Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd Australia-wide: Berri, SA – Stockton, NSW – Mildura, Vic Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61402 738855 www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected] Unique and unforgettable nature experiences! 2020 Tantalising Thailand 17 day birding tour Our Tantalising Thailand –birding tour covers the main birding Banded Kingfisher, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Coral-billed Ground sites of this fascinating country with its diverse birdlife Cuckoo, Blue and Eared Pitta, White-rumped Falcon, Black-headed including beautiful and rare specialties. The birdlife ranges Woodpecker, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Green Cochoa, Spot- from huge hornbills to tiny flowerpeckers, supplemented by an breasted Parrotbill, Red-faced Liocichla, Giant Nuthatch and Green influx of migrants from northern Asia. Thailand has a superb Peafowl just to name a few. We also visit the southern end of the network of reserves containing representative examples of peninsula that connects to Malaysia. Here we explore the every major habitat from lowland rainforest to montane mangrove forest near Krabi, with its Mangrove Brown-winged evergreen forest and high altitude, moss-encrusted Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher, while inland, the remnant rhododendron thickets. Our tour through this exotic, vibrant patches of lowland forest hold some of Thailand’s rarest birds, and beautiful country with its diverse ethnic groups, age-old with Red-crowned Barbet, Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher, monarchy and rich cultural heritage has great appeal and will Great Iora, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Malayan Banded Pitta, Green no doubt delight and surprise you. We will look for a host of Broadbill, Chestnut-naped Forktail, Great Argus and more! localised species including Siamese Fireback, Great Hornbill, Tour starts: Bangkok Int’l airport, Thailand Leader: Steve Potter and local guide Tour finishes: Phuket Int’l airport, Thailand Trip reports and photos of previous tours: Scheduled departure & return dates: http://www.bellbirdtours.com/reports • 4 – 22 March 2020 Questions? Contact BELLBIRD BIRDING TOURS : READ ON FOR: • Further tour details • Freecall 1800-BIRDING • Daily itinerary • email [email protected] • Booking information Thailand birding tour 2020 Tour details Thailand tour starts: Please arrive in Bangkok on or before 4 March 2020. You will be transferred to our hotel for dinner & introductions. Thailand tour finishes: Please depart from Phuket Bangkok on or after 23 March 2020. Our hotel is right on the beach and you might like to stay on for an extra day or two to relax. See daily itinerary for further details. Leader: Steve Potter and local guide plus dedicated driver. Difficulty: Low/Medium/High/Excellent level of fitness required. The tour has a relaxed pace and walks are on surfaces varying from flat to undulating, but may include some short climbs. We generally walk slowly, with lots of stops. You can opt out of any challenging walks. What to bring: Please travel light. Binoculars, camera, mobile phone, chargers, power adaptors (European style), strong insect repellent, sunscreen, personal medications, travel umbrella, hat, water bottle, hand sanitizer. Sturdy footwear recommended. Scopes, super-telephoto lenses with tripods, and heavy suitcases are discouraged. Accommodation: Private en-suite rooms in hotels or lodges, air-conditioned where necessary. Standards are good and comfortable. Wi-fi is widely available and free, but not available on some nights. Clothing: Lightweight long pants, t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt, over the top of which you can wear layers that can be taken off as necessary, including a rain-proof jacket. Bright colours not advised. Neat casual attire for dinners. Shorts and sandals or thongs (flip-flops) are acceptable for non-birding time. Group size: Minimum 4, maximum 8 participants. Cost: AU$8,999 per person, single supplement AU$1100. Cost includes all accommodation, all meals, guiding, transport, entry fees and more. Cost is based on double or twin-share occupancy. Not included: drinks, tips, personal expenses. Scalable return-client discount applies (see website for details). Tour price will change with currency fluctuations >5% (up or down!) Bookings: Online at http://www.bellbirdtours.com/bookings/ or please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. Thailand birding tour 2020 ITINERARY Day 0: Arrive (04 Mar) Fly to Bangkok International Airport (own arrangements), where you will be transferred to your hotel (transfer and hotel included in price) to rest and refresh. Should you decide to travel earlier, please make your own way to our hotel. We will meet for introduction, dinner and orientation. Overnight: Bangkok hotel (en- suite hotel room; meals included: D). Day 1: Bangkok-Pak Thale/Phetchaburi