After a few great trips to the north and down to Kaeng Krachan at the beginning of the holiday, it was time to head south. I had heard that a Rufous-Collared Kingfisher was feeding at Krung Ching NP, so i decided this was my next must get bird. First stop, was Cha-Am for a little beach holiday with the family. After a few days there we headed down to Surathani, where my family could visit their in-laws. I only had time for a one night trip, the next morning it was an early kick off straight to Krung Ching. This was actually my first visit to this park and WOW!! what a spectacular place.... The mountain views rising above the morning mist and the lush, green rain forest were just simply breathtaking... As I arrived, I immediately went to check out the spot for the Kingfisher. I was still walking in, when something caught my eye and settled on a branch, my first Rufous-Collared Kingfisher, cicada in mouth just 2 metres from me!! I took a few quick shots and then backed away to find some cover... In the next hour or so, the male turned up 3-4 times with various tasty looking meals for it's young. The light was not good but I still got some great shots of this fantastic looking bird.
As I left the area to go back to book my room, a beautiful white morph Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher put in a brief showing. Another fantastic sight, but sadly a not too fantastic picture. A pair of Blue-Winged Pittas were also added to the list in the same spot.
Around the campsite area, a fruiting tree hosted many birds including; Lesser Green Leafbirds, Sooty Barbets, Spiderhunters and Bulbuls.
The evening also turned up another great bird for me in a pair of White-Crowned Hornbills. It was almost dark by then and getting a clear shot was almost impossible as the birds were barely visible with the naked eye..
The following morning, I only managed to get in a couple of hours birding before I had to get back to pick up the family. A short, but extremely rewarding trip. I will definitely be paying another visit to this great park in the future.
Full list of sightings can be seen here;