Our birding trips

Northern Thailand 28Dec10 - 6Jan11

Danny, Con and Marisol went to Northern Thailand.

From Con

Red-faced Liocichla

Here is the first photo of the trip that I processed, .... because I thought it was one of the most unique birds of the trip! An uncommon Thai resident at elevations over 1400 meters; and from India to China in tropical montane forests. A member of the true babbler family and a dense undergrowth skuller.

One of four species of Liocichlas, the most recent one was scientifically described only in 2006. The Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum) in the Eagle Nest region of NE India. A few folks from Nature Society Singapore have seen the new species.

Green-billed Malkoha

This is the only photo I got of the bird at Doi Chiang Dao. We were up a hill very near the Den Ya Khat (DYK) forestry outpost probably at around 1450 meters elevation.

Also, here are three of the more interesting birds I saw, but didn't get great photos, all from Doi Lang.

Rusty cheeked Scimitar Babbler

This bird was calling at the first place we stopped, just a couple of kilometers into the long ridge road at Doi Lang. I taped the call and played it back and the bird came out one time, and after that refused to come out anymore, although it keep calling. The recording I made matches that of Sharringa. When we came back in the late afternoon, the bird was still calling there.

White-browed Scimitar Babbler

This one was further along the ridge after one of the police outposts, and also was calling. It also showed itself just briefly.

White-browed Piculet

This one was taken at the same spot as the White-browed Scimitar Babbler. Danny was off somewhere looking for other birds and this little guy flew in and perched briefly and then was gone.

White-eyes

At Doi Inthanon at Mr. Daeng's place there was a rhododendron tree that was attracting lots of white-eyes, a couple of rosefinches, and black-throated sunbirds.

Some of the white-eyes were very clearly Chestnut-flanked.

However, some of the white-eyes lacked the chestnut flank, and although Round warns this can happen and be confusing, I think they were Japanese White-eyes with just enough of a hint of a "narrow yellow green band above the base of the bill and (just below) the darker forehead" per Round, which is the feature that separates them from unmarked Chestnut-flanked. So I think we had a mixed flock at this location.

At Doi Chiang Dao we got more Chestnut-flanked at the Maetaman Water Research unit but I recorded no other types of white eyes.

The next day at Doi Chiang Dao at DYK I got a much lighter more yellow colored white eye with a hint of a yellow median strip on the lower chest and belly with is a feature of the Oriental White-eye. I got no other types of white eyes at this location.

So I think we got all three species of white eyes which should be no big surprise since they all are common in the winter.

Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush

At the very first stop we may on the Doi Lang ridge road, this bird popped up. It was partly blocked by some grasses so I couldn't get a very clear shot. I got three shutter clicks and it flew away. I'm pretty sure Danny was looking in another direction and never saw this bird. Taken at 8:17am in the morning. To me, the closest it looks like is a Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush female.

Pied Bushchat

We were chasing this female bird with the slightly rufous tail for two evenings.

Warblers

Blyth's Leaf Warbler

These were taken on Dec 30 at Doi Inthanon on the "jeep" trail just next to the 2^nd checkpoint.

unid warblers

The last set of photos

The Himalayan Swiftlets pictures are from the first day in Doi Chiang Dao.

The female Siberian Stonechat photo was that same evening in the rice paddy in Chiang Dao.

The female Slaty-backed Flycatcher photo is also from Doi Chiang Dao.

From Danny

To avoid duplication, try not to repeat any species; only listed at location 1^st seen.

12/28 - along road to and within Inthanon Highland Resort and area at base of Doi Inthanon
1) Spotted Dove
2) Indian Rollers
3) Iora, green
4) Little Egret
5) White rumped Shama
6) Asian Brown FC
7) Red Throated FC, female
8) Chinese Pond Herons
9) Greater Coucal
10) Common myna
11) Wagtail, grey
12) ET Sparrows
13) RT Drongo
14) Tailorbird, dark-necked
15) WT Kingfisher
16) Spotted Owlets (heard and saw shadow while dinner at In Highland Resort)
17) Brown Shrike
18) Rock Pigeons
19) Scarlet backed flowerpecker
20) Bulbul, black crested
21) Large billed crow

12/29 - Doi Inthanon - Summit was terribly crowded & missed a number of well known birds
1) WB Waterhen
2) Mrs Gould sunbirds
3) Green tailed sunbirds
4) Dark backed Sibias
5) Warbler, ashy throated
6) Warbler, white tailed
7) Golden babbler
8) Black-backed forktail (I was lucky to spot it but Con missed at wattan... waterfall)
9) Bulbul, Flavescent
10) Bulbul, White headed (beautiful bulbuls, later at Doi Lang, seen the white headed species of Black bulbul)
11) Yellow-bellied fantail
12) Chestnut flanked white-eye
13) Japanese white-eye
14) Slaty-bellied tesia (easily heard but difficult to see well and take photo)
15) Ashy Drongo
16) Hill blue FC
17) Thrush, Dark-sided - Mr Daeng's place feeding station.
18) Myna, white vented (the crest is much more impressive than the Javan)
19) Indian cuckoo (heard)
20) Common Rosefinch (male & female)

