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Where2watch

birds in Asia

Stijn De Win

Olive-backed Sunbird     photo Stijn

Asia birding info

More info, less2read

 

When do you want to go birding in Thailand?

 

If it comes to weather there’s just 2 seasons ;

 

-dry ; Normally Nov-early May (but it happened to be Jan-March in 2006!)

-wet ; May-Oct (fairly dry periods are possible in the wet season)

 

For the birds, things are pretty much the same as for Western Europe and this applies to the whole

country.

 

-winter ; late November - half March

-spring migration ; half March – late May

-breeding season ; for most birds April - early July

-summer ; July - August

-autumn migration ; late August-late November

 

Monthly summary

 

North=anywhere north and SE of Bangkok, South=from Kaeng Krachan southwards.

 

Jan-Feb :  -Wintering birds in the north and cool (cold at night) in the mountains.           

-Very enjoyable time in the south because not so hot, while loads of stuff can still be

                seen, but for example Broadbills are seldom calling and Mangrove Pitta is nearly

                impossible to see.

March-April : -The best period in the north with winterers still present, migration going on and

          resident birds more active.  Dry and less cool/cold at night and early morning.

                   -Starting to get hotter in the south, but birds a little more active though.  Winterers

                     and migration OK but they’re not the species most birders want for the south.

                     Not my favorite time in the south, as April gets very hot and uncomfortable.

May-June : -In the north nearly all birdwatching locations and best birds are up in the mountains

                  and that’s where lots of rain and mist might be encountered as the rainy season has

        started, winterers are gone, not a very good period.  Those lucky enough with the

        weather might still see some good birds though.

                 -The south has excellent birding now, all the best birding sites are low altitude and

                   rain is not to bad, with heavy showers usually lasting only a couple of hours at most.

                   Basically, every single dry morning one gets during this period is worth 2 or 3 at

                   other times.  Birds are singing and calling a lot and seem to be less shy.

                   Pitta’s are (fairly) easy now, especially Mangrove.  It’s only in this time of year one

                   will notice how many Babblers are actually around in the forests.

July : Can still be good in the south but things are getting more quiet from mid-July onwards.

August : In Thailand good only to write up your notes with a few beers.  For those still going out

             there, the odd sighting might happen but the general picture is quiet for birding.

September : Migration starts but not very exciting yet. (At least not for birders from overseas.)

October : Best for migration.

November : Still good for some migration and more chance on dry weather than in October, most

                 wintering species are present by early November.

late November - December : Same as for Jan-Feb but can still be very wet in the south. (Bala is

                                       better later on) Gurney’s Pitta seems to be pretty active calling in

                                       late Nov.- early Dec. though.

 

Enjoy the birding on your holiday in Thailand, whatever season you chose!

Please consider taking a tour or guided trip to make your stay even more remarkable.

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