Golden Buddha Bangkok After a short flight to Bangkok from Ho Chi Minh City we took a train from the Airport to a bus station and caught a local bus to Pak Chong. Nominally this is a three hour drive but it took four hours in a very old rattletrap bus, complete with chickens and at times standing room only.
In Pak Chong we were picked up by Khao Yai Nature Life & Tours, a hotel & Tour company owned by Lisa and her husband Tony. Tony turned out to be "Tony Eagle-eye", a well known Thai bird guide which was very opportune for us as he took us on a birding tour of the Reserve the next day.
In Pak Chong we were picked up by Khao Yai Nature Life & Tours, a hotel & Tour company owned by Lisa and her husband Tony. Tony turned out to be "Tony Eagle-eye", a well known Thai bird guide which was very opportune for us as he took us on a birding tour of the Reserve the next day.
Elena with Tony Eagle-eya and Lisa + Tony´s Nikon D4 & Nikkor 600mm f4 lens! Khao Yai is Thailand's oldest and most visited reserve. Covering 2168 sq km. it incorporates one of the largest intact monsoon forests remaining in mainland Asia, which is why it was named a Unesco World Heritage Site. Rising to 1351m at the summit of Khao Rom, the park's terrain covers evergreen rainforest; semi-evergreen rainforest; mixed deciduous forest; hill evergreen forest (over 1000m); and savannah and secondary-growth forest in areas where agriculture and logging occurred before it was protected.
Some 200 elephants tramp the park's boundaries. Other mammals include tigers, leopards, bears, gaur, barking deer, otters, crocodiles, various gibbons and macaques and some rather large pythons. Khao Yai also has one of Thailand's largest populations of Hornbills, including the Great Hornbill, king of the bird kingdom, as well as the Wreathed Hornbill, literally 'elephant-jaw bird'), Indian Pied Hornbill and Brown Hornbill. The park's bird list boasts 315 species.
Some 200 elephants tramp the park's boundaries. Other mammals include tigers, leopards, bears, gaur, barking deer, otters, crocodiles, various gibbons and macaques and some rather large pythons. Khao Yai also has one of Thailand's largest populations of Hornbills, including the Great Hornbill, king of the bird kingdom, as well as the Wreathed Hornbill, literally 'elephant-jaw bird'), Indian Pied Hornbill and Brown Hornbill. The park's bird list boasts 315 species.
Red Jungle Fowl - gallus gallus As we entered one of the first birds that caught our eye was this magnificent male Red Jungle Fowl. This is not a domestic chicken but a wild bird living around the edges of the forest. It´s easy to see where the domestic chicken came from.
Banded Kingfisher - lacedo pulchella Tony stopped the car at a particular spot and we walked along the road searching the trees. After ten minutes I thought it was going to be a waste of time, but then Tony had it, Banded Kingfisher!, the bird he was looking for. I was surprised and delighted, a kingfisher was the last bird one expects to see high in the trees in a forest.
White-Vented Mynah - acridotheres grandis The Banded Kingfisher is a tree dwelling forest species, it does not catch fish but lives on geckos, small lizards, cicadas and large insects.
As we watched the Kingfisher a White Vented Mynah made an appearance, a welcome visitor that made a change from the Common Mynahs that are everywhere in Thailand. This was quite a handsome bird with a strange tufted crest immediately over the bill.
Shortly after this we pulled over at a break in the forest by some open grassland. Here we heard the by now familiar sound of the Red Wattled Lapwing, a common and very noisy bird that constantly sounds the alarm & flies around in circles when something or someone approaches.
As we watched the Kingfisher a White Vented Mynah made an appearance, a welcome visitor that made a change from the Common Mynahs that are everywhere in Thailand. This was quite a handsome bird with a strange tufted crest immediately over the bill.
Shortly after this we pulled over at a break in the forest by some open grassland. Here we heard the by now familiar sound of the Red Wattled Lapwing, a common and very noisy bird that constantly sounds the alarm & flies around in circles when something or someone approaches.
Red Wattled Lapwing - vanellus indicus
Chestnut Headed Bee-eater - merops leschenaulti It was not for the Lapwings that we had stopped however, but because nearby was a nesting colony of Chestnut Headed Bee-eaters. We erected a small. portable hide and proceeded to watch the adult birds coming and going bringing food for the young and/or the incubating females. It was ideal for a photoshoot but the birds were too quick for any in-flight shots. They flew off the perch faster than a startled housefly, leaving me with a blank screen every time I tried to catch one on take-off. Nevertheless I obtained some good quality shots of the birds with a variety of insect prey.
The little bird below is a Bright Headed Cisticola, cousin to our Zit. This one is a little gem, even smaller and daintier than than the Zitting Cisticola with a nice chestnut/gold crown. Looks like he was raiding the spiders webs.
The little bird below is a Bright Headed Cisticola, cousin to our Zit. This one is a little gem, even smaller and daintier than than the Zitting Cisticola with a nice chestnut/gold crown. Looks like he was raiding the spiders webs.
Bright Headed Cisticola - cisticola exilis Here it is again, in full song.
Bright Headed Cisticola - cisticola exilis After the grassland we headed back into the forest looking for one or two very special and hard to find species. We left the trail, pushed our way though some dense undergrowth to a small clearing where we set up the portable hides and sat waiting while Tony used playback hoping to bring in the elusive Hooded Pitta.
