Ban Aobfha Resort- Kaeng Krachan

22nd February 2010


The Ban Aobfha Resort (Baan Fah Resort embrace).

633 Moo1, Tambon Kaeng Krachan, Phetchaburi 76130

We tried our best to learn as much as possible all about the Kaeng Krachan Park before our arrival but with little success. Faint impression that the park was in deep jungle far away from civilization. The driver we had, he too was unfamiliar with the park. Could gauge this fact when he took a traditional route in the direction to the Park, This old way, the only from the start, began the route from a point south of Petchaburi. New experiences for us, the way passed through irrigated rice fields and barren waste land. The journey after 35 kilometers ended with what appeared to be a small market square and a gate way. We thought that was the entrance to the park. So that's it, the hinterland to the park was not an area of deep forest but agriculture land scattered with wasteland. At the time of visit, the whole area was parched and looked desolate.

So we picked this resort at the park boundary and near "a" gateway of the park. After familiarizing ourselves with the "park". Big shock! There were much more resorts and restaurants inside the park compound itself. The Park as it is, a water retention lake for irrigation and drinking. The south-east shore with its HQ and visitor center has camping grounds and high end restaurants. A playground for the urban folks of Bangkok.

Then the resort that we chose. Rooms were not cheap at Rgt 100-120 per room. New to the place and little time to vet, we settled down. The decision when view with hind sight was good. The compound of this resort was in a spot most forested, it had a rapid flowing river used for white water and lots of green surroundings. More details of the resort would appear in the write-up on Multiply. In this blog, I highlight the birds that I photographed.

 
Bamboo forest lined the river banks. Myriads little birds filled the bushes and bamboo clumps, among those, this Flycatcher.
 
 

 
 
 
The bird that we are most familiar with was common in that area as well.
 

 
 
 
 
So was this species of Shama.
 
 

 
 
The Bee-eater that we could only see in northern Peninsula was a lifer for Stephen & Gilbert.
 

 
 
Drongos [ all types] over took from the Mynas in number 1 position as the most common birds in Kaeng Krachan. And as for Myna, they were sighted. Only 1species - Common Myna.
 
 

 
A large bird flew in. Looked like a raptor. Back home with plenty of "photoshoped" -A Green Imperial Pigeon.
 
 

 
 
 
The dense mango tree just beside our room? In daylight hours, we saw it had 3 bird nests. No wonder we even had this guy snoozing there at night.
 
 
 

 
 
Across the river there was the barren field. The whole day long, there were calls from the Lapwings.
 
 
 
 
We took time to explore the potentials of this place. By the end of the second day, we began to appreciate the vast amount of birds stopping by here. That was also the time that we have to leave this place. There you are, from the little amount of pictures that we harvested in a short time, the actual number spotted far exceeded that number.