Fang, Tha Ton & the River to Chiang Rai

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach

Leaving Chiang Dao was a wrench but we had to make our way to Laos before our Thai visas expired and I had a vague plan to try to visit the hill station at Doi Ang Khang for some high altitude birding so we took the local bus north to the very functional highway town of Fang. Our perfectly good budget room in a business motel backed onto good rice paddies and the birding from the window was pretty good. Pied and Grey Bushchats, Brown Shrike a superb Long-tailed Shrike and even a lifer in the form of a few Plain Prinias. Closer attention to the wet margins revealed White-breasted Waterhens and a Red-wattled Lapwing flew by. Being back on farmland meant seeing Black Drongos, Black-collared Starlings and Oriental Magpie-robins again, which were absent from the jungle.

Despite best efforts at researching transport and accommodation and a speculative songthaew ride out to the junction for the mountain road, including asking around, we failed to find a sensible option to get us into the mountains so returned to the town and took the bus north to Tha Ton.

The 40 minute journey found us at a river crossing town with a distinctly border feel to it; Myanmar was just 4km to the north and indeed the north bank of the river was in Burma until the early 20th century. It is still home to Shan tribespeople as well as exiled Chinese nationalists from Burma.

We stayed at two places during the three nights we were here. Best was a riverside place called Thaton Inter View directly opposite the dock for the river boats. Very entertaining watching the day boat trips and the daily 'ferry' to Chiang Rai coming and going. Birding was pretty good too.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

The RSPB Garden Birdwatch was on during our stay so kept a list from the hotel for fun. 9 species visited the best being a White-throated Kingfisher which caught and ate a crayfish. The rest: Common & Great Myna, Oriental Magpie-robin, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Common Tailorbird, Brown Shrike and Common Sandpiper. We'd also seen White-breasted Waterhen and (White-faced) White Wagtail along the banks.

White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum

Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus

I visited two areas while here. The first up a steep, forested road to the so-called Miracle Chedi or Crystal Pagoda past many other temples and shrines, which I covered a few times. Highlights here were a Verditer Flycatcher (my only lifer here), Greenish Warbler, Blue-winged and Golden-fronted Leafbird,(White-faced) Eurasian Jay, Swinhoe's White-eye, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and Purple Sunbird. Also took a walk along the agricultural south side of the river where Common Sandpiper, White-breasted Waterhen and Long-tailed Shrike showed.

Worth mentioning the spectacle of a royal cavalcade we witnessed passing while we were here. The bridge had new flags placed all along and was closed to everyone with the road cleared an hour in advance. The cortege passed at great speed with many security vehicles, police and ambulances. All for one of the princesses visiting a nearby temple. The whole thing was repeated for the return journey.

Our next stop was to be Chiang Rai so we arranged to take the river boat, which turned out to be one of the most exciting journeys of the whole trip. A thrilling ride on a fast longtail boat with 10 passengers on the fast-flowing Kok river over some pretty big rapids and through gorges, mountain and forest past children and elephants swimming in the river.

Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster

Birdlife was sparse but included Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover, Striated Heron, Long-tailed Shrike, Cook's Swift, a Snipe sp. and, the highlight, a pair of River Lapwings.

Changed boats just over half way through at a rather depressing 'photo opportunity' with captive snakes, which pleasingly everyone on board ignored. The toilets were more gratefully accepted. The trip ended at a dock outside the city in a well-worn ploy to deliver custom to a couple of rather disinterested songthaew drivers who were eventually persuaded to take us and another family into town.

44 species in total

Rock Dove
Spotted Dove
Zebra Dove
Greater Coucal
Asian Koel
Cook's Swift
House Swift
White-breasted Waterhen
Common Sandpiper

Grey Heron

Intermediate Egret

Little Egret

Chinese Pond Heron

Striated Heron

White-throated Kingfisher

Asian Barred Owlet

White-throated Kingfisher
Coppersmith Barbet
Common Kestrel
Ashy Woodswallow
Common Iora
Ashy Drongo
Hair-crested Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

Long-tailed Shrike
Eurasian Jay
Common Tailorbird
Barn Swallow

Striated Swallow
Black-crested Bulbul
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Yellow-browed Warbler
Dusky Warbler
Greenish Warbler
Swinhoe's White-eye
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Black-collared Starling
Common Myna
Great Myna
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Verditer Flycatcher
Taiga Flycatcher

Siberian/Stejneger's Stonechat
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Purple Sunbird
Olive-backed Sunbird
Blue-winged Leafbird
Golden-fronted Leafbird
White-rumped Munia
Scaly-breasted Munia
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail