WorldBirders.com

Lao and Thailand 30th Nov - 11th Dec 2009

tour participants: 

Ashley Banwell 

Albert Low

Carlton Collier

Neil Bostock 

The main aim of this trip was to see the newly described Bare-faced Bulbul at Na Hin in Lao, this proved to be fairly easy once we arrived at the prefered habitat. We employed Stijn De Win, finder of this new species, for our few days in central Lao and for our short stay in northern Thailand. During our time in Lao we saw several Bare-faced Bulbuls and Sooty Babblers were not uncommon in this habitat. Red-collared Woodpecker once again proved to be very hard to find, I had already dipped on this 10 years ago in Vietnam. Night birding was slow but a Spot-bellied Eagle Owl was a suprise, being central Lao's first record. A Blue-naped Pitta was heard by Albert, who now has another pitta enemy.

Our few days in northern Thailand were aimed at Jerdon's Bushchat which finally came into view as the morning mist lifted. Hodgson's Frogmouth were heard at 3 different sights but only 1 came in close but stayed high out of view in the canopy, others were heard distantly. 2 Giant Nuthatch were seen perched up on a dead snags 500m up the road from Den Ya Kat substation at Doi Chiang Dao. 3 Black-tailed Crakes, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Red-tailed Laughingthrush and Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker were seen at Doi Inthanon.

