Around Ratchaburi

My birding day began unusually early just after 0500h as I decided to investigate the screech coming from the golf driving range facing my house. I reckoned it had to be a Barn Owl and so I checked my recordings and sure enough Barn Owl it was. It very kindly flew over my house and I could make out its white mass against a dark night sky.

I had agreed to take Phil Round around my Ratchaburi haunts today as he was eager to get a recording of Plain Prinia and was interested to reconnoiter Huay Mai Teng Reservoir. It was shaping into a hot,sunny day morning when Phil arrived and after a cup of tea we headed into the local rice paddy for Plain Prinia. I'm not sure Phil got a great recording but we got a good selection of birds: lots of Black-browed Reed Warblers, Pied Kingfisher, Black-shouldered Kite, Lanceolated Warbler, a female and a juvenile Pied Harrier, Purple Heron, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow-bellied Prinia and lots of Plain Prinias. For me the highlight was a brief view of Rufous Woodpecker, which flew out of the trees as we approached. Thai lifer ⌗368, no less, thank you Phil, I would not have been able to call this on my own. I would have been able to add Lanceolated Warbler to my list too had I followed Phil out into the rice paddy. I am going out after this one in the next week.

After another cup of tea, we headed out to Huay Mai Teng. Probably not ideal getting there at 1000h but we still managed to see lots of good birds: Little Ringed Plover, Little, Intermediate & Great Egret, Little Cormorant, Whiskered Tern, Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, a solitary, likely juvenile Small Pratincole, a solitary, aerial Oriental Pratincole, Grey & Purple Herons, 5 Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, 1 Bronze-winged Jacana, 1 Black-shouldered Kite, Paddyfield Pipits, Green Bee-eaters, Indochinese Bushlark, Small & Barred Buttonquail, Rain Quail, Oriental Skylark, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Pintail Snipe, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Thick-billed Warbler (heard), Richard's Pipits, Taiga Flycatcher, Martins plus all the common birds. Not a bad haul for such a late start.

Of course the stand out bird for me was Richard's Pipit. Phil sighted an initial bird and pointed out its different call and behaviour from the more common Paddyfield. The Richard's Pipit generally flies off when disturbed whereas the Paddyfield moves only a little away. However the real diagnostic is the call: the Paddyfield has a sort of "chirp" sound whereas Richard's is more of a "schreep". There is an excellent review of the differences between these species and also including Blyth's Pipit on Dave Bakewell's blog. It also helps enormously to be able to go out birding with Phil Round. I would not have been able to make the distinction unaided but once Phil had done it in the field it became much easier; I reckon we had in the region of 10 Richard's Pipits.

Richard's Pipit becomes Thai lifer ⌗ 369. I'm not going to claim Small Buttonquail as I just got a flash of a small, orange quail; work to be done here still though most importantly it was in the "usual" place. So maybe I can stake it out a little and try to get a good look in the months ahead. I am also intrigued by the presence of Martins, not sure whether they were Sand or Plain. SO work to be done here before I can add one or both of these species to my list. Good, however, to know they are at the site.

So a highly informative and fun few hours' birding. For me a real honour and privilege to be able to bird alongside the leading authority  on Thai avifauna. Phil pointed out that the name of one of the local villages, Ban Nok Karien, actually means "Sarus Crane Village". This tells us that historically Sarus Crane could be found in this area. Maybe a vagrant might return one day....... Hopefully, later in the winter we'll do some ringing here.

Pied Harrier : "Pure Gallus"

Pied Harrier

Circus melanoleucos

เหยี่ยวด่างดำขาว

Ratchaburi 27.10.12

A solitary male Pied Harrier floated over the Ratchaburi rice paddy at 1702h, the first I have seen this winter, almost a year to the day of last winter's first record. He really is a spectacular bird. I think the Glasgow phrase  "pure gallus" best sums up this guy - stylish and impressive, minus any delinquent or neddish connotation! He put down for a moment and I captured a very poor image, which  I publish here really as a record and nothing else. I hope these birds settle down and that I can get much closer to them over the next few months.

