Phayre's Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei), also known as Phayre's Langur, is a species of lutung found in Southeast Asia. It is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix II of CITES.

Its range includes Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. In Thailand it's distribution is limited to parts of the North and North East of the country as well as the Western Forest Complex. So a chance to see one of these rare animals could not be missed and a trip was arranged to Phu Khieo in the north of Chaiyaphum to see if I could see one and photograph one in the wild.

In Thai it is known as the Kang Waen, which shows one of the issues with the use of common names against scientific names as it loosely translates to "spectacled monkey" which is an alternate common name for another species of langur, the Dusky Langur (Trachypithecus obscurus). It is mostly arboreal and feeds on leaves of a large number of tree species.It is mostly arboreal and feeds on leaves of a large number of tree species.

This is a follow-up from my previous (see here) thoughts on the flatid nymphs that one constantly sees throughout Thailand's forests. Most people who have walked the forest and jungle paths will have come across them and will always remember them for their outlandish white "hairy" looks. I have seem them in virtually every park I have visited BUT I have never before seen adult flatid plant hoppers with the these nymphs. Just recently I was fortunate to see two separate counts of adult flatidae on the same bushes and vines as the nymphs on the same day. Both were in the forest surrounding the Huay Nam Yen waterfall in Pang Sida National Park. I think its fairly safe to assume that these flatid planthoppers probably are the mature adult of the nymphs in these photographs, in Dong Phaya Yen at least.

The attached sequence of photographs occurred in Khao Yai National Park and depict a group of wild sambar deer, cervus unicolor, females that were feeding at the edge of the reservoir. The group consisted of two fully grown females, 3 juveniles and a younger doe. One of the adult females took the youngest of the deer into the reservoir, seemingly for a swimming lesson. She clearly teased the young animal out of her depth whilst keeping a close contact. One of the other juvenile does also kept a close watch and seemed to be assisting. They took the young animal out until it was actually swimming, with a panicked look on her face but as soon as she had proven she could do it, she was ushered back into the shallows and back to the grass. Was it a swimming lesson? Was it a lesson in cooling off on a hot day? Was it both?

When is the best time time to visit Thailand's National Park's?

Every year I ponder this a little a more as the common view is that the best time is December, January and February. Indeed trekkers all over Thailand are all eagerly awaiting the winter season so their camping and trekking can begin. This annual pilgrimage to the forests by many is based on one factor in my opinion and that is because it is the cool season. But is it it the best time to visit a national park in Thailand?

For those willing to make the journey (a 12 km hike) to Lanhindard in Pang Sida National Park (see route to the crocodile release area here), the wild Cirrhopetalum lepidum orchids are now in bloom (November 2009).

Lanhindard has an area that is strewn with various wild orchids but it is not possible to tell what species until they bloom. This is the first I have seen in bloom in the area, and as you can see its quite different from your commonly cultivated Thai orchids. To locate the site head for the siamese crocodile release area and you will find the orchids on the trail in the last 100 meters before the release pen.

Khao Ang Rue Nai is a conservation zone covering 643,750 rai area in the Eastern Forest Complex - the last abundant piece of forest land of the East. It is the source of the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao, the Tanot Canal in Chanthaburi, and the Prasae River in Rayong. Geographically, the area is not very steep; it is about 30-150 m above sea level.

There are wild animals, such as elephant, gaur, deer, barking deer, banteng, porcupine, etc., and birds, such as Siamese fire back, great pied hornbill, etc. On this trail you will quite amazed by the amount of tracks from elephant, guar, banteng and deer - their comparative abundance is obvious and tracks are everywhere. There is a good chance of seeing mammals on this route in the early mornings and evenings

Just a couple of weeks ago on a trip to northern Suphanburi I decided that I would investigate Uthai Thani (neighboring province of Suphanburi) a little more in the coming weeks. I have to say it is a beautiful province with many attractions and much to see. Two of the more notable attractions I wanted to see were Khao Pla Ra, a mountain range that contains prehistoric cave paintings dated 3000-5000 years old. The other being Tham Hup Pa Tat, a sealed mountain pass that opens into a secret valley. So off I went to do my internet research prior to setting off.

