This is what I call forest birding.

Early morning is the best time for any forest birding excursion. As we made our way at first light into Kaeng Krachan National Park (KKCNP) for the first time, we were greeted by an array of calls and that is always a good sign.

When we approached the mid-way point, heavy wing beats echoed along the forest canopy followed by persistent yelping. It could only mean one species – hornbills. Since the vocalization was foreign to me, another lifer was making its way into my global life list and it turned out to be a flock of Rusty-cheeked Hornbills. I had to crank my neck to admire the unusual colouration of this species and the photographs obtained were good enough to me given the shooting conditions of the encounter.

One has to rely heavily on calls when it comes to birding in the forest and I tried to my best not to let familiar call distract me from building up my checklist for the day. Unless the call belonged to a pair of Banded Kingfishers. This is one species I will stop for no matter how far I am away from home. It appeared that Lady Luck has not abandoned us yet and the handsome male revealed his vivid plumage along the middle storey of the forest.

His mate took a longer time before we could lay eyes on her sultry beauty. The Banded Kingfisher is one of the few birds that despite of sexual dimorphism, the sexes are equally attractive. And she even outperformed her mate on this sunny morning.

The rather distinct territorial call of the Asian Barred Owlet was heard in the vicinity for a prolonged period of time. Eventually, it was spotted by our guide vocalizing for the topmost part of the forest and the outcome of the encounter left much to be yearned for.

Arjin has been exceptional throughout the trip. Not only for providing the targets and lifers but for all the other arrangements that made our birding adventure in central Thailand so enjoyable.

If you come across a congregation of birders anywhere in the park, you should join them because there must be something noteworthy present. Our guide practices this strategy and we were rewarded with a pair of Blue-bearded Bee-eaters.

The pair was perched quite high up with the sun behind them as they hunted and courted oblivious to the crowd below. I am grateful for the good and prolonged views. I just wish I could say the same about the photographic opportunities.

While observing the Blue-bearded Bee-eater, a silhouette of what appeared to a Myna alighted on branch below the lovebirds. Earlier on, I casually asked our guide what are my chances of a Golden-crested Myna in KKCNP. It all depends on luck was all he had to say. Then this must be my lucky day. It was a brief encounter – much to my dismay. Because it is one of the birds I really hoped to see during this trip.

I am not sure if anyone else managed to see the Myna. I did shout out the identification when I was certain I was not hallucinating. It was another hot day after all. Anyway, shortly after my lifer flew away, someone spotted a male Orange-breasted Trogon and to my surprise he was resting quite confidingly just above eye level.

When the words Barred Asian Owlet echoed across the vicinity, it caused those present to rush over to the direction of the latest attraction. Normally, you do not get second chances in forest birding. But then again, there is hardly anything normal about this incredible birding location so far.

When the dust settled, we broke off from the congregation and continued to explore the park on our own. Our second Orange-breasted Trogon of the day was a female and she outperformed the earlier male significantly.

I cannot recall any of the Orange-breasted Trogons back home ever being so obliging and we showered her with the love and affection she deserves. That’s a good girl...

Females led the way from then and next in line was a Silver-breasted Broadbill but she was just a little too far to evoke the same level of emotions.

The same goes to this female Asian Emerald Cuckoo foraging along the canopy level.

I have always been a birder who photographs rather than vice versa. And when Arjin found a pair of White-fronted Scops-Owls roosting partially hidden among the thickets, I was still overwhelmed. It did not matter that the photo was awful. What did matter was it was not overlooked and this species is finally a full tick in my life list. The closest I have ever been to this beautiful and scarce night bird were the trees they were vocalizing in during night excursions. And a daytime sighting like this, almost had me in tears.

We explored the upper reaches of the park on our second visit. The dawn chorus was amazing as excepted. In terms of birding, I was not disappointed as I managed to obtain additional lifers like the Black-throated Laughingthrush, Coral-billed Scimitar-Babbler and Blue-throated Barbet. However, good photographic opportunities were sorely absent. Long-tailed Broadbills appear to be thriving in this location and I managed to obtain some record shots of this stunning bird.

