We’ve just enjoyed a delightful day birding in the small rain forest reserve of Si Phang Nga. We saw some excellent birds throughout the seven hours we were in the park, including good views of Wreathed Hornbill, Black Baza, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Ashy Minivet, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Pacific Swallow & Golden Whiskered Barbet. In addition to the birds, other wildlife sightings included White-handed Gibbon and Pigtail Macaque (subject to id confirmation). But perhaps the most amazing wildlife encounter was of a pair of Forest Crested lizard – looking after their clutch of eggs. When we got back to our hotel Jane found a Peregrine (peregrinator) sat on the local radio mast. An excellent day of Thai birding, taking our total to 192.

We’ve travelled west to the Andaman Sea, after two days (three nights) birding the rain forests around Khao Sok. As at our previous forest sites the birding was hard work, with the most productive periods the two hours after sun rise and before sun set. By walking and methodically birding we did eventually clock up quite a list and did get to see some lovely birds. Yesterday we drove to the coastal mangroves around Phang Na before exploring a coastal estuary at Pakarang Beach, it was then on to our hotel of Palm Scenery Resort at Ban Nam. In the process of the past few days I’ve got over the ‘500’ line for birds in Thailand – our current trip list stands at 182. Last night it rained – heavily! There’s already evidence of an insect emergence – which could be good for the birds, if not the bites!

We’ve just spent the last couple of days birding the rain forests of Krung Ching, staying in a lovely home-stay at Ban Phi Tam. The birding certainly had its amazing moments but generally it was very hard work with most birds only heard or occasionally glimpsed. A few stand-out birds remained visible to see, enjoy and photograph – Buffy Fish Owl, Black and Yellow Broadbill, White-crowned Hornbill and Wallace’s Hawk-eagle included. On Sunday we made the 8k (return) trek to the spectacular Krung Ching waterfalls – great scenery, very few birds and – in the hot and humid conditions – utterly exhausting. Today we travelled to Khao Sok National Park with more forest birding in prospect.

After arriving in Thailand on Wednesday we travelled a couple of hours south, following the Bay of Bangkok, to just east of Phetchabori. The whole area is a patchwork of salt pans and coastal lagoons. Three adjacent sites: Pak Thale, the Kings Project and Laem Phak Bia have kept us fully occupied for a day and a half, wader watching. Unfortunately, on this occasion, no Spoonies (Spoon-billed Sandpiper) but we did see 28 species of shore birds. Our best bird however was new for us in Thailand (and anywhere else for that matter) – Chinese Egret. Today we’ve headed further south to Krung Ching National Park and the start of two days of forest birding. Hopefully some more additions to my Thailand list.

A 4.30 wake-up in Newcastle meant we arrived at Sydney airport for an 8.00 check-in. Our flight was late departing but we made up time and landed in Bangkok on schedule, to be greeted by Neil and Nicola. The transfer from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Petchaburi took longer than expected because of the motorway closure following the recent crane collapse. We managed to see a few birds to start our Thai list off before nightfall. In all we were 20 hours in transit but I awoke this morning with the sound of waves lapping on the beach and Asian Koel calling in the gardens surrounding our Chidlom Resort hotel – what could be nicer.

We went out this morning on our final birding session of our current Australia tour to see if we could mop up a few more trip ticks. First stop was a return to the coastal heath of Minimbah, looking for quail. Plenty of Brown along the sides of the approach track but then, through the thermal imager, I picked up a small heat source some 50m in front of us. Approaching with caution we eventually got good views of King Quail (body size of a tennis ball) on the deck. Our only previous sighting was of a bird flushed and then in flight for just a couple of seconds. A quick pit-stop coffee near Coolongolook yielded up a Comb-crested Jacana before heading inland to O’Sullivans Gap – a now neglected rainforest walk and picnic ground. It was very quiet but somehow Dan managed to magic up a Pale-Yellow Robin – his first at the site and a Hunter tick for me! Our final stop, with too little time to do it justice, was Mungo Brush, where we failed to see the Rose-crowned Fruit Dove (again!) but did added Black-faced Monarch to our trip list – which closes on 244 after our three week family holiday, split between Victoria and New South Wales. Tomorrow we head to Sydney airport for our flight to Thailand to meet up with Neil and Nicola and ten days leisurely birding in the south of the country.

Over the past couple of days we’ve been visiting new locations in search of trip and, perhaps more importantly, Hunter ticks. In the excitement of our Sooty Owl sighting I forgot to mention that our excursion to Lake Macquarie that morning added two much-needed Hunter ticks – Lewin’s Rail and Red-whiskered Bulbul. In the afternoon, following an afternoon browsing the Morpeth antique shops and eating ice cream, we heard and then saw Stubble Quail around Largs, another gap in my list filled. Yesterday the area around Jerrys Plains and Denman turned up trumps when we finally tracked down the recently established colony of Plum-headed Finch. Yengo National Park produce half a dozen more trip ticks this morning – taking our trip list to 239 and my overall Hunter List to 343. Tomorrow’s pelagic has unfortunately been cancelled, with a predicted swell of two and a half metres. That probably means the end of Hunter ticks for this visit – leaving me a few short to reach the Hunter Bird Observers Club ‘350’ badge.

Nobbys Point is a notable Newcastle landmark – a lighthouse and breakwater which guards the southern approach to the Hunter. In the right conditions it can be a good place for birding. Unfortunately on our first visit this trip, last Sunday, it poured with rain and we had to retreat. Yesterday the weather was better and we made it to the end of the breakwater before the high tide washed over us. Birding was quiet with only one shore bird – Sooty Oystercatcher – a handful of ‘Wedgies’ (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) and three tern species: Little, Crested and Common. The latter of course looks nothing like the Common Tern we are familiar with in Norfolk, with black bill and dark legs. I did see a presumed ‘Eastern Common Tern’ at Cley back in August 2014. The only other bird of note was a singing Blue-faced Honeyeater in the garden in Wallsend.