Thailand 2018: Part 1

A Tropical Birding custom tour guided by Laurie Ross and Phil Chaon. (assisted by Wichyanan “Jay” Limparungpatthanakij on the extension to the Thailand peninsula) 

Laurie, Phil and jay

“Thailand is one of those indescribable places. Trying to put it into words after nearly a month in this incredibly diverse country I am confronted with a series of stills and images rather than a single coherent idea. The towering skyscrapers of Bangkok. White pyramids of salt in the bright mid-day sun surrounded by hordes of shorebirds. The unearthly song of gibbons echoing off misty hillsides in the early morning. The sweet smell of a warm pine forest and the persistent clear whistles of a Giant Nuthatch. Thailand is a kaleidoscope of landscapes, flavors, and bird communities with influences from many corners of the continent evident at this crossroads of a nation. All of this combined with a whopping 517 bird species seen on tour and it is easy to see why this tour is a favorite for guides and clients alike.” - Phil Chaon, Tropical Birding guide

We have to say, Phil, spot on! Thailand was all this and more. To read Phil’s complete official Tropical Birding tour report of our 2018 custom tour, follow this link:

http://www.tropicalbirding.com/2018/07/25/trip-report-thailand-custom-feb-2018/

What’s missing from Phil’s report are our personal accounts and photos which are contained in four blog posts beginning with Thailand 2018: Part 1

So why Thailand? For starters Thailand has an exceptionally high bird diversity. Numerous resident species plus the country is a confluence of Palearctic and Himalayan migrants. In other words, the potential for hundreds of life birds plus adding new bird families to our life lists. Then there is the legendary Thai cuisine and hospitality. And scenery.

Planning for our custom tour began in 2016. By mid 2017 we had assembled a group of fellow birders, many we’ve traveled with on previous tours. Pat Brust (WI), Larry and Carol Dole (NH), John Bruder and Risé Foster-Bruder (CO), Melissa Bruder (WI), José Padilla (FL), and Greg Seegert (WI). New to the group were Rick Sanders and Janice Hand (MT), recommended by John and Risé.

LtoR: Carol S., Tom, Jose, Phil, Rick, Melissa, Greg, John, Pat, Risé, Larry, Laurie, Carol D.
seated is our driver

Thai map depicting the 72 provinces 

Our main tour ran from February 2 thru February 17. An optional extension to the Thai peninsula began February 18 and ended February 23.

As is always the case, everyone was responsible for booking their own air travel. We encourage people to arrive at least a day early to acclimate to different weather conditions and in in this case, to cope with crossing the international dateline and possible jet lag. Flying west from the United States everyone lost a day. Flying back, everyone recouped a day. Especially confusing when booking flights!

web construction manmade and in nature

We had opted to arrive three days early, as did John and Risé. Pat, Greg, Rick and Janice were due in on January 31. The Doles, Melissa, and José would arrive February 1.

Our Delta flight from Tucson left at 7:45am. A Korean Air connection at LAX left at 11:00am. Crossing the International Dateline we landed at Incheon International Airport, a 13-hour flight where we made a connecting Korean Air flight. Up until this point things were fine, however, our Incheon takeoff was delayed by almost two hours due to all planes needing de-icing. By the time we arrived in Bangkok and passed through Thai immigration and customs, it was well past 2:00am. Worrisome because the cutoff time for the hotel’s airport shuttle was 2:00am.

Tucson - Los Angels - South Korea - Thailand

After speaking with a security guard, plus the help of a taxi driver, we discovered the hotel was aware our flight had been delayed and a driver was still looking for us. A quick call by the taxi driver let the shuttle driver know where we were to be picked up. Whew! But by the time we got checked into our room at the Amaranth Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, it was well past 3:00am! 18-hours of actual flying time plus approximately 10 hours spent in airports. Long international flights are becoming less and less attractive to us (unless one flies first class or business class and that ain’t us!)

