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| Doi Inthanon National Park, 8-10th November 1999 | |||||
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| I decided that it was finally time to make a trip to Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand, having neglected the north of Thailand for far too long. Having arrived a few days earlier in Chiang Mai by bus from Bangkok I took a Songthaew to the small town of Chom Thong, close to the national park. Unfortunately I hadn't woken up early enough and couldn't get a shared vehicle up the mountain; the transport only departs when full. Having waited a few hours for more people to turn up I gave up and decided to charter a vehicle to headquarters for 300 baht, considering the low cost I don't know why I didn't just do that to start with. | |||||
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| Along
the road Large Woodshrike and a pair of Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler
proved interesting while many common bulbuls were seen by the roadside
as was a "ticking" Taiga Flycatcher. With the best birds
being higher up I was keen to get to the summit, and was lucky enough
to be able to jump on the back of one full of Chinese tourists. At the summit thick mist was everywhere and a coat was essential, however, once on the summit marsh trail birds were suddenly everywhere. Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Dark-backed Sibia, Chestnut-tailed Minla and Rufous-winged Fulvetta were just some of the colourful species easily observed at this altitude. Although I could have spent a lot more time here, with the prospect of a 15 kilometre walk back down I started on my way. Beautiful habitat was on both sides of the road and more wonderful birds were quickly seen; Yellow-bellied Fantail and Grey-backed Shrike were only eclipsed by one of the most fantastically coloured birds in Thailand: Green-tailed Sunbird; no picture seems to do this species justice. All of these species are typical of the mystical twisted forest around Doi Inthanon's summit. Every tree seems covered in moss and it would almost come as no surprise to see an elf or fairy in this habitat. Further down, where the forest gives way to grassland near the two giant chedis, White-headed Bulbul was a welcome distraction, and a little further down I got a brief look at a Spectacled Barwing. Along the way many side trails looked interesting, but time meant I continued to walk downhill. I continued to see new species; White-throated Fantail, Slender-billed Oriole and Grey-chinned Minivet all put in a welcome appearance, and finally a family party of Grey Bushchats were at the campsite. The evening routine was the same as the previous night, and once again a cold night meant little sleep. At around 3 am I awoke and read a little with a candle to warm the tent. This proved far too succesful in raising the temperature as at about 7 am I awoke to a tent full of flames and thick black smoke. Leaping out, I was helped by passing Thai bird watchers to extinguish the central heating system of my tent. This incident rather sapped my enthusiasm and I hopped on a songthaew back to Chiang Mai. This unfortunate incident meant that I didn't have a chance to see enough of Doi Inthanon and I made up my mind to return with my own transport in the future, not just to get the most from Doi Inthanon but to explore some of the other national parks in Chiang Mai province. |
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| Nick Upton (nickupton@thaibirding.com) | |||||
| Birds seen at Doi Inthanon | |||||
| The birds seen are listed in the order that they appear in Lekagul and Round's Guide to the Birds of Thailand. I have updated the names to reflect splits and indicated what they were formerly known as. | |||||
| Asian
Palm Swift Barn Swallow Asian House Martin Olive-backed Pipit Richard's Pipit White Wagtail Grey Wagtail Large Woodshrike Grey-chinned Minivet Orange-bellied Leafbird Black-headed Bulbul Black-crested Bulbul Red-whiskered Bulbul Sooty-headed Bulbul Flavescent Bulbul Streak-eared Bulbul Mountain Bulbul Black Bulbul White-headed Bulbul Ashy Drongo Bronzed Drongo Hair-crested Drongo Slender-billed Oriole Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler |
Grey-throated
Babbler Silver-eared Laughingthrush - formerly Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush Rufous-winged Fulvetta Bar-throated Minla - formerly Chestnut-tailed Minla Spectacled Barwing Dark-backed Sibia Two-barred Warbler Davison's Leaf Warbler - formerly White-tailed Leaf Warbler Common Tailorbird Oriental Magpie Robin Pied Bushchat Grey Bushchat Blue Whistling Thrush Taiga Flycatcher Verditer Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Fantail White-throated Fantail Brown Shrike Grey-backed Shrike Common Myna Green-tailed Sunbird Japanese White-eye Eurasian Tree Sparrow |
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| I can be contacted at nickupton@thaibirding.com | |||||
| More information on Doi Inthanon | |||||
| If you are interested in arranging a bird watching tour you can see some suggested itineraries here - Birdwatching Trips - and you can contact me at the above email address to discuss the best options. | |||||
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