Myanmar bird watching tour 2-28 Dec 2013

Precipitants

1.Larre Hernander
2.Donald Rehn

A fantastic tour to many different habitats and interesting meetings with native people.

The logistics worked out well, with only a few late flights. We mostly slept in modest places, two times in private homes, two nights in tent, but also in nice hotels. We had great drivers and jeeps.

All together the trip was a success with 517 species observed or heard.

Our friendly local tour operator is Travel Expert Co.,Ltd. www.myanmartravelexpert.com, www.myanmarbirding.com
Contact person is Mr. Moe, moe@myanmartravelexpert.com

Trip Itinerary

Day 1. Arrival at Yangoon airport 09.00.
The local guide Ko Teth took us to our hotel and then to Whlaga Park outside of Yangoon.
We saw Racket-tailed treepie, black-naped oriole, blossom-headed parakeet, rosy minivet, long-tailed minivet, chesnut-headed bee-eater, oriental honey-buzzard, red collared dove, black-throated sunbird, asian openbill, blue pitta (heard).

Day 2. Airplane to Heho were we met Ko Pan,
our guide for the rest of the trip, and our driver U Than Aye. We drove to a monastery outside Pindaya were we spent the night. Himalayan buzzard, eurasian hobby, burmese shrike, were some of the birds on the way.

Day 3-6 Pindaya mountains
Trecking up to the Ashaemyin-mountains, with eight carriers, to our tent-camp, high up with a great view. Second day. a trip to the highest peek in the area.
Third day, trecking back to the monastry, through dense forrests and steep hills.
Fourth day, easy two hours walking down to our car.
Then to Pindaya by car and a walk on the town.
Burmese yuhina, siberian thrush, spectable barwing, brown-breasted bulbul,
oriental and chesnut-flanked white-eye, orange-bellied leafbird, grey-chinned minivet,
scarlet-breasted flowerpecker, fork-tailed swift, and many different warblers.
dark-backed sibia, golden-throated barbet, white-browed shrike babbler, slender-billed oriole
and white-headed bulbul. Red-rumped swallow, long-legged buzzard, mountain hawk eagle,
purple and green cochoa, yellow-bellied and white-throated fantail, crow-billed drongo, besra,
white-browed scimitar babbler, white-browed thrush, olive-backet pipit, black bulbul,
red throated flycatcher, purple sunbird, common buzzard, green magpie, zitting cisticola,
lineated barbet, brown shrike, collared myna, buff-barred warbler, slaty-blue flycatcher,
plain flowpecker, white-throated rockthrush.

Day 7. Air to Bagan.
Birding in the temple area. In just three hours we saw all the possible endemics exept rain quail. Jerdon´s minivet, burmese bushlark, hooded treepie, white-throated babbler, burmese shrike,
plain-backed sparrow, streaked-eared bulbul, laggar falcon, white eyed buzzard, crested myna, hoopoe, indian roller, spotted owlet, vinous-breasted myna. Dinner at a chinese restaurant by the river.

Day 8. Car to Mt. Victoria and birding on the way.
Asian barred owlet, hooded treepie very close, long-billed pipit, eastern imperial eagle,yellow-footed green-pigeon, alexandrine parakeet, several different drongos, black-hooded oriole, ashy woodswallow. Arrival late afternoon. Shower and dinner.

Day 9-11. Mt. Victoria
Car up to one level. Then birding from the road down to next level were the car was waiting. Lunch was served from the car. Mt. Victoria babax, chesnut-vented nuthatch, streak-throated and black crowned barwing, grey-sided thrush, brown-throated treecreeper, stripe-breasted, roufus-breasted and crimson-breasted woodpecker, ashy woodpigeon, slaty-backed flycatcher, yellow-breasted greenfinch, chesnut-bellied rockthrush, great barbet, white-browed nuthatch, pygmy blue flycatcher, chesnut-tailed minla, black eagle, changeable hawk eagle, kestrel, stripe-throated and whiskered yuhina, burmese tit, brown-capped laughingthrush,
white-browed fulvetta, hill prinia, grey sibia, spot-breasted parrotbill, fire-tailed sunbird, striated bulbul, maroon oriole, and many more.

Day 12. Car back to Bagan,
birding along the way. Then a short trip on Ayrewaddy river.
Rufous treepie, short-billed and scarlet minivet, red-breasted and grey-headed parakeet, blue-winged leafbird, black-naped monarch, on the way back.
White-tailed stonechat, small pratincole, red avadavat, pied harrier, common greenshank, great and little egret, at the river.

