Our first aim was the seaside at Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia to spot shorebirds. Slowly we left Bangkok and its busy traffic behind, making room for palm trees, fields and salt pans. Our binoculars were burning in our rucksacks. On the road we spotted Black Collared Starling, Asian Openbill, Cattle Egret, Painted Stork, Black Drongo, Red Collared Dove, Black Kite, Javan Pond Heron and Brahiminy Kite.

After a two hours drive  we stopped at the salt pans near Pak Thale. The pans stretched as far as we could see to the right and left, some filled with water, others almost empty or being rolled down by people on rolling machines. Several barns along the road were filled with the won salt. Tu asked permission of one of the farmers to walk along his salt pans. A few seconds later we spotted the first shorebirds: Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Greater Sandplover and Ruff. We continued walking on the small strip between the pans and could add to our list Red-necked Phalarope, Grey Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Red-necked Stints, Great Knot,Sanderling, Red Knot, Pacific Golden Plover  and Spotted Redshank, Kentish Plover.

Around 10 a.m. we drove to a small, but busy, harbor near Laem Pak Bia. Fishers on colorful boats were heading for the sea, sometimes letting of fireworks for good luck. We were waiting for our boat at a place used to birders, seen the many bird pictures. Jan and Tu were surprised meeting the Thai ‘Steve Irwin’ here, a very popular young birder with his own television-show. After a coffee we could go ‘on board’ and followed the small river down towards the seaside, between the mangroves. Egrets, as Chinese Pond Heron and Little Egret, were sitting on the branches of the mangroves. After a while we reached the Laem Pak Bia sand pit, here we spotted a Collared Kingfisher and Black-capped Kingfisher, besides Common Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern, Common Tern, Osprey, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Pacific Reef Egret. A very beautiful and huge butterfly, the Golden Bird Wing, was flying high above the trees. After a short walk on the sandpit we also discovered one of our main aims at Laem Pak Bia, the very rare Malaysian Plover.

On our way back through the mangroves we spotted the last bird before lunch, the Pied Fantail. Further we saw German’s Swiflet and Barn Swallow.

Tu and Jan know the places to eat! They choose a very nice restaurant along a small river and ordered some great and very distinct Thai dishes we loved tasting while enjoying the view of the river and the Chinese Pond Herons searching for their meals!

The last spot of the day were again salt pans near Pak Thale, our main aim Spoonbill Sandpiper. It turned out to be a long quest of several hours. While searching for this Sandpiper we’ve noted down: Brown Shrike, Lesser Sand Plover, Indian Cormorant, Caspian Tern, Little Tern, Common Black-headed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Great Black-headed (Pallas’ Gull),  Long Toed Stint, Temminck’s Stint, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Common Myna.  It already started to get dark and we started to lose hope to spot the Spoonbill Sandpiper, but Tu and Jan persevered and it was rewarded!!! Between many stints Tu discovered it!! Great!!! What a funny little creature is this bird, not using his special bill as a spoonbill, as you would aspect, but just in the same way as an ordinary stint. We were very happy to have seen it!!

Due to the long search it had become too late to reach the campingsite at Kaeng Krachan and Jan managed to arrange a bungalow for us in a nice resort near this national park where we would spent the night. After a nice dinner, we completed our birding list very closely being observed by a ‘domestic’ Pied Hornbill.

25-11-09:  Kaeng Krachan
We woke up in a beautiful resort, after a delicious breakfast (while listening to the sounds of a Collared Owlet and Asian Barred Owlet, we left for Kaeng Krachan NP with high expectations. KK is the largest national park in Thailand, an extensive forest plenty of birds and … one of the best spots to see mammals!

