

Afterwards I took a few pictures of birds around our hotel. The Scaly Breasted Munia is a common bird of the region, but it was new to us and worthy of inclusion.

I had read about a National Park not far from Krabi called Khao Noi Chu Chi, famed for being the last place one could potentially see Gurney´s Pitta, a beautiful bird threatened with extinction.

Quoting Nick Upton of Thaibirding.com, a respected authority on Thai birds;-
For those attempting to find Gurney's Pitta at Khao Nor Chu Chi, the species is most detectable between mid-March and mid-June, with a peak of calling activity around mid-April. The birding logbooks usually have the locations of the latest sightings, with gulleys along the first few hundred metres of U-trail being the most regular place, although there are places along B-trail where they can be found.
Well I decided we would give it a try. We hired a car, drove to Khao Nor Chu Chi, found and walked the U and B trails, with some difficulty as they are hard to find and not well maintained so are almost invisible in places. Anyway, not only did we not see Gurney´s Pitta, we saw very little of anything except a few spent shotgun cartridges. My first lesson in forest birding! You need a guide! and most birds are seen on the fringes, those in deep forest are rarely visible to the uninitiated observer. The Reserve area is quite beautiful with waterfalls and Emerald Pools, a draw for lots of tourists. Not what we came for though.