1st Dec: km34 am, Na Hin pm

2nd Dec: Na Hin km48.5 ridge trail

3rd Dec: Na Hin km48.5

4th Dec: Na Hin km48.5

5th Dec: Luang Prapkrang am, Chaing Mai pm

6th Dec: Thaton am, Doi Lang pm, Doi Ang Khan - spotlighting at night

7th Dec: Doi Ang Khan am,  Doi Chaing Dao pm

8th Dec: Doi Chaing Dao am Doi Pui - spotlighting at night

9th Dec: Doi Inthanon

10th Dec: Doi Inthanon

Chinese Pond-Heron
Intermediate Egret
Cattle Egret
Asian Openbill – few around Bangkok
Oriental Honey-Buzzard
Black-shouldered Kite
Pied Harrier - Thaton
Eastern Marsh Harrier - Thaton
Crested Goshawk
Shikra
Grey-faced Buzzard
Eurasian Buzzard
Mountain Hawk-Eagle
Collared Falconet – 1 perched DAK
Eurasian Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Mountain Bamboo-Partridge  - a covey of 7 DCD
Silver Pheasant  - a fine male at Na Hin
White-breasted Waterhen
Black-tailed Crake  - 3 at Doi Intanon
Red-wattled Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Painted Snipe – 6 near Chaing Mai
Snipe spp – 3 of either Common or Pintail flew over near Chaing Mai
Rock Pigeon
Vernal Hanging Parrot
Oriental Turtle-Dove
Spotted Dove
Emerald Dove
Zebra Dove
Mountain Imperial-Pigeon
Large Hawk-Cuckoo
Banded Bay Cuckoo
Plaintive Cuckoo
Green-billed Malkoha
Greater Coucal
Lesser Coucal
Mountain Scops-Owl  - 1 seen roadside DAK
Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl  - An unexpected but excellent, albeit distant sighting of an adult in some dry dipterocarp forest which came in silently to playback and perched briefly in an emergent before proceeding to give us the runaround for the next 1 hour. No photos sadly but as with all eagle-owls a memorable sight and a completely unique call. (AL) Would appear to be the first sighting in central Lao.
Brown Wood-Owl  - heard only on Doi Piu
Collared Owlet
Asian Barred Owlet
Javan Frogmouth – heard at DCD
Hodgson’s Frogmouth – heard at Doi Pui, DAK and DCD. A random roadside stop to try to re-find a small owl perched by the roadside at the KM 21 marker post at DAK preceeded an instant response to speculative playback from this enigmatic species. During the
next 3 hours, the single bird in the slope evergreen forest fragment here came in close 3 times and I even saw its shadow fly over my head briefly. Sadly, the area was too dense to provide a decent view and the bird eventually lost interest. (AL)
Indochinese Swiftlet
Asian Palm-Swift
Fork-tailed Swift
House Swift
Red-headed Trogon
Common Kingfisher
White-throated Kingfisher
Blue-bearded Bee-eater
Green Bee-eater
Great Barbet
Lineated barbet
Green-eared Barbet
Red-vented Barbet – seen daily at Na Hin,  rarely seen in Lao
Blue-throated Barbet
Moustached Barbet
White-browed Piculet
Grey-capped Woodpecker
Stripe-breasted Woodpecker
Black-headed Woodpecker  - 3 early morning low down on Doi Inthanon
Lesser Yellownape
Pale-headed Woodpecker  - heard and seen briefly Na Hin
Bay Woodpecker
Long-tailed Broadbill
Silver-breasted Broadbill
Blue-naped Pitta - My biggest regret of the trip is failing to locate a bird which called spontaneously in the primary forest described in Stjin's notes on the 2nd morning. It took me a full minute to realise what pitta it was and to calm my nerves. Alas it was not to be as the bird lost interest and moved on. Completely unexpected behaviour from one of Asia's most desirable pittas in December of all months. Subsequent speculative playback the same day located up to 2 other birds in inaccessible valleys but none at all the following morning. (AL)
Indochinese Bushlark
Barn Swallow
Wire-tailed Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Asian Martin
Nepal Martin  - good numbers around Na Hin
White Wagtail
Gray Wagtail
Oriental Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit
Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike
Indochinese Cuckoo-shrike
Long-tailed Minivet
Short-billed Minivet
Scarlet Minivet
Gray-chinned Minivet
Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike
Crested Finchbill
Bare-faced Bulbul - Hardly a challenge once the right habitat was reached. Not tape responsive and often perched at the tops of limestone outcrops by the busy Route 8 roadsides. Likely same group of 5-6 on 2 mornings (AL)
Black-crested Bulbul
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Brown-breasted Bulbul
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Stripe-throated Bulbul
Flavescent Bulbul
Puff-throated Bulbul
Gray-eyed Bulbul
Mountain Bulbul
Ashy Bulbul
Black Bulbul
White-headed Bulbul
Blue-winged Leafbird
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Great Iora
Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush
Blue Rock-Thrush
Blue Whistling-Thrush
Scaly Thrush  - 1 Doi Inthanon
Lesser Shortwing  - heard and seen Doi Inthanon
Hill Prinia
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Plain Prinia
Rufescent Prinia
Slaty-bellied Tesia
Black-browed Reed-Warbler
Thick-billed Warbler
Mountain Tailorbird
Dark-necked Tailorbird
Dusky Warbler
Buff-throated Warbler
Buff-barred Warbler
Pallas’s Leaf Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Two-barred Greenish Warbler
Eastern Crowned Leaf-Warbler
Blyth's Leaf-Warbler
Golden-spectacled Warbler
Bianchi's Warbler
Chestnut-crowned Warbler
Yellow-bellied Warbler
Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher
Taiga Flycatcher
White-tailed Flycatcher  - 1 male Na Hin
Verditer Flycatcher
Little Pied Flycatcher
Large Niltava
Small Niltava
Hainan Blue-Flycatcher
Blue-throated Flycatcher
Hill Blue-Flycatcher
Gray-headed Canary-Flycatcher
Siberian Blue Robin
Red-flanked Bluetail
Oriental Magpie-Robin
White-rumped Shama
Daurian Redstart  - 1 handsome male was unexpectedly seen in a roadside villager's garden which promptedly caused the car to screech to a halt on the road between Doi Ang Khang & Doi Chiang Dao (AL)
White-capped Redstart
Siberian Stonechat
Pied Bushchat
Jerdon's Bushchat  - 1 pair including a vocal male showed well in a dense thicket of riverine elephant grass after 2 hours of searching which was not helped by very thick early morning mist at Thaton (AL)
Gray Bushchat
Yellow-bellied Fantail
White-throated Fantail
Black-naped Monarch
White-crested Laughingthrush
Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush
Red-tailed Laughingthrush – 2 birds seen DAK, unfortunately I was pre-occupied with the Parrotbills to give them my full attention.
Red-faced Liocichla  - This bird was readily seen at the 21.5km Ridge Trail at Doi Ang Khang with 4 skulking birds in the dense thickets around the first campsite before I managed to photograph 1 bird which sat completely exposed in the crown of a small tree further along the trail associating with a mixed flock. (AL)
Sooty Babbler - easy to connect with although the general area probably just harbours a very big flock of 15 birds (AL)
Buff-breasted Babbler
Spot-throated Babbler
Scaly-crowned Babbler
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler
White-browed Scimitar-Babbler
Streaked Wren-Babbler
Pygmy Wren-Babbler
Buff-chested Babbler
Golden Babbler
Gray-throated Babbler
Spot-necked Babbler
Striped Tit-Babbler
Chestnut-capped Babbler
Yellow-eyed Babbler
Silver-eared Mesia
White-browed Shrike-Babbler
Black-eared Shrike-Babbler
Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler
Spectacled Barwing
Blue-winged Minla
Chestnut-tailed Minla
Rufous-winged Fulvetta
Gray-cheeked Fulvetta
Rufous-backed Sibia
Black-backed Sibia
Whiskered Yuhina
White-bellied Yuhina
Spot-breasted Parrotbill  - Persistence pays off and after some diligent searching 2 birds were found and proceeded to provide excellent views and photos as we photographed them using their massive bills to carve holes in the stems of bamboo and shrubs in search of wood-boring insects within. The birds were seen along the area of the 21.5km trail where the trail runs along a narrow ridge bordered by steep drop-offs on either side and were decidedly vocal. (AL)
Black-throated Tit
Green-backed Tit
Yellow-cheeked Tit
Yellow-browed Tit
Sultan Tit
Chestnut-vented Nuthatch
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Giant Nuthatch - 2  at  DCD
Brown-throated Treecreeper
Purple-naped Sunbird
Olive-backed Sunbird
Gould's Sunbird
Green-tailed Sunbird
Crimson Sunbird
Black-throated Sunbird
Little Spiderhunter
Streaked Spiderhunter
Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Chestnut-flanked White-eye
Japenese White-eye
Oriental White-eye
Slender-billed Oriole
Maroon Oriole
Brown Shrike
Long-tailed Shrike
Gray-backed Shrike
Large Woodshrike
Black Drongo
Ashy Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo
Hair-crested Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Ashy Woodswallow
Blue Magpie
Green Magpie
Rufous Treepie
Gray Treepie
Racket-tailed Treepie
White-vented Myna
Common Myna
Black-collared Starling
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
House Sparrow
Baya Weaver
Red Avadavat
White-rumped Munia
Nutmeg Mannikin
Common Rosefinch
Spot-winged Grosbeak - 3 at DCD
Chestnut Bunting
Large-billed Crow