Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary: Thailand Day 7, 8 February 2013, Doi Chiang Dao

This morning we were picked up at our Chiang Mai hotel and travelled north by Songtheaw to Doi Chiang Dao where we were staying at the superbly located Chiang Dao Nest for 2 nights.
En-route I picked up the only Red-wattled Lapwings of the whole trip together with a handful of Chinese Pond Herons and a couple of Great White Egrets before we reached our accommodation for an early check-in.
Sitting around having a coffee in the grounds a Greenish Warbler showed very nicely together with several Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers.

Greenish Warbler

It was late norning before we embarked on our first walk. Turning right out of Chiang Dao Nest leads you towards the park HQ and just beyond that signs point left to the Nature Trail. We followed this trail and for a while (I quickly lost the others who ploughed on!) which is very narrow, steep and enclosed. Finding places to stop with any sort of view was difficult but with patience I winkled out a few nice birds - Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, Ashy Drongos, 2 Blue-throated Barbets, 2 Dark-necked Tailorbirds, Grey-crowned Warbler and Chestnut-crowned Warbler. Back out in the open on the main track/road a distinctive Rufous-winged Buzzard alighted high in a tree.

Dark-necked Tailorbird

Grey-crowned Warbler

Having completely lost the others by now I decided to continue along the lane and up the 500 steps to the Wat Tam Pa Plong monastery. This is a very picturesque spot with birding to match. 2 Asian Fairy Bluebirds, Flavescent Bulbul, 4 Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes, 2 Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Black-crested Bulbuls, Red-whiskered Bulbuls, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Eastern Crowned Warbler and several Yellow-browed Warblers were seen on the way up before I reached the bridge over the temple gulley just before the monastery buildings. In the gulley a pair of Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers were busy catching insects and joined by a showy Little Spiderhunter. Walking about 20 meters up the gulley and I'd also seen a skulking Streaked Wren Babbler and a Buff-breasted Babbler. By the monastery a superb male Silver Pheasant wandered across the steps!

Not surprisingly I decided this wouldn't be my only visit here!