the Forktail but all I saw of the Kingfishers was them in fast flight past me, other birds seen were Bulbul and sunbirds. For anyone seriously wanting to track down Great Argus this might just be a very good place to look.

We then moved on to Nam Tok Ton Yai ranger station No 3 which due to a misunderstanding I had thought was the access to the old communist area but that it turns out is from the HQ area via the big tree track.

We only stayed one night as there are limited tracks and unlimited leaches. I still managed to get good photos of both male and female Crimson-breasted Flowerpeckers, new species for me, on a fruiting tree where we stayed.

If you are in the area don’t by-pass this one.

Bird List.

Brown-streaked Flycatcher
Brown-throated Flycatcher
Brown-throated Sunbird
Chestnut-napped Forktail
Common Lora
Common Myna
Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter
Magpie Robin
Puff-throated Babbler
Rufous-bellied Swallow
Greater Green Leafbird
Spotted Dove
White-rumped Sharma
Streak-eared Bulbul
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Seen but no photos
Cinnamon Bittern
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
 

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Khao Phanom Bencha National Park

Again almost no information on this Park, It was not easy to find as it is poorly signposted, you have to look for signs that point to ‘Huai To Waterfall, park is 20km from the main road.

First impressions, clean and very green with a good big camping area and western style toilets although no showers as we know them only the Thai version. There is a restaurant and snack shop with signs and menu in Thai and English. They have something of an obsession with clearing away every last fallen leaf and on our last morning there I counted 10 ladies with brooms sweeping the ground and picking up leaves.

There is a nature trail and a track to the waterfall which join up way up the top of the waterfall track. Don’t recommend anyone has a go at climbing up from the waterfall as what isn’t vertical is overhanging both on the way up and down the nature trail, well yes that’s an exaggeration but you get the message, don’t do it. The bottom part of the Nature Trail (from 1. to 8 on the map) is through nice forest and there are some birds but not much farther up. Most of the birdlife seems to be around the camping area and buildings, a pleasant place to camp but not a lot of birdlife.

Saw an interesting Squirrel around the camping area and by the waterfall toilets that I have never seen before, red belly with a white stripe on either side of the belly and a red tip on the tail.

Bird List.

Black-headed Bulbul
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Blue-winged Pita
Magpie Robin
Ocrhraceous Bulbul
Scaly-breasted Munia
White-throated Kingfisher
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
 

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Khao Pu - Khao Ya National Park

Not an easy place to find as it is poorly signposted, we arrived at this park just before dark after calling at Khao Pra Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary and finding it closed, got the tent up and slept.

First impressions, looks good with western style toilets but no showers but I have the technology to counter that, toilets are a bit far from where we camped but not a problem really. Obviously no rain here for some time as the place is very dry.

First morning I headed up a nature trail which starts a s a concrete road then as a series of concrete staircases past a huge cliff that looks as if it could fall on your head at any time, the stairs end at a ridge top and a short track to the right and some sharp rocks that overlook some fruiting trees with a dead tree on the left that were well populated with birds which turned out to be mostly barbet’s and bulbuls.

A bit of an effort to climb all the way up but well worth it from my prospective as I ended up with 3 new bird species and a don’t know for the morning. Next morning I headed back to the same place and although most of the fruit had been eaten from the trees the birds were still around although mostly the same species, I was able to add a Banded Woodpecker to the list.

Went again the next morning but even fewer birds, but a flight of hornbills landed in the top of some tall trees above me then when I moved they flew off giving me a brief glimpse of 5 birds as they passed a gap in the trees, not a good enough look to be able to tell the species but it does prove hornbill are in the park.

Took Ying up to have a look at the cliff in the afternoon and we saw a bird that I at first thought may be a honey guide as the cliff is full of beehives but no such luck for it looks to be some kind of thrush with long slim wings that make it look like a swallow or swift when in flight, decided it is a juvenile Blue Rock Thrush.

Had a large bird fly over our camp and land briefly in a tree for a very poor photo, I saw another the same when I walked up cave road on the morning we moved on and managed to get enough of a photo to ID it as a Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, another new species for me.

This is quite an exciting place that is rarely visited by birders and deserves farther exploration, several times I heard what sounded like pita alarm calls but as the undergrowth is very thick was unable to see the birds. One of the staff told us that this is the only place in Thailand where Blythe’s Frogmouth can still be found, whether that’s true or not I don’t know.

No large animals in the park but saw a troop of Long-tailed Macaques and 4 small ground animals, again no photos.