Day 13-15. Alaungdawkassapa nat. park
A long trip by car to Alaungdawkassapa nat. park. Famous by it´s many woodpeckers.
We´d barely come inside the park until we had seen three new spieces.
Two full days walking in the park generated 14 different woodpeckers!
And also green-billed malkoa, collared owlet, velvet-fronted nuthatch, mountain bulbul,
black-winged cuckooshrike, ashy, rosy, swinhoe´s, scarlet, and long-tailed minivet,
red-billed blue magpie, stork-billed kingfisher, collared falconet, 2,5m python, green imperial pigeon, golden-fronted leafbird, lesser necklaced laughingthrush, blue whistling thrush, red-headed trogon, white-bellied yuhina.

Day 16. By car to Mandalay.
Birding at Pa Lagg lake near Mandalay. Australasian bushlark, white-throated kingfisher, blue-tailed bee-eater, scaly-breasted munia, large-billed crow, paddyfield pipit, great cormorant, comb duck, chinese pond heron, pied bushchat.

Day 17. Flight to Yangoon were we met the driver U Than Aye again.
Car to Mataban gulf. We slept with the boat captain and his family at their home.

Day 18-19. Mataban gulf.
Up early and waiting for the tide, so we could take our boat out to the sea.
A beautiful trip on small channels in the early morning sunshine.
We spend the night on a monastry near the birding-site.
Late the second day we decided to drive to Moeyingyi wetlands. We arrived there at 22.30.
Peregrine falcon, sanderling, common redshank, red-necked stint, greater sand plover,
whiskered tern, brown-headed gull, painted stork, pacific golden plover, ruddy shelduck,
temmick´s stint, little ringed plover, and the big hit, spoon-billed sandpiper!

Day 20. A boat trip on the lake through waterplants, and a stop at the other side for birding from land.
A wonderful place with a lot of birds. Purple swamphen, pheasant-tailed jacana, western marsh harrier, hen harrier, black kite, green bee-eater, oriental reed warbler, thick-billed warbler, bright-headed cisticola, streaked weaver,
plaintive cuckoo, bronze drongo, yellow bittern, cinnamon bittern, purple heron, siberian stonechat,

Day 21. Flight Yangoon-Myeik.
New driver waiting at the airport, (Nying Pho Aung). When we arrived at the village to get our permission to go futher south, we got bad news!
There had been some controversies in that area, and we were not allowed to continue.
Ko Pan quickly arranged a new accommodation in the village.
Wallace hawk eagle, black baza,

Day 22. Since we had to go back, we did some birding walking on the road.
A friendly man we met on the road offered us to stay in his house.
So we stayed there two nights. A very modest place, but i loved it!
Andaman green-pigeon, greater racket-tailed drongo, intermediate egret, ashy drongo,
purple-throated sunbird, dollarbird, crested serpent eagle, plain martin, edible-nest swiftlet,
grey-rumped treeswift, vernal hanging parrot, red-eyed bulbul, chinese sparrowhawk, white-bellied munia.

Day 23. 16 km walking in the forrest.
Guerneys pitta, (heard) grey-faced buzzard, orange-breasted trogon, dark-sided flycatcher, great hornbill, coppersmith barbet, rusty-breasted cuckoo, asian brown flycatcher, dark-throated oriole, raffles malkoa,
hairy-backed bulbul, spotted dove, hill-myna, white-browed piculet, lesser fish eagle,

Day 24. Car back to Myeik. Birding on the way.
House swift, brown-backed needletail, cotton pygmy-goose, ruby-cheeked sunbird, pale blue flycatcher,

Day 25. Myeik-Yangoon
Before it was time to leave for the airport, we went to a small mangrove forrest
near the harbour of Myeik. In the evening, dinner with Moe, the manager of the travel agency, in Yangoon.
Eastern curlew, brahminy kite, black-headed bulbul, stripe-throated bulbul, collared kingfisher,

Day 26. Hwlaga park. In the evening we went to the great pagoda, and looked at the bats.
Thousands and thousands and thousands.........
Black-naped oriole, slender-billed babbler, lesser coucal, olive-backed sunbird, verditer flycatcher,
asian emerald cuckoo, indian cuckoo, scarlet-backed flowerpecker, lesser wistling-duck, wolly-necked stork, red-wattled lapwing, spot-billed duck,

Day 27. Mangrove forrest by the river in Yangoon, with Moe and his business partner.
Shikra, common tailorbird, white-browed fantail, plain prinia, black-capped kingfisher,
common kingfisher, japanese white-eye, oriental magpie robin, black drongo.