Interesting to note that our recovery time is always far faster following a long travel day when we arrive in a new place compared to a long travel day returning home (after which seems to take days to recover). Must be all the excitement of a new continent!

hotel water fountain

A few days prior to our departure for Thailand we’d gotten word from Tropical Birding that one of our guides was not going to be joining us due to personal reasons. But not to worry, a substitute guide was on his way. Over the years we’ve gotten to know most of the Tropical Birding’s guides and although we didn’t know either of our assigned guides, we knew we’d be in good hands, regardless.

Up early with little sleep (but full of energy), a quick stop at the concierge’s desk on our way to breakfast a gave us a better idea about our local sightseeing tour options. After meeting up with Risé and John, we settled on a half day tour package of local temples and well known Buddhas and a river cruise. Unfortunately, the day’s weather had started with what we were told unseasonable rain. We stepped outside the hotel lobby under the cover of our umbrellas, to ID Coppersmith Barbet, Pink-necked Pigeon, Malaysian Pied-Fantail, Olive-backed Sunbird, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Great Myna, and Asian Palm-Swift. All life birds.

Coppersmith Barbet

Zebra Doves

We also caught up with our guides, Laurie Ross and Phil Chaon in the hotel lobby. Laurie, originally from New Zealand, is now living in Australia’s Northern Territory, where he calls Darwin home. Phil found an interest in birds while coping with the crushing reality there were not, and never would be, alligators in Cleveland. Over the course of our tour we found they both had razor sharp birding skills and an endless drive to “get that bird!”. By the way, both are excellent photographers. You can see Laurie’s extensive photo collection (check out the Birds of Thailand album) at Laurie Ross Bird Photos.

food and flowering plants were stunning throughout the tour

Finally fortified with breakfast and much needed caffeine, we were ready for our Bangkok tour. Both guide and driver arrived promptly at 10:30. Departing the hotel we were shuttled about in bustling Bangkok traffic in a very comfortable air conditioned minivan to see what we would see.

Bangkok and outer municipalities are home to an estimated 8.5 million people (as of 2016). Any city this size is going to have crushing traffic but fortunately, the majority of our stops were in a relatively concentrated area where we spent a good deal of time walking once we were dropped off.

A brief tour recap:

Wat Traimit: An elegant multilevel white and gold temple located at the beginning of Yaowarat Road. The main attraction of Wat Traimit is not only beautiful architecture, but an immense buddha made of solid gold, the largest of its kind in the world. This 16-foot high, five and a half ton statue, thought to have been made in the 13th-14th centuries, had long been hidden under an unimpressive coating of stucco and plaster and was only revealed by accident in 1955.

Wat Traimit and Golden Buddha

Wat Pho: Named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived, it's one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temples in Bangkok. Wat Pho is also known as “The Temple of the Reclining Buddha”, a 49-foot high, 141-foot long Buddha, covered with gold and exquisite mother-of-pearl (or nacre) decorations. Located adjacent to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho also houses one thousand buddha images and 91 chedis (stupas), including four very impressive chedis dedicated to the four chakri kings. Wat Pho is also home to the first Thai massage school where Thai massage is still taught at the Traditional Medical Practitioners Association Center, located in an open air hall outside the temple.

Reclining Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew: Built within the grounds of the Grand Palace, one of the most significant features of Wat Phra Kaew is the Emerald Buddha, carved into a 26-inch tall block of Jade. This highly revered icon was first discovered in 1464 in Chiang Rai when the Wat sheltering it was struck by lightning. It was taken to Laos before being returned to Chiang Mai, finally making a permanent home in Bangkok. The robes on the Buddha are changed with each of the four seasons by HM The King of Thailand and forms an important ritual in the Buddhist calendar. Wat Phra Kaew also houses a 6561-foot long gallery covered with incredibly detailed mural paintings depicting 178 scenes of the epic story of Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem which narrates the struggle of the divine prince Rama to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Tall chedis covered with glazed tiles or gold leaves seemed to be around every corner. But the most photographed building is the massive golden chedi of Phra Sri Rattana featured on the Thai one baht coin. The Emerald Buddha was one of the few sites where we were not allowed to photograph while inside (but managed a quick pic as we exited).

