Three Spoonies

Yesterday (29th Nov) myself and Filip Beeldens visited Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia.  Happily we  secured views of a single Spoon-billed Sandpiper, eight Asian Dowitchers and two Nordmann's Greenshanks by 10am at Pak Thale. The views of the Spooner had been rather distant and brief and so we dedicated a bit more time to trying to get better views and our efforts were rewarded in spades when we found three Spooners together on one salt pan.

One of three Spooners

There were huge numbers of waders at Pak Thale, with pools along the road to the Sea Sala hosting several thousand Great Knot (Nordmann's with the Great Knot, as usual), and several hundred Black-tailed Godwit (accompanied by the dowitchers and a single Bar-tailed Godwit), and big numbers of Lesser Sandplover (plus a few Greaters), and Red-necked, Temminck's and Long-toed Stints, Grey and Pacific Golden Plovers, four Sanderling, single Dunlin. We alos saw a pair of Kestrels and two Brahminy Kites in this area.

Blackwit, Great Knot, Common Redshank, Curlew Sand, Ruff

We took Mr Daeng's boat out to Lem Pak Bia on a very high tide and quickly connected with a female White-faced Plover and a pair of Malaysian Plovers, Chinese Egret, 1st cy Pallas's Gull, 2nd cy Heuglin's Gull and a single Crested Tern.

2nd cy Heuglin's Gull

On our way back to Bangkok with checked out Nong Plaa Lai raptor watch point but found that the fields there were still very wet and unsuitable for Aquila eagles (the only raptors seen were an Osprey, two imm. Pied Harriers and several Black-winged Kites). Nearer the highway Filip had brief views of a probable Greater Spotted Eagle and we visited the Khao Yoi Black Kite roost before heading back to Bangkok.

imm. female Pied Harrier

Asian Golden Weavers