White-rumped Munia

Lonchura striata

นกกระติ๊ดตะโพกขาว

Ratchaburi 27.10.12

This arrival really lifted my spirits enormously - I even let out a cheer! Elsewhere I was happy to locate two Pied Kingfishers, equally gallus! These have moved further up the irrigation canal following a lot of radical alterations to their previous abode. Add in one Black-shouldered Kite, two Lesser Coucals, three Brown Shrike, c200 White-rumped Munias ( no prizes forworking out why it is called "white-rumped"!)  with a smaller number of Scaly-breasted Munias mixed up. Lots of common birds, nice, relaxing couple of hours and the locals enquiring after my son!

Scaly breasted Munia

Lonchura punctulata

นกกระติ๊ดขี้หมู 

Ratchaburi 27.10.12

Highs and Lows

What started out as a joyful morning turned to disaster at Wat Khao Takhrao; at about 0830h I drove my truck off the road, doing a U-turn on a tight road, and got one of the front wheels stuck in mud. It took 4½ hours to get hauled out. In the great scheme of things I got off lightly with nothing more than a bruised ego, but I resented the loss of time on what had been planned as my last big birding day before returning to work next week. I should have gone home but instead headed on to Pak Thale & Laem Pak Bia after being rescused. To be honest I was in no fit state to concentrate, gripped by frustration, irritability and impatience.

I left home early in what was shaping into a beautiful, bright and sunny morning. There had been a lot of rain overnight. Through Khao Yoi I stopped at some favoured swamp and had an amazing view of a Purple Swamphen in the spotlight of the rising sun against green plants. No sooner was I set up than the bird and its cohorts took off! That's rather unfortunately the nature of digiscoping, indeed of all photography. Soon after I had raptors above me, a first Black Kite of the year and then a Booted Eagle, also a first of the year. As I progressed though Khao Yoi the big waterbirds appeared: 5 Spot-billed Pelicans in the distant sky and then Painted Storks began more visible. Overhead a pair of Osprey passed by nearby.

By the time I reached Wat Khao Takrhao I had counted four species of Kingfisher: Common, Collared, Black-capped & White-throated. There were five Spot-billed Pelicans gliding effortlessly over the surface of the water and as I scoped the big pond I could see more Painted Stork and lots of smaller birds which were undoubtedly ducks. As the barrier on the gate was up I drove on in the hope of getting a better view of the ducks and other birds. A number of raptors were buzzing the ducks, notably an Eastern Marsh Harrier which came over and passed nearby. The ducks were too far away but lots of Garganey and equally good numbers of bigger Northern Pintails.

I started photographing some Common Sandpipers and then decided to move on. In the process of doing a U-turn on the road, something I have done many times in exactly the same spot, I thought I had enough room to complete the manoevre. Next thing I felt the truck slipping down off the road and that, so to speak, was that: front right wheel half submerged in mud and the remaining wheels not providing enough friction to get me back onto the road proper. Unfortunately I was about 2km from the road so help was not immediately to hand. So I had to call out roadside assistance. Not a good place to come unstuck, or rather to get stuck! In fairness, though, roadside assistance did their job and got me out.

During this period I counted 74 Painted Stork! Once out of my jam I stopped at a nearby pond where 10 Spot-billed Pelicans were paddling about. I just couldn't get a clear shot of them......

Pak Thale was very quiet with no sign of Spoonbill Sandpiper. In fact most of the birds had moved to near the road where there were huge flocks of Curlew Sandpiper, Great Knot and Lesser-sand Plover. I concentrated on a smaller flock of about 60 Brown-headed Gulls; a pair of gulls in this group were strikingly different: their bare parts were much more yellow and they showed signs of moult on their wings; I was also struck by how white their heads were and I started thinking that these might possibly be Slender-billed Gulls.

