Dowitcher and Nordman's

We spent the day birding along the coast, starting early morning at Pak Thale and finishing at the research station at Laem Pak Bia. Once again within twenty minutes of arriving at Pak Thale we had excellent views of a single Spoon-billed Sandpiper. There were many more waders around than the previous evening, with good numbers of Broad-billed, Curlew and Marsh Sandpiper, Eastern Black-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Stint, Lesser Sandplovers, Great Knot, Kentish Plovers, Grey Plover and smaller numbers of Long-toed Stint, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Little-ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and a single Sanderling.

Asiatic Dowitcher
Pak Thale

Amongst a large group of Marsh Sandpipers we managed to find a single Asiatic Dowitcher, which for all but one of the group was a new bird.

Common Tern
Pak Thale

Greater-crested Tern
Pak Thale

Large numbers of terns were roosting on the saltpans with many Whiskered and Common and smaller numbers of Gull-billed and Caspian and on post off shore a dozen Great-crested Terns. Also around Pak Thale were three Bhraminy Kite, two Little Heron, Yellow Bittern, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Germain's Swiftlet and two Richard's Pipit.

Heuglin's Gull
Pak Thale

As we headed south along the coast road, we found a Heuglin's Gull amongst a large flock of Brown-headed Gulls, a group of 50 Caspian Terns and a very large but distant flock of Curlew. On saltpans at Laem Pak Bia were 16 roosting Nordman's Greenshank, 56 Avocet and an amazing looking completely albino Eastern Black-tailed Godwit.

Grey Heron and Great Egret
Laem Pak Bia

We finished the day in the research station at Laem Pak Bia, where at least 350 White-shouldered Starling came into roost and three White-winged Black Tern fed amongst the Whiskered Terns.