Our Guides & Tour Operator
Thailand
Panuwat Wongyahweh
(nickname: Par)
Par has been bird-watching since 1985. In 1992 and 1996, he won the second runner up prize from the Thailand Bird Race, held by the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST). He is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable Thai birders.
He had earlier volunteered as a bird leader for organizations such as Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Bangchak Petroleum Company (PLC), Rajabhat University’s Bird Life Club, and many other groups and societies. Later, he became an earnest bird and wildlife photographer, equipped with a Nikon F4 camera and Nikon 500 mm. F5.6 lens. However, with the development of digital cameras, he stopped taking photos and dedicated himself to hosting bird watchers and bird photographers.
For 7 consecutive years, from February 2004 to March 2011, he was the first Thai birder invited as a guest columnist in the weekly bird-watching scoop for Kom Chad Luek Newspaper, Thailand’s second highest selling newspaper (www.KomChadLuek.com). Par has published his own pocket guide book, named “Song Klong Mong Nok” (meaning: Watching birds through binoculars) to assist Thai readers and clients in learning more about bird-watching. He currently works as a full-time General Manager and Senior birding guide for Wild Bird Eco Tour.
In November 2015, Par was selected by Noah Strycker to join his team for The Worldwide Big Year. Par was assigned to be Strycker’s guide in Thailand for six days, and finally brought Strycker to 84 kinds of bird to add to his record during Days 302-307 of his journey. This event has made Par known as one of the most skilful birding guides in Thailand. Click link below to read Noah Strycker’s complete journal, http://www.audubon.org/news/day-302-staving-bloodsucking-leeches
General information
Position : Senior birding guide
Born : April 28, 1971
Resident : Bangkok, Thailand
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.77 m.
Status : Single
Education : Bachelor of Marketing, Rangsit University, Thailand
Hobby : Birding, Growing ornamental plants at home
Sport : Soccer, Weight training
Skill of ID by sight 95%
Service expertise Guiding Birders & Bird Photographers
Wich’yanan Limparungpatthanakij
(nickname: Jay)
Author A Filed Guide of Thailand 2018 Series: Lynx and BirdLife International Field Guides
Jay is a member of Thailand’s bird records committee and a regional editor of eBird. He completed a Master’s Degree in Biology at Mahidol University on the topic about ecology of mixed-species foraging bird flocks. When he was in high school, his team won the first prize in several junior bird races. His team was also the champion of the International Fraser’s Hill Bird Race in 2015 in which he represented the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) – the BirdLife Partner of the country.
Apart from birds, he is also an enthusiast of other wildlife, particularly reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and mammals. He is a regular guest speaker, columnist, and author, on bird-related topics; such as species identification, ecology and conservation. He is currently working as a freelance birding guide as well as a researcher, particularly on bird ecology.
General information
Position : Birding and wildlife watching guide, ecology researcher
Born : August 10th, 1986
Resident : Samut Prakan, Thailand
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.77 m.
Status : Single
Education : Master’s Degree of Science in Environmental Biology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Hobby : Birding, herping, snorkeling, wildlife photography, listening to music, watching movies
Technical information & expertise
English Proficiency Excellent
Telescope Carl Zeiss Diascope 65 T* FL
Playback Yes
Laser pointer Yes
Skill of ID by calls or songs 90%
Skill of ID by seen 95%
Service expertise Guiding Birder & Bird Photographer
Masterly guiding areas Throughout Thailand
Udorn Jantboworn Sanders
(nickname: Nang)
Nang is a freelance English-speaking, licensed birding guide, with over 12 years’ experience of guiding in Thailand. She grew up in the Northeast of Thailand, a region known as Isaan, only an hour’s drive to Thailand's most famous pristine forest, Khao Yai National Park. She loves to show both tourists and birders the beauty of the forest, as many species of birds as possible, and interesting historical sites. She is also knowledgeable in Thai cultures and history. She is an energetic, communicative and tireless guide, admired and loved by her clients. So, many of them return year after year to explore more of the forests and Thai birds with her.
Nang had worked in the United States for several years, where she picked up her excellent spoken English. After returning to Thailand in 1996, she began her career as a birding guide.
General information
Position : Assistant senior birding guide, TAT License 51-02607
Born : April 20, 1972
Resident : Nakorn Ratchasrima, Thailand
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.65 m.
Status : Married
Education : Grade 12
Hobby : Grow several kinds of orchid
Sport : Thai boxing
Technical information & expertise
English Proficiency Excellent
Telescope Swarovski ATS 80, 20-60x Eyepiece
Playback Yes
Laser pointer Yes
Skill of ID by calls or songs 85%
Skill of ID by seen 90%
Service expertise Guiding Birder & Bird Photographer
Masterly guiding areas All Thailand
Kaset Sutasha
He is very active birdwatcher, start his birdwatching life since 1995 and a member of Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST, BirdLife Partner in Thailand) then became a conservation committee and treasurer on 2009. Finally on 2019, he was elected from members to become new chairman of BCST.He was country representative in bird conservation and ecotourism topics in many conference, workshop and symposium in many countries. On 2015, was elected to be country representative of Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (ARRCN).
His routine life is working with wild birds, pet birds, conservation breeding programme of large waterbirds and Hornbills, Zoo bird curator and bird conservation in many objects such as bird banding on spring, raptor counting on autumn, bird re-introduction programme from zoo, Avian flu investigator and columnist, author of guidebook, textbook, magazine, newspaper and websites such as Field Guide to the Waterbirds of ASEAN
General information
Position : Part - time birding guide
Born : February 18, 1975
Resident : Senior veterinarian at Avian and Exotic Pet Clinic, Veterinary Teaching
Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University,
Bangkok, Thailand.
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.73 m.
Status : Married
Education : Graduated in doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) from Kasetsart
University on 1999.
Hobby : Birdwatching around the world
Technical information & expertise
Language communication English (United States)100%
Telescope Leica APO-Televid 77 spotting scope
Laser pointer Yes
Skill of ID by seen 95%
Service expertise Guiding Birders and Bird Photographers throughout Thailand.
Suchard Daengphayon
(nickname: Tii)
Tii started birdwatching in 1997 by helping in shorebird research projects with Assoc. Prof. Philip D. Round, the most well-known ornithologist in Thailand and Myanmar. He had learnt a lot about shorebirds from Phil Round, and he had a very high passion with Spoon-billed Sandpiper. He is a very well-known shorebird local guide. Many birders all over Thailand called him “Mr. Tii - the Spoony spotter!
His main occupation is a salt farmer at Kok Kham salt farming village, Mahachai, Samutsakorn province (the South-western part of Bangkok). Kok Kham Salt-pans is one of the most important wintering and stopover sites in Southeast Asia and East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The key species here including Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asian Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Great Knot, Red Knot, Rufous-necked Stint, Long-toed Stint, Temminck’s Stint etc.
You might meet him on your trip, especially when you booking a one-day trip or a half-day trip for Spoon-billed Sandpiper quest.
General information
Position : Shorebirds specialist & Birding guide
Born : February 3, 1971
Resident : Kok Kham salt farm, Samutsakorn, Thailand
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.65 m.
Status : Married
Education : Bachelor Theologian graduated sixth grade
Sport : Fishing & Cycling
Technical information & expertise
English Proficiency Fair
Telescope Bushnell Elite
Playback No
Laser pointer No
Skill of ID by calls or songs 90%
Skill of ID by seen 95%
Service expertise Guiding Birder & Bird Photographer
Masterly guiding areas Central and Inner Gulf of Thailand
Chintana Suwawan
(nickname: Tu)
Tu was a professional tour guide for over 20 years (from 1987) and for the past 10 years has worked as a birding guide. She loves meeting with people from other countries, and is passionate in sharing her knowledge of the beautiful country which she loves, with its rich mixture of cultures, nature and history. She leads tours in a flexible manner, specialising in tailor-made trips to cater for the specific interests and individual tastes. Tu is knowledgeable in Thai history and architecture, Buddhism and folk traditions. She is also knowledgeable about birds; their plumage variations, calls, habitats and behaviour. She is fluent in spoken and written English, and good at e-mail correspondence with clients. As travel is one of her favourite activities, she has been travelling around Thailand in order to explore more in-depth aspects of her own country. She has also travelled through much of Southeast Asia, including as a tour leader, accompanying her clients to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR. She has visited Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Canada and USA.