I managed to get some shots to aid some later research. I have decided against Slender-billed as the two birds in question had black spots behind their eyes. I also remembered from last year year that first year Brown-headed Gulls have yellow bare parts. Anyway, a productive exercise as it got me studying the field guides and Oriental Bird Images; from the latter I learned Slender-billed is also known as Rosy Gull and my field guide noted that  Slender-billed's underparts often have a rosy hue. This is certainly confirmed by some of the images on Oriental Bird Images. I rather fancy that next time I might be able to separate Slender-billed.

At Wat Kamnaran I managed to make out 2 Grey-headed Lapwings. Onwards to Laem Pak Bia and the Abandonned Building in search of Rosy Starling which has been reported from there recently. I couldn't bear the smell from the rubbish dump so gave up after 45 minutes. In Laem Pak Bia proper, little to report from a brief stop there in the fading light of the day.My friend Tom Buckland advised that tbere were Richard's Pipits on the road in the Nordmann's area; the ones I saw looked very much as if they were of the Paddyfield type.

A frustrating sort of day really that reconnected me with some of my demons. It was only on the drive home that I understood how much this mishap had affected me, a knock to my confidence. I found myself asking: Why do you do this? Is it worth it? Would it not be better to to be at home with your family? ..........and so on and on. I was actually delighted to make it home and be in the company of my family and my spirits improved markedly.With work looming large on the horizon I am not going to do much birding in the next few weeks. I doubt I will do much travelling other than in Ratchaburi province itself. Spend more time at home, the family man!

Ratchabrui Rice Paddy

For the first time in many months I took a spin round the local rice paddy encouraged by yesterday's glimpse of a first harrier of the season nearby. The weather quickly became very overcast and then the heavens opened; I imagine most harriers would be parked on a well protected branch under cover. Plenty of good birds though: first up was a juvenile Lesser Coucal, a fair few Brown Shrikes, a Black-capped Kingfisher, plenty of White-thraoted Kingfishers, a Pintail Snipe, a Black-shouldered Kite, some Plain-backed Sparrows and a flock of over 200 White-rumped Munias, a tick for the patch and good numbers of Black-browed Reed Warblers, identifiable mainly on sound than on observation...... it shall be interesting to see what the winter months throw up here.

Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima

Siamese Fireback

Lophura Diardi

ไก่ฟ้าพญาลอ

Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima

20.10.12

I was drawn to Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Nakhon Ratchasima province by the virtual certainty of seeing Siamese Fireback, Thailand's national bird. This possibility emerged from looking at Stijin de Win's Birding2Asia website. Being on holiday and having time on my hands I thought this would make an excellent early morning trip, especially in the context of a family holiday when it is impractical to abandon everyone for the day.

Siamese Fireback

Lophura Diardi

ไก่ฟ้าพญาลอ

Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima

20.10.12

As a courtesy I dropped into the reserve headquarters late afternoon Thursday 18th October, the day before my planned visit, to ask permission to enter the reserve the following morning. This resource is by no means open access to all comers so I wanted to be sure that I could enter without incurring anyone's wrath. I would recommend anybody contemplating a visit to do likewise because there may be days and times when the reserve is completely closed.

Siamese Fireback

Lophura Diardi

ไก่ฟ้าพญาลอ

Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima

20.10.12

The Siamese Firebacks obliged in the finest tradition of drive-in birding. Well correction, a ten minute stroll along the road from the HQ barrier was required! On Friday morning (19th October)  I saw 5 males and 1 female feeding on the road with 8 Red Junglefowl. I was surprised by how comfortable some of the birds were around human beings and apart from the poor light on account of the early hour, they really do provide a potentially brilliant photo-opportunity. What magnificent birds! The male is quite respsendent with his crest feathers and in fairness the female is equally striking, with black and buff barring on her upperside. I even managed good views of the male's "fireback": it is exactly that but it is well covered up by his wings: a yellow and orange patch that becomes visible when the bird flaps its wings.

