My trip to Thailand has been spent mostly with the family, which together with adverse rainy-season weather has left little time for photography. However I did get the family together for a quick day trip to Doi Inthanon, and the weather cooperated nicely.
I had a quick look at Checkpoint 2, where a group of Thai bird photographers from Bangkok had set up, and had nice views of Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Short-billed Minivet and Large Niltava. Then, after visiting the King and Queen chedis with the family, I took a quick circuit of the high altitude montane cloud forest boardwalk at the summit where I could photograph White-browed Shortwing, Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Ashy-throated Warbler, Snowy-browed Flycatcher and Chestnut-tailed Minla.
I observed the iconic subspecies of Green-tailed Sunbird high up in the canopy but didn’t bother to try to photograph them at that distance in poor lighting conditions. Otherwise the summit was fairly quiet; I usually visit in the very early morning when some of the shyer Doi Inthanon resident specialities take the opportunity to forage before tourists arrive.
While driving I spotted two large raptors but they were very shy and took off as soon as I slowed down, so I didn’t have an opportunity to positively identify them. But a nice surprise was waiting for me further down the mountain near the park headquarters, where I came across what seemed to be a juvenile male Black-throated Sunbird, or perhaps a male in eclipse.
It was feeding on flowers in a shrub, but was moving around very quickly and usually sticking to the centre of the thick foliage, making it extremely challenging to get a clear photograph. But after persevering for about 90 minutes (and much to the relief of my waiting family!) I was able to come away with some nice shots.
The flowers were also visited by a flock of Oriental White-eye, while Pied Bushchat, Asian Emerald Cuckoo and several species of bulbul were active in the trees.
John Wright
John Wright is an Australian wildlife photographer and bird guide based in Kyushu, Japan. John became seriously engaged in nature photography while living in Japan and then Thailand. He returned to Japan in 2008 and has since concentrated on wildlife photography, especially birds. John visits Southeast Asia and Australia regularly, but usually travels within the Japanese archipelago, where he also guides visiting birders and wildlife photography enthusiasts.
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