A good day's birding started this morning with the first birds I spied through my bins being a pair of Spoon-billed Sandpipers! The birds gave great views at close range (from the car) but the weather was terrible and the early morning light meant I could only get these record shots. We were very happy to see one of these birds starting to attain breeding plumage.
We also ran into Nick Upton who had located a separate group of four Spooners - so there are still six birds present in the Pak Thale area. Other interesting birds picked up in this area today included six Nordmann's Greenshanks and small numbers of Great Knot about 1km north of the King's Project, and the wintering Long-billed Dowitcher and a showy Ruddy-breasted Crake (inside the Kings Project compound), plus a female Eastern Marsh Harrier.
We visited the raptor watch point at Nong Pla Lai (map here) which produced more than 50 Black Kites as well as a couple of Black-shouldered Kites and a single Oriental Pratincole.
A very lost Long-billed Dowitcher
Many waders, such as this Greater Sandplover,
are now attaining fine breeding attire
are now attaining fine breeding attire
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