Thailand: Doi Ang Khang

 Doi Ang Khang

Another early departure in Mr. Ped's van put us on the road up yet more crazy-steep hillsides to Doi Ang Khang, with beautiful views out to the haze in all directions. We stopped at the famed (?) "garbage dump" location and found Great Barbet, Daurian Redstart, and a distant female Chestnut Bunting. One bluebird-sized bird scampered out in the open before us. It was nondescript gray or brown, until it turned and, with the sun at our backs, showed its breast in our direction. It was bright red: Siberian Rubythroat! It then disappeared into the brush before half of our group even saw it. It would take a few days to get a second look at this bird at a different location. They are not easy to see. We commented to each other that this saves us a trip to Attu.

We spotted several warblers, of the old-world persuasion. Mr. Chalee was of the opinion that they were Gray-crowned Warbler, Blyth's Leaf-warbler, and Claudia's Leaf Warbler. The dreaded Phylloscopus! When studying before this trip, I knew that the Phylloscopus genus was going to be hard. Absurdly and impossibly difficult to identify would be a drastic understatement. Those damned Phylloscopus all look alike. But they do us a second favor by flitting constantly between leafy branches, preventing a close look. An important issue we noted was that the wingbars on all of our birds were quite strong and conspicuous, unlike the illustrations in the field guide. A seasonal effect, maybe? The inconsistency doesn't make it any easier. Those damn Phyllos make North American Empids look easy.

Walking along the paved road, we got good looks at another Giant Nuthatch. This bird is named well, indeed. It looks like a White-breasted Nuthatch that has had an unfortunate encounter with some radiation. It is freakishly large. Despite that, it really does move around on tree trunks like a North American nuthatch. Strange.

Near the campground, there is a military guard station, which seemed decidedly casual. Mr. Chalee spotted a Long-tailed Shrike there.

Long-tailed Shrike in the scope

A short walk further brought us to a campground, with a heck of a view out to the Chiang Mai valley. Mr. Chalee was heading to the restroom, but the serious look on his face told me that bladder relief was not his objective, so we all followed. Looking into the shrubs behind the building, he pulled out a Scarlet-faced Liocichla. Score! There was a pair, singing nicely, and affording pretty good views. (Although not good enough for the camera.) The complicated-sounding name refers to yet another lineage in the laughingthrushes, known only in the old world.

Looking up, we had our best look at a Crested Serpent-eagle. The name sounds exotic, but these are quite common in Thailand.

Crested Serpent-eagle

We drove on to the Royal Agricultural Station down at a lower elevation, and found three species at the not-so-scenic location behind the restaurant: Black-breasted Thrush, Scaly Thrush, and Streaked Wren-babbler.

Black-breasted Thrush

Scaly Thrush

Streaked Wren-babbler

There are some well-groomed gardens here, and they draw some nice stuff, like this amazing sunbird and a sporting Spot-winged Grosbeak. A Red-whiskered Bulbul was putting on quite a show of singing. {Astute readers will know that this is a Sensitive Species in eBird, but this location is very well protected from nefarious cage-bird collectors.}

Gould's Sunbird.
(My abbreviation from "Mrs. Gould's Sunbird.")

A brief digression on bird names. The nomenclature committees for both major ornithological societies are operating with Middle Ages mentalities.* This sunbird is called, officially, "Mrs. Gould's Sunbird." Seriously? Not even "Gould's Sunbird"? Did either Mr, or Mrs. Gould have a single blessed thing to do with discovery of the species? Did anyone bother asking the Thais if they already had their own name for the bird? This bird has distinctive plumage features, an understandable dependence on habitat, but none of that provides an adequate basis for the bird name? Good grief. It's time to abandon these ridiculous bird names that are completely disconnected with any feature or characteristic of the bird. What's next? "My Second Cousin Dorothy's Finch?" "Aunt Gertrude's Most Favorite and Delightful Sparrow"? Or heck, let's just trot out leading figures from the slave trade and directors of WWII concentration camps, and let's name birds after them. Maybe Donald Trump should get a species named after him. He's notable, after all!

Spot-winged Grosbeak

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Nearby was a very well known White-tailed Robin. This handsome thrush was another one of the meal-worm-adapted individuals. But neat looking anyway.

White-tailed Robin

Yet another big raptor soared overhead. This was our best look at Oriental Honey-buzzard.

