Doi
Chiang Dao from the paddies (Photo by Nick
Upton)
Chiang Dao Paddies, in
Chiang Mai province, is a small area of wet rice agriculture
and other, drier, agricultural systems with fabulous views
across the lowlands of the imposing mountain of Doi Chiang
Dao. There are also some fringing woodlands on the east of
the site which may be worth investigation.
A number
of paved roads and dirt access tracks makes this site easily
accessible and the friendly local people don't seem to mind
birdwatchers who wish to investigate further, so long as they
keep to the obvious field boundaries and take care not to
damage the crops and park their car in a sensible place. One
does need to be careful as many of the tracks are very narrow.
With its
close proximity to Doi Chiang Dao, a morning or evening at
these paddies is an excellent way to see a good range of open-country
species, including a few that are uncommon elsewhere, particularly
in the "winter". In the wet season, though, the
birding here is less interesting. This is an underwatched
location so the possibility of adding to the site list is
quite high.
Apart from a good selection of the more common open-country
and wetland birds, this location affords birdwatchers an excellent
opportunity to watch Grey-headed Lapwings as they forage and
fly around. The charismatic and attractive Wire-tailed Swallow
is regular here and this location provides a reliable alternative
to Mae Hia for this species. Green
Sandpiper can also be found in the wet paddies here, a species
which is less often seen further south.
The drier parts of agricultural land in this area also have
a few specialities, including Black-shouldered Kite, Rufous-winged
Buzzard and Oriental Skylark which performs its incredible
song-flight throughout the day.
For those who wish to spend time at this location other species
which can be found with patience include Lanceolated Warbler,
Greater Painted Snipe, Barred Buttonquail and Chestnut-tailed
Starling.
Bird
Watching Trips:
If you need help organizing a bird watching trip to Thailand,
take a look at the suggested itineraries for ideas on
creating a tailor-made trip and contact me for advice:
Thailand
bird tours.
Travel Information
Use the interactive map below to plan your route to
Chiang Dao rice paddies. The blue lines show the routes from
Chiang Mai (A) to the rice paddies (B).
By Car/Motorcycle
Chiang Dao rice paddies is an easy place to get to whether
arriving from the north or south by car or motorcycle. Indeed,
to visit the paddies from the small town of Chiang Dao some
form of private transport is almost certainly required, although
you could walk it from the main road through Chiang Dao town.To
get to the paddies the following directions will get those
with their own vehicles and those without into the birding
zone. As one enters Chiang Dao from Chiang Mai a 7/11 store
can be seen on the left, very shortly after this (just a few
metres) there is a flashing amber light on the right indicating
a right hand turn (this is still the only traffic light in
Chiang Dao town itself). Take this turning and continue for
1-2 kilometres, crossing a fairly large bridge and ending
up at a cross roads where the left hand turning is a dirt
road. You will now see the paddies in front, to the right
and the dry agriculture to the left.
By Bus/Minivan
Buses are available from most provinces to Chiang Mai. If
travelling to Chiang Mai by bus from Bangkok one must go to
Bangkok's Mor Chit bus terminal which serves provinces north
and northeast of Bangkok. The journey is around 10 hours.
From Chiang Mai take a bus from the Chang Puek (Albino elephant)
bus station to TaTorn; these leave about once every hour.
Tell the conductor that you will get off at Chiang Dao and
he will tell you when to get off; the journey takes about
2 hours. If coming from the north it is a simple affair to
catch the same bus from TaTorn to Chiang Mai getting off at
Chiang Dao. The bus terminal in TaTorn is on the south side
of the river. The journey from TaTorn to Chiang Dao takes
about 3 hours.
By Taxi
It would also be possible to visit Chiang Dao by taxi from
Chiang Mai. The easiest way to organise this from your hotel
or from the taxi rank at Chiang mai airport. The journey would
be around 1.5 hours but you would probably have to negotiate
a fare with the driver, they would probably be reluctant to
do this on the meter.
By Train
The nearest station is Chiang Mai which can be reached from
Bangkok's Bang Sue Central Station. The journey is a long
one, slower than the bus, something in the region of 14 hours.
From the station in Chiang Mai onward transport would have
to be arranged as described above.
By Plane
There is a large airport in Chiang Mai with some international
flights from East Asia but many flights every day from Bangkok
with a several airlines; Thai Airways, Nok Air, Thai Vietjet,
Bangkok Airways, Air Asia and Thai Lion Air. From here onward
transport would need to be arranged as described above.
Finding Birds
Wire-tailed Swallows are usually found in the vicinity
of the cross roads one stops at when entering the site; they
nest in the culvert under the road connecting the two ditches.
