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Dates: February
13th to the 19th, 2011
Day
1: Bangkok 
Arrival
in Bangkok. Depending on the arrival time of flights,
there will be an opportunity for a first experience
of this vibrant city’s culture and some
of the colourful urban birds. Bangkok’s
cultural and historical attractions include the
Grand Palace which houses the
famous Emerald Buddha, Wat
Pho (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
among hundreds of other Wats (Temples). If time
permits, we will get a taste of Thai birding at
the famous Lumphini Park, close
to the city centre. Lumphini Park was created
in the 1920s by King Rama VI and provides opportunities
to view Oriental Magpie Robin,
Streak-eared Bulbul, Asian
Koel and the colourful Coppersmith
Barbet among others.
Day
2: Petchaburi
Today
we explore the brakish and saltwater habitats
of Petchaburi, on the shores of the gulf of Thailand.
We will search a range of sites for a host of
species including Red-necked Stint,
Broad-billed Sandpiper, Lesser
and Greater Sandplover, Great
Knot and Common, Pintail Snipe
and Greater Painted Snipe.
Our
key target birds here are Nordmann’s
Greenshank and Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Asiatic Dowitcher is also a possibility.
The area is not only known for shorebirds and
species like Golden-bellied Gerygone
and Blue-throated Bee-eater are
possible as are a host of migrants including Pallas’s
Grasshopper Warbler and Yellow-rumped
Flycatcher.
Day
3: Ayutthaya and Khao Yai National Park
En
route to the famous Khao Yai National Park we
visit Ayutthaya, an ancient founded
in 1350, and long-standing capital of the Ayutthaya
Kingdom or Siam. Between enjoying ruins we may
sight species such as Common Iora,
Small Minivet, Scarlet-backed
Flowerpecker and possibly some wintering
Flycatchers and Warblers. We arrive at our accommodation
near Khao Yai National Park in the afternoon.
Days
4 to 6: Khao Yai National Park
Khao
Yai boasts a range of evergreen forest and grassland
habitats. The exquisite Coral-billed Ground
Cuckoo is one of our main targets at
Khao Yai together with extravagant Siamese
Fireback Pheasant. The aptly-named Silver
Pheasant also occurs. Aside from these
hard to find ground-dwelling skulkers, the forests
of Khao Yai are home to a plethora of other attractive
species. 
Hornbills
are represented by the gargantuan Wreathed
and Great Hornbills as well the somewhat
smaller Oriental Pied and Brown
varieties.
The
outrageous White-crested Laughingthrush
occurs alongside Lesser Necklaced
and Black-throated Laughingthrushes.
Those
birders who fancy colourful tropical species –
you have come to the right place: Long-tailed,
Banded, Dusky and Silver-breasted Broadbill,
Common Green Magpie, Orange-breasted
and Red-headed Trogon, Greater
Flameback, Lesser Yellownape, Blue-eared
and Moustached Barbets, Long-tailed
and Scarlet Minivets, Blue
and (with luck) Eared Pitta and
more…
The
Forktails are a delicately-marked south-east Asian
family associated with mountain forests and streams.
Both Slaty-backed and White-crowned Forktails
occur at Khao Yai.
Crested
Serpent Eagle hawks the skies above.
As
if the birds are not enough, Khao Yai is home
to a range of mammals including Asian
Elephant, Dhole, Pig-tailed
Macaque, Black Giant Squirrel,
Malayan Sun Bear and the rarely
seen and mysterious Clouded Leopard.
The beautiful haunting call of the White-handed
Gibbon echoes through the jungle.
And
if that still isn’t enough we search for
the enormous Great-eared Nightjar,
Grey Nightjar and Brown
Hawk Owl in the evenings.
Day
7: Return to Bangkok:
After
a final morning’s birding we return to Bangkok.
Click
here to see our 2009 Jewels of the South
bird
list.
Your
international guide: Duan Biggs
Duan Biggs was born in Windhoek, Namibia and spent
many of the weekends of his young days in this
vast and wild country chasing down Pale Chanting
Goshawks and other birds of prey his parents (both
ecologists) were studying. At the age of 10 Duan
moved with his family to the Kruger National Park
in South Africa, where his interest in birds turned
into a lifelong passion. He started guiding at
the age of 17, initially in South Africa, from
where he expanded to other African destinations.
Duan
is currently based in Townsville, Australia where
he is completing a PhD. He has led birding expeditions
in the Antipodeans and started guiding in Asia
in 2007. When not sharing his birding fervor on
birding tours Duan spends his time writing scientific
papers and popular articles presenting talks at
conferences on ecotourism, development and conservation.
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