Doi Lang. Scarlet-breasted Liochicla, minefields and a border crossing

Still buzzing from our success with the Mrs Humes pheasants and after meeting up with Alan and Howard we set off further up the road to the border post near the Myanmar border where we were hoping to see Scarlet-faced Liocichla! Apparently these had been showing well early morning but we'd spoken to another group who'd spent all day there from 10.00am the previous day and not seen them. 

We were literally right by the border post and Marc and I couldn't resist a cheeky selfie. Marc isn't really that much smaller than me  - he was standing lower down the slope! 

We didn't have to wait long until the Liocichla's showed and we had a pair of these multi-coloured babbler and elusive coming down to feed. 

The area was teeming with birds and we soon added a stunning male Slaty-blue Flycatcher to the trip list whilst behind us Jay picked out another new bird - Striated Bulbul.

A speciality of the area is Giant Nuthatch and after spending time at the Liocichla site we started walking back down the road exploring as we went. It really was a stunning area and birds were coming thick and fast. Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon was added to the ever expanding trip list and a stop at a small clearing along the edge of the road, where the movement of a female Slaty-blue Flycatcher had caught our eye, was rewarded when an absolutely gorgeous male Siberian Rubythroat hopped into view. Not a new new species for me but it was for Marc and Howard and they couldn't have hoped for better views as it perched up showing its full ruby throat as if posing deliberately for the camera's. Despite having seen three in the UK and all males theres still something about this species that makes your heart beat just a little faster.

Signs of previous conflict between Thailand and Myanmar were all around us. On the opposite ridge we could see a Myanmar army border post and signs warning of minefields lined the road as we explored the area. 

A pickup pulling up along side us disgorged a group of guys, some wearing military style fatigues, who  started taking our photos and talking to Jay. It looked quite serious for a while but there were soon smiles and it turned out they were national park rangers and were asking Jay how he thought the national park could be improved for visitors. We even had our photo taken with one of them and after shaking hands they got back into their truck and drove off. 

A stop for lunch opposite an area which proved to be another area rich in birds being attracted to food that had been put out for them. Grey-throated babblers, Yunnan Fulvetta's and White-browed Scimitar Babblers.

Grey-throated Babbler

Yunnan Fulvetta

White-browed Scimitar Babbler

Large Niltava - male

After lunch we continued our exploration and had a master class in phylloscopus warbler identification from Jay. A plain looking leaf warbler, looking like a washed out Palla's eventually called and confirmed Jay's suspicion that it was a Sichuan Leaf Warbler - only the 8th record for Thailand and only the 2nd Jay had seen in Thailand. Another puzzle was resolved when both Jay and Marc managed to get photos of White-spectacled Warbler. A 1st for Thailand that had been discovered a few months previously! We sifted through Chinese and Pallas's Warblers, Aberrant Bush Warblers, Bianchi's Warblers and Marten's Warblers trying to memorise their calls and identification features. 

Other birds seen were  Stripe- breasted Woodpecker and a showy male large Niltva and an equially gorgeous and showy male Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher

Stripe-breasted Woodpecker.

Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher

A calling Giant Nuthatch, one of our target species, eventually gave itself up after giving us the run around for awhile. It was constantly moving and one minute would be behind us and the next in the trees opposite before finally landing in a roadside tree. This critically endangered species is the largest nuthatch in the world and has declined primarily due to loss of habitat.

With the light fading we just had time to add Grey Treepie to the list before climbing wearily back into the mini-vans and heading back to the hotel. Tomorrow we were flying back to Bangkok but were doing some birding on the way to try and add another couple of species to the trip list.

Doi Lang Mrs Hume's Pheasant stake-out

Mrs Hume's Pheasant was one of the target bird we really wanted to see up on the slopes of Doi Lang in the Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park. The site is very close to the border with Myanmar and involves getting there well before first light and sitting silently in the vehicles until the pheasants (hopefully ) appear oat the edge of the road at dawn.

A very early start meant we'd miss breakfast so the hotel arranged for a packed breakfast and lunch as we'd be out all day. Surprisingly only Marc & I opted to get up at 4.30 for the 5.00 am start. The others decided on a more relaxing day and forgo the opportunity to see one of Thailands spectacular pheasant species. Alan, being tour leader, had to stay behind with the other guests but he'd seen the pheasants on a previous trip.

Meeting up with jay and our driver we set off in the darkness climbing high into the park along narrow twisty roads until we eventually arrived at the designated spot in complete darkness. Another car was already there and Jay knew the guide and we'd already seen  the couple with him at another site. They conferred and we parked on the opposite side of the road level with them so as to leave plenty of space for passing vehicles and, more importantly, not to crowd the pheasants if they showed. Jay admitted this was the most stressful part of the tour for him as a number of factors outside his control could dictate whether or not the pheasants showed. The main factor being noise and disturbance............

We parked up with, the doors and windows open, and settled down to wait and eat our breakfasts. Suddenly headlights appeared behind us and unbelievably a car pulled up right in front of us and reversed up to our front bumper and a Chinese photographer got out with the intention of sitting in the road! Needless to say he was given short thrift and told in no uncertain terms that he couldn't park in front of us and definitely couldn't sit in the road! Luckily he complied and manoeuvred behind us but the other guide had to lend him a portable hide. Fuming I sat thinking what I might do to hm if he'd ruined our chances of seeing the pheasants. This wasn't the first time we'd come across the rudeness and arrogance of Chinese photographers. None of them carry binoculars and they're just after the best photos at the expense of fieldcraft and upsetting others more socially aware than they are. At another site I was looking through my binoculars at something and a photographer stood right in front of me without even knowing what I was looking at. I moved in front of him and backed up so his lens was touching my back. He took the hint......