Oriental Honey-buzzard

"Honey" buzzard refers to the this bird's occasional raids on bee hives. A name that makes sense!

We drove back up high in elevation, to a place called Ban Nor Lae. As it turns out, it's a tourist destination because it is right at the border with Myanmar. There were lots of interpretive signs (bilingual, as customary for Thailand) discussing past border troubles. There was a double row of razor-wire fencing. A bit strange. But there was a really nice Burmese Shrike present - on the Thai side!

Burmese Shrike

That makes four shrikes for our trip: Brown, Gray-backed, Long-tailed, and Burmese. Plus a cuckooshrike and Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike. As long as we're at it, two shrike-babblers.

Interpretive sign at the border

Our next stop was Doi Kham Fa.

* There has finally been some action on this issue. See https://zooecology.blogspot.com/2023/11/bird-names.html

Thailand: Doi San Ju

 Doi San Ju

Our next mountain expedition departed from the city of Fang in northern Thailand. We stayed at the very nice Tangerine Ville hotel, which has a restaurant with -- you guessed it -- great Thai food. Mr. Chalee packed us up before dawn and headed into the mountains. 

But for a quick stop in town. This was a "7-11" morning. One of the challenges on birding trips is arranging for coffee and breakfast at early hours, before the hotel restaurant staff is willing to get started, particularly when the hotel is only lightly booked. In some South American countries, the early rising birders are just plain out of luck, and must endure a caffeine-free day, as painful as it is. In Thailand, the solution to this problem is 7-11. The American-originated chain of convenience stores has thoroughly permeated the Thai landscape. In the cities and towns, it is difficult to find a half-mile stretch of road that does not house a 7-11 store. Outwardly, these outfits look much like the American variety, but I was amused to see the goods on the shelves covering just about everything from toothbrushes to candy bars to instant microwave dinners to quarts of motor oil to $30 bottles of wine. (Hmmm: a bit like a Vermont country store, eh?) The instant coffee became our go-to morning liquid on several days of the trip, my "coffee-snob" tendencies notwithstanding. Instant coffee, a banana, and a hostess twinkie: check. Ready to rock and roll.

Thus fueled, we motored up the mountainside. Once again, as soon as the van door opened, we were seeing birds moving all around us. We got close looks at a White-bellied Redstart, which is closer to the size of a robin than a warbler.

White-bellied Redstart

A pair of Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babblers (try saying that three times fast) made a noisy entrance. A Silver-eared Laughingthrush joined the party.

Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler

Silver-eared Laughingthrush

Now I should include a bit of explanatory information here, to explain the images. The ridgeline at the top of Doi San Ju is a place where bird photographers go and cast out mealworms to draw the birds in closer. This is admittedly a somewhat artificial birding experience, but it's hard to argue with success. Photographers have been doing this for years. These birds are not tame, but their behavior is certainly altered by the human feeding regimen. The consistency of individual birds at individual meal-worm spots along the road suggests that territories have been set up over time, and the birds drop in almost as if they were being cued. I don't particularly like modifying the behavior of wildlife, but on the other hand I will say that since the feeding stations are alongside the road, it prevents large birding groups from trampling through the woods to flush the desired birds into view.

So the morning experience continued with Rufous-bellied Niltava, Hill Blue Flycatcher, and Golden Babbler. 

Rufous-bellied Niltava

Hill Blue Flycatcher

Golden Babbler

Golden-throated Barbet, in one of the few trees in leafless stage

In the meantime, another collection of species not dependent on the mealworm handout appeared in the branches above the road. Golden-throated Barbet was nice, and the hit bird of the morning was Himalayan Cutia. This bird is beautifully patterned like a pitta. My photo, backlit by the sky, does not do it justice. Many long camera lenses were pointed in this bird's direction.

Himalayan Cutia

The show continued with Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher and Yunnan Fulvetta.

Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher

Yunnan Fulvetta

As we slowly walked along the road, we listened to the tooting of a Collared Owlet. This bird is almost a constant companion in the mountains in the Chiang Mai region. It very consistently sings, "toot. Toot-toot. Toot". But it is maddeningly hard to see, being a midget-sized owl that keeps still and blends in with the tree trunks. This one was particularly loud, so we put in some extra effort and eventually found it high up in the sub-canopy layer of a large tree. It seems about the size of our pygmy-owls, and it was being scolded by small birds in much the same way that happens in North America. This one was actually a bit active, and it hopped between branches of this large tree as we watched.