Our day began with a beautiful sunrise along the road and it did not take long before we spotted the first birds: several Drongo’s (Ashy, Hairy-crested, Bronzed), Indian Roller, Yellow-browed Warbler, Slender-billed and Black-naped Oriole, Spotted-necked Dove and White-throated Kingfisher. An Oriental Honey Buzzard flew over our heads and suddenly some noisy Oriental Pied Hornbills passed by. Jan pointed us the Black-crested Bulbul, or BCB, we would see it many more times on our trip. Slowly we drove up the hills towards the park entrance, seeing birds as Olive-Backed Pipit, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Black-naped Monarch, Olive-backed Sunbird, Coppersmith Barbet, Green-billed Malkoha,Racket-tailed Treepie, Little Heron and several Bulbuls (Stripe-throated, Sooty-headed, Streak-eared) for the first time.

It did not take a long time after entering the park before we discovered the first elephant tracks .. poo, very exciting!! And near a small pool a Water Monitor was lying in the sun.

A little bit more uphill Tu and Jan decided to walk along the road (a road strewed with death earthworms) and we saw amongst others Red-throated Flycatcher, Red-wattled Lapwing, Emerald Dove, White-Rumped Shama, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher,Verditer Flycatcher, Ferruginous Flycatcher, Two-barred Greenish Warbler,and Common and Dark-necked Tailorbird. Suddenly we heard the sound of a Barking Deer, but unfortunately could not discover it in the dens bushes. We did see Sultan Tit, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike, Blue Rock-Thrush and Tickell‘s Blue Flycatcher and heard the sound of a Large Scimitar Babbler and a Great Slaty Woodpecker. After seeing only for a few seconds a Greater Flamebacked Woodpecker, Jan discovered in the top of a tree on the hillside, resting in the sunshine, a Dusky Langur. We would see many more in KK, but the first one is always the most exciting one. Some other birds we spotted that morning were Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Radde's Warbler, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Striped Tit-Babbler  and a Crested Serpent Eagle.

During lunchtime we arrived at the camping site. We walked along the edge of the camping area and Jan pointed us a Grey-bellied Squirrel near his nest. Ties practiced his digiscoping skills on a beautiful Gecko. Dusky Langurs were playing in the trees above our heads.
After lunch we went uphill a bit more and spotted a  Blue-winged Leafbird, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Asian Koel and Ochraceous Bulbul. When we were admiring a female and male Golden Orb Web spider in their web, a family of Brown Hornbills surprised us, we could get a short view of them before they disappeared again between the trees. Tu explained their social structure and habits, very interesting. After a while we saw a  Black Giant Squirrel  in a tree, how huge it is! During the afternoon walk we also discovered a very rare Ferruginous Partridge, not far from some Scaly-breasted Partridges. Along the road Tu found an Arrow Headed Slug. When it was getting dark we drove down again towards the small pool, a good spot to see mammals. This night however we were not that lucky, it was quiet. On our way back to the camping site we did see a Common Palm Civit quickly crossing the road.

We had dinner at the ranger station besides the camping site, we had a simple, but very tasty, meal. The rangers just came back from their patrol through the forest, mainly looking out for poachers. They were having fun, probably telling ‘big’ stories. On this patrol, or a previous one, they found the carcass of an elephant, which was now piled up in one of the rooms of the station.

After dinner we had a short, but fruitful, walk in the dark. Behind the kitchen of the station we saw our first Porcupines. In the trees behind the camping Tu and Jan discovered an Asian Slow Loris and an Indian Giant Flying Squirrel! Satisfied and tired we crawled in our tent, not knowing we would be awake half of the night because a young bull Elephant decided to have a late, long and noisy bamboo dinner along the stream 50 meters from our tent. We heard the loud noise for over two hours, but unfortunately did not see it!

26-11-09: Kaeng Krachan
Birding day three! Today we’re visiting the higher elevations of KK. Early in the morning we were picked up by an arranged driver and his 4x4 took us slowly up the mountain. A Mountain Hawk Eagle flew away when we passed and we spotted during the first part Dark-sided Flycatcher, Scarlet Minivet, Orange-breasted Trogon, Moustached Barbet, Vernal Hanging Parrot and Blue-bearded Bee-eater. An incredible overview over a forested valley presented a Burmese Striped Squirrel and White-handed Gibbons, the latest of course being one of our targets!

