About 685 kilometers to the north of Bangkok lies the former seat of the ancient Lanna Kingdom and it is considered one of the most scenic provinces in the country given its mountain ranges, valleys, flora and fauna. A land of misty mountains and colourful hill tribes, a playground for seasoned travellers, and a delight for adventurers. Despite its relatively small size and blissful calm, Chiang Mai truly has it all, a city that is still firmly Thai in its atmosphere and attitude.

Located in a verdant valley on the banks of the Ping River, Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 as the capital of the ancient Lanna Kingdom. Today it is a place where past and the present seamlessly merge with modern buildings standing side by side with venerable temples. Of all the places I have visited in Thailand, Chiang Mai with its forests and mountains and the historic city of Ayutthaya are by far my favourites.

Here are only a few of the innumerable birds who have made these hills their home.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #wildlifecentral, #your_best_birds, #nuts_about_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #bbcearth, #feather_perfection, #nuts_about_wildlife, @wild.planet, @wildlifeonearth, @discovery, #wildbirdtrust, #natgeowild, #Thailand, #TH, #2019, #December2019, #BirdWatching, #Hide, #DawntillDusk, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #Wild, #NorthThailand, #DoiAngkhang, #DoiSanju, #DoiLang, #DoiInthanon

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. A very distinctively plumaged, long-tailed barwing, with a bright white eye-ring, this species is widely distributed across southern China, northern Indochina, and eastern Myanmar. Illustrated here are the Western Spectacled Barwing photographed on Doi Ang Khang in the Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park in Thailand very close to the Thai border with Myanmar.

#wildartworks, #spectacledbarwing, #barwing, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography

The Old World Babblers are a family of passerine birds diverse in size and coloration, characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. This group is among those Old World bird families with the highest number of species still being discovered. I also included Pnoepygidae as they have long been placed in the babbler family Timaliidae. Featured here are only the few I have been fortunate to observe and photograph across various habitats in Asia Pacific.

#wildartworks, #babbler, #wrenbabbler, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #Timaliidae, #Pellorneidae, #Pnoepygidae, #Leiothrichidae, #BukitFraser, #Malaysia, #India, #TelanganaBirds, #thailand, #KaengKrachanNationalPark, #DoiInthanonNationalPark, #DoiSanJu, #DoiLuang,

Locally known as the whistling schoolboy for the long piercing, eerily human, whistling calls they make at dawn. The #WhistlingThrush is a large bird usually found along streams in forested hills and mountains. It is a beautiful dark purple with tiny silver spangles on head, back & wings. The bill color varies with range. They frequently fan their tail while standing on an exposed perch such as a waterside rock or overhanging branch.

#wildartworks, #whistlingthrush, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #thrush, #bluewhistlingthrush, #malabarwhistlingthrush, #thrush

It’s easy to assume, with bird names, that we know what they mean, and often that assumption is quite correct. Woodpeckers peck wood & bee-eaters feed on bees. Other names seem almost wilfully obscure: what on Earth does the name puffin mean? Yet, while researching the origins of bird names one unearths all sorts of fascinating stories about them. The reason these names appear puzzling is down to the Norman Conquest of Britain. Thus, the Anglo-Saxon “red steort” (meaning red tail) turned into #redstart

#wildartworks, #redstart, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #whitecappedwaterredstart, #whitebelliedredstart, #plumbeousredstart, #thrush