Continue Exploration of Doi San Ju (14/15)

 After having a basic lunch of instant noodles, we continued our search for more bird species.

It was a pleasant surprise to come across the Ultramarine flycatcher. This beautiful bird has bright blue feathers, resembling the Sapphire flycatcher but without the orange throat and chest. We heard someone mention the Sapphire flycatcher earlier, but we were unsure if they had mistaken it for the Ultramarine flycatcher.

Following a faint yet familiar call, we discovered the Grey-capped pygmy woodpecker. It looks very similar to the Sunda pygmy woodpecker, which is quite common in Singapore.

As we proceeded with our exploration, we encountered another noisy bird that always makes its presence known - the Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler.

The Oriental turtle dove caused quite a commotion when it was spotted in Singapore some time ago, but it is very common in this region.

Just before calling it a day, we observed some medium-sized birds moving through dense undergrowth. We suspected it might be another one of our target birds. We moved ahead of them, waited at an opening, and confirmed our suspicion. It was indeed the Scarlet-faced Liocichla, which was on our list of desired sightings.

Feeling pleased with our discoveries thus far, we decided to end the day and enjoy a good dinner before heading back to Singapore and Taiwan.

While happily tallying the bird species we had seen, our guide suddenly stopped and pointed to a tree branch. After some searching, we finally spotted what the guide was trying to show us. 

Remaining motionless and blending in perfectly with the tree branch and moss, it was a well-camouflaged Hodgson's Frogmouth. What a great bonus to conclude our birding trip in North Thailand!

Since we still had some time before dinner, we stopped at the helipad overlooking an orange farm, enjoying the serenity and beauty of the scenery.

A ripple effect occurs when an initial disturbance in a system spreads outward to affect an increasingly larger part of the system... Instead of explaining it in a technical manner, this picture captures it all.

The reflection adds a natural dreamy effect to this photo. Can I call this unfiltered?

This photo, showing three shadows - myself and two friends from Taiwan, marks the end of another successful birding trip to North Thailand. Hoping for more explorations together in the near future.