Like most travellers in Thailand I research the locations that I want to travel to and photograph using several sources but the easiest and most accessible of these resources is the internet.

One insect that is often seen in Thai forests is a species of the Flatid (Flatidae) Planthoppers also commonly known as a Flatid Leaf Bud, or to be more precise the nymph of a Flatidae bug. It is the white filamentous body covering of the nymph that causes first interest and then amazement as one realizes that is it in fact an animal. Younger specimens are often mistaken for a fungus or a plant and it is not until the nymph moves that you realize the mistake. As the nymph grows it develops a more insect like appearance, even though keeping the hairy filamentous covering, and it body, legs and face become apparent.

Things have been quiet for a while and the weather has not been playing fair, which is normal for the time of year. September and October have been a washout and monotonous grey skies have been the norm. Not good weather for trying to take photographs. Luckily the weather seems to have broken and winter is here with clear skies and good temperatures once again. If only it lasted longer!

I have started the winter shooting season with a couple of 8 pointers - I jest - with a trip to Tak and Mae Hong Song to catch the sights and see the annual Thai "sunflower" blooming near Khun Yuam. It was a bit of a surprise to find out the sunflowers are actually from Mexico and were brought to Thailand by missionaries many years ago.

Following on from a previous week’s experience of traveling to some of the caves in Ratchaburi, this week I decided to go and look at some the Buddhist cave shrines in the neighboring province of Kanchanaburi. Kanchanaburi province has always been one of my favorite provinces and once again it did not disappoint. At the end of the rainy season it is lush and green and a delight to travel in and explore the limestone caves and karsts.

Of particular note was Tham Phu Toei. A small but immaculately kept cave, by its resident monk, that is a little of the beaten

Khao Yai has always held a special place in my heart - it's maybe because of it's close proximity to Bangkok makes it so accessible, or possibly because I think it's the best managed National Park, taking into account the huge number of visitors it has to control, in Thailand. It is a special place full of promise, always offering but never quite revealing itself. A place to return to - many times over to search for elusive glimpses.

I used to like to camp there but I don't camp in Khao Yai anymore - there are simply too many people in the approved camp sites doing John Denver impressions until 3 a.m in the morning. If I heard another camper's rendition of "tek mee hom cunty roads", which might actually describe

I am happy to announce that I have added a forum to the site to share information and tracks and trails on the various national parks in Thailand and their wildlife. The purpose is to share information. There is a lot of information available on the web - very good information. BUT there is also a lot of crud and misleading information on traveling in Thailand and her national parks. This forum is about sharing the good information and refining it further so its accurate.

Feel free to join the forum and share your information or insights - just follow this link to view the Forum for Trekking in Thailand's National Parks!

After humming and awing over where would be a good location to visit in Thailand taking into account the poor weather and light we have at this time of year I plumped for some indoor locations. Being a Bangkok resident it goes without saying that an outing in Bangkok to take photographs does not really cut the mustard so an alternative location was needed for a miserable and wet September weekend.

After a bit of research I decided to head back to one my favorite provinces in the whole of Thailand, Ratchaburi. I would make the journey via Phetchaburi so I could finally see the Tham Khao Luang site and also indulge in some food at Hat Chao Samran. My stomach is also close at heart when travel decisions are being made.

Last week I had intended to travel to Chonburi, Rayong and Chantaburi to view the Thai fishing boat fleets that traditionally remain at port for the Queen's birthday celebrations. I made the trip but the opportunities for photography were not so good as the weather, which is inclement at best during this time of the year, did not really serve up suitable conditions. So a weekend of photographing fishing boats turned into weekend for relaxing by the sea and sampling the absolutely fabulous east coast seafood. Or so I thought.

What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend trip turned into quite an educational trip but for altogether the wrong reasons. The Queen's birthday weekend coincided with a particulary high tide and what was left on the beaches after the high tide was quite shocking. Serious pollution in Thailand.