In and around the Hala-Bala Wildlife Research Station Within Bala, apart from the various opportunities for excellent birding all along the main tar road and its appendages, the main forest birding is in and on trails around the HBWRS and BRS. The main station is situated just off the tar road and along a ridgetop, with parking near the mess at the far end. It is renown for its resident pair of breeding Bathawks, usually visible from the truck garage, and for several free-flying tame hornbills. Birding in the grounds with its various fruiting trees can yield a diversity of species, provide a good start on the common ones, and includes even such specials as Wrinkled Hornbill, Banded Broadbill, Hooded Pitta and Malaysian Rail Babbler or, at night, Javan Frogmouth and Oriental Bay, Reddish Scops, Brown Hawk and Barred Eagle Owls. A road leads off left down a steep hill to the BRS and the grounds here can yield a further variety of common species, another view of the Bat Hawk nest, and sometimes specials such as Black-and-Yellow Broadbill, Buffy Fish-owl and Crested Honeybuzzard. The nearby tar road down to the Sirindhorn Falls is also good, with Grey-headed and White-necked Babblers, and Orange-backed Woodpecker, along the way, or Chestnut-naped Forktail, Blue-banded Kingfisher and White-crowned Hornbill near the falls. All these roads and camp areas can be done easily on foot and require no special protection from leeches. 
More leechy trails include one of 600 m, running down the gulley below the Bathawk nest, starting just behind utility pole 0416/360 at the first bend after the entrance boom to the HBWRS, and coming out at the east or downstream end of the BRS. Good for Rail Babbler and Short-tailed Babbler. Another 800 m trail, running down an old logging track to the Sirindhorn Waterfall, leads off down some steep little concrete steps from the left side of a signboard on the edge of the lawn and fishpond of the visitor centre (the second large building on your right as you enter the HBWRS) and comes out downstream of the falls below a tumble of boulders on a side channel of the main river. Good for babblers, Orange-backed Woodpecker, Rail Babbler and Banded Kingfisher. The major trail of 1.5 km, with the most diverse birds of all, is the Princess Trail, starting with a log bridge across the river in front of the BRS (taking the road left at the bottom of the hill). The trail is lined with large rocks, to keep it level and to make steps where necessary, which generally aids walking although it can be very slippery when wet. It has bridges and rest shelters at intervals where one can sit quietly, and watch and wait for secretive species to emerge. Generally the start of the trail is through drier forest, with Banded Kingfisher, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher and Ferruginous Babbler (and at night Gould's Frogmouth), and the end through more marshy areas, with Rail Babbler, Rufous-naped Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Shama and Grey-headed Babbler. The species list for the trail is long and impressive, including such delights as Diard's, Red-naped and Cinnamon- rumped Trogons, Giant and Garnet Pittas, Banded and Green Broadbills, and White-breasted, Large Wren and Chestnut-winged Babblers. The trail ends on the river bank about 500 m upstream of the start and, if the river is low and can be waded across, comes to a rest hut on the far bank. The rest hut can also be reached down a track of about 300 m by turning right at the bottom of the hill down from the HBWRS and this allows the Princess Trail to be done in 'reverse'. There is also a rock-lined trail of about 500m from this hut through a variety of botanical exhibits along the river bank going back to the log bridge, and this is an easy stroll with some of the commoner babblers (Abbott's, Scaly-crowned), bulbuls (Stripe-throated, Grey-breasted), flowerpeckers (Yellow-bellied, Orange- breasted) and cuckoos (Plaintive, Violet) usually on offer. 
