DAY 6 TO DAY 9

From the birding delights of Lao we moved once again back over the Friendship Bridge and into Thailand for a three night stay at Nam Nao National Park. Being the wet season and midweek we arrived to find the park all to ourselves which meant first on the trails each morning...great!

There was a campsite and we did bring a tent but seeing as we're both celebrating our 50th's this year we settled for some dude accommodation instead...

Bare-faced Birders extreme Asia birding.....

We also hired a small tuk-tuk from Avis...

Both being dedicated jungleites we split up and did our own thing each day only meeting up for lunch at the restaurant by the HQ...I recommend the 'khao phat gai' washed down with a cool Singha Beer...nice!

Habitat shot showing the huge stands of bamboo that dominate the forest interior plus the very full 'stream' after yet more over night rain.

A male Bamboo Woodpecker goes to work on its favoured bit of timber.

Day 7 found us out of the forest and into the African Savannah like grassland habitat across the highway from the park HQ. We were searching for a Prinia (well a ticks a tick) and this one had eluded both of us on our previous visits to this ace birding Country. It prefers the long grassland habitat with scattered trees thats also home to the parks healthy population of Asian Elephants. Thus late this evening the BFB are 300m off the track, 4km from our vehicle wading through waist high grass in search of Brown Prinia!!....the conversation went like this...

Pod ''theres a lot of flattened trees around here John''

Gregsy ''and theres some big round footprints over here''

Pod ''is that a pile of steaming Elephant pooh''

Gregsy ''OH SH*T!!''

Pod ''yeah thats what I meant''.

We survived the evening and bagged the Prinia as well phew!

Day 8

Gregsy grips one back on me today as we locate a pair of Bar-backed Partridge on Trail 1, they'd been feeding on the local rubbish tip behind the park restaurants!

Video tour of our palatial Bungalow...its tough out there.

Day 9

After a morning birding the trails where I grip one back on Gregsy (which we won't mention cos its a tarts tick) we pack and head 600km south to Hua Hin on the peninsular coast for a two night stay and a bit of R&R.

Birding highlights from Nam Nao

BAR-BACKED PARTRIDGE

MOUNTAIN IMPERIAL PIGEON

ASIAN BARRED OWLET

BROWN HORNBILL

GREAT BARBET

BAMBOO WOODPECKER

HEART SPOTTED WOODPECKER

SILVER BREASTED BROADBILL

BLUE PITTA only heard

INDOCHINESE CUCKOOSHRIKE

GOLDEN-FRONTED LEAFBIRD

ORANGE-BELLIED LEAFBIRD

BROWN PRINIA

GOLDEN SPECTACLED WARBLER sp.

HAINAN BLUE FLYCATCHER

TICKELL'S BLUE FLYCATCHER

WHITE CROWNED FORKTAIL

LESSER NECKLACED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

BLACK THROATED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

EYE-BROWED WREN-BABBLER

WHITE HOODED BABBLER

BROWN CHEEKED FULVETTA

BLACK HOODED ORIOLE

GREEN MAGPIE

GRAY TREEPIE

ttfn...BFB