Tuesday 8 December 2015

8th December 2015 Phu Suan Sai National Park

We walked the road for several kilometres hoping we might bump into the Short-tailed Parrotbills as the Thai birders hadn't seen any in three days of looking along the species favoured stretch of road. A decent mixed-species flock was seen but unfortunately no Parrotbills. Having literally just turned around and started to walk back a Green Cochoa was seen flying down over a forested slope across the road and dropping into trees just out of our sight. A breath-taking view with its glistening blue crown, green plumage and Zoothera-like wing-stripe all very obvious. We felt there was a good chance we could relocate it and found a small fruiting tree attracting Bulbuls that we guess was the Cochoa's intended destination but we couldn't see it. We stuck around for an hour or so and then reluctantly gave-up on it and despite making two subsequent visits in the afternoon we never did see it again. On getting back to the HQ we enjoyed a celebratory fried egg at the restaurant and then set-off along the Bird Trail which ran through nice habitat but was poorly maintained and all too soon became too overgrown to follow. We then drove 14km to a waterfall and back before again walking the Bird Trail. Two Rusty-naped/Blue-naped Pittas were heard calling from either side of the road at dusk. We eat more of our biscuits after dark as the restaurant had again closed.

Red Junglefowl h
Changeable Hawk-Eagle 1
Crested Goshawk 1
Green-billed Malkoha 3
Indian Roller 1
Black-winged Cuckooshrike 1
Scarlet Minivet 2
Grey-backed Shrike 1
Blyth's White-browed Shrike-babbler 1
Ashy Drongo 6
Bronzed Drongo 2
Hair-crested Drongo 6
Large-billed Crow 1
Black-crested Bulbul 2
Sooty-headed Bulbul 8
Flavescent Bulbul 6
Puff-throated Bulbul 4
Grey-eyed Bulbul 6
Ashy Bulbul 2
Striated Swallow 20
Yellow-browed Warbler 10
Sulphur-breasted Warbler 1
Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 8
Buff-breasted Babbler 1
Japanese White-eye 6
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch 2
Common Hill Myna 6
GREEN COCHOA 1
Oriental Magpie-Robin 2
Hill Blue Flycatcher 1 male
Verditer Flycatcher 1
Taiga Flycatcher 4
Black-throated Sunbird 2
Streaked Spiderhunter 8
White-rumped Munia 1
Olive-backed Pipit 3

A view of the bridge from where we saw the Green Cochoa
 
Roadside forest at Phu Suan Sai National Park
 
Crested Goshawk at Phu Suan Sai National Park
 
Pin-striped Tit-Babbler at Phu Suan Sai National Park
 
 
 
Sulphur-breasted Warbler at Phu Suan Sai National Park
 
A Maplet at Phu Suan Sai National Park


Phu Suan Sai National Park
A view from the restaurant of another misty Phu
 
Phu Suan Sai National Park
 
The Bird Trail at Phu Suan Sai National Park
 
Our cottage at Phu Suan Sai National Park