We continued our travel up the mountain and after a while also spotted Banded Langurs. Near some banana trees a Streaked Spiderhunter was making a lot of noise. Asian house martins were flying high in the sky and we saw a Buff-vented Bulbul. It seemed that our driver also knew a lot about the birds in KK. Since he drove up the mountain almost every day, he knew the places where to find some special ones. Imitating their sounds and listening carefully he found White-hooded Babbler and White-browed Scimitar Babbler. We also discovered a Great Barbet high up in a tree.

We continued up the hill and arrived at a small restaurant, with an incredible view over the forests. We could write down Flavescent Bulbul, Oriental White-eye and Fire-breasted Flowerpecker. We ordered lunch and turned out not to be the only ones, a Yellow-throated Marten came from the woods to find some food beneath the kitchen.

Along the road, near the restaurant, we also spotted White-browed Shrike Babbler, Rufous Woodpecker, Greater Green Leafbird, Pallas’ Squirrel, Little Spiderhunter and Ashy Minivet. It was time to drive slowly back down. It turned out to be a productive return trip. Besides Black-throated Sunbird and Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo we discovered a Ratchet-tailed Treepie! Great!More downwards we came across Grey-breasted Spiderhunter, Rosy minivet, Blue Whistling Thrush, Ashy Bulbul, we saw a glimpse of an Asian Paradise Flycatcher and finally had some goods views of Great Hornbills. Very happy we drove ‘home’ to our tent.

After dinner we had a little treat, a Brown Wood Owl  was sitting in a tree near the ranger’s kitchen. Late in the evening the Elephant bull was again nearby, and we tried to find and see him. Incredible how such an large animal can hide in a tiny bush! Finally we closed the evening with the sight of a Sambar Deer, in KK a rare mammal.

27-11-09: Kaeng Krachan – Khao Sam Roi Yot
During our last morning in KK we went for a walk on and near the camping site. Birds were all over the place and we wrote down many new birds: Banded Broadbill, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Crimson Sunbird, Black-headed bulbul, Asian fairy-bluebird, Raffle’s Malkoha, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Greater Necklaced Laughing-trush, Great Iora, Green Iora, Ruby Cheeked sunbird, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, White-crested Laughing- trush, Black Baza and Grey-faced Buzzard. A great morning!

At the end of the morning we headed for the National Park Khao Sam Roi Yot a little bit more to the south, a place to spot some more shore birds and birds of the Wetlands. We stopped at a small village to have a delicious lunch and on the road we spotted EurasianTree Sparrow, Asian Pied Starling, Ashy Woodswallow, Green Bee-eater and near the headquarters of the NP Long-tailed Macaque

At this point we sadly had to say goodbye to Jan and Tu, but our trip fortunately continued….

Besides Khao Sam Roi Yot (best new observations: Bronze-winged Jacana, Pheasant Tailed Jacana, White-breasted Waterhen, Purple Swamphen, Eastern Marsh Harrier), we visited Khao Yai (Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Great Eared Nightjar, Long-tailed Broadbill, Asian Elephant, Binturong), Bung Boraphet (Jan arranged for us a wonderful boattrip: Cotton Pygmy Goose, Darter, Ruddy-breasted Crake, White-browed Crake), Doi Inthanon (White-headed bulbul, Silver-eared Mesia, Spectacled Barwing, Black-throated Parrotbill, White-capped Water Redstart), Mae Hia Agricultural Project (Yellow-legged Green Pigeon, Burmese Shrike) and Chiang Dao (Crested Goshawk, Maroon Oriole, Giant Nuthatch, Grey-headed Lapwing).

All together we’ve spotted 305 species of birds (166 with Tu and Jan!) and 20 mammals (16 with Tu and Jan) within three weeks. A great trip!

At the end we would like to thank Tu and Jan once more for the wonderful days of Wildlife we spent together and also helping us to discover Thailand!

We surely would recommend them to passionate birdwatchers as well as other Wildlife-lovers!

We wish you all the best,
Ties and Hanneke,
The Netherlands