Red-breasted Parakeet - male

Psittacula alexandri

นกแขกเต้า

Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima

20.10.12

Of course I have an excellent ability to balls things up and as I was getting ready to start shooting I realised I had left my electronic viewfinder in the truck. So I legged it back to the vehicle and got the EVF and then legged it back to the birds which were still feeding out in the open. Then I realised I had left my cable release trigger in the truck so had to head back down again. When I got back the birds had gone. So I was most miffed as I knew I had missed an outstanding opportunity.

Red-breasted Parakeet - female

Psittacula alexandri

นกแขกเต้า

Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Nakhon Ratchasima

20.10.12

Anyway I came back the next morning, Saturday 20th October, and there were 5 males and 2 females feeding with 4 Red Junglefowl in exactly the same area. I also had company: about 100 school students with guides and teachers. Our presence did little to deter the Firebacks and we got good views and the school party headed on into the nether regions of the reserve. I was left alone and the birds obliged.

Pacific Reef Egret - dark morph variant

Egretta sacra

นกยางทะเล

Koh Kood, Trat Province

17.10.12

There's never been and there never will be an easy digiscoped image. Early morning in a forest means poor light; that means slow shutter speeds and inevitably that means a lot of blurred images except for those few moments when the birds stand still. In that time I have got to frame the bird, fine focus and shoot. For once the birds were so close it was impossible to fit them in the frame! So I am delighted with these images.

Blue Rockthrush

Monticola solitarius

นกกระเบื้องผา

Khao Yai National Park, Nakhon Ratchasima Province

22.10.12

The reserve is also a good place to see Red-breasted Parakeet which can easily be found in the dipterocarp forest in the lower part of the reserve. Once more I was lucky and managed to get on a couple of birds that my wife, Luna, saw as we drove out on our courtesy visit. These guys very obligingly were parked on treetops with strong sunlight on them; the forest gave me enough cover to get on the parakeets and of course the digiscoping rig gives me a lot of reach. So in these circumstances I can get reasonably good images of birds.

I love this place though I can hardly say the birds came out to dance for me. I was very happy to get the firebacks, but I didn't get much else: Emerald Dove, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, White-rumped Shama, good numbers of Asian Brown Flycatchers and a Red Muntjac showed and did some very loud barking. Lots of glimpses of unidentified smallish birds. I would hardly say, however, that I cleaned up! Anyhow I was very happy with the firebacks, Thai lifer ⌗367.

I must also add how helpful and accommodating the reserve staff were. There was a very pleasant atmosphere around the main centre. On both mornings a Buddhist monk walked down past the firebacks and gave a  dhamma talk to the assembled staff in Headquarters. I very much want to return.

I've added a couple of shots from elsewhere. I had another chance at the Pacific Reef Egret, dark morph variant, while on Koh Kood waiting for transportation to the mainland. Much sharper and better image than previous postings. And lastly we drove through Khao Yai National Park on our way home from Korat and this Blue Rock-thrush performed a little for me. Not much else seen.

This morning, back home in Ratchaburi, I caught a first sight of a harrier in the sky. Not sure if it was Eastern Marsh or Pied but good to know the harriers are back local. So a return to the local rice paddy is imminent.

Finally in Korat City, where we spent a couple of nights on our travels, I enquired about the price of a captive Red-breasted Parakeet which was on sale at the night market with a host of other birds, including Brown-collared and Spotted Doves. I was quoted 8,000 baht. I was also appalled by the condition of a couple of caged White-rumped Shamas - they looked as if they were about to drop. They could hardly have been more different from wild ones. Terrible business. Most avowedly, these birds were not made for life in a cage.

