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21 - 28 May 2023.
Mostly dry. Some afternoon or evening rain. Cloud cover increasing through the week. Temperatures ranged from 20°C to 36°C.
Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, Doi Tung, Doi Phu Kha National Park and Khun Nan National Park.

21 May. Met up with Ian late morning in Fang, from where we drove to the lower campsite on Doi Pha Hom Pok. Being mid-week and outside the main tourist season, securing a room proved easy. The afternoon was spent at mid elevation around 1,500 metres. Best birds included Silver Pheasant, as well as two Hodgson's Frogmouth calling after dark. A number of interesting moths were found around the campsite toilet lights, later on.

22 May. A Lesser Cuckoo calling between 04:00 - 05:00 was a surprise. We also discovered, by the amount of bites on elbows and exposed joints, that small biting flies must have been active the previous evening. We started the day with a trip to the upper campsite at 1,900 metres, working forests around that level, though little of note was found. We also tried a variety of habitats down to 1,200 metres. This produced a mixed bag, including Fea's Horned Frog, Tailor's Frog, another Lesser Cuckoo, Bamboo Woodpecker, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Slaty-backed Forktail and Marbled Flat.

23 May. Pre-dawn, both Mountain Scops Owl and Himalayan Wood Owl were calling close to the campsite. Following a quick check of the lights for moths we drove to Doi Tung, arriving by 11:00. The afternoon was spent mainly inside the Mae Fah Luang Arboretum on Doi Chang Moob. A few common frogs were found in the solitary pond there. The viewpoint proved more interesting with Ananta Yellow Sailor and White Commodore. We also found a walkable trail close to Wat Phra That Doi Tung which gave us good views of Orange-headed Thrush, but little else. Overnight at a local home stay.

24 May. A return to the arboretum, with the morning there, but nothing much new seen. Note, the arboretum is one of the very few places in Thailand that offers a discount to older people - a 50% discount applies to those over 60 years of age, with the usual 90 Baht fee reduced to 45 Baht. For a change of scenery, and to try something new, Wat Phra Doi Tung was visited. The 300 metre walk to the viewpoint passes through some good forest, though in the heat of the day nothing was found. This contrasted markedly with the rubbish strewn shrine area a couple of hundred metres before the temple. Given its religious status the place is a disgrace. During the early evening, a rain storm passed through.

25 May. A six hour drive to Doi Phu Kha. In passing through the park we stopped at the viewpoint and a couple of the forested trails, but found little. Continued to Bo Kluea, where a notable increase in accommodation is occurring, along with its first 7-Eleven. The road southward toward Nan is also being widened to dual-carriageway. Early evening at a local forest patch we encountered a few moths, but far to many night hornets for comfort.

26 May. Pretty much all day spent at upper levels of Doi Phu Kha from 1,200 to 1,700 metres. Green Cochoa was heard several times. Other bird species of note included Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Lesser Shortwing and White-gorgeted Flycatcher. Reptiles included Indian Forest Skink and Reeves's Leaf-litter Skink. The pick of the butterflies were Phu Kha Bushbrown, Common Cyclops and Narrow Wanderer.

27 May. Early morning again at upper levels of Doi Phu Kha, but due to the increasing cloud cover we switched to take a look at the Sapan Waterfall lower down. No sooner had we arrived than the threatening rain commenced. Although this passed after an hour, the cloudy conditions persisted, making the whole area rather quiet. A final night at Bo Kleua.

Tasta argozana

Fea's Horned Frog

Orange-headed Thrush

White-gorgeted Flycatcher

Narrow Wanderer