BIRDLIST

Long-billed partridge (heard)
Rufous-throated partridge
Red junglefowl
Kalij pheasant
Silver pheasant
Mrs Hume´s pheasant
Lesser whistling-duck
Swan goose
Greylag goose
Comb duck
Ruddy shelduck
Cotton pygmy-goose
Indian spot-billed duck
Chinese spot-billed duck
Northern shoveler
Garganey
Little grebe
Painted stork
Asian openbill
Black stork
Wooly-necked stork
Black-headed ibis
Yellow bittern
Cinnamon bittern
Black-crowned night-heron
Indian pond-heron
Chinese pond-heron
Eastern cattle egret
Grey heron
Purple heron
Great egret
Intermediate egret
Little egret
Little cormorant
Great cormorant
Oriental darter
Collared falconet
Common kestrel
Eurasian hobby
Laggar falcon
Peregrine falcon
Black baza
Oriental honey-buzzard
Black-shouldered kite
Black kite
Black-eared kite
Brahminy kite
Grey-headed fish eagle
Crested serpent-eagle
Western marsh-harrier
Eastern marsh-harrier
Hen harrier
Pied harrier
Crested goshawk
Shikra
Chinese sparrowhak
Besra
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Northern goshawk
White-eyed buzzard
Grey-faced buzzard
Himalayan buzzard
Common buzzard
Long-legged buzzard
Eastern imperial eagle
Booted eagle
Black eagle
Mountain hawk-eagle
Changeable hawk-eagle
Wallace´s hawk-eagle
Eastern water rail
White-breasted waterhen
Watercock
Grey-headed swamphen
Black-backed swamphen
Common moorhen
Common coot
Pacific golden plover
Grey plover
Grey-headed lapwing
Red-wattled lapwing
Common ringed plover
Little ringed plover
Kentish plover
Greater sand-plover
Pheasant-tailed jacana
Bronze-winged jacana
Eurasian woodcock
Jack snipe
Swinhoe´s snipe
Common snipe
Black-tailed godwits
Whimbrel
Eurasian curlew
Eastern curlew
Common sandpiper
Green sandpiper
Spotted redshank
Common redshank
Wood sandpiper
Common greenshank
Sanderling
Spoon-billed sandpiper
Little stint
Red-necked stint
Temminck´s stint
Ruddy turnstone
Small pratincole
Little tern
Caspian tern
Black tern
Whiskered tern
Brown-headed gull
Black-headed gull
Rock pigeon
Ashy wood-pigeon
Oriental turtle-dove
Eurasian collared-dove
Red collared-dove
Spotted dove
Barred cuckoo-dove
Andaman green-pigeon
Yellow-footed green-pigeon
Wedge-tailed green-pigeon
Green imperial-pigeon
Mountain imperial-pigeon
Vernal hanging-parrot
Alexandrine parakeet
Rose-ringed parakeet
Grey-headed parakeet
Blossom-headed parakeet
Red-breasted parakeet
Large hawk-cuckoo
Hodgson´s hawk-cuckoo
Indian cuckoo
Banded bay cuckoo
Plaintive cuckoo
Rusty-breasted cuckoo
Asian emerald cuckoo
Asian koel
Green-billed malkoha
Raffell´s malkoha
Chesnut-breasted malkoha
Greater coucal
Lesser coucal
Common barn-owl (heard)
Oriental scops-owl (heard)
Brown wood-owl (heard)
Collared owlet
Asian barred owlet
Jungle owlet (heard)
Spotted owlet
Grey nightjar
Savanna nightjar
Glossy swiftlet
Himalayan swiftlet
Edible-nest swiftlet
Silver-backed needletail
Brown-backed needletail
Asian palm-swift
Fork-tailed swift
Dark-rumped swift
House swift
Grey-rumped treeswift
Whiskered treeswift
Indian roller
Dollarbird
Stork-billed kingfisher
Brown-winged kingfisher
White-throated kingfisher
Black-capped kingfisher
Collared kingfisher
Common kingfisher
Blue-bearded bee-eater (heard)
Little green bee-eater
Blue-tailed bee-eater
Chesnut-headed bee-eater
Common hoopoe
Oriental pied hornbill
Great hornbill
Plain-pouched hornbill
Great barbet
Lineated barbet
Red-crowned barbet (heard)
Red-throated barbet