Blue Rock-thrush

Blue Rockthrush

Monticola solitarius

นกกระเบื้องผา

Koh Kood, Trat Province

15.10.12

I had a gentle late afternoon paddle out into the bay facing our resort in Koh Kood this afternoon aiming to alight on some rocks where the bay opens out into The Gulf Of Thailand. Into the dry bag went my scope and camera and I left the tripod out in the open. I was hoping to sneak a shot of a Pacific Reef Egret, specifically the dark morph variant; one of the coolest looking birds, in my humble opinion! I managed to get to my intended target and haul the kayak onto the rocks. In doing so I managed to flush the egrets, though I had no idea they were there! However, undeterred,  I got set up and resolved to prefocus on a rock spur just in case.....and 10 minutes later as the sun was setting a pair of these rockthrushes appeared and one parked on the spur. The light was just against me; this was shot at 320 ISO and at a lowish shutter speed (1/20 sec ) but the shot serves its purpose as a good record. I am intrigued about whether this is the philippensis subspecies on account of the chestnut undertail coverts. It is by no means an uncommon bird but it was not what I was expecting to see out here today. But what do I know?! The guidebook, (Lekagul & Round, A Guide to the Birds of Thailand ) includes under its  habitat:"rocky seacoast". Nice to see the birds behaving properly! 

Finally a shot of a fishing boat. God alone knows what ecological meltdown this type of fishing is causing.

Koh Kood, Trat Province

Pacific Swallow

Hirundo Tahitica

นกนางแอ่นแปซิฟิค

Koh Kood, Trat Province 14.10.12

We have been having a much needed rest on the idyllic island of Koh Kood; it is very close to the border with Cambodia and is somewhat overshadowed by its better known island neighbour, Koh Chang. It is very undeveloped and I imagine it has fantastic birds but I haven't made any serious attempt to get into the forests to see them. I rather fancy I saw a large owl make a crepuscular sortie from nearby shoreline forest in pursuit of prey and then it promptly returned to a dark perch. I have kayaked out into the bay these last two nights in the hope of a repeat. Alas no. What is striking is that I haven't seen a Collared Kingfisher or a White-bellied Sea eagle, two regular fixtures in Thailand's coastal waters, the latter especially in and around its many islands; no Brahminy Kites either.

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Pycnonotus goiavier

นกปรอดหน้านวล

Koh Kood, Trat Province 14.10.12

Pacific Swallows perch on the bamboo pier next to our resort and this fellow let me get close yesterday afternoon.(Update: I have seen this species in The Philippines but have just realised it is a Thai lifer and it goes onto the list as #366!) This shot highlights the differences between it and Barn Swallow: the Pacific lacks a black breast band and has more chestnut on its head, meaning the forehead chestnut patch extends further back towards its crown and nape. It's not a bird I see much of in the Inner Gulf margins but I believe it is fairly common in Thailand's inshore waters.

The Yellow-vented Bulbuls were perched nearby, again fairly common birds in most parts of Thailand. Lots of Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers and Common Mynas in the resort gardens. Outside in more forested areas I rather fancy we have some Arctic and Dusky Warblers and lots of Drongos. There are also lots of Jungle Crows; their distinctive "caw caw caw" sound evokes dull, grey, British autumnal weather.

On the rocks extending from our resort I have seen 3 Pacific Reef Egrets, (dark morph), 2 Little Herons and a handful of Common Sandpipers. I rather fancy the habitat would be ideal for Stork-billed Kingfisher but so far I haven't seen any. I also rather fancy this place warrants serious exploration. However we all need the rest so nothing too energetic planned. It is nice to be in a place where our little boy can run wild with other kids and the resort staff grab our daughter.

Eurasian Hoopoe

Upupa epops 

นกกะรางหัวขวาน

Don Tako,  Ratchaburi Province 11.10.12

Finally the day before we left I got set up at home and managed to photograph this Eurasian Hoopoe, the axe head bird, perched on the spars which support the roof over the bays in the driving range adjacent to our house. It's a common bird here but nevertheless very striking. Just a shame it wouldn't extend its crop.

