Kaeng Krachan National Park Day 2 - 24th May 2010

Kaeng Krachan Birding Holiday Day 2

Even though it is the off-peak period, we are unable to book any of the Park’s chalet/bungalow. This is due to they make use of this off-peak period to refurbish/renovate all visitor chalet/bungalow.
The other choice of park’s accommodation is camping. This is not too practical unlike during the dry winter. We foresee from April - Oct some days there will be heavy downpour.

To reduce our travelling time to the park daily, there are only 2 places of accommodation
to consider (Barn Maka and Baan SongNok). If the group is more than 4 then Barn Maka is the choice. Baan SongNok only has 2 chalets. Only one chalet is equipped with air-con.

To book Baan SongNok accommodation call the owner at 66-0860488330. FYI due to limited hand-phone signal, the owner may not able to attend on your call at the very moment.

This is the air-con chalet. It has bathroom and toilet attached. Cost us 1,500baht per night.
Today we start part of our morning session to try our luck for Khalij Pheasant. We wait in silence with mosquitoes whizzing condition behind the bird hide in Baan SongNok.

We have a Lesser Treeshrew.
Then a flock of Spotted Necked Dove,

followed by a group of Red Jungle Fowl flock with more female than male.

This time I notice one individual look alike female however it’s plumage are more like a sub-adult male.

The owner of Baan SongNok planted a number of fruits trees around the compound.
As papaya bear fruits more quickly than one could consumes, therefore the owner shares it with…
Our high hope of Khalij Pheasant appearance reduces as the day began brighter as the clock ticks. Knowing well that this shy species will not prefer to forage openly after prominent daylight. This reduces us one day less of the chance of seeing Khalij Pheasant. Well today is just the starting of our birding trip. Hopefully tomorrow or the day after we have the 'moment with Khalij Pheasant' . Without much delay we adjourned to the Park.

We drove pass some villages, paid our park fees inclusive of the vehicles park fees and here we are at Kaeng Krachan National Park. The Jeep track start, our dear friend Mam who is our chauffeur have to be careful negotiating the rough track. At one point ahead of us on the jeep track I saw a vibrant colour standing bird. I shouted… OOOOh .. that is pitta. Even though it is the most common Pitta species among the rest, I could not believe that I have to travel thus far to have the first glimpse of it.

During early April till end May the common reason for people to visit Kaeng Krachan National Park is for Butterfly Watching.







I could not believe my eyes on our journey to Baan Krang Camp we are greeted with such a mass amount of butterflies. There are big flock of butterflies fluttering in the air, some so engrossed sipping nutrients on the jeep track and not to mentioned the amount of butterflies congregated near the streams. The public toilet/bathroom wall at the camp group of Baan Krang is also full of butterflies.



There are not even aware/sensitive of the surrounding. Many have being run-over by vehicles.
The experience of so many Butterflies fluttering around, mass congregate on the road and river bank as well as sipping nutrients from flowering trees is totally a new experience to me. So far I have yet to encounter the same experience back in Malaysia. Hmmmm maybe this Kaeng Krachan National Park forest is a contiguous therefore the biodiversity is so rich.

I was so mesmerized by the butterflies phenomena have nearly forgotten about my wish list Brown Hornbill and Rachet –Tailed treepie.

Anyway have to force myself to move away to trek towards streams 1 , stream 2 and stream 3.
As it was nearly mid-day it was hard to hear any vocal birds call. Looking out for any movements of leaves and branches, scanning with a pair of binoculars on the canopy is totally exercising my patience. Anyhow I was rewarded of sighting of a flocks of at least 5 Brown Hornbill, Streaked Breasted Woodpecker. These lifer does not allow me any photography opportunity.

Only a Orange Breasted Trogon and Red-Wattled Lapwing is very obliging

We call it a day at Kaeng Krachan National Park towards the evening as it was hardly any vocal birds calls. We head back to continue our bird-watching activities at Ban Song Nok compound.

Once we reached Ban Song Nok, the lovely owner (Khun Aik) with all excitement informed us a new bird appearance. I looked through her tele-scope of that woodpecker perched far away… OOOh it is definitely a lifer for me too. We were debating could it be the Black Headed…no it does not look like one.

The woodpecker came nearer but somehow it does give us a greater window to determine what species. The birds was playing hide and seek with us. It fly away before we could pick up our binoculars to have a good look.

With great determination we tried to locate the bird scanning through our binoculars towards the direction of its call. After a long while this woodpecker hop to a spot that is no obstructing…
we managed to identify it as Grey Headed Woodpecker – female.

Birds sighted/heard for the day.

At Kaeng Krachan National Park
Red Jungle Fowl, Grey Headed Woodpecker, Streaked Breasted Woodpecker,
Greater Flameback, Common Flameback, Green Eared Barbet, Brown Hornbill, Pied Hornbill,
Orange Breasted Trogon, Chestnut Breasted Malkoha, Green Billed Malkoha, Greater Coucal,
Indian Roller, Red -Waltted Lapwing, Crested Serpent Eagle, Blue Winged Pitta, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Spangle Drongo, Greated Racket Tailed Drongo, Black Naped Monarch, Tickel Blue Flycatcher, White Rumped Sharma, Sooty Headed Bulbul, Black Headed Bulbul, Stripe-Throated Bulbul, Streak Eared Bulbul, Ocracheous Bulbul.

Mammals - Burmese Ferret Badgers, Barking Deer

At Padang Camp ground
White Breasted Woodswallow, White-Throated Kingfisher, Oriental Magpie Robin.

At Barn SongNok
Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Puff-Throated Babbler, Red Jungle Fowl, Spotted Necked Dove, Common Tailorbird, Grey-Headed Woodpecker - female.