Dates:
Weather:
Localities:

1 - 3 July 2020.
Variable cloud cover. Rain by afternoons. Temperatures ranged from 22°C to 34°C.
Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park and Doi Lang.

Common Guava Blue

Aristobia horridula

Blue-tailed Yellow Skimmer

Spot-breasted Parrotbill

1 Jul. Finally escaping lock down. we left Chiang Mai early, to head to Chiang Dao. New procedures meant we needed to log ourselves into the sanctuary at the checkpoint, but other than that things seemed as usual. A number of butterflies were puddling as usual at the entrance, so we spent most of the morning in this area. Most butterflies present were the usual suspects, though many were freshly emerged and in good condition. It took until early afternoon before we finally made an interesting discovery - in the form of a Common Guava Blue which, in spite of its name, is an infrequently encountered and decidedly uncommon species.

Some of the better bird species included Black-backed Forktail, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Large Scimitar Babbler and Silver-breasted Broadbill. The ever-elusive Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo was calling nearby, but never came into view.

Around 13:00 we ascended to higher elevations around 1,000 metres. A few different butterflies were in flight, although our stay didn't last more than an hour due to rain starting by 14:00. We spent another hour at the checkpoint before starting the slow drive to Fang. Overnight in Fang town, where we needed to find a new eating establishment due to closure of both our usual restaurants; one defunct and the other presumably closed due to virus restrictions.

2 Jul, Due to an expectation of rain, we headed to Doi Pha Hom Pok rather early in the day so as to maximise time at altitude. Most of the morning we spent around 1,500 - 1,600 metres in cloudy and cool weather, not at all suitable for butterflies, though a Common Awl proved a useful find. The usual mountain bird species were present, including Slaty-backed Forktail, Northern White-crowned Forktail, Silver-eared Mesia and Mountain Bamboo Partridge.

Unsurprisingly, rain commenced earlier today, at 11:30, forcing us to explore an area not previously looked at, around 600 metres. After an hour's heavy rain we were able to spend three hours in the field, with a fair spread of commoner butterflies and dragonflies. Some healthy leech activity. Another night in Fang.

3 Jul. A much better morning, weather-wise, on the western side of Doi Lang, with intermittent sun and hazy cloud until 11:00 when rain started, and we headed back toward Chiang Mai. Birds encountered included two pairs of Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Russet Bush Warbler, White-browed Laughingthrush, Little Cuckoo-Dove and Brown-breasted Bulbul, though not the hoped for Himalayan Cutia. En route back to Chiang Mai we stopped to explore near Ping Khlong, north of Chiang Dao, though nothing exceptional noted.