Pak Thale

Pacific Golden Plover
Pak Thale

Yesterday we started the day birding at Pak Thale in complete contrast to the previous day there were waders everywhere. It took us a little while to find Spoon-billed Sandpiper, due to a Peregrine and then Kestrel causing a huge amount of disturbance, but eventually we enjoyed good views of one feeding amongst around 100 Red-necked Stint. Other waders in the area included around 200 Broad-billed Sandpiper, several hundred Curlew Sandpiper, Great Knot, Lesser and Greater Sandplover, Black-tailed Godwit, 400 Marsh Sandpiper, 4 Red-necked Phalarope and smaller numbers of Spotted Redshank, Long-toed Stint, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover and Whimbrel.

Rather than look for more Spoon-billed Sands, we headed towards Laem Pak Bia in search of Nordmann's Greenshank, we soon found a flock of 29 roosting amongst Common Greenshank and around 50 Spotted Redshank. Also in the area were at least 12 Asiatic Dowitcher, 800 Great Knot and 9 Avocet.

Common Greenshank

We then spent the rest of the morning in the research center at Laem Pak Bia, as usual there were plenty of birds, best records a pair of Mangrove Whistlers which showed very well, 3 Racket-tailed Treepie, White-winged Black Tern, 2 Grey-headed Lapwing, Heuglin's Gull, Osprey and several Ruddy-breasted Crake. Early afternoon we birded around the nearby abandoned building, where 49 roosting Caspian Terns, 300 Little Tern, 2 Indochinese Bushlark, 6 Sanderling and a colour flagged Red-necked Stint.

Great Egret
Laem Pak Bia

We finished the day birding around farmland and small pond a few kilometers inland of Pak Thale, which proved to be an excellent area for raptors with 2 Greater Spotted Eagles, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Black Kite and several Bhraminy Kite. With falling water levels on the pond it was also a good site for rails and crakes with at least 5 Ruddy-breasted Crake, 2 Slaty-breasted Rail and a Watercock. Also around or on the pond were two Temminck's Stint, 20 Little Ringed Plover, 15 Wood Sandpiper, several Streaked and Golden Weaver. On adjacent farmland were 10 Grey-headed Lapwing, 12 Red-throated Pipit, 10 Eastern Yellow Wagtail, 3 Common Snipe and a Pintail Snipe.

Also a feature of the day was the northward passage of several small parties of Oriental Pratincoles, with a day total of around 70.