Collared Owlet

Turning back to passerines, our attention was brought to a pair of spectacularly gleaming Scarlet Minivets, chasing insects among the green leaves. A photograph cannot convey how startling it is to see these flaming red creatures decorating the leafy branches. A pair of similarly stunning Short-billed Minivets was not far away.

Scarlet Minivet

We tracked down another colorful flycatcher with the suave name of Ultramarine Flycatcher.

Ultramarine Flycatcher

And a pair of Black-throated Tits seemed to be working on a nest somewhere in the needles of a long-leaf pine. This was a nice find, because their normal range just barely gets down into northern Thailand.

Black-throated Tit

A curious sight along the road was a sign recalling past hostilities with the neighbors. We were close to the border with Myanmar here, and the sign warned of land mines. Our guide reassured us that the warning could be safely ignored. (Of course, we did not venture more than a few footsteps off the road anyway.)

Ominous sign for landmines at Doi San Ju

So it was another magical day in the mountains of Thailand. The drive back was a roller-coaster ride seemingly straight down the steep slopes. I found myself wondering if Mr. Ped had recently looked at his brake fluid levels. I was glad, though, that he was driving, and it wasn't us in our own rental car hoping for the best.

Back to the city of Fang for dinner and a round of award-winning (!) Chang beers (they must surely draw their inspiration from Bud Extra Lite in the US). There is only one negative about the region around Fang. We were constantly aware of smoke in the air. Apparently, 'tis the season for agricultural burning in preparation for planting the new crops. It felt like we were sitting beside the campfire for the whole two days of our visit. I felt very bad indeed for the people who must live there, knowing that they will almost certainly experience respiratory disease in their old age. Alas, the world is still desperately in need of advances in agricultural technology to prevent short life spans among farmworkers and other residents in this region.

Our next stop was Doi Ang Khang.

Thailand: Doi Inthanon National Park

 Doi Inthanon National Park

Morning near the summit of Doi Inthanon

Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand, and also a prime birding spot. From our lodge, we headed up the mountain side early in the van. As soon as we stepped out, colorful forest birds were all around. This Large Niltava was a gleaming blue beacon in the forest.

We were knocked over by a group of Chestnut-tailed Minla, also known as Bar-throated Minla. This is another great example in the laughingthrush family, Leiothrichidae that has no parallel in the new world.

In the unique swamp forest near the summit we came face to face with this Blue Whistling-thrush. Like an American Robin in iridescent blue and speckled on the back.

The moss-draped swamp forest at the summit of Doi Inthanon

Sunbirds were in good numbers. Amazing birds, they bounce around on the branches like little colorful jumping beans. They serve in the role that hummingbirds do in the new world, and the illusion (so to speak) is very realistic. This brilliant Green-tailed Sunbird is the Doi Inthanon subspecies, with a bright red breast. (Surely soon to be a full species, given the current trend in taxonomy.)

That afternoon, Mr. Chalee took us to mid-mountain forest area and played a frogmouth call. He got a response almost immediately, so we started searching through the forest. I thought, "Yeah, right." Frogmouths are motionless in the daytime and cryptically patterned. It was probably worth a few minutes before surrendering to the inevitable field note, "heard only." Mr. Chalee had different plans. He looked here, looked there, looked up, and then exclaimed. Amazingly, he had found the motionless brown puffball 60 feet up in the canopy, and we got the scope on it -- Hodgson's Frogmouth. It was an astonishing feat. Looking almost straight up, we did not get the full effect of this strange bird, but it was a thrill nonetheless. Frogmouths are restricted to the old world -- in fact, restricted to southeast Asia. 

Hodgson's Frogmouth, Doi Inthanon. Photo through a scope, which explains the poor quality.

Back at the van, we found Hume's Treecreeper (like an oversized Brown Creeper from home) and White-browed Shrike-babbler.

On the end-of -day walk near the lodge, we admired a flock of Striated Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows. We stayed at Rimthan Inthanon Resort, a rather rustic place in a small Karen village, but with great Thai food (as usual) and immersed in the sounds of Brown Boobook, Mountain Scops Owl, Asian Barred-owlet and nightjars all night long.

