Asian Dowitcher at Samut Songkhram

Asian Dowitcher

Limnodromus semipalmatus

นกซ่อมทะเลอกแง

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram

29.12.11

I was a dutiful husband this morning and changed a tap in our kitchen which has been making a terrible racket for the last few months. What I thought would take 20 minutes turned into a 4 hour job so no birding today until this afternoon. So back I went to the salt pans near Don Hoi Lot, Samut Songkhram province to test my assertion that this area would be worth further investigation.

Common Redshank 

Tringa totanus

นกทะเลขาแดงธรรมดา

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram

29.12.11

I had a lot of fun observing and photographing the more common species: common redshank, brown-headed gull, little egret. There were a few raptors on the scene : a Brahminy Kite buzzing the gulls, a pair of Pied Harriers, female and juvenile, equally struck terror into the gulls just by flying over and a scruff bag Osprey flew over a couple of times. There were significant numbers of Greenshanks and Marsh Sandpipers, a couple of Little Heron, a Common Kingfisher flew low over the water and lots of egrets and Whiskered Terns. There were a few Caspian terns also for good measure. Conditions were well-nigh perfect: a gentle breeze mitigating the heat of a strong sun.

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidion nilotica

นกนางนวลแกลบปากหนา

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram

29.12.11

I also made the bird below a Black-headed Gull but the Birdforum gurus reckon it is a Brown-headed  Gull.. I simply don't have the knowledge or experience in these matters. I was persuaded mainly by the dark iris; the Brown-headed has a noticeably lighter iris. If you want to offer an opinion please do so! I am not interested in controversy, let me stress, I just want to better my identification skills!

Brown-headed Gull

Larus brunnicephalus

นกนางนวลธรรมดา

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram

29.12.11

I decided late afternoon to head out into the saltpans and try to get some shot of a flock of Brown-headed Gulls. I made it to a shelter which was still a bit too far away from the gulls. There was a Gull-billed Tern within range and then a steady flow of Marsh Sandpipers and Greenshanks started to arrive in the pond nearest to my position. At about 1740h I noticed the arrival of what I thought was a Godwit and in my idle sort of way I thought I should get a shot of it and check out if it was Bar-tailed or Black-tailed. I knew immediately it was a dowitcher when I got the bird in my viewfinder - a distinct black, straight bill. For purely selfish reasons, ie my list, I rather hoped it would be a Long-billed Dowitcher but I thought it was more likely to be Asian Dowitcher. My maestro Tom Backlund has confirmed the ID as Asian.

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

นกซายเลนปึง

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram

29.12.11

I first saw Asian Dowitcher on the intertidal mudflats at Koh Libong, near Krabi in the south of Thailand, almost two years ago, so no lifer.  This time, however, it was much, much nearer and because of this the shot is about 100 times better! 

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

นกทาะลขาเขียว

Don Hoi Lod, Samut Songkhram

29.12.11

The Asian Dowitcher turned a pleasant afternoon into a memorable one. I did not realise the Asian is a much more threatened species than Long-billed; it may simply be in Thailand that the Long-billed is much rarer. But globally the Asian has an IUCN Red List status of 'Near Threatened' and numbers are estimated to be approx 23,000, (BirdLife International). I also did not realise that Don Hoi Lot is a Ramsar site on account of the large numbers of solen regularis, or razor clams, or as my Thai hosts would say, "hoi lod" ( หอยหลอด). The Ramsar site  must be specifically the mudflats of the Maeklong estuary. This may also explain why it is not a wader hotspot: the presence of these molluscs must mean  a significant human presence and a resulting high level of disruption, especially at low tide. 

Such a Perfect Day

Sunset at Don Hoi Lod