Flowering bamboo can sometimes attract the nomadic Pin-tailed Parrotfinches as these striking birds have a taste for the flowers. On this occasion, it was difficult just to observe the birds through my bins, let alone photograph. And with no possibilities of improvement shots, we carried on our exploration of this birding haven.

We came across an exceptionally tame Black Giant Squirrel by Malaysian standards during our time here and it also appeared to be feeding in a clump of bamboo. This might explain its bold behaviour but unfortunately, the dense vegetation prevented any better shots to be obtained.

I could not help but to notice signboards erected on certain stretches of the access road cautioning driving visitors to be mindful of butterflies. And based on the big number of butterflies along the sides of the road, it is a just action taken by the park authorities. Non-birding visitors are certainly drawn to these congregations of colours and grace. I guess the butterflies are very much one of the main attractions of KKCNP.

A flock of Scarlet Minivets flitting about the forest canopy is a sight to behold especially the striking males. I briefly followed the movements of one such flock and was rewarded when one of males wandered lower down allowing me to obtain some decent shots of his vibrant plumage.

Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoos often show confiding behaviour and this individual was no exception. Perched on an open branch along the forest edge, it helped contributed to the overall success of our excursions here.

Ashy Woodswallows are usually present near the entrance of the park perched on the overhead electric cables. The lighting at the time of this encounter was quite favourable and the images of these graceful aerial hunters turned out better than I expected.

Behavioural shots are often what bird photographers aim for. However, I am usually happy if I happened to get a sharp shot of a bird doing nothing. When the opportunity does present itself, the sense of achievement can be ecstatic like this food-in-mouth shot.

Below the hunting Woodswallows, another species was also busy foraging. Unlike the former, the Grey-breasted Prinias rarely stay put and the strains of grass of their undergrowth home further hindered my photographic efforts. But they showed enough character to win me over in the end and wrap things up for this post.

Checklist of birds recorded at Kaeng Krachan National Park:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307861287

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307862775

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307867792

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307868679 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307869350 

Deadly sin

When news broke out that the fruiting trees at Sungai Sedim Recreational Forest in Kedah state is finally in season, the choice of location for my birding excursion was crystal clear. I arrived at the location high in spirit and full of enthusiasm. But what greeted me at the revered fruiting tree felt like being stabbed in the chest – twice. A family had decided to camp right underneath the tree and they had a little camp fire going no doubt to prepare breakfast.

All the commotion and smoke almost made me end my excursion before it even started. But birders can be a determine lot. Even downright stubborn. And the sweet sound of singing Cream-vented Bulbuls at the tree was all the convincing I needed to carry out my initial plans for the day. The bulbuls were certainly in a joyous mood. In between feedings, they belted out short burst of their pleasant call. I do not blame them. Life is beautiful for frugivorous species like the Cream-vented Bulbul when trees come into season. And not even a bunch of irritating humans can ruin the moment for them.

Of all the bulbuls that occur within the borders of this park, the Finsch’s Bulbul will always be the one that comes to mind first for me. Although my first sighting of the Finsch’s Bulbul is from the pristine forest of Taman Negara, it is here at Sungai Sedim that I enjoyed the most encounters.

Although it is not strikingly coloured, the prominent yellow throat makes the Finsch’s Bulbul rather unmistakeable.

It was a cloudy day here in the interior of Kedah state and the subdued lighting was much appreciated. At times when the sun managed to pierced though the dense clouds, it was too harsh for my liking and there was the issue with shadows. I guess apart from being stubborn, we birders can be demanding as well.

From past experiences, the Buff-vented Bulbuls are usually the most conspicuous species at this fruiting tree. Today, only one came and for a surprisingly brief moment. Even the common Red-eyed Bulbuls were rarely seen and throughout the day, I only managed one single record shot.

An unusual bulbul momentarily diverted my attention from the fruiting tree. At first I did not know what to make of it. I do not mean to toot my horn but this moment of uncertainly rarely happens to me. Not at this location with a bulbul anyway. A better look with my binoculars revealed the truth almost immediately. A Red-eyed Bulbul with some strategically placed shadows almost got the better of me.