Jay explained that the female pheasants usually turned up first and started feeding whilst the male hung back and waited to make sure there was no danger. Once the birds had settled feeding for a few minutes we could quietly creep out of the side door of the minivan, which was against the roadside bank, and use the van as cover to try and get some photos. 

Surprisingly it was a male that appeared about 50 m away whilst it was still quite dark and walked towards us before disappearing back into the vegetation. We thought that might be it but Jay was hopeful they'd reappear.

The small feeding station in front of us was attracting birds with Pied Bushchat, Daurian Redstart, Olive-backed Pipit and a juvenile Grey-backed Shrike all visiting whilst an Oriental Turtle Dove landed further down the road

Pied Bushchat

Juv Grey-backed Shrike

Olive-backed Pipit

Sooty- headed Bulbul

Fem Daurian Redstart

We waited what seemed an eternity until a female appeared, joined quickly by another and then the male appeared again. It was a real 'wow' moment and there was a palpable sense of relief! After about 5 minutes Jay suggested marching and I slowly get out the van. As quietly as possible I crept out and made my way forward to use the wing mirror as a camera support. 

Jay's photo of me photographing Mrs Hume's Pheasants.

I couldn't hear Marc or see him but glanced down and saw he'd exited, ninja style, in his socked feet and was kneeling below me.  What a brilliant experience and the light had improved sufficiently to get some spectacular photographs as all three birds fed unconcerned by our presence.

We just had time for one more treat when marc spotted two bids hopping down the verge behind us. A pair of Red-eyed Scimitar Babblers! 

By now the second mini-van with Alan and Howard had arrived and we decided to set off the few km up the road for our second target species of the day. Scarlet-faced Liocichla. The ladies had all elected to stay at the hotel and have a more relaxing day. Another uncommon skulker and the best chance we had of seeing one was early morning a few km up the road at the border checkpoint with Myanmar where the guards put food out for the birds.

5.Thaton & Doi Ang Khang

Our stay at the Kaomai Resort ended with an early breakfast and packing our bags into the mini-vans for the journey to what would be our final destination before flying back to Bangkok. We would be staying at the Maekok River Village Resort for two nights and spending the days birding right up to the Myanmar border in the Do Pha Hom Pok National Park.

Several birding stops were planned on the way and the first of these was the Mae Tang irrigation project,  an extensive government funded project to transfer water into canal systems for agricultural use. A few years ago this was found to be the most reliable site in Thailand for wintering Long-billed Plover. Breeding in S Korea, Japan and China this plover is very reminiscent of a Killdeer.

Arriving on site we started scanning the extensive gravel beds where the birds were likely to be found. Green Sandpipers, Common Sandpipers and Little Ringed Plover were present but there was no sign of Long-billed Plover. The heat haze was causing an issue and there were several false alarms before a single Long-billed Plover was seen flying in and promptly getting lost in the gravel. Getting closer and constantly scanning through the scope we eventually found three one of which eventually showed quite well albeit still distant. No photos but I managed a short phonescoped video.

We hit our 400th species for the trip at this site with a flock of flyover Temminck's Stints. Another highlight was being able to prove, through photographs, the presence of a number of Siberian House Martins. A rare bird this far south and we eventually counted 10 birds flying high above the flocks of House Swifts. A Collared Falconet, found by Marc, was a first record for the  site! 

Leaving this site behind we drove north along some pretty scary roads towards Doi Ang Khang and the Royal Agricultural Project in the Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park. This was a really stunning area with beautifully laid out flower beds and trees attracting a wide variety of birds.

After another superb lunch we started exploring the extensive grounds with a number of new species being added to the list including Indian White-eye and the briefest of glimpses of a Scaly Thrush.

GouldsSunbirds were feeding on nectar in the profusely blossoming trees and a Chestnut-vented Nuthatch reminded me of the Eurasian Nuthatch's at home as it did what Nuthatches all over the world do  - climbing both up and down tree branches.

Our next stop involved a short trip to the Wat Phra monastery where, once again, the local Buddhist monks putting food out for the wildlife had attracted some pretty special birds. We hope to see Black-breasted Thrush and the site was well known for attracting Grey-winged Blackbirds - both rare winter visitor to the region.

Arriving at the site we found a few other birders having the same idea but no visible birds. Jay picked out a Black-breasted Thrush partially obscured by leaves viewable from the road, sitting quietly calling to itself and probably digesting its recent crop full of food! 

Hoping it would return to feed I walked back to the view point in the monastery grounds and suddenly birds were appearing from everywhere. Not only did we get Black-throated Thrush and Grey-winged Blackbird, our two target species,  but other species such is Blue-winged Minla, Silver-eared Mesia, Large Niltava, Eye-browed Thrush, Grey-sided Thrush Olive-backed Pipit and Mountain Bulbul came down to drink, bathe or feed.

Grey-winged Blackbird

Black-throated Thrush

Black-throated Thrush female

Eye-browed Thrush

Silver-eared Mesia

Large Niltava (female)

Blue-winged Minla

Within a short space of time the birds all disappeared again and we decided to head off to our hotel. Next day was going to be a very early start for Jay, Marc and myself........