Province (05 Mar) After an early breakfast we head straight to Pak Thale, the world famous shorebird site where Spoon- billed Sandpiper is still a regular annual visitor. The area consists of coastal mud flats, mangroves, shrimp farms and freshwater lagoons. We’ll take a boat ride out into the mangroves looking for Nordmann’s Greenshank, White-faced Plover, Chinese Egret, Malaysian Plover, Sanderling and Pallas’s Gull in full breeding plumage. The nearby Kings Project area, which has a mix of mangroves and settling pools, could net us Pin- tailed Snipe, Common Snipe, Greater Painted Snipe, Long-toed Stint, Temminck’s Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Spotted Redshank and Indian Nightjar. Other possible birds today include Brown- headed Gull, Indian Pond Heron, Black-tailed Gull, Pallas's Gull, Heuglin's Gull, Milky Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Dunlin, Red- necked Phalarope, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Far Eastern and Eurasian Curlew, Pied Avocet, Spotted Redshank just to mention a few! After lunch we travel to Kaeng Krachan. Due to its location at the meeting point of two biogeographical areas and its range of altitudes Kaeng Krachan is host to more birds than any other park in Thailand. We will see Large Scimitar Babbler, Bamboo Woodpecker, Greater Yellownape, Ruby- cheeked Sunbird, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Blue-bearded Bee-eater. We will also spend time near the River to explore Blue Pitta, Green Magpie, Black-backed Kingfisher, Black and Yellow Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Dusky Broadbill and Banded Broadbill. Mammals include Dusky Langur, White-handed Gibbon, Black Giant Squirrel, Variable Squirrel and many others. Overnight: Baan Maka Nature Lodge (en-suite hotel room; meals included: B,L,D) Day 2: Kaeng Krachan National Park/Phetchaburi Province (06 Mar) We’ll spend the entire day in the fascinating Kaeng Krachan National Park. After early morning breakfast we head to Baan Krang Camp. A road runs 35km through the park and most of the birding is done along it. There are also a couple of trails in the river section outside the park with a few permanent hides which are excellent for bird photography. We’ll be looking for birds such as Bar-backed Partridge, Black-naped Monarch, Common Green Magpie, Kalij Pheasant, Large Scimitar Babbler, Green-legged Partridge, Red-legged Crake, Eared Pitta, Racket-tailed Treepie, Black-and-red Broadbill, Golden-crested Myna, Great Hornbill, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Dusky Broadbill, Green Banded Pitta, Silver-eared Mesia, Cochoa, Ferruginous Partridge, Orange-breasted Trogon, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-browed Shortwing, White- White-fronted Scops Owl, Tickell's Brown Hornbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Von Schrenck's bellied Woodpecker © Steve Potter, Bittern, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Blue-throated Barbet, Black- Oriental Pied Hornbill throated Laughingthrush, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Green-Legged Partridge, Pin- Thailand birding tour 2020 tailed Parrotfinch, Red-bearded Bee-eater, while possible mammals include Golden Jackal and Asian Elephant. Overnight: Baan Maka Nature Lodge (en-suite hotel room, meals included: B, L, D). Day 3: Kaeng Krachan National Park/Phetchaburi Province (07 Mar) Early morning drive up to Phanern Thung Summit. Here we target Ratchet-tailed Treepie, White-hooded Babbler, White-browed Shrike-Babbler, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Mountain Imperial Pigeon. After lunch at Park’s Restaurant, we head to KM.27 to see Speckled Piculet, Blue-throated Barbet, Long- tailed Broadbill, Red-bearded Bee eater, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Yellow-bellied Warbler, and many others. Overnight: Baan Maka Nature Lodge (en-suite hotel room; meals included: B, L, D). Day 4: Kaeng Krachan NP to Khao Yai NP (08 Mar) Early morning bird watching at Uncle Sin Bird’s Pool. We look for Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Common Green Magpie, Black-naped Mornarch, Black-crested Bulbul, Black-headed Bulbul and many the other birds. We will encounter mammals such as Lesser Mouse Deer, Red Munjack, Black-tailed Squirrel, Variable Squirrel, Burmese striped squirrel. After lunch, transfer to Khao Yai NP with bird watching on the way. Overnight: Golden Gold Resort (en-suite hotel room; meals included: B, L, D). Day 5: Khao Yai NP/Nakhon Ratchasima Province (09 Mar) We spend a full day in Khao Yai where seasonal evergreen forest is mixed with expanses of grassland. An extensive system of trails means that there is plenty of opportunity to explore the forest and look for wildlife. Khao Yai is one of the best places in South- East Asia to see Asian Elephant and with this extensive area of habitat many species of birds can be found too. Great, Oriental Pied and Wreathed Hornbills are easily seen and both