PHU HIN RONG KLA NATIONAL PARK
THAILAND
LOCALE
| Area (SqKm): | 307 |
| Altitude (m): | 700-1800 |
| # Species: | 246 |
| # Excl Vagrants: | 246 |
| # Endemics: | 0 |
| # Near Endemics: | 0 |
| Species/100 SqKm: | 80.1 |
| Habitat: Remnant evergreen forest | |
ABOUT THE BIRDING
Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park supported the communist base of operations during 1968-1972, resulting in much of the evergreen forest being destroyed. What remains is interesting geology, dry dipterocarp forest, mixed forest, and remant patches of evergreen forest. It's out-of-the-way location in northeast Thailand near the Laos border means it's rarely visited by foreign birders. The main attraction for birders is that the park is the only regular place to see Nepal House-Martin in Thailand.
Excellent birding can be done along Highway 2331 through the park. The road traverses several forest types over a distance of 37km and is best birded mid-week when traffic is minimal. Possibilities include forest species such as Great Barbet, Davison's Leaf Warbler, Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler, and Silver-eared Mesia. A 2-kilometer loop trail is worth birding in mid-week but not when croweded on weekends. Dusky Crag-Martin is common there. Just outside the Taberg Checkpoint where good habitat immediately changes into cabbage fields, Neaplese House-Martin can sometimes be found by scanning the skies. Also, rank vegetation along the road can be checked for the rare Jerdon's Bushchat.
LOCATION OF SITE
Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park is located 200km east of Phitsanulok, which in turn is 375km (4¼ hours) north of Bangkok. It's situated near the Laos border in northeast Thailand.