For the last seventeen days I havebeen in Northern and Central Thailand. This year we saw over 470 species in the 17 days of the trip with another 5 leader-seen-only and 10 heard only species recorded despite some unusual weather conditions resulting in some difficult birding at several locations. Some personal highlights included Rusty-naped Pitta, Green Cochoa, Silver-eared Mesia, Baer’s Pochard, Falcated Duck, Jerdon’s Bushchat, Black-headed Bunting, Red-headed Bunting, Pied Harrier, Western Marsh Harrier, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Rufous-throated Partridge, Black-headed Woodpecker, Chestnut Thrush, Grey-sided Thrush, Blue Pitta, Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Great Hornbill, Mrs Hume’s Pheasant, Black-and-red Broadbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Red-headed Trogon, Collared Falconet, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Asian Dowitcher, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Steppe Gull, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Baillon’s Crake and Spot-billed Pelican.

Starting on 11th February we visited Northern Thailand first in order to miss the poor air quality that can build up in early March, but with this being a very dry year there was already a haze in the northern skies and the cool weather was already over but we were still able to find a lot of good birds; Read more »