Doi Inthanon is a magical place indeed. We were overwhelmed with its brilliant birdlife, including Speckled Wood-pigeon (a flyover), Gray-chinned and Short-billed Minivets lighting up the tree branches, Clicking Shrike-babbler, Yellow-bellied Fairy-fantail, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Black-backed Sibia, Chinese Vivid Niltava, Gould's Sunbird, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Chestnut-flanked and Indian White-eyes, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, and Red-headed Trogon. On the way out through the foothills, we stopped to scope White-rumped Falcon and Collared Falconet, both pint-sized raptors.

The next in the chain of Chiang Mai mountain gems would be Doi San Ju.

Back to the Outskirts of Chiang Mai.

Thailand: Outskirts of Chiang Mai

 Outskirts of Chiang Mai

We were met early in the morning at our Chiang Mai hotel by our birding guide, Mr. Chalee. He is a great guy with acute ability to spot birds in the dense foliage, and has an expansive knowledge of the bird sounds. We recommend him highly. He has an interesting ethnic background: he is from the Karen tribe, one of a few tribes found in the mountains of northern Thailand. As he interacted with local residents and restaurant employees, he would switch between Thai and the Karen (kah-RAIN) language of his youth.

Mr. Chalee and our driver Mr. Ped took us south to Ob Khan National Park for the early morning hours. It began a bit quiet, but toward the park headquarters we managed views of White-browed Piculet, Ashy Minivet and Rosy Minivet, Hair-crested Drongo, Red-billed Blue-Magpie, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Pin-striped Tit-babbler, Purple Sunbird, and Golden-fronted Leafbird. These were all somewhat buried in the tree leaves, and I couldn't manage photos of any of them. Birding in Thailand is challenging, because the foliage in the deciduous forest is remarkably dense, even in winter. A few trees were at the leafless stage and provided perches, but only a few. Gray-faced Buzzards soared overhead.

Next came the Doi Lo Paddies, where the seeing was easier, but the thermometer rose. We viewed Lesser Whistling-Ducks, a lot like the ones in North America. There were some nice waterbirds here: Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Eurasian Moorhen, Gray-headed Lapwing, and Purple Heron. Surveying the agricultural fields were Black-winged Kite and Black Kite. In the dried stalks we found Gray-breasted Prinia, a new genus for us, looking a bit like large gnatcatchers. Asian Green Bee-eaters zoomed around like fighter jets with unicorn horns.

We made a quick stop at Ban Hong, one of the reliable spots for the endangered Green Peafowl, huge and iridescent.

The huge, colorful and stately Green Peafowl

Then we made another stop at the Ping River sandbars, adjacent to a dam. We got great looks at the bizarre Small Pratincole. It is a heterogeneous mixture: part shorebird, part tern, and part dove. This was our only chance on the trip for shorebirds, so we enjoyed scope views of Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper (the tail-bobbing, asian version of Spotted Sandpiper), and Common Greenshank. The pseudo-shorebird White Wagtail also made an appearance.

Going up into the cool mountains, Mr. Chalee then stopped at Ban Khun Klang hydropower station. (This should probably be considered part of Doi Inthanon National Park, but I wasn't sure at the time.) This is not often visited by birders, and seems to have once been a popular mountain retreat. We found it buzzing with bird calls. White-capped Redstart was perched close to the moving water, reminiscent of dipper behavior.

We tallied several of the bulbuls here, Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Black-backed Forktail, Little Pied Flycatcher, Plumbeous Redstart, Black-throated Sunbird, and Orange-bellied Leafbird. Mr. Chalee heard a much-desired Pygmy Cupwing, but we could not coax it out into view. Still, we rate this as a birding spot not to be missed.

A few days later, we dropped into another good spot near Chiang Mai, the Mae Hia agricultural research center connected with the university. Viewing is good, so we took time to get familiar with Rufous-winged Buzzard, Crested Goshawk, White-throated Kingfisher, Gray-breasted and Plain Prinias, Wire-tailed Swallows, Amur Stonechat, Scaly-breasted Munia, and Paddyfield Pipit. A Chestnut-capped Babbler scolded us from the thick marsh vegetation. (If I can only figure out how to post audio tracks on this blog.)

We were ready to jump into the legendary Doi Inthanon National Park next.

Thailand: Chiang Mai

 Chiang Mai touring

We flew into Chiang Mai and took a break from birding. Chiang Mai has an old city with some charming temples. We sat in one of them for a while and listened to a chant by Buddhist monks.