Reservoir Blues

A quick late afternoon spin to Huay Mai Teng didn't really produce much on the bird front. What was significant was the dramatic rise in the reservoir's water level. The road across the reservoir is now impassable such has been the huge volume of precipitation this last week. I had been checking records and noticed that at about this time last year I was seeing Blossom-headed Parakeet late afternoons so this was on my mind. No parakeet, no Small Pratincole, no River Lapwing, no Savanna Nightjar, not even a  Little Ringed Plover. Very ordinary fare today: Yellow Wagtail was the bird of the moment, Green Bee-eater, Red-wattled Lapwing, Paddyfield Pipit, Grey-breasted Prinia, Eastern Stonechat.......and Rain Quail, hardly ordinary fare,  were very audible but stayed invisible. The surprise package was a female Watercock scurrying into scrub, a patch tick.Then as I exited in the dark, on instinct I took a right turn and almost drove over an Indian Nightjar at ease on the red gravel track; as I watched this bird in my headlights I could discern the distant rattle of a Chinese Francolin.

Pak Thale & Laem Pak Bia

Red-necked Stint

Calidris ruficollis

นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง

Pak Thale, Petchburi Province 09.10.12

An early afternoon high tide and the prospect of good light drew me to Phetchburi's famous stretch of the Inner Gulf. The theory is the high tide will move the waders off the mudflats into the salt pans. This proved true today. On arrival at Pak Thale there were huge numbers of Eurasian Curlews and Whiskered Terns in separate flocks. Mixed up with some of the curlews was a large number of Black-tailed Godwit with a liberal sprinkling of Whimbrel; I counted two Bar-tailed Godwits. About 350 Great Knot and lots of Red-necked Stints and Marsh Sandpipers. But no Spoon-bill Sandpiper. A strange dearth of Curlew & Broad-billed Sandpiper.

White-faced Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus

นกหัวโตขาดำ

Laem Pak Bia - sand spit, Petchburi Province 09.10.12

On to Laem Pak Bia which was strangely quiet. Two Spot-billed Pelicans and about 30 Common Greenshanks. I was eager to string some of these into Nordmann's but alas their legs were all wrong. Nine Grey Plover and a solitary Pacific Golden. Not much else and three Red-necked Stints at the Abandonned Building and nothing else.

White-faced Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus

นกหัวโตขาดำ

Laem Pak Bia - sand spit, Petchburi Province 09.10.12

So I decided to head out to the sand spit with Mr Deng. Almost immediately we chanced on two White-face Plovers. Good numbers of Malaysian Plovers and we also had two stationery Terek Sandpipers; first time I can recall these birds seeing these birds stand still. Lots of Sanderling. L.ots of Lesser Sand-plover

Terek Sandpiper

Xenus cinereus

นกชายเลนปากแอ่น 

Laem Pak Bia - sand spit, Petchburi Province 09.10.12

The sand spit is possibly one of the nicest places to go birding in the Inner Gulf. Beautifully warm, end of day and Mr Deng is the epitome of calm and serenity. Nice afternoon.

Ban Song Nok, Petchburi

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker - male

Dicaeum trigonostigma

นกกาฝากท้องสีส้ม

Ban Song Nok, Kaeng Krachan District, Petchburi Province

04.10.12

My trip to Ban Song Nok threw up two lifers today in an otherwise fairly low key trip. The undoubted highlight was a brief glimpse of a Blue-bearded Bee-eater whose identification was confirmed by its very distinct, monosyllabic call. I am not ticking this because it really was the briefest of views, I saw a clear powder blue beard, and then it was gone. I don't know at what point I would take the tick, but this was way below "better view required". I must have some sort of reasonable contact with the bird and this wasn't it!

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker - female

Dicaeum trigonostigma

นกกาฝากท้องสีส้ม

Ban Song Nok, Kaeng Krachan District, Petchburi Province

04.10.12

I will claim the Tickell's Blue Flycatcher because I got a number of clear if somewhat fleeting views of the front and rear, not enough to photograph, but enough to identify it. The Large Scimitar Babbler was too large and too near to fit in the LCD. In fact a pretty ugly bird not helped by the fact it was having a good splash and so getting wet. So Thai lifers #364 and #365.