Wat Phra Kaew and Jade Buddha

Grand Palace: The palace complex, like the rest of Ratanakosin Island, is laid out very similar to the palaces of Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam which was raided by the Burmese. The Outer Court, near the entrance, used to house government departments in which the King was directly involved: civil administration, the army and the treasury. The Central Court is where conducting state business was once located. Only two of the throne halls are open to the public. The Inner Court is where the King's royal consorts and daughters lived. The Inner Court was like a small city entirely populated by women and boys under the age of puberty. Even though no royalty currently reside in the inner court, it is still completely closed off to the public. Despite the proximity of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, there's a distinct contrast in archetectual style between the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the more European inspired design of the Grand Palace (the roof being the main exception). Other highlights are Boromabiman Hall and Amarinda Hall, the original residence of King Rama I and the Hall of Justice.

with Risé and John Grand Palace

Water Cruise: A cruise along the legendary Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, Thailand, and some canals on the Thon Buri side was a most pleasant way to explore a small part of the city once dubbed the "Venice of the East”. Rivers and canals (“maenam” and “khlong” in Thai) have always been vital forms of communication and commerce.

John, our Thai guide, Risé

Our water tour portion was by long-tail boat. Basically a canapied canoe shaped boat powered by a car or truck engine at the rear. The propellor extended to the rear by a driveshaft measuring several feet in length giving the boat its name. There’s an epic long-boat chase in a James Bond film “Man with the Golden Gun” on one of the canals we toured: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZIyMD46M-U
Along our voyage we saw traces of the Early Rattanakosin period architecture. We passed the Royal Barge National Museum which exhibits royal barges and their ornaments used for waterborne state ceremonies which have been held occasionally since the Sukhothai period, and, Wat Suwannaram, a large royal monastery constructed during the reign of King Rama I and was subsequently renovated during the reign of King Rama III.
Our guide was most genial and informative covering several aspects of Thai history and culture. Thailand, or rather the Kingdom of Thailand (formerly known as Siam) is considered a regional power in Southeast Asia, classified as a newly industrialized economy (the second largest in Southeast Asia) with manufacturing, agriculture and tourism as the three leading sectors of the kingdom’s economy. For whatever reason, whenever we brought up the movie "The King and I" we were met with a frown. Apparently the 1956 musical and subsequent 1999 remake have always been banned. Historically inaccurate, the portrayal of the king as a comic figure has been deemed disrespectful by Thai censors. And one thing in Thailand is for certain - one does not disrespect the king in any shape or form, especially in public.

Politics in Thailand are conducted within a framework of a constitutional monarchy. Head of government is a prime minister while a king, a hereditary monarch, is head of state. Historically, Thailand's form of government has ranged from a military dictatorship to electoral democracy. Three branches of government consist of executive, legislative, and judiciary. However, rulings by the judiciary tend to be more political than based on rule of law. Under the current constitution, the king has very little power. Thrown into the mix,Thailand is presently ruled by a military junta, using a somewhat dubious name of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The NCPO drafted a new constitution (2017) that states when a new cabinet is established after the first general election, the NCPO will disband itself.

Thailand’s prevalent religion is Buddhism. Throughout our travels in Thailand, we witnessed hundreds of “Wats” (temples). Statues of Buddha came in all manner of construction and sizes. Wooden, bronze, marble, lavastone, and lacquered. Laughing, singing, reclining, and crowned. Just don't point at a Buddha (pointing in general is considered rude) and do not point one's feet toward a buddha.
We encountered hundreds of monks in our tour. When in conversation with a monk who is sitting, make sure you sit down first. Women should refrain from touching a monk as it is prohibited. And should you give or receive something from a monk, do so with your right hand.
A curious scene in the Thai airports we encountered was that monks have their own designated seating area. "Monks only". How strange it was, then, to observe many monks seated in their designated areas using smart phones and tablets. An oath of silence but not texting.
Next to depictions of Buddha, elephants play a pivotal role in Thai culture. Beasts of burden, spiritual symbols, used for agriculture and the military, they’ve been revered for centuries.

