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Birding trips out of Bangkok!

Daytrips out of Bangkok

The following are a few sites that I regularly take visiting birders to. I often do one site in the morning and another in the afternoon and sometimes even fit in one midday. 

Depending on the time of year number of birds seen will vary. Most migrants are here from September – April yet there are others that only visit in May-August. 

I find it very fulfilling for people on business or others with limited time circumstances to invest in a guided trip with someone that not only knows the birds but also how to get around and has years of experience living in Thailand.

Fields of Latkrabang, Bangkok:

My local patch and a gem in the city concrete with still rice fields and scrub present. The roar of the traffic in the background and airplanes lifting to the sky is subdued a bit and the birds present are clearly heard. Many a good wetland birds as well as warblers and other birds have been recorded.
On a normal morning I average 70-80 species. Personally I have seen 163 species here.

1.       Experimental ricefields at Pathum Thani:

This site is very good for taking pictures from the car as the fields are crisscrossed with roads
A normal morning produce 50-60 species depending on the season. My personal list is 133 for the site. Typical wetland birds are abundant such as Red-wattled Lapwings, Asian Openbills, Egrets and Pond-Herons, Weavers, Stonechats, Pipits, Prinias, Brown Shrike, Jacanas, Common Moorhen etc
The site is easily reached with a normal pick up at 5:30. About 30 minutes drive from Bkk.

2.       Military Academy in Nakon Nayok:

The site is about 100km from Bangkok but an easy add on after having visited the site above first. At the Academy, which is situated next to forested hills, you will add a few birds not found at the ricefields. Blue-winged Pitta is common May-July and I have even seen an Eared Pitta. June-July Malaysian Night Heron is found in the early morning. But the easier ones are Black-collared Starling, Vinous-breasted Starling, Indo-chinese Bushlark, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-naped Oriole, Lineated Barbet, Green Bee-eaters and White-throated Kingfisher. A direct drive to here from Bangkok would take an hour and a half or slightly more.

3.      Bangpra, Chonburi:

A protected area with a large reservoir and surrounding woodlands. Birds are pretty abundant in all habitas but when the water level is very high there is less to see.
I do this in a combination with fields and nearby hills so the list for the morning usually is pretty good.

Hoopoe, Chestnut-capped Babbler, White-crested Laughingthrushes, Common Flameback, Indian Roller, Bright-capped Cisticola, Grey-breasted Prinia, Lineated Barbet, Painted Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Oriental Pratincole, Ashy Woodswallow, Common Iora, Black-crested Bulbul and a lot more to be expected
 
Klong Tumro, Chonburi:
 
An excellent site for shorebirds as well as wetland and mangrove dwelling birds. It is only 1 hour drive from home and is easily done in combination with other sites such as Bangpra and Bangpoo. 

4.      Bangpoo, Samut Sakorn:

A coastal site with mangroves, hinterlands and a walkable pier into the Gulf of Thailand.
The site is filled with Brown-headed Gulls in winter as well as waders that are best seen during low tide. The site has recorded over 200 species as the mangroves also serve as a resting place for migratory birds. The early morning is nice and cool but midday usually very hot. Lots of locals visit here to feed the gulls and to dine at the restaurant at the end of the pier. I often visit here midday in between Bangpra and later  one of the wetland sites.

Collared Kingfisher, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Oriental White-eye are common resident birds. In winter loads of waders abound.



5.      Pahktaley and Lampakbia, Petchaburi:

This is the main site for day trips Nov-April. One of the best sites in the world for wader watching with huge numbers and incredible diversity. Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asian Dowitcher, Nordmann’s Greenshank, Malaysian Plover, White-faced Plover, Chinese Egret…are the main targets but the shorebird list usually end up 30-35 species seen and sometimes even higher.

The wetlands in the area help to add a good numbers of birds. Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Black-browed and Oriental Reed Warbler, Freckle-breasted Woodpecker, 3 species of Weavers, Painted Stork, Black-capped Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher and many more.

Day count around 80-90 species

City parks:

There are several parks that can be visited for a morning walk: King’s Park, Lumpini Park, Train Park being the easier ones to access. These parks all hold similar species and can be very rewarding for a first timer to the birds of Thailand.


