Over the last few years I have visited a number of hides that are dotted around Kaeng Krachan National Park in Western Thailand, all of which are great to visit if you want to get close up views of birds. These hides always provide birders with superb views of lots of common forest birds but also some species that are really hard to observe in the forest. On a recent visit to the area I was told that a new hide had been set up and was regularly attracting a Blue Pitta to feed close to the hide. I contacted Khun Nui and arranged for him to take us to his hide where we spent the afternoon and saw a stunning Blue Pitta as well as many other birds.

One of the first birds we saw after settling into the hide was Indochinese Blue Flycatcher. This species is a recent split from Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, a bird that seems to turn up at all the Kaeng Krachan hides. This adult male was present for most of the time we sat in the hide, feeding, bathing and singing from a perch next to the hide. In this video clip you can hear the soft song.

Other immidiate sightings included Stripe-throated Bulbul, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta and Black-naped Monarch all feeding on imaginitively constructed feeders that required the birds to do a variety of things to get the food.

Although sitting in the hide was quite hot and uncomfortable the anticipation of what would turn up next kept things exciting and a number of Siberian Blue Robins in a variety of plumages were interesting although photographing them in low light, with their constantly quivering tails, was tricky. This handsome male was the best of the group.

I always enjoy seeing woodpeckers of any species so when male and female Black-naped Woodpeckers arrived to feed on an upright log it was great to watch them feed. One of the reasons these birds felt comfortable to feed here was that Khun Nui had prepared the upright log for them by drilling holes in it and placing food in the holes.

One of the great things about visiting hides like these is that you get to see some of the common birds really well. Although they might be common it does not mean that you can easily get great views of them so even something as freqnetly seen as Pin-striped Tit Babbler takes on a different meaning when seen like this.

The other great thing about these hides, of course, is the opportunity to see really shy and difficult-to-see birds of the forest like this magnificent Blue Pitta. When it finally emerged from the forest, after sitting among the trees for a long time, it was one of those “wow” moments.

This was a great finally to our afternoon in the hide which also provided us with White-rumped Shama, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Puff-throated Babbler, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush as well as the afore-mentioned species.