What is your favorite bird species?
Kingfishers
What is your name, and where do you live?
My name is Grace Watachapon and I live in Chiang Mai Thailand.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
The area we bird is Northern Thailand including Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon, Doi Lang,
Doi Angkang and Chiang Dao.
How long have you been a bird guide?
I have been bird watching since I was a child, but have been a bird
guide for 9 years.
How did you get into bird guiding?
I always enjoyed being outdoors in nature. My Godfather bought me a Nikon P1000
birding camera and a Birds of Thailand book. After a couple of years, I could identify
birds by sight and sound, so I could be a bird guide.
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
The best part of being a birding guide is when a client sees a new bird species they have
never seen before, as they get very excited and thank me for showing them. The worst
part is birding in the heat of the afternoon.
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
- Green-tailed Sunbird
- Mrs Humes Pheasant
- Scarlet-faced Liochicla
- Spot-breasted Parrotbill
- Emerald Dove
- White-capped Redstart
- Stripe-breasted Woodpecker
- Snowy-browed Flycatcher
- Asian Barred Owlet
- Spectacled Barwing.
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip
1-Day Doi Inthanon Birding Tour
Special Notice:
The birding area at Doi Inthanon National Park is very large, with altitudes ranging from 400 to 2,565 meters. We start birding at around 1,700 meters in altitude, focusing on mountain forest birds. Your experienced birding guide will determine which areas we visit.
Some areas may be visited more than once to give you the best opportunity to see and photograph birds you have not yet spotted. Your guide (Ms. Grace), vehicle, and driver will be with you the entire time, so you can coordinate with them and mention which birds you are most interested in.
Day 1
We will meet you at your hotel in Chiang Mai at 5:15 AM and transfer to Doi Inthanon National Park with your local, experienced, English-speaking birding guide.
We begin at an altitude of 1,700 meters. There is a 1-kilometer section of evergreen forest and pine supporting a variety of bird species near the road along the forest edge. This zone has higher bird diversity than any other on the mountain between sunrise and 10 AM. Among the species found here are the Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Golden-throated Barbet, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Grey-chinned Minivet, Short-billed Minivet, Long-tailed Minivet, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Bay Woodpecker, Maroon Oriole, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Golden Babbler, White-necked Laughingthrush, Blue-winged Minla, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Rufous-backed Sibia, Small Niltava, Large Niltava, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Buff-throated Warbler, Yellow-streaked Warbler, Radde’s Warbler, Black-throated Sunbird, and Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, among many others. In the more disturbed edges, you may find the Silver-eared Mesia, Spectacled Barwing, and Mountain Tailorbird. Tall dead trees are a favored haunt of the Chestnut-vented Nuthatch.
We then travel to the summit, where there are fewer species because of the altitude and cold weather, but it is still well worth a visit. Birds found here include the Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Dark-backed Sibia, Spectacled Barwing, White-browed Shortwing, Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Green-tailed Sunbird, Ashy Wood Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Greenish Warbler, Blue Whistling Thrush, and Grey-sided Thrush, all fairly common if you know where to look.
We then descend to about 1,300 meters and have lunch at a Thai restaurant. After lunch, we bird along streams for the White-crowned Forktail, Slaty-backed Forktail, Black-backed Forktail, Plumbeous Water Redstart, and White-capped Water Redstart.
We then visit another area where we may find the Scarlet Minivet, Speckled Piculet, Tickell’s Flycatcher, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Black-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Japanese White Wagtail, Oriental White Wagtail, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Blue-throated Barbet, Black-headed Bulbul, Flavescent Bulbul, Common Rosefinch, Siberian Blue Robin, Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, and White-throated Fantail.
Return to your hotel in Chiang Mai around 5 PM. End of Tour. Price Includes:
- Transportation by private air-conditioned van, driver, fuel, and all entrance fees
- Expert local English-speaking birding guide
- Lunch and bottled water
Hotel accommodation in Chiang Mai is not included in the price.
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Bring along binoculars, a camera, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Wear walking or running shoes (hiking boots are not needed). For birding in the mountains, wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants; shorts are OK for Chiang Mai birding. DO NOT wear brightly colored or white clothing. Most of all, have fun.
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
CONTACT: Ms Grace at allthaiexp@gmail.com
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