12/30 - Doi Inthanon
1) LRT Drongo
2) Barbet, golden throated
3) Barbet, Great
4) Fulvetta, grey cheeked (from #4 to 9, bird wave started by GC Fulvetta, don't forget the playback)
5) Warbler, Blyth's
6) Niltava, Large
7) Fulvetta, rufous winged
8) Nuthatch, chestnut bellied
9) Treecreeper, brown throated
10) Minivet, scarlet
11) Grey backed shrike (info from Mr Daeng's place exact location of black tailed crake seen yesterday, heard the distinct call of the crake but no show, probably due to the crowd)
12) Black naped oriole
13) Bulbul, puff throaed
14) Minivet, grey chinned
15) Shrike babbler, black-eared

12/31 - Doi Inthanon/Mae Pang Waterfall/way to Doi Ang Kang
1) Magpie Robin
2) White crowned Forktail
3) Riverchats - 3
4) Plumbeous Redstart - male & fem
5) Wagtail , white
6) Treeswift, crested
7) Olive backed pipit
8) Babbler, striped tit
9) Verditer FC
10) Common Kestrel (1^st raptor on way to Doi Ang Kang)

1/1/2011 - Doi Ang Kang
1) Bulbul, sooty capped
2) Tailorbird, common
3) Puff throated Babbler
4) Ashy Woodswallow
5) Great Tit
6) Bubul, Mountain
7) Drongo cuckoo
8) Black Drongo
9) Bulbul, red-whiskered
10) Bronze Drongo
11) Crested Goshawk - 2
12) Rufous Gorgeted FC
13) Nuthatch, chestnut vented
14) Drongo, hair crested
15) Chestnut headed bee-eater
16) Pied bushchat (a female was also seen 1/4/11 - Doi Lang)
17) Himalayan swiftlet
18) Siberian stonechat
19) Scaly breasted munia

1/2/11 - Doi Ang Kang
1) Black throated sunbird
2) Minivet, short billed
3) Long tailed Broadbill - 6
4) Orange bellied leafbird
5) Blue rock thrush
6) Woodpecker- striped breasted
7) Woodpecker - grey capped
8) Spiderhunter, streaked
9) Crested Serpent Eagle
10) Green-billed Malkoha
11) Cuckoo, Plantive - heard
12) Oriental white-eye
13) Nuthatch, giant
14) Bush warbler - unid
15) Accipiter unid - sounds like Accipiter nisus - Ah Yi, Ah Yi!

1/3/11 - Doi Ang Kang
1) Streaked wren babbler
2) Lesser shortwing - heard
3) Owl, collar scop - heard
4) Owl, brown hawk - heard
5) Oriole, black hooded
6) Sunbird, olive backed
7) Large Hawk Cuckoo
8) Grey bushchat (also seen 1/4/11 - Doi Lang)
9) BWK
10) Nuthatch, Velvet fronted
11) White browed shrike babbler
12) Shikra - 4

1/4/11 - Doi Lang
1) Yellow cheeked Tit
2) Grey headed FC
3) White browed Scimitar Babbler
4) Black throated Tit
5) White throated fantail
6) Bulbul, Ashy
7) Spectacled Barwing
8) Black Bulbul
9) Piculet, white browed
10) Crested finchbill
11) Hume's warbler or Yellow-browed Warbler
12) Buff throated warbler
13) Bunting, chestnut - male
14) Jerdon's bushchat - male and female
15) LT nightjars
16) Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler
17) Chestnut-bellied rock thrush - female

1/5/11- Doi Lang
1) Oriental turtle doves
2) Little Heron
3) Blue winged minla
4) Blue throated barbet
5) Black eared shrike babbler
6) Common Buzzards - 2 japonicus
7) Collared falconet
8) Grey faced buzzards - 2
9) Scarlet faced Liocichla
10) Yuhina, whiskered
11) Silver eared Laughingthrush
12) White gorgeted FC
13) Himalayan bluetail
14) Golden Spectacled Warbler, Seicercus burkii (initially mis-id as brown cheeked Fulvetta in a bird wave but distinct yellow eye-ring do not match; Green crowned warbler in OBI)
15) Long-tailed Sibia

1/6/11 - Doi Lang paddyfield
1) Black collared Starlings
2) Burmese Shrike
3) Long tailed Shrike
4) Baya weavers
5) White rumped munia
6) House Sparrow
7) Little Bunting
8) Common Kingfisher
9) Yellow eyed babbler
10) Common Kestrel - 2
11) Pied Harrier - female
12) Barn swallows
13) Lesser coucal
14) Paddyfield Pipit
15) Zitting Cisticola
16) Yellow billed Egret
17) Cattle Egret (road passing DAK)

The white-headed bulbul was simply beautiful with human like eyes

and the white faced, White wagtail (many plumages variations).

This male Plumbeous Redstart was special as it was recorded at the highest water fall in Thailand and took us almost half an hour to climb up together with Marisol. For her efforts, Con rewarded her a new pair of shoes. Later we found a few Redstarts including the female in the picture above easily along a small stream next to base camp. Posting these pictures brought back fond memories of the birds, locations and wonderful couple as company. Not forgetting the Thai foods and beers.