The Spectacled Bulbuls were slightly better behaved but most of my photographic efforts were hampered by the harsh lighting and foliage. I could not think of a reason for this shy behaviour from these bulbuls species and even the family of campers should not be able to keep them away.

As for the Yellow-bellied Bulbuls, the present of the campers could be the reason for their hesitance to linger long at the fruiting tree. Past experiences again have shown that it is much less confiding than most other bulbul species at a fruiting tree.

It is difficult to overlook Black-headed Bulbuls not only because of their stunning appearance but their distinct vocalizations. Unfortunately, they were yet another species that was reluctant to join in the feast. I used to think that gluttony was a deadly sin very few could resist but I may change my mind after today.

And Murphy’s Law will certainly make sure that one of the most spectacular bulbuls in the world, the Scaly-breasted Bulbul, shows up just long enough to have you yearning for more long after it has departed from the vicinity.

The elegant Streaked Bulbuls will not be denied of the succulent food available and threw caution into the wind. They descended from the adjacent forest without much hesitation and their presence certainly did not go unappreciated.

The beautiful plumage of the Grey-bellied Bulbuls finally added some colours and splendour to the vicinity. By now the campers have gotten used to my presence and stopped their periodic peering from behind the tents. And I guess the birds in turn have gotten used to the campers as well.

The bulbul of the day was none other than another sleek species. Not as common as some of the other species, their fearless behaviour took my heart away. This is by far the most prolonged encounter I ever had with Cinereous Bulbuls at a fruiting tree. Inevitably, it also provided the most photographs of this species that I can remember.

The Cinereous Bulbul is not exceptionally striking but its beauty lies in subtlety. The ashy plumage, flashing white throat and distinct facial markings all contribute to making this species one of my favourites from this family of birds. And the Cinereous Bulbul made it eleven species of bulbuls recorded today.

Another family of birds that cannot resist the temptation of the fruiting tree here is the flowerpeckers. Minute, adorable and striking; these forest denizens are a delightful bunch to observe. Or so I thought. I noticed something different about their behaviour. Restless and unaccommodating, it was so unlike my previous experiences here. Even the commonest species, the Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, made very brief visits and I could only obtained a single record shot.

I could hear the Orange-bellied Flowerpecker throughout my visit. I saw them darting about too. But like the previous species, they rarely lingered at the tree long enough for me to obtain any reasonable images.

I was about to blame the campers again when the true culprits disclosed themselves. The deadly sin of gluttony brought out the worst from the Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers. I cannot be sure if it was just one individual or a team effort but this species was chasing away any other flowerpeckers that visited the tree. And the chases were not half-hearted attempts. They were out for blood.

I have seen flowerpeckers getting possessive at fruiting trees before but the Yellow-vented Flowerpecker took it to a whole new level today. Since it was so dominant, one would assume I will have ample photographs of this bully but that was not the case. Most of the time, it loitered deep among the foliage in the gloom overwhelmed with a sense of guilt for its unruly behaviour.

Surprisingly, the male Crimson-breasted Flowerpeckers were still able to feast in leisure most of the time.

Perhaps they were equally as aggressive. Or they timed their feedings when the bullies are preoccupied with others. Whatever the reason may be, the Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker is a gorgeous representative of this family of birds – second only to the elusive Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker that appeared at the fruiting tree for one season only.

The inconspicuous Plain Sunbird made a brief visit to the fruiting tree. As the name implies, the male lacks the resplendent colouration that this family of birds is renowned for. A small metallic green patch on his forehead is the only indication of this family trait.

Whether it was coincidental or intentional, a female Ashy Minivet appeared in the vicinity briefly. I did pay attention to her details, as I do to all Ashy Minivets, because of the possibility of overlooking similar but rarer species of minivets. When I was about done at the fruiting tree, the family of campers started to prepare for lunch. I took that as my cue to leave before I subject myself to be shrouded in smoke again.