Stepped out from my tent and walked around the corner and bang! There were 3 Coral-billed Cuckoo out in the open!!
On my third day at Yhao Yai NP, I made the mile walk early in the morning to the only other campsite, Pa Gluay Mai. Here there were only a few tents up and this was the place to be for Blue Pitta. Unfortunately, I was told that it has not been seen in the last week. Shortly after arriving I made the very short walk from my tent to the trail where the pitta has been seen. As usual I took my time and as a result, walked straight into 3 Coral-billed Cuckoo out in the open only a few meters in front of me! Because I was so quiet, they had no idea that I was there as I hid behind a tree. A Red Junglefowl joined them with a male and female Siberian Blue Robin, male Hainan Blue Flycatcher and White-rumped Shama and three species of Babbler, Puff-throated, Abbots and Striped Tit. They were still all in view when I wanted to continue along the trail. So I made a move and flushed everything! I returned to the campsite some two hours later after seeing nothing else of note.
There were 3 Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo performing very well on the trail
There were three species of babbler including this Puff-throated Babbler
The stunning male Siberian Blue Robin is what I was so looking forward to seeing and they were pretty common, including females, in the campsite area just off the number of trails
Later in the afternoon I thought I would try for the Pitta again on the same trail but was stopped in my tracks by two bird photographers in hides taking photos of the cuckoos. It turned out that this is a well known stake out to see the ground cuckoo since they were first discovered at the beginning of the month. I had no idea and after twenty minutes of staying way behind them, so not to disturb the birds and when the cuckoos were out of sight, I said 'I'm just goin to carry on along the trail' One turned aggressive and putting his hand out in front of me said 'No No No! You can't come here unless you got a hide!' Well funny that because I just happen to have one! Got a hide!? Yeah, I never leave home without my mobile hide! I wish I had pots and pans right now! 'Yes, you got to have hide to come on here' I asked 'Is this your trail?' He didn't reply and I continued saying that it's a national park and you can't stop anyone from walking along the public trails. I told him I was goin in there to look for the pitta. He couldn't stop laughing and waving his arm he ordered me to go ahead and told me to look out for the elephants, they can kill you! I replied, there are also tigers out there but it ain't gona stop me!' That's not true because it would stop me but they are so rare but yes, he is right about the elephants.
Again, I didn't see anything and when I got back, the photographers with no bins, were still there and I was told that they stopped everyone from passing and everyone obeyed! Although some Americans were pretty pissed off and said that he can't do that, it's a public path!
You can't go any further along this trail because the Thai in the hide says so and everyone does what he tells them except me!
I could of used my tent I guess as a hide. I did think of it when he told me that I need a hide! No I don't because it's a public trail and you can't stop no one from walking on it!
Before all of this happened between hides, pots and pans and a aggressive Thai bird photographer with no bins, first thing this morning I had this Thick-billed Green Pigeon and on the otherside a Sepent Eagle.
Also 2 Blue-winged Leafbird
Butterfly sp?
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