There are two main trails, the one to the cliff-top and the other to the cave which is a concrete road with another track through the forest. There is an indistinct side track at the 2300 marker which heads off to the left (on the way up) I followed it for a couple of hundred meters and it heads up a valley into the forest, if we had stayed longer I would have followed it to see where it went but we had planned to leave the morning I saw it and as there was a celebration on that day to mark 25 years since the establishment of the park and lots of people arriving we decided to move on.

If you are ever in the area don’t bypass this one as it is full of barbet and has great potential to produce hard to find southern species

Bird List

Brown Barbet
Red-throated Barbet
Banded Woodpecker
Streaked Wren Babbler
Magpie Robin
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Blue-whistling Thrush
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha
Blue Rock Thrush
 

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Thaleban National Park

Stayed 20-26 May 2016

Not a good start as the man on the gate ‘forgot’ to give tickets, Ying realised this when she got back to the car and went back and got them, she had one word “corruption” as the ticket stubs are the only record of entry money being paid without them the cash can just vanish, the tickets are also our record of having paid. Next we were told there had been a lot of rain every day so it would be best to put up the tent in a Sala, fair enough have done it before and agree but the Sala is around 100m from the car and guess who has to carry all the gear. Toilets although good are about the same distance away but that’s not a real problem. We are also told that there are few birds about due to the wet weather, this remains to be seen also watch out for the monkeys which get into everything including the rubbish bins which are all wired and tied shut.

Place is set up for selfie taking tourists with new concrete ‘boardwalks’ and great displays of “Reserved animals” and Hornbill, also several houses for rent and another camping space close to the houses but the toilets there are in poor condition.

Had a bit of a wander round and saw very little only thing that could be heard were a lot of very noisy frogs, the next morning I walked the nature trail seeing a Chestnut-naped Forktail on the road on the way, almost no bird sound or sight on the trail but a bit of pig sign. I noticed a side track that led round the lake. I took this track later in the day and it led to a rubber and palm-oil plantation which had a bit of birdlife including Whiskered Treeswifts sitting in a dead tree.

We went up what is a road to Wang Pra ranger station (ranger station 3) which is 10km from the main road, on parts of that road we needed to use 4WD drive as the road was muddy from daily rain. We were told that we needed to have a staff member with us to walk farther into the park and we had to arrange permits at the HQ. Instead we visited the Yom Roi waterfall (ranger station 2) which is a likely area for birdlife with a Black and Yellow Broadbill nest about 4m directly above a picnic table at the entrance station.

I started putting bird photos on the computer and had several staff watching including the man who does bird research at the park and he offered to arrange permits and take up to the Wang Pra Grassland the next day. We went with him but all I will say is that we were very privileged to be given access to the area as it is something given to very few.

An interesting place that needs farther investigation, most of the birds I saw were around the camping and boardwalk area including many Black-and-yellow Broadbill which are easy to see. I was surprised there is no birdlife around or on the lake as I would have expected egrets, herons and kingfishers as there are plenty of fish present, nor were there any small birds evident in the reeds or other vegetation around the lake. One of the ladies in the restaurant told Ying that no hornbills had been seen in the HQ area for the last 10 years, we were told these birds can still be found in remoter parts of the park.

There is a restaurant in the park with both Thai and European food the park entrance is only 3km from the Malay border where there are extensive markets that are supposed to be duty free. There is another new market about 100m up the road and on the other side of the road a good Thai place to eat which will also do laundry.

Comment:
This is a park well worth visiting however when visiting this park you should be aware of local politics and religion, staff are mostly Muslim and at first (rightly) suspicious of strangers. We stayed there 6 nights and after they got to know us and that we had no ulterior motives for being there they were very friendly and welcoming. The park director said that they would like to see more people there who are genuinely interested in nature and conservation.

Comment 2
Ying told the Director about not being given tickets and he thanked her and it would seem the one responsible has been moved on.

Bird List

Chestnut-naped Forktail
Whiskered Treeswift
Lesser Cuckooshrike
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
Spectacled Bulbul
Black-and-yellow Broadbill
Brown Shrike
Black-headed Bulbul
Greater Green Leafbird
Black-crested Bulbul
Grey-bellied Bulbul
Rufous-bellied Swallow
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Crested Serpent Eagle
 

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Khao Luang Naional Park

This park has several entry points the best known of which would be Mae Wong which is well worth a visit for the tourist aspect alone but as I have visited several times we gave a miss on this trip, instead we first visited the HQ area then Krung Ching.