Along the paved road Almost anything can pop out along the paved road, from a Helmeted Hornbill to a Red-naped Trogon (or a tiger to a turtle), and at almost any time, so these notes are really just personal impressions of the better times and places. The road runs from about 100 m a.s.l. at the eastern gate to 580 m a.s.l. at the 16 km lookout, before dropping steeply to 325 m a.s.l. at the western gate, so lookout for lowland specials up to about 10 km (250 m a.s.l.), and especially around the camp (150 m a.s.l.) and river trails below. (Compared to Phu Khao Thong 180-280 m a.s.l. and ToMo at 175-190 m a.s.l. - see below) A really early or late ride down the road may yield Chestnut-naped Forktails, Grey Wagtails (in winter) or Emerald Doves on the road, and early/late eagles or eagleowls perched alongside. In between, walking through sections where the forest comes close to the verge (6.2, 8.9, 9.7, 11.5, 12.6-16.7, 17.3-18.6 kms) can produce all manner of species (bulbuls for sure, and maybe tits, trogons, nuthatches, flycatchers, broadbills, babblers, woodpeckers, flowerpeckers), or almost nothing, depending on your luck and skills, but a telescope is always a useful addition for more distant sightings. The more open areas (7.0, 7.8, 9.3, 10-11 km) often have coucals or prinias, along with bulbuls and flowerpeckers. Stop at each of the three bridges to search for passing kingfishers and forktails, and for the bulbuls, babblers and flycatchers along the pioneer trees on the verges. Climb the embankments for more elevated views over the forest and of canopy or aerial species - especially, if you have the stamina or a parasol, soaring raptors after about 10 o'clock. Breaks taken at the 11.3 km pools, the 12.6 km observation hut or the 16 km lookout point can be both relaxing and productive. Always be on the lookout for any trees bearing fruit - small fruits for bulbuls and barbets along the verges, or large fruits, especially the red ones of strangler figs, for hornbills (and gibbons, monkeys and binturongs) - and return to them especially at dawn and dusk. A succession of species visit them through the day, and the dawn/dusk feeds can attract as many as 30 hornbills of five species. If you have callup tapes, or the patience and stamina to stroll and listen after a long day, you might search for nightbirds with a torch. Seven species of owls, two species of frogmouth and one nightjar species have been heard (and sometimes seen) along the road. The most species have been recorded around the research camp and along the lowland road from the entrance gate to the camp. Grey Nightjars (in winter) favour the bare embankments (especially around 10.5 km) and always be on the lookout, at the bridges and along the rivers, for Buffy Fish Owl, by day or night. And on the way back to Sungei Kolok, be on the lookout for eared nightjars and owls. 
Other birding sites around Bala Wat Phu Khao Thong In addition, there are some other areas with good birding close to Bala. At Wat Phu Khao Thong, just outside the west gate, on the road leading off left through a white gate from a twin hornbill statuette under a canopy, Gould's Frogmouth and White-crowned Hornbill are target species in a ridge of forest contiguous with that of Bala. There is a 1.2 km trail leading from the Wat (temple) entrance, that starts as a concrete road, then becomes a good trail (old road) from just to the right of the Wat, on down the ridge through good forest and emerging back onto the tar road over a footbridge. Just down from the footbridge, on the outskirts of Ban Phu Khao Thong, is a small shop/ cafeteria (and phone booth) where, apart from welcome refreshments and friendly owners, there are wall maps of the trail and of other birding roads and trails in the general area. ToMo The ToMo trail is also outside the west gate of Bala. Travel 2 km from the gate to Ban Phu Khao Thong, take a right turn in the village and then follow the main road for 6 km to its end at a T junction in Ban To Mo (with a sign opposite about a gold mine museum). Turn left at the T junction and proceed for 3 km to the end of the tar. Leave your car here (the dirt track is rocky and there is a rough patch 200 m after the start that will be uncomfortable for an ordinary sedan) or proceed down the 1.5 km of track to the turnabout at the end by a small reservoir. The track is great for walking along, usually free of leeches, and follows the bed of an attractive stream through remnant lowland forest and bamboo. A different selection of species is often more easily obtained in this area compared to Bala, including Dusky Broadbill and Jambu Fruit Dove, specials are Horsfield's Babbler, Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker and Scarlet Sunbird, and with sightings also of Plain-pouched and Wrinkled Hornbills. At least two pairs of Black-and-Red Broadbills hang their untidy nests above the stream and Blue-banded Kingfishers sometimes flash up and down. Near the end of the trail, a path leads to the west (right) to the original gold mine. Elsewhere Further away, for the more intrepid, is Klong Thong along the Sungai Kolok river, right on the Malaysian border, where White-fronted Scops Owl is a target species.
Background to this guide
This guide was compiled after living for the year of 2004 at Hala-bala Wildlife Research Station and working on hornbills, raptors and nightbirds, mainly along the road and adjacent trails through Bala. Only brief visits were paid to Hala, ToMo and Wat Phu Khao Thong, and most general birding was done incidental to the main research work. As many visiting birdwatchers as possible were asked to submit lists of what they had seen and where, to extend our own coverage for the area. The main list is based on the official species list compiled by the HBWRS. Any comments, suggestions, corrections would be welcomed by Alan & Meg Kemp 
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