Sunset over the rice
fields at Thatorn (Photo by Nick
Upton)
Thatorn (pronounced Tar Torn), in Chiang
Mai province, is a village on the Mae Kok River, close to
the border with Myanmar. A series of floodplains contain good
soils for agriculture and a large area of cultivated fields,
pools, riverside vegetation, ditches and copses provides enough
habitat for quite a number of birds.
Despite the fact that there has been a shift from rice cultivation
to vegetables alongside the river, which has greatly reduced
the number of species that occur here, there are still rice
fields south of the village meaning that Thatorn remains a
good place to find a wide range of open-country species, particularly
migratory birds in winter due to this site's northerly location.
Although the habitat is not as good as it once was there are
still a lot of good birds to be found and Thai rarities can
still be discovered here for those prepared to spend time
investigating scraps of interesting habitat.
Easy access to a large area where birds can be found and some
pleasant accommodation make a stop at Thatorn a worthwhile
and enjoyable location for birdwatchers.
Between mid-November and mid-April a wide range of migrant
species can be found around Thatorn and one of the most stunning
birds here is Siberian Rubythroat; good numbers of them winter
in any scrubby vegetation here alongside an abundance of Dusky
Warblers. When rice fields are muddy and wet Citrine Wagtail
is common as are White Wagtails which are worth looking at
carefully for various subspecies. In the same habitat Red-throated
Pipit can be common and it is well worth examining these closely
to see if any Rosy Pipits are with them; on one occasion one
sharp-eyed Dutch birder alongside me found Thailand's second
Buff-bellied Pipit. Indeed, this site can turn up almost anything
as I also found Thailand's second Common Chiffchaff here and
have also seen other Thai rarities including Eurasian Cuckoo,
Black-headed Bunting, Great Bittern, Common Crane and Russet
Sparrow.
Jerdon's Bushchat is also a draw for birders here and while
sightings are still made it certainly is not an easy bird
to locate. Baikal Bush Warbler winters here in surprisingly
large numbers although it is a real skulker, while Chestnut-capped
and Yellow-eyed Babblers are resident in long grass/reeds.
The Thatorn area can also be good for raptors and during
the "winter" months a sighting of a spectacular
male Pied Harrier is very likely with Eastern Marsh Harrier
also a regular visitor. Small numbers of Rufous-winged Buzzards
are resident as well as Black-winged Kite while Common Kestrel
is a fairly common winter visitor. Merlin is a real rarity
in Thailand but it has been seen at Thatorn and further records
are likely while there is a strong passage of Amur Falcons
in October which can extend into November or even early December.
A few waders can also be seen in this area. Little Ringed
Plover is common and Temminck's Stint can be found in the
river along with small numbers of Small Pratincoles when the
water level is low. Long-billed Plover has been seen but is
not that likely to be recorded again due to problems with
the habitat along the Mekong a little further north. Oriental
Pratincole can also be seen at the right time of year and
it is sometimes possible to find River Lapwing while Common
Sandpiper and Common Snipe are fairly abundant. The rice fields
here are also one of the only sites in Thailand where Green
Sandpiper is common.
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
Thatorn rice fields and riverside. The blue lines show the
routes from Thatorn village (A) to the riverside (B) and rice
fields (C).
By Car/Motorcycle
Getting to the village of Thatorn is very easy, situated as
it is on the main road heading north from Chiang Mai. If you
are driving then take highway 107 north out of the city (it
is the road that heads to Mae Rim which is signposted from
the city centre) and continue until eventually seeing signs
for Ban Thatorn. Driving this route does not require any turnings
from the main road, eventually you will come to the bridge
in Thatorn over the Kok river. There are several stretches
of this road which have a lot of hairpin bends and it is inevitable
that one will get stuck behind some very slow moving traffic;
be careful, there is some very dangerous driving occurring
along here and it is a ridiculous thing for visiting birders
to attempt to drive this route in the dark with many badly
lit, badly driven and slow-moving vehicles along it, not to
mention dogs, people out jogging in black tracksuits and other
obstacles. Thailand has one of the highest rates of deaths
on the road in the world and driving this road at night would
be high risk. The journey takes around 3 hours in a car.
For those driving from Chiang Rai things are even simpler.
Just head north out of the city on Route 1 for about 25km
and then turn left onto Route 1089 following sign posts to
Mae Ai. Eventually this road reaches the village of Thatorn,
the journey takes about 2 hours.
By Bus
For those using public transport things are easy; go to the
Chang Puek bus station in Chiang Mai and there are lots of
buses to Thatorn. I have not done this for some years so cannot
advise on the fare, but the buses are not air-conditioned
so will be very cheap - the journey takes around 4 hours.
It is necessary to hire a tuktuk to get to Chiang Puek bus
station from the old city.