First the HQ:
Another place that is not used to having people camp and the camping ground reflects this, toilets are Thai style but clean.

For those who like waterfalls this is the place to come as this would be the best and most accessible waterfall I have seen, you can drive within sight of the first level and the walk up to the seventh level which is concreted all the way is quite easy although there are a few steep bits, there are toilets at the first and seventh levels for those in need. Information boards along the track up to the waterfalls are very good with excellent English. Pools for swimming if you should wish.

There is a restaurant which serves Thai food and drinks and although they say there are guest houses it appears that some of these are occupied by park staff.

There is a forest trail starting at the top of a steep concrete road that leads to the accommodation it is an old logging road from many years back and links up with the waterfall trail between the sixth and seventh waterfall, it also has information boards that are worth reading although the top few have disappeared.

Quite a bit of bird activity along both trails and around the houses with Black-headed Bulbul prominent

Bird List
Scaly-breasted Bulbul
Black-headed Bulbul
Dark-necked Tailorbird
Spectacled Bulbul
Blue-winged Leafbird
Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike
Little Cormorant
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
 

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Krung Ching, Kho Luang National Park

The signs to Krung Ching Waterfall are easy to follow, the last few KM are through forest then down a hill from the helicopter pad (bus stop) to the visitor center and a spacious ‘green’ camping area with lots of bird calls and activity. Because of the daily rain we put up our tent in what is the covered dining area of the youth camp close to western style toilets but had to move out on to the grass after a couple of nights when 5 families was expected for the weekend.

There are several bungalows, or ‘Bangalows’ as the sign says these are best booked in advance on the internet as they can be full particularly on weekends and almost guaranteed to be booked on long weekends when the camping area can also be full.

We did not have to pay an entrance fee as we had already stayed at Khao Luang HQ and Krung Ching is part of the same national park. When Ying went to pay for our 6 nights camping one of the ladies ‘on duty’ was asleep and the other watching TV and they were not impressed with being disturbed, here was no receipt given for the payment and when Ying questioned them she was told they didn’t have receipts and had never had them. This is only the first time in our travels this has happened the only other time a receipt was not given immediately one was produced when asked for. I don’t mind paying when the money is accounted for and going to the park but when there is no accountability who knows where it goes.

First morning I walked back up to the helicopter pad and got some photos of Rufous-breasted Malkoha along with other birds then back down to the visitor center where there were small birds flying in and out of fruiting trees, more photos.

The waterfall is 3.7KM up a concrete path, for the first 2.5KM from the camping area the first KM is up hill and has some quite steep parts after that it is a walk in the park (forest). In the afternoon I explored up that trail for 2.2KM getting some photos of another small flock of Rufous-breasted Malkoha and a Scarlet-Rumped Trogon. I could hear hornbill in several places along the track but seeing them in the tops of tall trees was another thing.

On the way back at the 800M mark there is a large fig tree and I could hear hornbill up in its topmost branches, a flock of 5 flew out and landed briefly in another tree before flying off, too quick for me to get photos or determine the species other than to say they were not Great Hornbill.

The next morning it was very misty and we had to move camp so I didn’t stray far but still got some photos. The third morning I planned to go all the way to the waterfall and almost got there but for a series of stairs

disappearing down to the bottom of the fall and knowing I would only have to climb back up if I went down and there were almost 4KM to go back to camp I gave that bit a miss, well waterfalls aren’t my thing anyway.
The track around the fall and the stairs were paved with stone concreted in place and were a bit slippery meaning care was needed.

On the way down I met a group of 15 mountain bike riders and several others walking (it was a Sunday) one group passed me chattering just as a bird landed in a tree beside the track when they had passed I looked up and by some major miracle it was still there and I got photos of my first Red-bearded Bee Eater.

I had one more morning up the entrance road and around the camp ground and another up to the end of the concrete on the waterfall trail adding to my list of bird species every time. On the last evening Ying and I walked up to a small waterfall close to the camping area and got photos of Raffle’s Malkoha another new species for me.

Information I had got from the internet on this place is a fair bit out of date as it mentioned resting at the first Sala at about 800M but that had collapsed in a heap several years ago, the second at 2.2KM is on a lean and looks like joining the first at any time, there is a third at the waterfall which is in better condition.

The whole trail reflects neglect with all the small wooden bridges in a precarious state (being kind). The plumbing and electrical work around the camping area leaves a lot to be desired and there are also buildings in a sad state of repair that look like they are being ignored and left to fall down.