General information
Position : Cultural guide, birding guide, TAT Licence no.21-00349
Born : November 29, 1963
Resident : Chiang Mai, Thailand
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.56 m.
Status : Married
Education : Thai Institute of Technology and Vocational college in Chiang Mai
Hobby : Reading, Embroidery
Sport : Jogging, Yoga
Technical information & expertise
English Proficiency Excellent
Telescope Carl Zeiss
Playback No
Laser pointer No
Skill of ID by calls or songs 85%
Skill of ID by seen 85%
Service expertise Guiding Bird Watcher, Cultural Tour
Masterly guiding areas North of Thailand , South of Thailand
Somchart Boontha
(nickname: Chalee)
Chalee is a Karen (one of the hill tribal groups) from Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai province, and was raised and grew up in the highlands of northern Thailand. After finishing high school, he worked in Doi Inthanon National Park, for 3 years, and later as an administrative officer of northern water sources development for 5 years. Then followed 5 years’ experience with the Forest Fire Control Section.
Throughout all these years in different sectors Chalee’s personal interest in birds and natural history in general deepened, and his competence and knowledge of Northern Thailand’s birds, trees, and wild animals increased. This long-term expertise led him into a career as freelance birding and forest trekking guide. Since 2000 he has worked for many tour companies, and in 2012 he joined Wild Bird Eco Tours. Many clients have enjoyed his hospitable and competent service, and have appreciated both his attention to their needs and his dedication to finding as many birds as possible for them. His knowledge of birds, his sharp eyes and keen ears, combined with excellent communication skill in English, have given him a wide spread reputation as one of the best guides of Wild Bird Eco Tours.
General information
Position : Cultural guide, birding guide, TAT Licence no.23-03301
Born : January 16th, 1969
Resident : Chiang Mai, Thailand
Nationality : Karen-Thai
Hight : 1.65 m.
Status : Married
Education : Diploma from Yupparaj College, Muang district, Chiang Mai
Hobby : Birding & Jungle Trek
Sport : Football
Technical information & expertise
English Proficiency Excellent
Telescope Swarovski ATS 80 mm., 20-26x
Playback Yes
Laser pointer Yes
Skill of ID by calls or songs 95%
Skill of ID by seen 95%
Service expertise Guiding Birder & Bird Photographer, Trekking, Cultural tour
Masterly guiding areas North , Central & West of Thailand
Mr. Rung Saelim
(nickname: Kai)
Number guide License 5-000007
He graduated from Matthayom 6 at Rachathiwat School, Bangkok. He has admired nature since he was a child and loved to take pictures of nature. He studied the knowledge on this subject himself from various books.
He used to run a computer repair shop in Surat Thani for a while. therefore has the ability to create a computer chipboard program But later closed the shop because his heart wanted to go to the forest more.
2004 He started as a professional nature guide at Khao Sok National Park. Until creating a family and settling down to work here.
2007 The official issued a brown card. Guides, nature communicators
2011 The official issued a pink card. Local and cultural guide cards during this year He became seriously interested in bird watching in the south. And the area where he lived until he was more talented in bird watching than other nature guides in Khao Sok.
2022 The official issued him a blue card, the southern guide card. Until the beginning of the same year, Guide Par (Wild Bird Eco Tour guide & manager) hired him to be a local guide to watch birds in Cheow Lann dam with his tour group. And he found that the Kai guide had a good level of competency to be a local guide for company, Then Kai started working as a birding guide for the company from that day onwards. He and his wife opened a tour company in Khao Sok named Khao Sok Local Guide and He is currently the number one biridng guide in two specializing in bird and animal watching in Cheow Land dam and Khao Sok National Park.
