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Another trip to northern Thailand resulted in hiring a vehicle in Chiang Mai and making our way north via Doi Ang Kang to TaTorn. On the morning of the 5th February, myself and Doug Judell made an early start, with breakfast at the early morning market in TaTorn before driving towards Fang Hot Springs in hope of seeing Spot-winged Grosbeak. However, whilst driving on the by-pass around the village of Fang a rather nice sunrise peeking through the mist captured our imagination enough to make us stop. In truth the abundance of birds on the surrounding rice paddies and stubble fields had more to do with our decision to stop than our interest in landscapes.

With many of the rice fields that used to attract birders to TaTorn having made way to vegetable farming, it seemed that this area near Fang had potential to fill that gap, and we weren't to be disappointed. In just an hour and a half, from 7 to 8.30 am we managed to see 19 species without walking more than 100 metres from our car. First to attract our attention was a hunting Common Kestrel, a common enough bird if you are from Europe but unusual enough in Thailand to be of interest, followed by Red turtle Dove, White-throated Kingfisher and a flock of about 30 Cattle Egrets.

A small track into some grass caught our interest and despite Doug's relauctance to use his legs the short walk into this habitat was to prove productive; a pair of Zitting Cisticolas (Fan-tailed Warblers) were tricky to see, but easily heard with Siberian Stonechat and Pied Bushchat very easy to observe. In the distance, amongst some semi-burnt undergrowth, some movement seemed like it might prove interesting so off we went towards it. Very soon a Bluethroat showed itself; a bird which is supposed to be fairly common in Thailand, but not one that I have seen very often, and shortly after that, something else...... It seemed like a Siberian Rubythroat, again supposedly common but tricky to see, and after a number of fleeting glipses it obligingly came out into the open to confirm the identification. We watched this for about 15 minutes before deciding to get to the Hot Springs before the temperature got too high, but not before flushing a number of Green Sandpipers from some muddy pools and finally tracking down a very secretive Bright-capped Cisticola.

Both the Bluethroat and Siberian Rubythroat had made this brief stop worth it in our opinions, and the large amount of good habitat in the region would probably reward the vigilant with some good records if watched regularly. Certainly for those that fail to connect with the open-country birds that they hope to see around TaTorn, this would appear like a useful substitute. In truth, this short stop served to illustrate how many good birdwatching areas remain undiscovered in Thailand.

Incidently, we did see the Spot-winged Grosbeaks at Fang Hot Springs which are very easily seen near the small restaurant towards the back of the area, before heading back to Chiang Mai to return the vehicle.