We have seen this neglect and lack of maintenance in several parks and considering the amount of work that has been done in the past it is reprehensible that things are left to deteriorate in such a way, particularly when we see park staff who could do the work needed sitting around talking and generally doing nothing all day. The toilets were not cleaned until one of the families complained and cleaning stopped when they left. However there are lots of birds there and I ended up with photos of 35 species.

I have been a bit hard on the staff for there are only 11 of them to look after the whole place, 6 of those are woman and 2 of the men stay in the visitor center at night, as Ying says the real problem is lack of a strong leader (director) to prioritise what is needed and ensure work is done.
No phone or GPS coverage.

In spite of that I would recommend the place to anyone interested in birds for there are a huge number of birds of many species present.

Bird List.

Red-throated Bee Eater
Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
Orange Bellied Flowerpecker
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Black-and-yellow Broadbill
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Red-throated Barbet
Blue-eared Barbet
Brown Barbet
Blue-winged Leafbird
Great-green Leafbird
Thick-billed Green Pigeon
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Little Spiderhunter
Spectacled Spiderhunter
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter
Long-billed Spiderhunter
White-rumped Sharma
Plaintive Cuckoo
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha
Raffle’s Malkoha
Scarlet-rumped Trogon
Black-crested Bulbul
Buff-vented Bulbul
Hairy-backed Bulbul
Ochraceous Bulbul
Scaly-breasted Bulbul
Spectacled Bulbul
Streak-eared Bulbul
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Yellow-bellied Bulbul
Grey-cheeked Bulbul
Black-headed Bulbul
Brown-throated Sunbird
 

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Thai Rom Yen National Park

We followed the GPS from Krung Ching and ended up on a track through the forest that degenerated into a real 4WD challenge with deep ruts and mud holes that requiring creeping along in first-low 4WD and took us 3 hours for the 45KM, Advise for anyone traveling between these parks, go via Surat Thani and follow the signs to Dat Fah Waterfall some of which are only in Thai.

A good size camping and parking area, we camped up top in front of the food area but had to park down below. Thai style toilets with good showers but there are western style toilets in a bamboo building below the main toilets, intermittent phone and GPS coverage that can’t be relied on. Friendly staff but not telling where the best bird spots are but they will guide you for 500b. No thanks I will explore on my own. Snacks and drinks are available but food is only cooked on long weekends and holidays when there are a lot of visitors to the waterfalls.

The bird numbers were so high at Krung Ching that this place seemed a bit of a let-down however one fantastic experience made up for the lesser numbers. First photo OP was a Chestnut-breasted Malkoha then later at the third waterfall a pair of White-crowned Hornbill were defending a nest hole against a determined Blythe’s Hawk Eagle. The eagle would land on a branch of a tall tree on the opposite side of the stream from the nest hole and the hornbill would fly at it and chase it off this happened repeatedly while I watched the show and tried to get photos. Although there were many bird calls most of the other birds I got photos of were feeding on one small fruiting tree.

Where we stayed is ranger station No 6 of Tai Rom Yen NP which is Dat Fah Waterfall there is a limited area up the waterfall stream so we had a look at another entry to the park at Khamin cave 17KM down the road but as they wanted 400b for entry and we didn’t really want to look at a cave so we turned round and headed back.

One afternoon we visited Ranger Station No 8, 22KM from Dat Fah which is a Princess Chulabhorn project and it looked a great place to stay and to see birds and possibly other wildlife as we were told that elephants regularly walk the roads there. The place is quite high up with several concrete roads and some great views of the surrounding area. It is little visited because it has never been publisised. The lady at the gate was very welcoming and told us we could camp anywhere as long as the staff knew where we were. There are also houses for rent for 500b per night and we could get food cooked for us if we wanted.

We went back the next morning, gate open at 9am, and got photos of some birds on a couple of fruiting trees near the accommodation and a Black-thighed Falconet on a dead tree at the Princesses residence at the top of the hill. We decided to have a night in one of the houses as our last night in that park so made the arrangements with the staff.

Next morning we packed up at the waterfall and headed to the house we would stay in which had a double bed and 3 singles and a good toilet and shower.
A crested Serpent Eagle posed on a power pole for us on the way in and most of the other birds I got photos of were on the same fruiting trees we saw previously.
One of the senior rangers there is keen on birds and knows their Thai names he was very helpful as was his wife who cooked us a meal, did our laundry and sent us on our way with a basket of vegetables from her garden.

