THAILAND Central and North 29 November–14 December 2008 1–16 December 2009 Leader: Kamol Komolphalin

Thailand is both ornithologically and culturally rewarding. It combines many sought after Palearctic winter migrants with a large number of spectacular resident species, and also combines traditional oriental customs and friendliness with western comforts. This tour will thoroughly cover three of the best National Parks in the country, together with other sites, in search of specialities.

Day 1 Overnight flight from London to Bangkok via the Middle East.

Day 2 Morning arrival in Bangkok followed by a two-hour drive to Pak Chong, our base for the next four nights. En route we will stop for our first oriental birding. Species we may see include Lesser Whistling-duck, White-throated and Coppersmith Barbets, Indian Roller, Greater Coucal, Black-capped Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Asian Palm-swift, Red Collared-dove, Pintail Snipe, Bronze-winged Jacana, Red-wattled Lapwing, Oriental Pratincole, Black-shouldered Kite, Little Cormorant, Little and Intermediate Egrets, Chinese and Javan Pond-herons, Yellow and Cinnamon Bitterns, Asian Open-bill, Long-tailed Shrike, Black Drongo, Siberian Rubythroat, Oriental Magpie-robin, White-vented Myna, Black-collared, Asian Pied, White-shouldered and Chestnut-tailed Starlings, Streak-eared Bulbul, Lanceolated Warbler, Black-browed and Oriental Reed-warblers, Thick-billed Warbler, Australasian Bushlark, Paddyfield Pipit and Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker.

After checking in at our hotel, located near the National Park, we will look around the foothills for additional species including Lineated Barbet, Plaintive Cuckoo, Green-billed Malkoha, Lesser Coucal, Red-breasted Parakeet, Asian Barred and Spotted Owlets, Ashy Woodswallow, Shikra, Asian Brown and Red-throated Flycatchers, Olive-backed Sun-bird, Plain-backed Sparrow and Radde’s and Yellow-browed Warblers. If we are lucky we may see a thousand Wrinkled-lipped Bats flying out from a cave before dusk like a ribbon in the sky.

Days 3–5 These three days will be spent exploring the evergreen dipterocarp forest in Khao Yai National Park. The park is truly beautiful with rivers and waterfalls set amongst one of the best forests of this type remaining in Asia. Although forest birding is never easy, the rewards are great. The list of birds is impressive and species we will look for include Scaly-breasted Partridge, Red Junglefowl, Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Greater Yellownape, Common Flameback, Black-and-buff and Heart-spotted Woodpeckers, Green-eared, Moustached and Blue-eared Barbets, Great, Austen’s Brown and Wreathed Hornbills, Orange-breasted and Red-headed Trogons, Blue-eared and Banded Kingfishers, Blue-throated and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Black Eagle, Changeable Hawk-eagle, Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo, Vernal Hanging- parrot, Brown-backed Needletail, Collared Owlet, Thick-billed and Mountain Imperial Pigeons, Banded, Silver-breasted and Long-tailed Broadbills, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Blue-winged Leafbird, Green Magpie, Black-winged and Indochinese Cuckoo-shrikes, Rosy, Ashy and Scarlet Minivets, Great Iora, Large Woodshrike, White-throated Rock-thrush, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Hainan and Hill Blue-flycatchers, Siberian Blue Robin, White-rumped Shama, Slaty-backed and White-crowned Forktails, Golden-crested Myna, Sultan Tit, Black-crested, Stripe-throated, Puff-throated and Grey-eyed Bulbuls, Rufescent Prinia, Asian Stubtail, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Pale-legged and Blyth’s Leaf-warblers, Sulphur-breasted Warbler, White-crested and Black-throated Laughing-thrushes, Abbott’s and Chestnut-capped Babblers, Large and White-browed Scimitar-babblers, Yellow-vented and Buff-bellied Flowerpeckers, Ruby-cheeked, Black-throated and Crimson Sunbirds, Little Spiderhunter and Forest Wagtail. The park is also rich in mammals including White-handed Gibbon, Pig-tailed Macaque, Black Giant Squirrel, Samba and Barking Deer, Asian Elephant and the very rare Tiger.

On one evening we will take a walk and night wildlife safari on the national park truck to look for Brown Hawk-owl, Great-eared, Large-tailed and Grey Nightjars, Small Indian and Common Palm Civets, East Asian Porcupine and Siamese Hare.

Day 6 After a final morning’s birding at Khao Yai we will return to Bangkok for an afternoon flight to Chiang Mai for a five-night stay. After check-in at the hotel, anddepending on time, we will look around for open lowland species outside the city. We may see Barred Buttonquail, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Hoopoe, White-breasted Waterhen, Grey-faced Buzzard, Burmese and Grey-backed Shrikes, Rufous Treepie, Pied Bushchat and Wire-tailed and Red-rumped Swallows. In the evening we will go for a traditional dinner with a northern cultural show.