For quite a while we were unsuccessful, no sight or sound of the target bird. We did get good views of a pair White Rumped Sharmas, very handsome birds but quite common and not what we were hoping for.
Next a little Abbots Babbler came to investigate the calls from Tony´s recorder.
Next a little Abbots Babbler came to investigate the calls from Tony´s recorder.
Abbots Babbler - malacocincla abbotti At this time leeches were becoming a problem. Rainforest leeches live in leaf litter and vegetation on the forest floor - they are not aquatic. They are attracted by odor and sound vibration. They can also drop from vegetation and move toward you like inchworms, Elena was not amused! even though we were wearing leech socks, long sleeved shirts fully buttoned up and wide brimmed hats they could still find the bare skin of our hands or neck if we were not constantly vigilant.
Hooded Pitta - pitta sordida Suddenly, as we were thinking about giving it all up, Tony heard the response call of our bird, and then there it was, the Hooded Pitta! There is something special about Pittas, perhaps its their bright colours, or that they are so elusive, whatever it was it was a genuine thrill to get a good close look at these enigmatic birds. It should be noted that we were in dense forest where light conditions are appalling. I had the ISO speed set at 3200 and my little lens wide open on f5.6, but I got the shot! Grainy, full of "Noise" lacking clarity and detail, but I am still pleased with it, in the circumstances it was as good as I could get. Not as clear as Tony´s with his Nikon D4 & Nikkor 600mm f4 lens, but still good for me. His gear cost more than my car!
Hooded Pitta - pitta sordida Here´s another look at a great bird. I hope to see more Pittas in the future. There are international Bird Tour companies offering specialised "Pitta" tours. Last time I looked they were all fully booked up for 2014.
The next forest bird is another beauty. This one not quite so elusive as a Pitta but just as striking in appearance, it is a Long Tailed Broadbill. We were now back at the edge of the jungle where the light was slightly better so my ISO was set down to 1000, a more reasonable level & therefore less noise & grain and a bit more definition. The Broadbill has a slightly unreal appearance with a head like a penguin. The colours are amazing in bright yellow, green and black. I noticed the tail was often cocked and the head turned sideways listening for insect movement within the branch. It was mating season and this was one of a pair near the pear shaped nest. We watched at leisure, wonderful.
Long Tailed Broadbill - psarisomus dalhousiae
Long Tailed Broadbill - psarisomus dalousiae
Moving on to a stream meandering through the forest we came across a nesting pair of Blue-Eared Kingfishers. They practically glowed in the murky light, so with ISO ramped up again I tried a few shots and this is the best of the bunch. I rather hoped we would get another opportunity later in better light as not only were we in dense forest but there was little sunlight a the time since it had clouded over.
Blue-Eared Kingfisher - alcedo meninting 
Northern Pig Tailed Maquaque - macaca leonina Although my interest is in birds Khao Yai has plenty of other wildlife. One of the most obvious is the Pig Tailed Maquaque, which is not a shy animal and can sometimes be seen around the Visitor Centre. I like the introspective expression on their faces, perhaps they are contemplating the meaning of life? or possibly dreaming of bananas, who knows?
Crested Goshawk - accipitor trivirgatus In the afternoon we drove to the highest accessible point by road & found a few surprises. First this Crested Goshawk that was watching us from some dark shade in the roadside trees. I barely had time to snatch off a couple of shots before it was gone, but here it is for the record, slightly blurred due to the slow shutter speed.
Next up was this little Bar Winged Flycatcher Shrike. I´m not sure if this is really a flycatcher or a shrike? but I was happy to see it in a tall tree and grab the shot. These birds are usually seen in groups apparently, but this one was all by itself.
Moustached Barbet - megalaima incognita This is the only sighting we had of a Moustached Barbet, high up in a fairly distant tree It´s a shame as I would dearly love to get a closer look. Barbets are striking looking birds and this is a colourful green one with a blue face and quite pronounced whiskers, hence the name.
Black Crested bulbul - pycnonotus atriceps The Black Crested Bulbul is an attractive member of the bulbul clan, of which there are many. It has a conspicuous tall crest on a black head with a red chin. The bright yellow eyes match the yellow breast. A handsome devil.
garrulax chinensis After watching a variety of small birds for a while, including an exotic nuthatch, we were in for a treat. The air was suddenly filled with the unmistakable sound of Laughingthrushes. Trees around us became alive with activity as a flock of these magnificent Black Throated Laughingthrushes passed through, foraging for fruits and berries in the low bushes around us. I could not believe my luck as they seemed oblivious to our presence and went about their business, often in full view. In my excitement I fired off some shots forgetting that my camera was on manual settings for different light. Nevertheless the results are quite pleasing , even if they could have been better with a little presence of mind.
It had been a superb day birding and we were looking forward to more here later, but we said goodbye to Tony who was heading out west to Kaeng Krachan National Park where he had some Japanese clients, serious birders, lined up for three days, so we were on our own for a while.
It had been a superb day birding and we were looking forward to more here later, but we said goodbye to Tony who was heading out west to Kaeng Krachan National Park where he had some Japanese clients, serious birders, lined up for three days, so we were on our own for a while.
