Had a great morning at the summit of Doi Inthanon National Park and saw a lot of new species including Martin Goodey!! No, I mean including this female White-browed Shortwing! My mate from home on Scilly, Martin Goodey, has joined me on my travels in Thailand!
Three days ago I flew in from Bangkok into Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Here I met up with my mate from Scilly, Martin Goodey and yesterday we arrived at Mr Daeng's at Doi Inthanon NP to stay for a few days birding. Martin has stayed here before many times from his first visit back in 1989 when Mr Daeng's was a visitors center with beds on the floor out in the back. Now it's grown bigger with many rooms available and there's also good cooking waiting for you here.
This morning we were up early and were hitch-hiking the 8 mile road up to the summit at 2565 m. For the next hour no one stopped for us and as a result of note we got 2 White-headed Bulbul, 4 Yellow-cheeked Tit, 1 Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike, 100s of Asian House Martin and a single Hoopoe. We were finally taken to the summit and immediately walked the summit board walk in the forest before the crowds arrived. This payed off and we both saw Green-tailed Sand Mrs Gould's Sunbird. The board walk followed a boggy stream and here we got cracking views of White-browed Shortwing, White-browed Flycaycher and Red-flanked Bluetail while feeding on the ground, Davison's Warbler? Small numbers of Ashy-throated Warbler. We also had Blyth's Leaf Warbler out near to the toilets before we observed all these species.
Then Martin gave the shout, who was just ahead of me 'Eye-browed Thrush!!' This was a bird I really wanted to see after the last one I saw was way back in '93 back home on Scilly, giving crippling views, at Porthloo Lane! This individual on the board walk was also showing well out in the open on a low bare branch but this all changed when a large noisy crowd started to approach us. After this, in the next hour that we were in the forest we reckon some 300 visitors passed us!! We soon left them behind and moved out! Martin also left me behind as he hitched-hiked his way back to Mr Daeng's and I slowly made my ways towards the temple. It was 17.00 when I got to the latter site. I had soup with pork, had a game of football with the soldiers, who offered me a backy on the back of one of their scrambler bikes to take me to Mr Daeng's. Then they saw someone leaving in a pickup and I ended up in the open back with an old granny!!
Before I left Bangkok, this Merc caught fire! A lot of things happened in Bangkok!
Looking over towards the city, Chiang Mai
This is the school bus! This how the kids go to school over here, Three on the back and one on the front that you can't see!!
The last Eye-browed Thrush I saw was that beauty at Porthloo Lane back home on scilly in '93! We also heard Dark-sided Thrush
Male Green-tailed Sunbird
Male Snowy-browed Flycatcher
1st winter male Red-flanked Bluetail
Claudia's or Blyth's Leaf Warbler?
Blyth's Leaf Warbler
Lots of Asy-throated Warbler were feeding on the forst floor
Yellow-bellied Fantail
Flavescent Bulbul
Yellow-cheeked Tit
Dark-backed Sibia
Male Grey Bushchat The last three species were observed along the road as I returned home
The road we walked to and from the summit
This Male Hill Blue Flycatcher that we see in morning while having breakfast with White-browed Shortwing at Mr Daeng's. Like on the boardwalk, the birds favour the dark areas making it harder work for photography.
Also had this Solitary Bee (genus amegilla?) n the garden. thanks to both Bobby 'Dazzler' Dawson and Ian Beavis for indentifying this one
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