Next morning there was a real symphony of birdcalls and across from the house we stayed in a Crimson-winged Woodpecker was working on extracting breakfast from the trunk of a tall tree, drongos were flying around and bulbuls and leafbirds were feeding on the fruiting trees.

There is plenty of potential for anyone interested in exploring this park farther however we only stayed 4 nights at the waterfall and one in the house then moved on.

Bird list.

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Red-throated barbet
Ochraceous Bulbul
Black-crested Bulbul
Blythe’s Hawk Eagle
White-crowned Hornbill
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha
Greater Green Leafbird
Blue-winged Leafbird
Black-thighed Falconet
Grey-cheeked Bulbul
Lesser Green Leafbird
Common Lora
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
Crested Serpent Eagle
Magpie Robin
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
Red-eyed Bulbul
Crimson-winged Woodpecker
Brown barbet
 

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Keang Krachan NP

First and last stops Keang Krachan NP

I guess I don’t need to describe this place those who have been there will know it and those who haven’t can find plenty of information here: https://www.thainationalparks.com/kaeng-krachan-national-park

So a brief ‘what we did’, first stop: We had planned on 4 nights at Ban Krang and then another 4 at Phanoen Tung. After the first night at Ban Krang which was a Monday we were told that Phanoen Tung was likely to be crowded over the coming weekend and it would be better if we stayed there on weekdays. We took this advice and moved up on the Tuesday morning and moved back down Saturday morning. Our second visit on the way home we spent camped at Ban Krang and I drove up the road from there on 2 mornings.

Although there had been rain before we arrived the place was still very dry in the forest. On the way back in spite of daily showers it seemed even drier with less water in the streams. The place, as do most forests in Thailand, needs some weeks of heavy rain to see it over the winter and the next dry season.

It is 15 kilometers up a one way rough road from Ban Krang to Phanoen Tung that requires 4WD in places, as it is only a single lane road there are set times when you can go up and down. There can be birds seen in many places along this road and sometimes mammals, a couple of places are notable as they often produce birds. At around 9 Kilometers there is a sharp bend to the left round a steep gully here there are usually hornbill both flying and sitting in trees, this is where I got a good view of my first Wreathed Hornbill sitting on a branch up the gully.

About 3.5 Kilometers farther up there is a bird sign and a parking area which is known as the 27.5 KM area, from here an old road runs down to a stream where there are often a lot of birds. There is also a waterhole beside the road which attracts birds to bath and drink in dry weather, it is well worth sitting and waiting for birds to arrive as many species can be seen. There were at the time we were there nests of a pair of Long-tailed Broadbill hanging over the water and these beautiful birds put on a great show perching close to their nest and flying back and forth. I spent quite a bit of time there and added several new species to my collection of photos including Ratchet-tailed Treepie which is only found in Kaeng Krachan.

Around the Panoen Tung campsite there were Mountain Imperial Pigeon and Thick-billed Green Pigeons roosting in tall trees and barbets and bulbul flying around. A pair of Great Hornbill visited one day and on another a troop of Dusky Langur’s.

Our camp was visited in the night by a group of Malayan Porcupines looking for any food that had been left out but we expect this sort of visit and are very careful of food security.

Farther up the road past a lookout spot which is where most of the visitors go to look at the morning mists which hang in the valleys there is a side road on the right going up the hill to the Royal residence where the Royal family stays when they visit the park, there is a lookout shelter on the left of that road at the top of the hill where it is worth sitting and watching both down into the valley and the surrounding trees.

The road carries on up to a lookout and a steep trail to a waterfall. I didn’t go down this trail stopping at a parking area before the road goes steeply down-hill to the start of the trail, There were quite a few birds in the trees there as well as hornbill flying past.

On the way back down the road to Ban Krang there was a pair of Kalij Pheasants with a brood of young foraging on the road, difficult to say how many chicks there were for they were ducking in and out of the roadside vegetation but there may have been as many as 8. We also saw Red Junglefowl Asian paradise Flycatcher, Emerald Dove which are common, and other birds on the road.

Back down at Ban Krang there were Eyebrow Thrush feeding in the camping area and Laced Woodpecker, Yellow-rumped and Taica Flycatchers as well as other birds in the trees beside the stream, along with 3 Giant Black Squirrels. Pied Hornbill flew over on several days and Dusky Langur’s put on a great show of leaping from tree to tree across the road and at times crossing the camping area.
Porcupines turned up most nights at the restaurant looking for food scraps and on a couple of nights on our second visit a Sun Bear which also raided our camp in the night getting hold of an old army mess tin which had a little left over rice in the bottom and destroying the tin in the process of extracting the last grain of rice. I came across an Elephant on the nature trail that goes to the right from the camping area and it walked down the road that night and round our tent.