Days 7–10 The birds of northern Thailand have strong Himalayan influences and differ significantly from those in the central and northeastern region we have just visited. With the great diversity of habitat here we will see many new species. Over the course of these four days we will visit several sites, notably:

Doi Inthanon National Park includes Thailand’s highest mountain at 8500 feet (2565m) and has large tracts of original forest. New birds we may see here include ChineseFrancolin, Rufous-throated Partridge, Mountain Bamboo-partridge, Speckled and White-browed Piculets, Stripe-breasted, Black-headed and Bay Woodpeckers, Gold-en-throated Barbet, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Ashy Wood Pigeon, Pin-tailed Pigeon, Black Baza, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Rufous-winged Buzzard, White-rumped Falcon, Collared Falconet, Rusty-naped Pitta, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Blue Magpie, Maroon Oriole, Long-tailed and Short-billed Minivets, Yellow-bellied Fan-tail, Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush, Siberian, Dark-sided, Chestnut, Grey-sided and Eye-browed Thrushes, Lesser and White-browed Shortwings, Ferruginous, Slaty-backed and Snowy-browed Flycatchers, Large, Small, Rufous-bellied and Vivid Niltavas, Daurian and Plumbeous Redstarts, Black-backed Forktail, Purple and Green Cochoas, Chestnut-vented and Chestnut-bellied Nuthatches, Brown-throated Treecreeper, Yellow-browed and Yellow-cheeked Tits, Asian House Martin, Flavescent and White-headed Bulbuls, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Yellow-streaked and Grey-cheeked Warblers, Orange-barred, Ashy-throated and White-tailed Leaf-warblers, Silver-eared Mesia, Chestnut-fronted and White-browed Shrike-babblers, Spectacled Barwing, Blue-winged and Chestnut-tailed Minlas, Rufous-winged and Grey-cheeked Fulvettas,Rufous-backed and Dark-backed Sibias, Black-throated Parrotbill, Gould’s and Green-tailed Sunbirds, Dark-breasted and Common Rosefinches and Chestnut Bunting.

Doi Chiang Daois close to the border with Myanmar and is only accessible by four-wheel drive. It is worth the effort, however, as both Hume’s Pheasant and Giant Nuthatch are possible here and the scenery is stunning, with massive pinnacles of mountains rising from the cultivated plains. Further new species may include Blue-throated Barbet, Large Hawk-cuckoo, Crested Treeswift, Grey Treepie, Slender-billed Oriole, Little, Pied and Sapphire Flycatchers, White-bellied Redstart, Grey-breasted Prinia, Japanese White-eye, Aberrant Bush-warbler, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush and Crested and Little Buntings.

Days 11–12 Continuing north we will visit the comfortable mountain resort of Doi Ang Khang, where we will spend the next two nights. Although this area is largelydeforested there are still a number of localised specialities. These include Grey-headed Parakeet, Himalayan Swiftlet, White-tailed Robin, Crested Finchbill, Brown-breasted Bulbul, White-browed Laughingthrush, Red-faced Liocichla, Striated Yuhina, Hill Prinia, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Spot-winged Grosbeak and Scarlet Finch.

Day 13 The area to the north of Fang, Tha Ton, is good for a number of specialities, inparticular Jerdon’s Bushchat. Other possible new species in the area include Blue-breasted Quail, Yellow-legged Buttonquail, Greater Painted-snipe, Grey-headed Lapwing, East-ern Marsh-harrier, Pied Harrier, Citrine Wagtail, Rosy Pipit, Oriental Bluethroat, Baikal Bush-warbler, Blunt-winged Warbler, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Baya Weaver and Chestnut-eared and Yellow-breasted Buntings.

Following the morning birding at Tha Ton we will return south to Chiang Mai for an afternoon flight back to Bangkok, our base for the next two nights. Bangkok is anamazing city and we will spend the evening taking in its sights, sounds and smells.

Days 14–15 We will visit several sites around the capital and on the Gulf of Thailand. A number of new species are possible here including Collared Kingfisher, Zebra Dove, Pink-necked Pigeon, Pacific Golden-plover, Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, Brahminy Kite, Rufous-necked and Temminck’s Stints, Brown-headed Gull, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Flyeater, Racket-tailed Treepie, Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Prinia and Brown-throated and Olive-backed Sunbirds. Late afternoon on Day 15 we will transfer to the airport for the overnight flight home.

Day 16 Arrival in London at the end of the tour.

General Information The climate can vary from cool in the mornings in the hills to hot and humid in the lowlands and forests. There will be a moderate amount of walk-ing, mostly by the roadsides but sometimes on steep trails. There are special medical requirements and you must consult your GP. Visas are not required for UK citizens.Accommodation is in medium-standard hotels with en-suite facilities.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 6; maximum group size: 8./p>

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