Arrived at the famous Pak
Thale salt ponds at first light where there were thousands of waders across the
site; the obvious highlight were awesome views of 4
SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPERS feeding at close range with other waders – there
were three together at one spot (two unringed birds and one with a black flag
and white letters U6) and another single somewhere else, awesome birds!
Other waders seen included all the ones seen
yesterday but in much higher numbers especially Marsh Sandpipers and
Black-tailed Godwits along with at least 30
Red-necked Phalaropes, a decent flock of Great Knot, Greater Sand
Plover, Lesser Sand Plover,
Kentish Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Ruff, Sanderling, several Broad-billed Sandpipers and a single Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
There were also plenty of Terns including Caspian Tern and White-winged
Black Terns new for the trip and plenty of Egrets, Herons etc. and a few
Painted Storks and a 1st winter Brahminy Kite.
The heat of the middle of the day was spent driving
round some pools at the King’s Project site just south down the coast where
waterbirds included brief views of a WHITE-BREASTED
WATERHEN, even briefer views of a RUDDY-BREASTED
CRAKE, a few RED-WATTLED LAPWINGS,
Little Grebe, 10+ Avocets, a Common Snipe, lots of Herony things with lots of
confiding Javan Pond Herons, a big roost of Brown-headed Gulls with a few
Caspian Terns in amongst them and many Little, Whiskered and White-winged Black
Terns over the ponds.
A walk through the Mangroves also produced several GOLDEN-BELLIED GERYGONES, COMMON TAILORBIRDS, a single PALE-LEGGED LEAF-WARBLER, several Dusky Warblers, a flyover Red-rumped
Swallow and a few Common Ioras, Oriental Magpie-Robins, Collared Kingfishers
and Pied Fantails while several PADDYFIELD
PIPITS were around the tracks.
I then went back to Pak Thale in the late afternoon
but failed to find any Nordmann’s Greenshanks but new birds for the trip
included a single Dunlin and 2 Common Shelduck (both actually rarer than the
Nordmann’s!) and Gull-billed Terns.
Also of note was a Thai ringed Red-necked Stint (Blue over Green flags)
and a Chinese ringed Black-tailed Godwit (black over white flags).
A little look at the rubbish dump / abandoned
building site in the evening then produced a male SHIKRA, a GREATER COUCAL,
single ORIENTAL REED WARBLER and
Yellow-browed Warbler around the rubbish dump and 6+ Dusky Warblers.
Spoonie! Awesome!
Caspian Tern
Red-necked Phalaropes
Javan Pond Heron
Little Cormorant
Beast in the Mangroves!
Red Collared Dove
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