Golden-throated barbet
Blue-throated barbet
Blue-eared barbet
Coppersmith barbet
White-browed piculet
Rufous-bellied woodpecker
Grey-capped pygmy woodpecker
Fulvous-breasted woodpecker
Stripe-breasted woodpecker
Crimson-breasted woodpecker
Rufous woodpecker
White-bellied woodpecker
Greater yellownape
Lesser yellownape
Grey-headed woodpecker
Olived-backed woodpecker
Himalayan flameback
Common flameback
Greater flameback
Pale-headed woodpecker
Bamboo woodpecker (heard)
Bay woodpecker (heard)
Long-tailed broadbill
Blue pitta (heard)
Gurney´s pitta (heard)
Garnet pitta (heard)
Black-headed shrike-babbler
White-browed shrike-babbler
Green shrike-babbler
Black-eared shrike-babbler
Chesnut-fronted shrike-babbler
White-bellied erpornis
Large cuckooshrike
Indochinese cuckooshrike
Black-winged cuckooshrike
Lesser cuckooshrike
Rosy minivet
Swinhoe´s minivet
Ashy minivet
Small minivet
Jerdon´s minivet
Grey-chinned minivet
Long-tailed minivet
Short-billed minivet
Scarlet minivet
Mangrove whistler (heard)
Dark-throated oriole
Slender-billed oriole
Black-naped oriole
Black-hooded oriole
Maroon oriole
Ashy woodswallow
Large woodshrike
Common iora
Green iora
Yellow-bellied fantail
White-throated fantail
White-browed fantail
Pied fantail
Black drongo
Ashy drongo
Crow-billed drongo
Bronzed drongo
Lesser racket-tailed drongo
Greater racket-tailed drongo
Hair-crested drongo
Black-naped monarch
Asian paradise flycatcher
House crow
Eastern jungle crow
Southern jungle crow
Eurasian jay
Common green magpie
Red-billed blue magpie
Rufous treepie
Grey treepie
Racket-tailed treepie
Hooded treepie
Black magpie
Ratchet-tailed treepie
Tiger shrike
Burmese shrike
Brown shrike
Long-tailed shrike
Grey-backed shrike
Plain sunbird
Brown-throated sunbird
Purple-rumped sunbird
Van Hasselt.s sunbird
Purple sunbird
Olive-backed sunbird
Crimson sunbird
Mr´s Gould´s sunbird
Green-tailed sunbird
Black-throated sunbird
Fire-tailed sunbird
Ruby-cheeked sunbird
Grey-breasted spiderhunter
Streaked spiderhunter
Long-billed spiderhunter
Yellow-bellied flowerpecker
Yellow-vented flowerpecker
Plain flowerpecker
Fire-breasted flowerpecker
Scarlet-backed flowerpecker
Blue-winged leafbird
Golden-fronted leafbird
Orange-bellied leafbird
Asian fairy-bluebird
Streaked weaver
Red avadavat
White-rumped munia
White-bellied munia
Scaly-breasted munia
House sparrow
Plain-backed sparrow
Eurasian tree-sparrow
Russet sparrow
Red throated pipit
Olive-backed pipit
Blyth´s pipit
Paddyfield pipit
Long-billed pipit
White wagtail
Eastern yellow wagtail
Grey wagtail
Citrine wagtail
Black-headed greenfinch
Yellow-breasted greenfinch
Common rosefinch
Little bunting
Yellow-breasted bunting
Bar-tailed treecreeper
Rusty-flanked treecreeper
Hume´s treecreeper
Velvet-fronted nuthatch
Chesnut-vented nuthatch
Chesnut-bellied nuthatch
White-browed nuthatch
Crested myna
White-vented myna
Jungle myna
Collared myna
Common myna
Vinous-breasted myna
Black-collared starling
Asian pied starling
Chesnut-tailed starling
Common hill-myna
Siberian thrush
Black-breasted thrush (heard)
Grey-sided thrush
Eye-browed thrush
Purple cochoa
Green cochoa
Siberian rubythroat (heard)
White-capped water-redstart
Daurian redstart
Blue-fronted redstart
White-throated rock-thrush
Blue rock-thrush
Chesnut-bellied rock-thrush
Grey bushchat
Eastern stonechat
White-tailed stonechat
Pied bushchat
Red-flanked bluetail
Black-backed forktail
