Doi Angkang: 11-12 Sept 2010

This is quite an old set of photos I took during a trip to Doi Angkang with other birding friends on 11-12 September. The weather was pretty awful and we had lots of periods of rain. However, we still managed to see and take photos of some decent birds that came out after the rain. Our most favourite place of the trip was the Royal Project restaurant since there's everything we need when it rained, shelter, food, coffee and birds.

Two Grey-headed Canary-Flycatchers (Culicicapa ceylonensis) were staying around near the restaurant and we could easily observed them from our table. The one above seemed to love that hanging twig. It would stayed on that perch unless it is disturbed, but it would be back in less than 10 minutes. We enjoyed photographing this little cutie until there's nothing more photograph.

Female Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus)
Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster)
Mountain Bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii)

Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)

Female Hill Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis banyumas)
Oriental White-eyes (Zosterops palpebrosus)

Birds in the Royal Project was quite good with lots of bulbuls and other small passerines like flycatchers and warblers. There were several Plain Flowerpeckers and Black-throated Sunbirds showing well on both day. Some people also saw a Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) walking in a flower garden inside the project as well. Hill Prinia, Verditer Flycatcher, Bronzed Drongo and Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike were also showing well around the restaurant.

Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)

Oriental Honey-Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus)

There was a brief period of blue sky and strong sunlight. Several Oriental Honey-Buzzards showed up above the restaurant area, as well as a lone subadult Crested Serpent-Eagle. There were also few Accipiters, one was a Crested Goshawk and another was unidenfied.

Brown-breasted Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthorrhous)

Adult (left) and juvenile (right) Crested Finchbill (Spizixos canifrons)

Blue-throated Barbet (Megalaima asiatica)

At my favourite birding spot near Km.34, there's a fruiting persimmon tree with lots of fruit-eating birds. The main guests being all kinds of bulbuls including the locally common Brown-breasted Bulbul and Crested Finchbill, Red-whiskered, Sooty-headed and Flavescent Bulbul. There were also more than 5 Blue-throated Barbets, a species hardly seen in flock. A lone Great Barbet also came in but it was sure too shy to get a decent shot. Flocks of Dark-backed Sibias and White-browed Laughingthrushes also came around looking for food.

Non-breeding male Grey Bushchat (Saxicola ferreus)
Juvenile Dark-sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica)

As we were driving past the Angkang-Fang checkpoint, we were stopped by a minor bird wave led by a pair of Grey Bushchats. The wave later brought a single juvenile Dark-sided Flycatcher, a cute male Little Pied Flycatcher, Japanese Tits and a male Stripe-breasted Woodpecker.

Indian Fritillary (Argynnis hyperbius)

Red Pierrot (Talicada nyseus)

We found several species of butterflies during the trip. The decent ones were the above two. The Indian Fritillary and Red Pierrot are scarce butterflies locally found on high mountains in northern parts of the country. It was also the first time for me to see the Red Pierrot and I was so in love with it. Too bad its upperwings are actually much more attractive but I couldn't get a shot.

Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)

Juvenile Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)

Juvenile Besra (Accipiter virgatus)

Along the way back from Doi Angkang to Chiang Mai, we found lots of juvenile Brown Shrikes perching along the roadsides, especially near Ban Arunothai area. We also luckily came across a juvenile Besra, a resident member of genus Accipiter, eating prey on electrical wire. It is an uncommon bird of lower forests.

We concluded the trip with a large flock of Plain-backed Sparrow (Passer flaveolus) at Cho Lae. I always feel so good to see this native sparrow in a large number like this instead of alien species like House Sparrow which seems to be increasing each year. The birds came to the road to dust bath before flying out to their roost.