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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3153248" data-attributes="member: 12449">Kaeng Krachan. 16 December.Top day! Frequently hard-going, frequently long periods of peering into dense cover in the vain hope that something shuffling in the undergrowth might emerge, but what rewards by the day's end!The plan this day was to leave the campsite at dawn, then slowly work up as far as Panoen Tong campsite a dozen or so kilometres further, lingering for long periods around the km 27 mark, a forest area of exact altitude to support specialities such as Bamboo Woodpecker and, at its only locality in all Thailand, Ratchet-tailed Treepie.Though not unduly rough, the track from the lower campsite up towards Panoen Tong did begin with three stream crossings, so it was with a little nervousness that I edged my standard saloon car into each …it would be an embarrassing start to the day if I got stuck I soft gravel! Fortunately, the crossings were smooth and before the sun was even breaking the horizon I was on my way, the forest around full of weird bird calls and the magical wails and cries of White-handed Gibbons. Emerald Dove on the track, a pair of Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, one Moustached Barbet, flocks of both Golden-fronted Leafbirds and Greater Green Leafbirds, several Ochraceous Bulbuls, numerous phylloscs in the canopy… not too bad, but it felt quite a slog. Basically for each bird seen, far greater numbers slipped by in the dense cover, quiet calls in the depths their only sign. Also fairly long periods of simple inactivity. I was not too worried however, all of my desired birds still lay ahead. Passing a massive fruiting fig, hordes of bird clambered in the upper canopy, Oriental Pied Hornbills and Great Hornbills prominent, but the true stars here were the White-handed Gibbons swinging around, lanky limbs and smart faces. Also began putting names to some of the multitudes of phylloscs moving through, but then I got confused and, as a flock of Scarlet Minivets grabbed my attention and an Indochinese Cuckooshrike appeared, I gave up on the group for the day! The road between the two campsites operates a one-way system, upward traffic allowed between 05.30 and 07.30, downward between 09.00 and 10.00, but given my speed and frequent stops, it was not long before I was operating out of the official times and as a bunch of vehicles began to appear from the upper camp, I decided to pull over and walk for an hour. Fortunately, I was now at the km 27 mark, so walking was pretty much my plan anyhow. So, a quick stroll, have a look at the Ratchet-tailed Treepies and all would be hunky-dory, so I thought. Hmmph, the entire section for a couple of kilometres or so each side of km 27 was exceptionally quiet, barely a whisper of a bird. Quiet tapping in a dense thicket could have been a Bamboo Woodpecker, but there was certainly nothing that even an imaginative mind could turn into a Ratchet-tailed Treepie! Two Giant Black Squirrels here however – monster beasts the size of a small dog!Walking a little higher, finally a few rewards began to reveal themselves – a Black-and-Buff Woodpecker and a flock of Puff-throated Babblers amongst them. Better still, having virtually crawled half way through a thicket to follow a shuffling in the leaf litter, my eyes fell upon a real smart bunch of bird – six Barred-backed Partridges raking through the leaves, hopping over little obstacles and generally paying little attention to me. Try as I might though, no Bamboo Woodpecker or Ratchet-tailed Treepie.Eventually, I gave up on this area and continued upward, eventually reaching the Panoen Tong campsite at around midday. Superb area for general views and even better for birds – achieved a full draw on hornbills, quickly seeing both Great and Oriental Pied Hornbills from the viewpoints, along with three Tickell’s Brown Hornbills feeding quietly in one fruiting tree and, after a considerable wait, one Wreathed Hornbill flying past. Also Taiga Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher and Brown Shrike feeding in the more open areas, both Streaked and Little Spiderhunters attending banana plants, one Black-throated Sunbird at flowers and, hopping up onto fallen stumps and emerging at the edge of thickets, four White-browed Scimitar-Babblers, these a real treat. A little further along, I also added a flock of six Red-billed Scimitar Babblers.With downward traffic not permitted until 16.00, I spent much of the afternoon in and around the campsite, relaxing over coffee, generally watching the skies and traveling a little further along track beyond the campsite. Best sightings of the afternoon were a Red-headed Trogon and, hunting in trees next to the campsite, a Yellow-throated Marten.At 16.00, I began my descent, stopping again at a patch of good-looking habitat about a kilometre uphill of the km 27 mark. All seemed initially quiet, but little did I know that I was about to have one of the best hours or so of my entire trip!</blockquote>

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