I often visit Fang Hot Springs very briefly, stopping to see the Spot-winged Grosbeaks and then leaving but recently while leading a Thailand birding tour I was able to enjoy a longer session of birding at this pleasant location. In the early morning there is always a lot of bird activity and staying nearby at Tangerine Ville Hotel we were able to arrive at a time to experience a lot of activity and low levels of human disturbance, finding some really good birds including the biggest flock of Pin-tailed Green Pigeons I have ever seen.

On arrival we parked next to Mae Jai stream where Blue Whistlingthrush and Grey Wagtail were lurking and Black-crested Bulbul along with Black-headed Bulbul were feeding in a fruiting tree. A little further along an Asian Barred Owlet was sitting in the open, something that is a frequent sighting at this location.

Asian Barred Owlet

The main reason for visiting Fang Hot Springs is to see the flock of Spot-winged Grosbeaks but on our way to see them we were distracted by a pair of Pin-tailed Green Pigeons taking minerals from the ground. This scarce bird can sometimes be seen here in the early morning but it is never reliable so it was great to see them at close range. It was even nicer when they were joined by a female Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon.

Pin-tailed Green Pigeon

Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon & Pin-tailed Green Pigeon

Being able to see Pin-tailed Green Pigeon in such close detail was a real highlight for me as I hardly ever get to see it, but a pair of Eurasian Jays were also a nice sighting and it was even nicer to see the male feeding the female as she sat on the nest.

Eurasian Jay

These nice sightings were supplemented by Grey Bushchat, Blue-winged Leafbird, Green-billed Malkoha, Taiga Flycatcher and some Long-tailed Minivets and when we got to the geyser we immediately found some Spot-winged Grosbeaks feeding on some fresh leaf buds on a tree that was periodically fogged out by the steam from the hot springs, creating a nice atmosphere.

Spot-winged Grosbeak

Watching the Grosbeaks is always fun as they creep around on the branches nibbling buds as well as licking salt/water deposits off of the twigs but eventually, as always, they decided they had had enough and flew away in a flock. After this we amused ourselves watching some Striated Swallows cruise around among larger numbers of Barn Swallows. It was fairly easy to pick these larger swallows out due to their less erratic flight pattern and as they glided low down over the thermal area we were able to see their deep red rumps.

Striated Swallow

A high level of bird activity continued and we added good views of Great Barbet and a very nice Burmese Shrike to our morning as well as a few Himalayan Swiftlets, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Olive-backed Pipits and a handsome Blue Rockthrush posing on top of the rocks. This bird is a regular at Fang Hot Springs and the same bird has been visiting for a few years now; it is easy to recognize as it has a little bit of green twine around its leg – perhaps it is an escaped cage bird?

Blue Rockthrush

So far it had been a very good morning of birding at Fang Hot Springs but probably the biggest surprise was to follow. Not just the two Pin-tailed Green Pigeons we had already seen but a whole flock of them began to wheel around in the sky close to us. I fired off a few shots of them as they came around again and again and captured at least 40 birds in the frame with some number of others not in the shot. The flock must have been at least 50 birds, probably more; the biggest flock I have ever seen in Thailand and after posting the photo online nobody else seems to have seen a bigger number either.

Pin-tailed Green Pigeons

With our attention skywards we also spotted a pair of migrating Black Bazas, very spectacular raptors, as well as a female Thick-billed Green Pigeon atop a distant tree. With a few species to add including Striated Heron, Grey-breasted Prinia and Common Tailorbird it was then time to relax for a while in the coffee shop; a pleasant way to end an enjoyable morning.

Grey Wagtail

 A full eBird list of what we saw at Fang Hot Springs can be seen here - 2 March 2019, Doi Pha Hom Pok – HQ/Fang Hot Springs