Phu Khao Khuay NPA.
Today was a comedy of errors. It started off OK without the rain. During the night there was lightning, thunder and downpours. And at sunset I was still hearing rumbles. But the day was fine but overcast when we set off towards the elephant hide situated inside the Phu Khao Khuay NPA.
Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)
It started off OK with a few birds. I spotted this Black-naped Monarch on the track along the way. There were a few bulbuls flying around as per usual. I also got some really bad shots of a Crimson Sunbird. I have seen a fair few in Laos.
Bee Hive
These are some native bees. They do not have stings. Australian native bees are similar.
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus remifer)
This is the Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo minus the racket tail. I saw a similar one at the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.
A spider
There was a huge spider web on the track which almost trapped my guide. After that, it started to go pear-shaped. My camera just stopped working. I was pressing buttons and nothing was happening. I pulled the battery out and put it back in and it worked for a couple of shots, then stopped again and would not work again the whole trip. When I got back to the village, I changed batteries and it worked fine. It must have been the battery had died or had not charged properly. Whew! I thought my camera had died. Lesson: take a spare battery. ha ha.