Blue whistling-thrush
Hainan blue flycatcher
Pale blue flycatcher
Hill blue flycatcher
Tickell´s blue flytcher
Blue-throated flycatcher
Mangrove blue flyctacher (heard)
White-tailed flycatcher
Pale-chinned flycatcher
Verditer flycatcher
Slaty-backed flycatcher
Little pied flycatcher
Ultramarine flycatcher
Slaty blue flycatcher
Taiga flycatcher
Pygmy blue flycatcher
Ferruginous flycatcher
Rufous-gorgeted flycatcher
Dark-sided flycatcher
Asian brown flycatcher
Oriental magpie-robin
Black-bibbed tit
Grey-tit
Japanese tit
Green-backed tit
Yellow-cheeked tit
Yellow-browed tit
Grey-headed canary-flycatcher
Australasian bushlark
Burmese bushlark
Indochinese bushlark
Oriental skylark
Crested finchbill
Striated bulbul
Black-headed bulbul
Black-crested bulbul
Stripe-throated bulbul
Flavescent bulbul
Yellow-vented bulbul
Streak-eared bulbul
Cream-vented bulbul
Red-eyed bulbul
Spectacled bulbul
Red-whiskered bulbul
Brown-breasted bulbul
Red-vented bulbul
Olive bulbul
Hairy-backed bulbul
Puff-throated bulbul
Streaked bulbul
Himalayan black bulbul
White-headed bulbul
Northern house-martin
Nepal house-martin
Common sand-martin
Pale sand-martin
Barn swallow
Wire-tailed swallow
House swallow
Red-rumped swallow
Striated swallow
Yellow-bellied warbler
Slaty-bellied tesia (heard)
Chesnut-headed tesia
Black-throated tit
Black-browed tit
Burmese tit
Whistler´s warbler
Grey-crowned warbler
Eastern-crowned warbler
White-tailed leaf-warbler
Grey-hooded warbler
Arctic warbler
Large-billed leaf-warbler
Pale-legged leaf-warbler
Greenish warbler
Two-barred warbler
Ashy-throated warbler
Buff-barred warbler
Yellow-browed warbler
Hume´s warbler
Lemon-rumped warbler
Thickell´s leaf-warbler
Radde´s warbler
Yellow-streaked warbler
Dusky warbler
Buff-throated warbler
Spot-breasted parrotbill
Yellow-eyed babbler
Whit-browed fulvetta
Grey-cheeked fulvetta
Nepal fulvetta
Brown-cheeked fulvetta
Brown fulvetta
Rusty-capped fulvetta
Rufous-winged fulvetta
Chesnut-flanked white-eye
Japanese white-eye
Oriental white-eye
Stripe-throated yuhina
Whiskered yuhina
Burmese yuhina
Rusty-cheeked scimitar-babbler
Spot-breasted scimitar-babbler
White-browed scimitar babbler
Streak-breasted scimitar-babbler
Chin-hills Wren-babbler (heard)
Golden babbler
Rufous-capped babbler
Rufous-fronted babbler
Pin-striped tit-babbler
Chesnut-capped babbler
Rufous-rumped grass-babbler
Buff-breasted babbler
Puff-throated babbler (heard)
Spot-throated babbler (heard)
Abbot´s babbler
Short-tailed babbler
White-throated babbler
Striated babbler
Slender-billed babbler
Lesser necklaced laughingthrush
Greater necklaced laughingthrush
Spot-breasted laughingthrush
Striped laughingthrush
White-browed laughingthrush
Brown-capped laughingthrush
Blue-winged laughingthrush
Assam laughingthrush
Mt. Victoria babax
Crimson-faced liocichla (heard)
Bar-throated minla
Red-tailed minla
Blue-winged minla
Red-tailed minla
Blue-winged siva
Silver-eared mesia
Grey sibia
Dark-backed sibia
Rufous-backed sibia
Streak-throated barwing
Spectacled barwing
Rusty-fronted barwing
Black-capped barwing
Black-browed reed-warbler
Blyth´s reed-warbler
Paddyfield warbler
Indian reed-warbler
Oriental reed-warbler
Thick-billed warbler
Striated grassbird
Zitting cistcola
Bright-headed cistcola
Dark-necked tailorbird
Common tailorbird
Rufescent prinia
Grey-breasted prinia
Plain prinia
Brown prinia
Black-throated prinia
Hill prinia