1-4 days trip

The very best combination of such a trip is to visit Paktaley, Lampakbia and the fields of Petchaburi along with Kaengkrachan National Park. The latter is Thailand's largest National Park and holds an amazing array of wildlife. The park is also situated in the province of Petchaburi. I have seen 487 species of birds in this province alone. You can not go wrong spending time here. 

The park offers easy walking and by using the car one can cover a lot of ground in a short time. The surrounding areas outside the park also hold a lot of birdlife and there are several permanent hides and waterholes where one can enjoy the birds at close range and take pictures. 

The trip normally enjoys the services of Baan Maka Nature Resort which in itself has a lot of wildlife aside from being picturesque  and lush. 
 
Khao Yai
 
 On a rare occasion I will do a daytrip to Khao Yai. It is 2-2.5 hours to get to the birding but once there it is an exciting true tropical forest full of Hornbills, Drongos, Bulbuls, Babblers, Pheasents, Flycatchers, Pittas, Broadbills etc

Some birds to look for here that are not found at Kaengkrachan: Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Gray-eyed Bulbul, Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, Moustached Barbet, Silver-backed Needletail

The park is very busy with over 1 million annual visitors. 



Written by Francesco Veronesi

In recent years I went birding in Thailand several times and every time I hired Peter as my guide : just this statement is enough to show how I appreciate Peter as a bird guide. Actually, I admit that when I started for my first trip in Thailand, I was a little concerned about Peter , how can an "odd" Swedish born be an expert of birds in Thailand ? how could he know the great variety of birds and places ? Well, only after few hours together I could test his knowledge of the birds, my doubts disappeared immediately. He knows the places all over Thailand , the birds, the rare ones, the calls and he is very helpful in trying to satisfy your needs in terms of species to find and to photograph. He is particularly skilled in spotting the "spoonies" among thousands waders ! As he is a photographer himself, he knows how put you in the best position to make the picture. I remember the efforts made to help me to photograph special birds like Malaysianan Rail Babbler, Great Argus, Black-headed Woodpecker, Banded Pitta, Chestnut-headed Forktail plus a variety of Broadbills, Bee-eaters, Laughingthrush, Barbets, etc ... Looking forward to birding again with him.

Written by Sevin Dee

Peter is an exceptional birder...impressively knowledgeable in his bird finding and ID skills, by both sight as well as sound. Birding by ear is very important and Peter's ears are always ON. His familiarity with Thailand and its habitats can only be gained by experience, of which he has decades. He appreciates and respects all aspects of Nature and is a superb photographer. Fluent in Thai language too, which is always useful. Also knows and enjoys good food...good music...good vibrations AND good "libations"!


Written by Jenny Stüber

It was in February 2021 when I travelled to Bangkok and booked a 1-day birding field trip and this is how I got to know Peter. The day started very very early and I had a blast till the evening. Because of Covid I was the only birding customer then. The upside was we were quite flexible as how to move along from one spot to the next. I have very good memories of that birding day because Peter just knew EVERY bird, kept note of which birds I saw so I kinda had an inventory to take home with me, had alot of patience, was fun to be with and plus speaks so perfect Thai, too! I am happy that things have slowly gotten to normal again. All the best to Peter and his fellow birding guides in Thailand.


Written by Rick Simpson

When we did our awareness and fundraising trips to promote Wader Quest at its inception, we travelled to Thailand with the hope of seeing Spoon-billed Sandpiper. To increase our chances we hired Peter to help us as we only had a few days and he took us for our first day in the field. Not only did he find us three Spoon-billed Sandpipers, he worked very hard all day to show us many other specialities of the region, and where to find them for our days following when he would not be with us. Peter was friendly, knowledgeable and determined in his desire to help us, and help us he did. He also helped us find accommodation for the time we were to spend unaccompanied and his restaurant recommendations were welcome and spot on. A great all round service.


Written by Timothy Gotsick

I have had two opportunities to use Peter's services as a guide in Thailand. He is highly knowledgeable of the local culture, fluent in the language, and knows where to find birds. He also is quite good with bird songs and calls, which helped immensely in locating the tough-to-find species. I appreciated his local knowledge and flexibility, as he let me go at my own pace and adjusted easily to my requests. He is also familiar with local fauna beyond birds, which broadened my understanding of the non-feathered richness of the region as well.





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