I am not aware of any regular bus service between Chiang Rai
and Thatorn. It is probably possible to take local transport
from village to village but this would be very time consuming
and hard to deal with if you don't speak Thai.
By Taxi
This is a fairly long journey by taxi but it would easily
be negotiated from Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai by either flagging
down a taxi, asking your hotel to arrange transport or by
going to the airport and arranging a taxi.
By Tuk Tuk or Motorcycle Taxi
Although both these styles of transport are abundant in Chiang
Mai and Chiang Rai it is far too far to Thatorn for these
to be a viable means of getting there. Both of these would
make the journey dangerous and inefficient, not to be advised.
By Train
Chiang Mai city can be reached by train from Bangkok, many
people like to make an overnight journey, the timetable can
be seen here: Train
Travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. From here you can either
use the instructions above to get to Thatron by public transport
or private vehicle.
By Plane
Both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai airports are about equidistant
from Thaorn. From either airport it is possible to pick up
a hire vehicle which is the most convenient way to visit the
area. It is also possible to arrange a taxi to your accommodation
in Thatorn from either airport.
By Boat
Thatorn is connected to the city of Chiang Rai by the Kok
river and there is a small pier with daily boats running between
the two places next to the bridge in Thatorn and bridge a
little north of the town centre in Chiang Rai. Presumably
the boats run back to Thatorn from Chiang Rai but I have never
done this myself or heard of anyone doing so - everyone seems
to make the journey Thatorn - Chiang Rai. Boats run between
November and April but you may have to charter the whole boat
if there are no other passengers. Guesthouses in Thatorn can
arrange the boat for you but I can't find any information
on making the journey from Chiang Rai.
Finding Birds
A wide range of open country species can be seen across
the area but the rice fields and riverside offer slightly
different habitats which means that each one has certain species
that are more likely to be found in one than in the other.
It must be remembered that the dirt tracks in this area are
used by local farmers and are on private property so please
show respect to this by parking appropriately and giving way
to agricultural vehicles. Locals are friendly towards birders
so please do not give them any reason to change their opinions.
Thatorn
Rice Fields: Access to the rice fields is via
a couple of dirt tracks a few kilometres southwest of the
village of Thatorn. Heading back towards Fang from Thatorn
there is a rustic looking fuel station about 1.5 kilometres
south of the village, shortly after this (a few hundred metres)
there is the first of two dirt tracks with the other is a
little further back along the road. Both of these tracks can
be a bit rutted and are quite narrow so it is inadvisable
to drive far along them in a saloon car.
Although agricultural intensity here is quite high, most
of the plots are quite small so there are numerous small field
margins as well as lots of small ditches with scrubby vegetation
in them where skulking species may be found.
Resident species here include Pied Bushchats perched upon
fence posts and tall vegetation as well as good numbers of
Black-collared Starling and Chestnut-tailed Starling. The
attractive Plain-backed Sparrow can be seen here with flocks
of House and Eurasian Tree Sparrows and this is one of the
very few places in Thailand where Barn Swallow breeds. Black-winged
Kite is also resident as are Rufous-winged Buzzards which
can sometimes be spotted in areas where infield trees are
at their densest. Small numbers of Horsfield's (Australasian)
Bushlarks breed here too but they are very scarce although
Oriental Skylark is more abundant but certainly not common.
Plain Prinia is a common bird in many parts of Thailand but
the blanfordi subspecies resident here is significantly
different to the herberti subspecies of the central
plains in both plumage and call.
Migrant species make birding this site between October and
April potentially quite exciting and I have found both Russet
Sparrow and Common Chiffchaff here in recent years. Dusky
Warbler and Siberian Rubythroat are common and can be found
in the scrubby undergrowth while Eastern Stonechat and Brown
Shrike make themselves obvious perched upon posts. Species
such as Bluethroat, Eurasian Wryneck and Thick-billed Warbler
are less abundant but always present.
On the fields the widest variety of species can be seen when
they are muddy and wet, before the rice begins growing making
this a great site for Citrine Wagtail and Green Sandpiper
and sometimes flocks of Red-throated Pipits can be seen; these
should be checked for rarer Pipits. Waders usually include
Red-wattled and Grey-headed Lapwings, Common Sandpiper, Little
Ringed Plover and Common Snipe. In the early morning there
is often a thick fog in these fields making viewing difficult
but in the late afternoon scanning the fields is often rewarded
by sightings of fantastic Pied Harriers and Eastern Marsh
Harriers hunting; in October sightings of Amur Falcon are
likely as they pass through on migration.
Thatorn
Riverside: The riverside near Thatorn is an
area that once hosted wintering birds in much higher abundance
but increased irrigation has changed cropping from rice to
cash crops such as garlic. However, with some effort some
exciting species can still be found in the remaining scraps
of uncultivated riverside and ditches as well as a few birds
on exposed sand and gravel during dry periods.