There are differences in temple architecture and decorations in "northern" Thailand, since in ancient times there was not a unified state that incorporated Bangkok with Chiang Mai. But the differences are modest to my untrained eye.  The restaurants in Chiang Mai were great, as everywhere in Thailand, with slight changes in flavors. There is a more noticeable Chinese influence on the foods.

Dawn in the Chiang Mai market

Unidentified subspecies of dragon in Chiang Mai

There is a long history of serious massage here, and Dawn testified to its quality. We wandered through the open markets, much like those in Bangkok but about ten percent less chaotic than in Bangkok. On display was everything from junky trinkets to serious carving and artwork. I think I tallied every European language among the tourists in attendance. We toured the Chiang Mai National Museum, devoted to documenting the changes in artistic style through the centuries of Thai culture.

Elaborate wood carving in the museum

Temple guardians in Chiang Mai.
Lesser Spotted (left) and Bronzed (right) Cobras,
a sadly unrecognized pair of species that can be seen with effort.

It was interesting to contrast the art treasures of the museum with the shopping mall just down the street. It was the glitziest, most gleaming shopping mall I have ever seen. There was an enormous food court with everything from pizza to kimchi. It also contained a Lotus store, the large supermarket chain.  It was here that we found salvation from the Chang and Leo pseudo-beer that we had been drinking for a week. Lotus carries microbrews!! A few small Thai breweries produce pale ales. Expensive at $6 per bottle, but ideally suited for the weary traveler.

Overall, we found Chiang Mai to be much like Bangkok but a tiny fraction of the size. Which still means it is a large and busy city. But a great jumping-off place for the northern mountains, where we headed next.

Back to: Khao Yai National Park

Thailand: Khao Yai National Park

 Khao Yai National Park

An enormous fig tree in Khao Yai

The birding on our trip was arranged by an extremely capable company, Wild Bird Eco tours. Please consider using them if you decide to go.  It is owned and operated by Thais, and all of their guides and drivers are Thai. You are supporting local ecotourism when you go with them, and their logistics capabilities are exemplary!

Our driver (Mr. Chod) picked us up at our Bangkok hotel early in the morning, so we could make the long drive north. We stopped first at Wat Phra Phuttabat Noi, a scenic temple at the base of impressive limestone cliffs, racking up some nice species of central Thailand: Common Iora, Bronzed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Blue Whistling-thrush, and Olive-backed Sunbird. We heard Rufous Limestone Babbler, but it remained hidden in the thick vegetation. Our guide for this part of the trip was Ms. Nang, a cheerful and energetic Thai with many years of experience in both birding and cultural tours. Great birder, too, with impressive knowledge of bird sounds. Nang took a cue from our interest in bats, so she next took us to the Khao Yai bat cave. We got there just in time to see thousands of Wrinkle-lipped Bats spilling out into the night air. This elicits an impressive raptor flight. In quick succession, Nang pointed out Shikra, Eastern Buzzard, Eurasian Kestrel, Oriental Hobby, and Peregrine Falcon -- all snatching bats in mid-air for an evening snack. The buzzard and Shikra would lazily plow through the column and roll to grab one, but the hobby and peregrine would chase them down in level flight at high speed. A few Richard's Pipits called from the grass as we sat in awe.

We had three and a half days inside Khao Yai National Park. It is really impressive deciduous forest. Although it was winter, the leaves on the trees make for an incredibly dense foliage display, which presents a challenge for finding the source of all that persistent bird song. One of the specialties is Silver Pheasant, which we tracked down on a boardwalk trail near the summit. Its shocking white back color is decorated with intricate feather patterns. We remained quiet and spent many minutes admiring two males and a posse of females. (Good photos are almost impossible in the forest darkness.)

Back at the van, the birds just kept coming: Brown Shrike, Mountain Imperial-pigeon, Brown-rumped Minivet, Blue Rock-thrush, Gray-backed Thrush. We enjoyed the raucous calls of Black-throated Laughingthrush, a species threatened by the cage-bird trade.

A Black-winged Cuckooshrike perched just above us.

Driving back down the mountain, we had a thrilling look at Orange-breasted Trogon.

Orange-breasted Trogon, buried in the thick mid-canopy leaves.