General information
Position : Local birding guide in Phuket, Si Phang Nga, Khao Sok
Born : 5 March 1974, Surat Thani Province
Resident : Khao Sok
Nationality : Thai
Hight : 1.65 m.
Speak : English excellent
Skill of ID : by sight 80% by heard 75%
Telescope : Bushnell Elite 20x60 65 mm.
Trainee Guide
Mr.Ruangyot Hongsaeng (Ryan)
General Tourist Guide Licence no:1-03524
Graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Rajabhat University,
Kanchanaburi Province. Then passed the tour guide course by the Tourism
Authority of Thailand(TAT).
Started bird watching at Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima
Province since 2010 until now.
Bird watching ability: 90% sharp eyesight, 80% bird sound recognition.
His Equipment : Binoculars, Telescope Gomu 20-60 zoom, 80 mm.
Currently a bird guide and trekker at Khao Yai National Park.
Trainee Guide
Atthawet Samakkhetkan (Mac)
Born on May 8, 1964More than 40 years of experience in bird watching throughout Thailand, but
not going out to watch birds very often, making him not as skilled and
experienced as a professional bird watching guide. For bird watching in
Bangkok and its suburbs, he has some ability to make customers have fun.
Bird watching skills: 95% sharp eyesight, 80% bird sound identification(only
Bangkok), 40% English communication
Life experience
Mac graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from Sukhothai
Thammathirat Open University, Pakkret District, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand
10 years: Opened a diving equipment shop in Ao Nang, Krabi Province
20 years: Reporter for a camping and travel magazine, Siam Sport Syndicate
Co., Ltd.
10 years: Professional badminton coach
In 1990, Mac & Guide Par, started bird watching together in several provinces
across Thailand. Later in mid 2024, Guide Par invited Mac to help with the tour
in terms of driver and support service
Vietnam
Nguyen Hoai Bao
(nickname: Bao)(Managing Director, birding guide, ecological consultant)
Nguyen Hoai Bao teaches a course in ornithology at Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh city.
Bao has more than 15 years experience working in wildlife conservation, and he has collaborated as a Vietnamese bird expert for Birdlife International, WWF, WCS, IUCN and International Crane Foundation to study bird ecology and status in Southeast Asia.
Bao became interested in birds when he was a little boy and has been a professional birding guide since 1998. He has developed our birdwatching app, "Vietnam Bird Guide".
Bao holds a Master's Degree in Ecology & Environment, and is conducting his PhD thesis research project on relations between bird communities and wetlands in dry open forest.
Our Driver
Mr.Chod
Mr.Chod has more than 20 years of driving experience.
He is very knowledgeable about the best routes to key locations all over Thailand.
Through his years of service as a driver he has now become a keen birder himself.
Mr.Ped
He was born 1975 in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, where he started to work with Wild Bird Eco 2011. In addition to his full time driving work for more than 10 years, he also sells truck and mini-van parts on a website.website. He is responsible for the WildBird Eco driving routes through the northern part of Thailand.
Mr.Smith
Mr.Smith was born in September 1975 at Phichit province in central Thailand, He has over 25 years’ experience as a driver, beginning with helping his father driving many vehicles including a bus and a big truck. In 2011 he started driving for Wild Bird Eco, and during this time he has come to love birdwatching, sometimes helping clients to find new birds. He is very popular with clients because of his funny stories and his excellent service.
Mr.Pongpak Varaporn "Tui"
Born in Bangkok in 1955, Tui completed a BA from Ramkamhang University, and
held the position of chief director of several sections of the King’s Royal Project in northern Thailand., From that position he returned to Bangkok to care for his aging father. Later, in 2011, Par invited him to take oversight of transport for Wild Bird Eco Tours.
With over 40 years of driving experience – with not a single accident – Tui is greatly appreciated by clients for his excellent skilful service.
Xun Chiang Mai driver
Driver Chet
