Khao Yai birding

There was no internet at Khao Yai, so I apologize that my posts are a little delayed.  Please remain calm… everything is alright.  When we arrived at Khao Yai National Park, we split the students into two teams (Black and Gold).  The Black Team team saw gibbons on the first day, while the Gold Team saw the birds.  On the second morning, we switched so all students got to do each activity.  The Black Team was with me, the Gold Team with Ajarn Wayne.

The birding took place before sunrise and continued until around 11:00.  Each team was able to identify around 40 birds in that time.  However, we couldn't have done it without the help of some Thai former graduate students who studied bird ecology at King Mongkut University in Bangkok.

On the spotting scope in the foreground is Dtoon.  The Black Team is in the background looking for Oriental Pied Hornbills which we kept hearing, but couldn't find at first in the dense canopy.   Later, we saw them flying.

Another trail wound through an open grassland where we saw quite a few different birds and saw areas where elephants slept in the grass.

Here we are at a spot overlooking a lake where we saw swifts skimming the water surface and a monitor lizard  swimming across the lake.

An observation tower built for tiger research years ago makes a perfect birdwatching platform.   In the photo below, Natalie is in the foreground, Shae is leaning forward.

This is the Black Team at the top of an elephant salt lick.  No elephants were there at the time, but there was plenty of organic evidence.

Here is the Gold Team on their morning birdwatching walk.  On each side of the spotting scope are Phet (green hat) and Dtoon.  These are two fantastic kids (~30 yrs old) who are happy to help us with birdwatching year after year.

Red-breasted parakeets.

Here's the Gold Team at the salt lick.

Ajarn Wayne took this great photo of a difficult to find bird:  the white-rumped shama.

Here is something that you don't see very frequently: Someone juggling elephant dung.  Don't try this at home.