The weekend was spent with my old friend Tom Brooks, who was keen to connect with Spoon-billed Sandpipers.
Afer arriving, dinner and beers on Friday night, we wee off to Pak Thale for dawn on Saturday and the waders didn't dissapoint, with two Spoon-billed Sandpipers (the first of which was leg-flagged, though too far away to read and too brief to photograph), 10 Red-necked Phalaropes and a single Dunlin, with another highlight being no less than four Slender-billed Gulls. The usual array of waders was present, with a particularly confiding Long-toed Stint the first birds of the day.
We then checked Laem Pak Bia salt pans which held 74 Nordmann's Greenshank (my highest personal count), 800-1000 Great Knot, one or possibly two Little Stint, 14 Avocet, 129 Grey Plover (quite a notable count I think) and 41 Bar-tailed Godwit.
After this we headed inland to Nong Plaa Lai rice fiends to look for raptors, quickly scoring an imm. Imperial Eagle, then 2-3 Greater Spotted Eagles, a single dark phase Booted Eagle and a party of 8+ Yellow-breasted Buntings.
Sunday was spent at Kaeng Krachan where the highlights were an Asian Emerald Cuckoo (a well overdue tick for me), excellent views of a pair of Scaly-breasted Partridge and a pair of Green Magpies nest-building. Other notables included hearing Bamboo Woodpecker and Great Slaty Woodpecker as well as at least three Grey Peacock-Pheasant, whilst sightings included Great Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Swinhoe's Minivet two Great Eared Nightjar. Heard only nightbirds on Saturday evening included two Large-tailed Nightjar, four Brown Hawk Owls and two Collared Scops Owls.
In terms of mammals Banded Languars where very much in evidence, and we encountered a large group of Stump-tailed Macaques on our way out of the park.
Afer arriving, dinner and beers on Friday night, we wee off to Pak Thale for dawn on Saturday and the waders didn't dissapoint, with two Spoon-billed Sandpipers (the first of which was leg-flagged, though too far away to read and too brief to photograph), 10 Red-necked Phalaropes and a single Dunlin, with another highlight being no less than four Slender-billed Gulls. The usual array of waders was present, with a particularly confiding Long-toed Stint the first birds of the day.
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| Long-toed Stint |
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| Slender-billed Gull |
We then checked Laem Pak Bia salt pans which held 74 Nordmann's Greenshank (my highest personal count), 800-1000 Great Knot, one or possibly two Little Stint, 14 Avocet, 129 Grey Plover (quite a notable count I think) and 41 Bar-tailed Godwit.
After this we headed inland to Nong Plaa Lai rice fiends to look for raptors, quickly scoring an imm. Imperial Eagle, then 2-3 Greater Spotted Eagles, a single dark phase Booted Eagle and a party of 8+ Yellow-breasted Buntings.
Sunday was spent at Kaeng Krachan where the highlights were an Asian Emerald Cuckoo (a well overdue tick for me), excellent views of a pair of Scaly-breasted Partridge and a pair of Green Magpies nest-building. Other notables included hearing Bamboo Woodpecker and Great Slaty Woodpecker as well as at least three Grey Peacock-Pheasant, whilst sightings included Great Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Swinhoe's Minivet two Great Eared Nightjar. Heard only nightbirds on Saturday evening included two Large-tailed Nightjar, four Brown Hawk Owls and two Collared Scops Owls.
In terms of mammals Banded Languars where very much in evidence, and we encountered a large group of Stump-tailed Macaques on our way out of the park.
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| Banded Languar |
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