shoes off

Whenever entering a temple, we had to remove our shoes which were sometimes (but usually not) stored outside on racks. Best one remembers where one’s shoes were left since hundreds of pairs could be on the racks at any given time. By the end of the day we were pretty knackered but glad in the knowledge gained of Thai culture which we wouldn’t have been otherwise learned on a straight birding tour. For a complete set of over 100 tour photos, check out our album "Bangkok Thailand Tour" on Flickr.

We returned back at the hotel for an evening meal where we discovered Pat and Greg had arrived. Rick and Janice had also arrived but they had opted to forego any group plans and instead made their own plans for shopping and sight-seeing.

"green lung" trail sign

The next morning, with the help of the hotel’s concierge service we were able to secure a taxi to take us to Sri Nakorn Kuen Khan, an area known as Bang Krajao, often referred to as the "Green Lung of Bangkok”. Seen on a map it's an obvious green area, nestled in the horseshoe of the Chao Phraya River.

aerial view of "green lung"

This small lush jungle, opened in 2003, is a medium-sized park consisting of areas of landscaped gardens next to a lake. But of more interest to us, at least half of the park is un-manicured and overgrown, vestiges of coconut plantations which are surprisingly wild and attract a lot of birds, particularly in migratory periods. The park is also surrounded by lots of similar habitat, a fact which is not lost on migrating birds.

elephant icons were everywhere including these  street lamps

There are two popular ways to get to the park. Klong Toey pier is located around 200 metres down a small road to Wat Klong Toey, the entrance to which is 50 metres or so west of the gate for the large port area. From this pier it is possible to catch a small boat across the Chao Praya river. The boat makes two stops on the opposite side, the first one being the stop for the park, although this could change so it is worth letting the boatman know where you want to go.

Magpie Robin

The second option was to go by taxi and enter the park via a small narrow road.

Finding the “a small narrow road” turned out to be a challenge for our taxi driver. Even though explicit instructions were given to her by the hotel concierge, it didn’t help that she had never been to the area before and that we didn’t speak Thai nor did she speak English.

taxi route

The blue line shows the route from our hotel to the park entrance (red pin). We later learned because the park is not well-known by most Bangkok taxi drivers, to take one taxi to well known Suksawat Road which is close to the park, then find another taxi driver who knows the local area. There is even a script in Thai giving precise instructions which we could have printed out. But what fun would that have been?

Pink-necked Green Pigeon

A number of species are regular migrants including Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Drongo Cuckoo, Crow-billed Drongo, Forest Wagtail and Black Baza. In fact, upon our arrival and before we ever entered the park proper, we spent a half hour birding around where the taxi had parked. Of course all new birds to us and without a guide, it took us longer thumbing through our field guides. ID-ing was challenging, but rewarding, when we sussed out ID’s out on our own. It was a great intro to Thai birding. By the way. a great online resource for birding in Thailand is thaibirding.com by Nick Upton. It's how we discovered Bang Krajao. 

We quickly learned small shrines were everywhere .

by the time we exited the park, food venders were set up 

Much to our relief, our taxi driver, fearing she wouldn't find her way back, waited for us outside the park the whole time we were inside birding, earning her a well deserved tip.

Back at our hotel we finally connected with the Doles and Jose who had arrived earlier in the day. Too late to go birding with us at “the lung” but they still managed their own birding around the hotel grounds. Melissa (still a working gal) would not arrive until late evening thus missed free day activities. She barely had any sleep at all before the tour started but was up and ready to go when on February 2, we boarded our vans in pursuit of our Thailand adventure.

To repeat, the entire tour as reported by Phil is on Tropical Birding’s web site giving an excellent overview of birding locations with a complete list of the birds seen/heard and some of Phl's photos.