Pak Thale and surrounds

I spent Sunday doing a couple of sites for the Asian Waterbird Census and then headed down to Pak Thale to meet up with Mark Telfer and a group of his friends who had just arrived from the UK and were keen to get Spoon-billed Sandpiper under the belt as fast as possible. One of their party located a Spooner at reasonably close range within five minutes of arriving at Pak Thale, and some of the others in the group located a second bird shortly afterwards.  We also went down to Laem Pak Bia saltpans to look for Nordmann's Greenshanks and located a flock of 33 birds within a couple of minutes of arriving on site - it is nice when birds behave themselves for visitors!

three Nordmann's and two Great Knot

Highlights on the AWC surveys included a huge flock of Lesser Whistling Ducks (I still need to estimate the size of the flock from photos), a flock of more than 600 Spotted Redshank,  one Black-headed Ibis, and a group of 11 Glossy Ibis (I'm uncertain of their status in the gulf of Thailand, but I think they are pretty uncommon as I don't recall seeming any in this area before).

Highlights around Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia included a full breeding plumaged Curlew Sandpiper and a flock of at least a thousand Great Knot, plus a Red-necked Stint with yello-over-white leg flags, which if  am reading my chart correctly means that it was ringed on Russia's Sakhalin Island.

a little unseasonal - no other waders showing any hint of summ plum!

Great Knot

Long-toed Stint

Temminck's Stint

Spotshank

one of five Ruff

LRP

Marsh Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt

Whiskered Tern

Richard's Pipit