Wreathed Hornbills flew past. Crested Serpent-eagle cruised overhead, while Crested Goshawk scooted by at mid-canopy. The forest in Khao Yai was ringing with the calls of Barbets (Blue-eared, Green-eared, Lineated, Moustached) all morning long, complemented at times by White-handed Gibbons. The resulting chorus is haunting -- in fact, I think this must be what is used in spooky movies to set the dark tone of the supposedly-malevolent jungle.

Verditer Flycatchers and Blue Whistling-thrush are fairly common, but stunning nonetheless.

Near the park headquarters, photographers were streaming in to see a nest of Buffy Fish-owls. We admired an adult and one young bird calmly tolerating the paparazzi. This was our first in this strange but captivating genus of owls, with their alien-looking horizontal headdresses.

And so it went for three and a half days. Khao Yai is just wonder piled upon wonder. One day the birding was interrupted by a report of an elephant wandering through the campground, so we raced off to gawk from a safe distance.

Asian elephant taking a dust bath

The young male was ambling around, people-watching it seems. Park rangers watched it closely, needless to say, eventually coaxing it back into the forest. A great opportunity to see how this differs from African Elephant, with its smaller earflaps and high head bump. Friends at iNaturalist.org tell me that this creature sports the subspecies name Indian Elephant.

Nang blurted out "stop the van!!" when she spied this cool-looking cuckoo above the road.

Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo

This is one of many birds that seems to have characteristics of a drongo (all black, long tailed), but is decidedly its own critter - in this case, cuckoo it is.

We had several opportunities to see Oriental Pied-hornbill in the park. Their size and loud calls make them conspicuous, so not so hard to see.

We sat one evening beside a pond, and got great looks at Brown-backed Needletails swooping over, an impressive large swift. It was accompanied by Dusky Crag-martin. An East Asian Porcupine then trotted up and showed us its hefty spines. Later that night, Nang scanned a flashlight across an open area to reveal a Civet and a Golden Jackal scampering off. Khao Yai is a great place for mammals!

Nightjars, too. Nang took us on a brief night ride to get looks at Indian Nightjar resting on the road. Nearby were Gray Nightjars, Large-tailed Nightjars, and the B-52 of the the family, a Great Eared-nightjar.

And more drongos, like this Greater Racket-tailed Drongo with its outrageous tail plumes.

Thailand is home to the original bird that became domesticated as the chicken (in one of the most significant steps in human agricultural development). They were calling from many places in the park, and can be approached if you are quiet. The Red Junglefowl (note the white spot on the cheek) is a colorful creature indeed.

Asia has a lot of thrushes, a family not well represented in the new world. Eye-browed thrush is one example that we saw at close range, and Orange-headed Thrush really knows how to light up the dark forest.

Greater Coucal is exciting to see. We would later see them in urban areas, so they are not a forest specialist.

Bulbuls seem to be a hallmark of any trip to Thailand, since they are non-existent in the new world. This Gray-eyed Bulbul posed close enough for a photo.

We saw at least one bulbul each day of the trip, and usually multiple. In 11 days, we compiled this collection: Black-headed, Black-crested, Striated, Red-whiskered, Brown-breasted, Sooty-headed, Stripe-throated, Flavescent, Yellow-vented, Streak-eared, Puff-throated, Gray-eyed, Black, Ashy, and Mountain Bulbuls, as well as Crested Finchbill.

Another treasure for new-world birders is the family of Broadbills, or Eurylaimidae. They are chunky flycatchers with enormous flat bills and bold colors, as well as loud voices. My best photos were of Banded Broadbill, at the Haew Suwat waterfall area in Khao Yai. When a broadbill was announced by the guide, all other matters were promptly set aside.

We have seen many kingfishers on our tropical America trips. But a unique member of the family is Banded Kingfisher, which needs no water: it has adapted to forest habitat. Pretty sharp looking, too.

My photos do not do justice to the magnificent Khao Yai National Park. Steep mountain hillsides, cool temperatures (we wore down coats at the top), jungle-like vegetation, the constant calls of barbets, monkeys, owlets, and babblers. And protected well from poachers loggers and livestock, too. A week seemed too short to take it all in. Thank you, Ms. Nang!

Asian Elephants at their salt lick (mineral lick) after sunset in Khao Yai

Ms. Nang on the lookout for forktails at Khao Yai

Next: Chiang Mai