CENTRAL THAILAND

KAENGKRACHAN, KHAO YAI, PAKTALEY

Central Thailand clearly is the place for a solid selection of South-East Asian birds.
I can’t think of a better place to see a good number of Hornbills, Trogons, Pittas, Kingfishers, Partridges, Pheasants, Barbets, Broadbills, Bulbuls, Babblers, Woodpeckers, Flycatchers, Owls as well as an incredible selection of waders including Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann’s Greenshank and White-faced Plover.

Not only is there an abundance of birds but also lots of colorful and tropical butterflies and mammals. On this trip you are bound to see White-handed Gibbons, Dusky Langurs, Pig-tailed Macaque, Sambar, Red Muntjack , Giant Squirrel and Northern Treeshrew but other animals are also possible such as Panther, Asian Elephant, Slow Loris, Civets, Mongoose and Stump-tailed Macaques.

Thai food at its best will be served throughout catering to the tastes of everyone whether you enjoy spicy food or more subtle aromas.

The tour includes a boat ride through the mangroves where Water Monitors swim along with us and Mudskippers are seen on the mudbanks. Out at the sand spit we will see the local resident Malaysian Plover and most likely both Chinese Egret and the White-faced Plover. Terns and gulls also show well out there with the occasional Pallas’s and Heuglinn’s Gull leading the way.

The tour will also include scrub and secondary growth as lots of species are not found elsewhere.
We will visit a special dry forest where the enigmatic Black-headed Woodpecker is found along with Rufus Treepie, Spotted and Asian Barred Owlet, Purple Sunbird , Lineated Barbet and Red-breasted Parakeets.

Time is also spent at a waterhole/feeding station to watch Kalij Pheasants, Bar-backed and Scaly-breasted Partridges along with Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes and many other smaller birds. An excellent opportunity for photography as well as getting to know the birds more intimately.

At Kaengkrachan birds to be looked for are Blue Pitta, Orange-breasted and Red-headed Trogons, Banded Kingfisher, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Great, Wreathed, Pied and Rusty-cheeked Hornbills, Silver-breasted, Banded, Long-tailed and Black-red Broadbills, Large and White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, White-browed Shrike Babbler, Golden Babbler, Blue-winged,Blue and Red-bearded Bee-eaters, Gold-crested and Orange-bellied Leafbirds, Scarlet Minivets, Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-thighed Falconets, Great, Blue-throated, Green-eared and Blue-eared Barbet, etc etc

Khao Yai will add some birds not found at KK: Grey-eyed Bulbul, Puff-throated Bulbul, Silver Pheasant and Siamese Fireback, Moustached Barbet and Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo (in dry years it is not so hard to see but other years proven difficult).

This is the tentative itinerary which is subjected to change if need be in order to optimize the birding.

Day 1. .

Paktaley and waders all day. Also Crakes, Snipes, Storks, Kingfishers and more.

Day 2. Lower levels of KK.

Day3. Higher levels of KK.

Day 4. Water hole/feeding station.

Day 5. Wut Khao Look Chang, dry dipterocarp forest near a temple. Fields of Petchaburi and raptor watch (Steppe, Greater Spotted and Imperial Eagles annually are found here)

Night at Salaburi.

Day 6. Wut Tumprataht Noi for the Limestone Wren Babbler first thing in the morning.
Khao Yai for the rest of the day.

Day 7. Khao Yai

Day 8. Khao Yai morning……..Muang Boran Fish ponds in the afternoon



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