Grey-headed Lapwings can be seen in the paddies at the southern
part of the site while Oriental Skylarks can be found on the
drier areas north of the crossroads; listen for their song
and then try to spot them in the air.
Crossroads:
This is a good spot to park if wishing to walk around
the site. Wire-tailed Swallows can usually be found in this
area particularly when nesting when they alight on the nearby
fields to collect mud and then disappear under the roadside
culvert. From this spot other open-country birds that can
be seen are White Wagtail, Brown and Long-tailed Shrikes and
Black-collared Starling. In the winter months the nearby paddies
usually hold a few Green Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers
and a host of White Wagtails.
This is also a good spot to watch for raptors as it is possible
to see up and down the valley; Rufous-winged Buzzard, Northern
Goshawk, Black-shouldered Kite and Kestrel have all been seen.
Lapwing
Viewpoint : One can stop the car on the
road here (ensuring that there is enough passing space for
other vehicles) and scan the fields to the south. Between
November and late March Grey-headed Lapwings can almost always
be found. Wire-tailed Swallows are also usually in the area,
frequently perching on the wires over the road. Egrets, mynas
and other common open-country birds such as Black Drongo and
Paddyfield Pipit are abundant here and in winter a few shorebirds
can be found; particularly Green Sandpiper and Little Ringed
Plover.
Point 3 :
If one stands here in the late afternoon and looks a little
to the southeast, mynas and starlings usually gather on low
bushes and stacks of vegetation before moving on to their
roost sites. Common Myna, White-vented Myna and Black-collared
Starling are all common and decent numbers of Chestnut-tailed
Starlings can be seen. Who knows, something rarer may turn
up in winter and/or on migration; this is a pleasant way of
ending the day as the sun sets.
Point 4
: In the mixed farming in this area it is usually
possible to locate Oriental Skylark - I always find it easiest
to locate this bird by listening for the song being uttered
in flight and searching the sky for the "speck".
Eventually the bird must come down giving you a good view.
It is interesting to note that Oriental Skylars sometimes
sing from a post or even the ground, something I have never
seen a European Skylark doing. Pied Bushchat is common and
in the winter Eastern (Siberian) Stonechat is also numerous.
Pipits and wagtails are often here too and this would also
be a good spot to look for buttonquail.
Point 5 :
In the winter, stubbles here often contain
both Pintail Snipe and Common Snipe. Oriental Skylark can
also be seen and birders can entertain themselves attempting
to separate Richard's Pipit from Paddyfield Pipit; it's most
easily done on call. There are a number of raised bunds that
divide fields which birders can carefully walk along and this
tactic could easily turn up a quail or even flush a wintering
bunting. In the undergrowth it is worth looking out for Bluethroat,
Siberian Rubythroat and Lanceolated Warbler.
Facilities
Virtually all birders visiting this site will also be
visiting Doi Chiang Dao and the accommodation there (just
a few kilometres away) is well-known and pleasant.
Malee's
Nature Lovers Bungalows a few kilometres beyond Chiang
Dao cave is a long-established guesthouse and is a quaint
setup, with some excellent views of the mountains. Malee has
a variety of bungalows here to rent here, set in a very attractive
garden all with private, hot showers. Malee also has a rooftop
restaurant, which is really nice, allowing visitors to make
full use of the great views here. Packed breakfasts and lunch
are also available for those wishing to get out early and
stay out all day. For those without their own transport Malee
can arrange for pickup from Chiang Mai and the airport; a
very convenient alternative to public transport!
Right next to Malee's there is Chiang
Dao Nest, another very pleasant place to stay. A number
of bamboo huts are for rent here and excellent western food
is served to order, as late as 9 pm, for those who want to
stay out and spotlight birds. Thai food is available at the
nearby Chiang Dao Nest 2; a very extensive and unusual selection
of Thai and Western food is available. Free wireless internet
is available in all rooms and works at a reasonable speed.
At Chiang Dao Cave there a number of small restaurants that
sell really good Thai food at low prices and in Chiang Dao
town itself there are many shops, small restaurants and a
7/11 store that sell all sorts of snacks and drinks. There
is even a pizza restaurant.
This area
is not a national park and there is no charge to go birdwatching
there but please just show some respect for the people who
live and work in the area.
Books I Recommend
Reed
and Bush Warblers If you want to get to grips with this extremely
difficult and skulking group of birds then you need
this book. This is one of the very best ornithological
books with extended accounts on each species, superb
plates and a wealth of photographs. One of my favourite
books.
Birds
of Thailand This field guide has set new standards in identifying
birds in the wild in Thailand. With the most up-to-date
taxonomy of any publication this is the book you need
if you are birdwatching in Thailand. Forget all of the
older guides and buy this one.
Long-tailed Shrike
Download
a full 
