Overview
Date: |
15 December 2011. |
Left a cool Chiang Mai early and stopped en route for fuel and a quick coffee. At the fuel station the locals were all clutching their drinks, shivering and bemoaning the cold weather, even though the temperature was at least 18 degrees; goes to show it's all relative and what you are used to.
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Arrived at the start of the Chae Son access road around 07:30 and spent the first part of the morning birding the lower forest around 600 metres. Nothing surprising, although a male Slaty-backed Flycather and a Rufous-winged Buzzard were notable. Moving higher, the next stop was to look around the old weir, which recently has become viewable from the road in passing due to some forest clearance. This proved rather interesting with both Slaty-backed Forktail and Plumbeous Water Redstart. A few butterflies were also present, and this looks potentially a good puddling area in the dry season. |
As usual at this time of year, few butterflies present, though a number of jezebels and blues were on the wing. In the afternoon the higher sections of the road had Sapphire Flycatcher, Martens's Warbler and an overhead Crested Hawk Eagle. A slow return back to the main highway later in the day and back to Chiang Mai.
Species List
| Common Name | Count | |
| Rufous-winged Buzzard | 1 | |
| Changeable Hawk-Eagle | 1 | |
| Common Emerald Dove | 1 | |
| Green-billed Malkoha | 1 | |
| Asian Emerald Cuckoo | 1 | |
| Crested Treeswift | 5 | |
| Great Barbet | 4 | |
| Blue-throated Barbet | 10 | |
| Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker | 3 | |
| Bay Woodpecker | 1 | |
| Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike | 20 | |
| Rosy Minivet | 2 | |
| Scarlet Minivet | 10 | |
| Grey-backed Shrike | 1 | |
| White-bellied Erpornis | 6 | |
| Ashy Drongo | 10 | |
| Bronzed Drongo | 4 | |
| Greater Racket-tailed Drongo | 4 | |
| White-throated Fantail | 5 | |
| Grey Treepie | 6 | |
| Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher | 10 | |
| Yellow-cheeked Tit | 3 | |
| Black-crested Bulbul | 5 | |
| Sooty-headed Bulbul | 6 | |
| Flavescent Bulbul | 20 | |
| Puff-throated Bulbul | 4 | |
| Grey-eyed Bulbul | 15 | |
| Mountain Bulbul | 3 | |
| Black Bulbul | 40 | |
| Yellow-bellied Warbler | 10 | |
| Radde's Warbler | 1 | |
| Yellow-browed Warbler | 40 | |
| Greenish Warbler | 1 | |
| Martens's Warbler | 1 | |
| Rufescent Prinia | 25 | |
| Common Tailorbird | 3 | |
| White-browed Scimitar Babbler | 2 | |
| Rufous-fronted Babbler | 10 | |
| Pin-striped Tit-Babbler | 6 | |
| Brown-cheeked Fulvetta | 20 | |
| Yunnan Fulvetta | 6 | |
| Puff-throated Babbler | 2 | |
| Swinhoe's White-eye | 30 | |
| White-rumped Shama | 1 | |
| Plumbeous Water Redstart | 1 | |
| Slaty-backed Forktail | 1 | |
| Grey Bush Chat | 1 | |
| Slaty-backed Flycatcher | 1 | |
| Taiga Flycatcher | 5 | |
| Little Pied Flycatcher | 2 | |
| Sapphire Flycatcher | 1 | |
| Verditer Flycatcher | 1 | |
| Hill Blue Flycatcher | 4 | |
| Blue-winged Leafbird | 2 | |
| Orange-bellied Leafbird | 8 | |
| Plain Flowerpecker | 20 | |
| Ruby-cheeked Sunbird | 1 | |
| Ornate Sumbird | 6 | |
| Black-throated Sunbird | 4 | |
| Little Spiderhunter | 1 | |
| Streaked Spiderhunter | 2 | |
| Grey Wagtail | 2 | |
| White Wagtail | 1 |