Large Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus hypoleucos

นกระวังไพรปากยาว

Ban Song Nok, Kaeng Krachan District, Petchburi Province

04.10.12

The joy however is the simple business of photographing the flowerpeckers. The Orange-bellied is sublimely beautiful and it's still there, much to Ba Ek's surprise.

Black-naped Monarch

Hypothymis azurea

นกจับแมลงจุกดำ

Ban Song Nok, Kaeng Krachan District, Petchburi Province

04.10.12

But this is not easy-peasy stuff. Light conditions in the hide area are actually very difficult for digiscoping. Slow shutter speeds are the order of the day and this is not ideal for birds which are often moving about very rapidly. Also I  often have too much magnification so can't frame the whole bird! I do think the hide is 300 mm territory. Whatever I had the place to myself today and I got a couple of decent shots, so I'm happy.

Pak Thale & Laem Pak Bia

I am wondering if some or all of the birds in this shot are Little Stints. They were at Pak Thale this morning and they stood out because they were in their own little flock in their own little salt pan. There were plenty of Red-necked Stints in the adjacent pans and what initially struck me was these ones appeared bigger. As I scoped them the split supercilium, visible on the two right side birds, was apparent. Broad-billed Sandpiper, I wondered, but of course their bill is all wrong. On looking at the photo I am encouraged by the fine bill point and the brownish cast these birds have. I've referred the matter to the experts and shall await their judgement!

On Monday the first Spoon-billed Sandpiper of the winter was reported at Khok Kham in the Inner Gulf. So I thought it might be worth checking out Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia. No Spooner for me today but plenty of Red-necked Stints. A huge flock of Eurasian Curlews took off for the shore soon after my arrival. I also recorded 61 Brown-headed Gulls, the first gulls I have seen in this migratory cycle. A sizeable number, 150+, of Marsh Sandpipers

Laem Pak Bia was pretty quiet. I think most of the waders had headed for the coast and the fresh offerings of the new low tide. 3 Gull-billed Terns stood out amongst hundreds of Whiskered Terns. One Spot-billed Pelican, 2 Painted Stork and a handful of mixed waders, with a good number of Pacific Golden and Gray Plovers; 2 Temminck's Stints and 3 Black-tailed Godwits at the Abandonned Building. I bumped into Mr Daeng who advised that the Great Thick Knee has been about, but not today. In the King's Project I snatched glimpses of a Painted Snipe and a Pintail Snipe; otherwise fairly quiet.

But what fun to be birding on a Wednesday........ perfect!

Wat Khao Takrhao & Khai Yoi

Well my health improved enough to enable me to get out for the afternoon and take a gentle drive down through the Khao Yoi area to Wat Khao Takrhao in Phetchburi province. Lots of big water birds. In the course of the afternoon I would estimate I saw about 50 Spot-billed Pelicans, about 20 of which were paddling around the large pool at Wat Khao Takrhao; otherwise they were liberally scattered about the Khao Yoi area and mixed up with greater numbers of Painted Stork. No surprises at Wat Khao Takrhao but huge numbers of Lesser Whistling Duck, thousands of them. I didn't make any effort to count them as they were scattered everywhere. Unfortunately my "road" has been "resurfaced" and on the basis that I was sinking into it I didn't bother to drive. So no access to the area which allows good views over the pool with the added benefit of having the sun behind you in the afternoon.

I had observed a Common Kingfisher perching on an a small fish trap so I went back to try and get a shot of it by using my hide. A Green Bee-eater and Whiskered Tern obliged for me but not the kingfisher which took off the minute I trained my lens on it. Good numbers of waders: notably Black-tailed Godwits, but also a few Marsh Sandpipers and Pacific Golden Plovers. Things are building up very nicely.