25 February: 17-28 degrees. Fine. Day one of two full days of birding in one of the greatest National Parks in south-east Asia - Khao Yai National Park.
Cool and windy conditions during the morning session made it difficult to hear and see birds. The wind dropped eventually giving us much improved conditions for the afternoon session.
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| Brown Shrike |
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| Blue Rock-thrush |
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| Asian Fairy Bluebird |
Our accommodation is the Recall Isaan Isan a concept hotel which is also worth a mention. One of my favourite hotels so far. I loved the styling and the grounds.
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| Recall Isaan Isan |
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| Recall Isaan Isan |
Seasonal evergreen forest is the dominant habitat here but there are also areas of evergreen forest and expanses of grassland. With this extensive area of habitat it was hopeful that many species of birds would be found too. An intricate system of trails means that there is plenty of opportunity to explore the forest and look for wildlife. The trails were originally elephant tracks, and Khao Yai is one of the best places in South-East Asia to see these fantastic animals.
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| Samba Deer |
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| Pig-tailed Macaque |
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| Pig-tailed Macaque |
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| Chestnut-flanked White-eye |
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| Pig-tailed Macaque |
There are so many great birds to see in Khao Yai it is difficult to predict and choose the highlights. Great, Oriental Pied and Wreathed Hornbills are reportedly abundant. I wouldn't go quite that far in describing numbers however, we did manage to see some of each. Our mammal list grew with Sambar deer, Muntjac and Pig-tailed Macaques seen by most of us. We heard the White-handed Gibbons which were noisily singing as predicted.
A family group of four Asian Elephants were located late in the afternoon on Saturday. They were on the road for quite some time holding up the traffic and giving us such a great chance to see them and their behaviour as they protected a calf.
Bird of the Day 25th: Asian ElephantStats: 52 species; 12 trip species; 228 total trip species
26 February: 13-28 Degrees. Overcast in the morning and breezy. Clearing in the afternoon.
Day spent birding the lowland areas of the Khao Yai National Park. An hour long Night Tour of the park afforded us two Nightjar species along with more mammals. Deer, Civet and Jackals seen today.
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| Rosey Minivet |
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| Verditer Flycatcher |
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| Common Kingfisher |
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| Wreathed Hornbill |
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| Chestnut-headed Bee-eater |
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| Porcupine |
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| Golden Jackal |
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| Samba Deer |
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| Large-tailed Nightjar |
Bird of the day: Rosey Minivet
Statistics: 67 species; 10 trip species; 238 total trip species.
Lifers: 2
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