Long grass/reeds at the river's edge near the old water tower
used to hold a good number of skulking birds but in early
2016 almost all of this habitat was destroyed and birders
will have to look along the river for scraps of habitat. Jerdon's
Bushchat perhaps persists here but finding them will not be
easy although Yellow-bellied Prinia, Chestnut-capped Babbler
and Baya Weaver are species are likely to be seen with a little
effort. Other resident species include Yellow-eyed Babbler
and Chestnut Munia both of which can be seen with some luck
and persistence.
Migrant birds present between October and April make birding
along the river quite rewarding. Although Buntings are rare
these days in Thailand I found Black-headed Bunting at the
riverside in both 2014 and 2015. Baikal Bush Warbler is surprisingly
common in low cover but tough to observe and in the tall vegetation
species such as Oriental Reed Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler,
and perhaps rarer Acrocephalus, are most likely to
be found. Species such as Black-collared Starling, Eastern
Stonechat, Brown Shrike and Long-tailed Shrike are common
and often male Pied Harriers can be observed gliding over
the reeds and fields.
Birding on the river is not easy as there seem to be constant
changing in its course but it is possible to follow local
people's trails to the water's edge. The water level is usually
too high for birds until mid-December but when it does recede
there are a few sandy areas exposed which attract Common Sandpiper,
Temminck's Stint, Little Ringed Plover and a few pairs of
breeding Small Pratincoles. Wintering Citrine Wagtails can
usually be found here as can White Wagtail and as the day
draws to a close a variety of small passerines may be seen
coming to drink. Although there is not much habitat for them
River Lapwing can sometimes be seen here and from February
onwards Oriental Pratincole nest on exposed stony areas.
In Thatorn itself good views of House Swift can be seen coming
to roost under the bridge just before dusk and a little after
dusk a pair of Barn Owls can frequently be seen from the bridge
as they circle and call. In March-May several of the restaurants
in the village have Barn Swallows nesting in them - one of
only a few locations for this species to breed in Thailand.
>Birding in the farmland is not what it once was but keen
birders can poke around scrappy areas and perhaps find something
unusual - I observed a calling Eurasian Cuckoo here once -
while species such as Asian Barred Owlet and Racket-tailed
Treepie can be found in areas with trees. A large ditch runs
through the farmland and as one drives towards the water tower
and riverside a couple of exposed areas of low water are passed.
It is worth looking for Greater Painted Snipe, Common Moorhen
and Ruddy-breasted Crake here; the habitat looks like it could
still play host to wintering birds such as Buntings, Bush
Warblers and Reed Warblers. In the more open areas Oriental
Skylark is present in small numbers and Paddyfield Pipit is
also present although it is also joined by Richard's Pipit
between October-March.
Facilities
The village of Thatorn has been hosting small numbers of
tourists for many years so there are plenty of places to stay
where owners and staff speak English. Down some of the small
side roads are some really cheap, simple guesthouses for those
on a very tight budget and there are some slightly better
places along the river.
I usually stay at Garden
Home Nature Resort which is run by a friendly family and
is situated along the river - just cross the bridge and turn
left and it can be found about 400 metres along the road.
Cheap rooms are available but the small bungalows are pleasant
and reasonably priced with warm water showers and air conditioning.
The best thing about this place is the excellent food and
helpful staff that get things sorted out quickly; any reasonable
request can be accommodated. Others often use Thatorn Hills
Resort which is situated on a slope on the left hand side
of the road just before entering the village of Thatorn from
the south. During peak season booking is advisable but at
any other time there is enough accommodation around to just
turn up and find something.
In Thatorn there are several restaurants that serve good food,
I have tried them all and the food has been good in all of
them. There are also a few noodle stalls in the street in
the early evening and my favourite is a man who sells roti
pancakes with various toppings very cheaply from a push cart.
For birders requiring a very early breakfast coffee and toasted
sandwiches can be found in the 7-11 store along with various
breads (some of which are rather strange to say the least)
and many other snacks. In the early morning there is also
a fresh market, opposite 7-11 where some fresh fruit is available
and a nearby pharmacy sells most things should you have any
minor ailments.
For those that have forgotten to bring sufficient money along
there are several ATM machines that accept foreign bank cards
and even a branch of Bangkok Bank should you need it.
Thatorn Rice Fields and Riverside are not part of a national
park and there is no charge to go birding at these locations.
Please do remember that it is all privately owned land and
behave accordingly.
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.
How
Birds Migrate This is one of the most informative books on birds
that I have ever read. Covering all aspects of bird
migration this is a great read for broadening your knowledge.
There are usually some cheap second-hand copies available
through the link above.
Bird
Watching Trips:
Thatorn Rice Fields and Riverside are good spots to include
on any northern itinerary, particularly between the months
of October to April when interesting migrants can be present.
This location combines very well with birding at nearby
Doi Lang providing a good afternoon after a morning on
the mountain.
Download
a full 
