Different people have different ideas of what they mean by the "Bangkok area". As a resident of Bangkok since 2004 I consider that to means pretty much the city limits, but if I'm coming from the far side of the world I might be thinking on a slightly grander scale, and places like Khao Yai National Park (2-3 hours drive) and Kaeng Krachan National Park (3-4 hours drive) might fit into that definition.
Both of these national park offer great birding in June (wet season) so I would recommend those sites to a Canadian making a first visit to Thailand.
For beaches, it depends on how long you have got - personally I'd recommend jumping on an overnight train to Chumphon and getting yourself on a ferry from there to Kho Tao, or stay on the train to Surat Thai and then get a bus to Krabi. If time is more limited then the beaches at Hua Hin may be a better bet, but they are nothing when compared to the beaches further south. You could always fly on one of the budget airlines to Krabi to save time. Krabi Mangroves in June is a very good bet for Mangrove Pitta.