There was a Silver-breasted Broadbill nest above the road about 60 meters back down the road from the parking area before the start of the single lane road up to Phanoen Tung, the birds were very photogenic taking no notice of the sometimes large group of cameras focused at them nor did they take any notice of vehicles passing directly under the nest but carried on flying back and forth with food for their chicks. I watched for some time and was interested to see that the male was carrying insects and the female fruit.

On the road out from Ban Krang to the checkpoint (15KM) there was a fruiting Fig tree which attracted a large group of Stump-tailed Macaque’s, Great and Pied Hornbill, barbets and bulbul.

A great place and well worth the total of 12 nights we spent there. I will return.


Bird List (photos)

Ban Krang
Asian Fairy Bluebird
Black-capped Kingfisher
Blue-bearded Bee Eater
Bronzed Drongo
Greater-racket-tailed drongo
Crow-billed Drongo
Spangled Drongo
Chinese Pond-heron
Little (Striated) Heron
White-fronted Waterhen
Green –billed Malkoha
Dollarbird
Eyebrow Thrush
Forest wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Great Hornbill
Pied Hornbill
Greater Flameback
Greater Yellownape
Laced Woodpecker
Green-eared Barbet
Grey Peacock Pheasant
Indian Roller
Ochraceous Bulbul
Streak-eared Bulbul
Orange-breasted Trogon
Puff-throated Babbler
Racket-tailed Treepie
Red-wattled Lapwing
Silver-breasted Broadbill
Ticia Flycatcher
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
White-rumped Sharma
Brown Shrike
Banded Broadbill
Black-naped Monarch
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher
Grey-cheeked Fulvetta

Mammals

Dusky Langur
Stump-tailed Macaque
Malayan Porcupine
Sun Bear
Golden Jackel
Elephant
Common Tree Shrew
Giant Black Squirrel
Squirrel
Common Muntjac

Phanoen Tung

Ashy Bulbul
Flavescent Bulbul
Mountain Bulbul
Ochrceous Bulbul
Ashy Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Chinese Pond Heron
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Blue-throated Barbet
Great Barbet
Moustached barbet
Eyebrow Simitar Babbler
Buff-breasted Babbler
Emerald Dove
Little Cuckoo Dove
Mountain Imperial Pigeon
Thick-billed Green Pigeon
Great Hornbill
Wreathed Hornbill
Green Magpie
Forest Wagtail
Kalij Pheasant
Little Spiderhunter
Streaked Spiderhunter
Long-tailed Broadbill
Radde’s warbler
Ratchet-tailed Treepie
Red Jungle Fowl
Red-headed Trogon
Speckled Piculet
White-crested Laughingthrush
Asian Paradise Flycatcher
 

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Thats it for the South Thailand trip, there were a couple of other unproductive places we stopped which I have left out

Got 47 new species for the trip they are:

Wreathed Hornbill
Long-tailed Broadbill
Laced Woodpecker
Little Cuckoo-Dove
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
Ratchet-tailed Treepie
Red-headed Trogon
Speckled Piculet
Chestnut-crowned Forktail
Kalij Pheasant
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter
Black and Red Broadbill
Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
Banded Pita
Grey-bellied Bulbul
Hooded Pita
Puff-backed Bulbul
Thick-billed Flowerpecker
Greater Green Leafbird
Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker
Rufous-bellied Swallow
Brown-streaked Flycatcher
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
Whiskered Treeswift
Lesser Cuckooshrike
Black-and-yellow Broadbill
Blythe’s Hawk Eagle
Black-thighed Falconet
White-crowned Hornbill
Grey-cheeked Bulbul
Scarlet-rumped Trogon
Raffle’s Malkoha
Scaly-breasted Bulbul
Hairy-backed Bulbul
Yellow-bellied Bulbul
Spectacled Spiderhunter
Long-billed Spiderhunter
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
Buff-vented Bulbul
Grey Peacock Pheasant
Silver-breasted Broadbill
Crimson-winged Woodpecker
Red-eyed Bulbul
Dollarbird
Radde’s Warbler
Black Eagle


Our next trip will be to the center north of Thailand but as we have floods here which today are within a meter of our house that trip will have to wait till the water subsides.
 
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