Sunday, December 6, 2015

Laem Pak Bia, Pak Thale & Kaeng Krachan 22 - 27 November 2015

Laem Pak Bia wetlands and Pak Thale salt pans in Petchaburi are 2 sites well-known for waders and shorebirds and during Thailand’s dry “winter” months October to March when the birds migrate
Entrance road to Pak Thale
from the northern winter the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been reported to be seen at Pak Thale.  Both sites are within 3 hours’ drive from Bangkok airport and we included them on this trip to Kaeng Krachan.  We booked the i Tara Resort & Spa, a seaside resort on the northern sandy beach of Petchaburi for 2 nights.  Nearby were some salt pans but generally the area is a village with a few shops and a couple of small establishments for dinning out, a peaceful place to stay for sun and sea without the crowds.





Black-winged Kite

On Sunday 22, Uthai from Chiangmaibirding picked our group of 4 from Don Meung airport. The Air Asia flight arrived at noon and after a quick stop at one of the highway cafes, we arrived Laem Pak Bia at 3.30pm.  We saw 2 Black-winged Kites and many Red-turtle doves on the wires along the country roads.
After checking into the i Tara Resort, we went to Pak Thale salt pans for a quick look before the sunset. 

Caspian Tern
The waders were feeding in flocks but quite far out and we spotted another vehicle near a shed. It was not easy trying to scope the "Spoonie" among the waders.  We saw lots of Plovers, Gulls, Sandpipers and Terns.  The driver of the vehicle passed us on his way out and mentioned he had seen 1 Spoonbill Sandpiper among the flocks.  We scrutinised the flocks with the scope but the sunlight was waning so we decided to leave and return the next morning for a longer stay. On Monday 23, after breakfast, we left at 7.30 am to the Laem Pak Bia King’s Project near us and drove along the bunds of the ponds. There were mainly Javan Pond herons, Black-winged Stilts and Egrets feeding with Little Commorants perched on sticks and structures in the ponds. 



Common Tern 
We took a short walk on the mangrove boardwalk and a couple of Pied Fantails and Yellow-bellied Gerygones were singing but hard to see in the thick foliage.  We then drove to Pak Thale and stayed till lunch time.  We moved quite close to the sea but each time we come close, the flocks would fly to another spot.  It was difficult spotting the tiny Spoon-billed Sandpiper.  We left at noon to escape the hot sun. There was time to kill after lunch so it was a relaxing spa treatment at the i Tara.  At 4pm we went back to Pak Thale but could not locate the star bird.

On Tuesday 24 we went to Laem Pak Bia King’s Project and this time we walked the full boardwalk
to the sea end and it was a spectacular view of the mangrove forest as we looked back.  As we had booked a visit to Lung Sin's hide at Kaeng Krachan in the afternoon, we left Laem Pak Bia around 10.30 am for the 2-hour drive.
We checked into Baan Song Nok around noon and had lunch at a nearby "restaurant" watching an Indian Roller who was hiding from the hot sun. 

On Wed 25, we left at 6 am to Paneongtung summit  which was 1.5 hours drive from the Park entrance.  
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Many visitors had camped overnight at the top to catch the sunrise over the white fluffy clouds.  There was a fruiting tree across the valley near the campsite and barbets, bulbuls and flycatchers were busy feeding in the early morning.   After our breakfast we drove up to another viewpoint looking for the dried bamboo flowers that the Pin-tailed Parrotbills feed on.   At 10 am a bird wave brought the parrot-bills but it was difficult to photograph these small birds so we waited for another round of feeding.  Near lunch time we drove down to Bang Krang campsite, while walking around the campsite we saw a pair of Violet Cuckoos feeding in the trees. On the way down we stopped by a couple of fig trees with birds feeding but the foliage was thick and hard to photograph the birds.   We went back to Ban Song Nok and birded at the hide till dinner time.


Thursday 26 we left at 6.30 am for the Park and stopped on the road near the big fig tree at km 8 to stake out the Black-thighed Falconets that had been regularly seen. It was still misty when 3 Falconets came but they flew off too quickly.  We waited for their return but they did not show after
Green Magpie
an hour or so, meanwhile we heard the knocking of wood and found a Heart-spotted Woodpecker building a nest hole.  She was then relieved by the male after some time.  The male extracted the chippings from the hole and continued with his pecking work.   We spent some time watching this pair then drove on to Bang Krang for lunch.  We left after a short stay and drove out of the Park to the coffee place opposite Sarman's Bird Camp and while having coffee we had good views of the Thick-billed Flowerpeckers feeding on the Indian Cherry trees.  Towards the late afternoon it was back to Auntie Aek's hide and it was the usual suspects that came to bathe at the 2 pools.


We left Friday 27 after breakfast and it was a longer drive back to Don Meung due to heavy traffic




Black-naped Monarch
Racket-tailed Treepie



Bar-backed Partridge

Large Scimitar Babbler

Kalij Pheasant - F

Kalij Pheasant












 Laem Pak Bia & Pak Thale Photos                     Kaeng Krachan Photos

Birds Seen at Laem Pak Bia and Pak Thale:

1
Black-winged Kite
                      18
White-throated Kingfisher
2
Red-wattled Lapwing
19
Common Kingfisher
3
Asian Openbill Stork
20
Black-capped Kingfisher
4
Grey-headed Lapwing
21
Intermediate Egret
5
Asian Pied Starling
22
Little Egret
6
Red Turtle Dove
23
Chinese Egret
7
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
24
Great Egret
8
Crested Myna
25
Little Cormorant
9
Curlew Sandpiper
26
Grey Heron
10
Kentish Plover
27
Brown-headed Gull
11
Black-winged Stilt
28
Common Tern
12
Streak-eared Bulbul
29
Caspian Tern
13
Javan Pond Heron
30
Heuglin's Gull
14
Yellow-eyed Babbler
31
Painted Stork
15
Whiskered Tern
32
House Sparrow
16
Common Sandpiper
33
Brahminy Kite
17
Wood Sandpiper
34
Pied Fantail





  Birds Seen at Kaeng Krachan:

1
Oriental Magpie Robin
27
Blue-throated Barbet
2
Indian Roller
28
Great Barbet
3
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
29
Golden-throated Barbet
4
Grey-cheeked Fulvetta
30
Pin-tailed Parrotfinch
5
White-rumped Shama
31
Hainan Blue Flycatcher
6
Black-naped Monarch
32
Ashy Drongo
7
Verditer Flycatcher
33
Crow-billed Drongo
8
Striped-throated Bulbul
34
Black-headed Bulbul
9
Flavescent Bulbul
35
Black-crested Bulbul
10
Racket-tailed Treepie
36
Sooty-headed Bulbul
11
Pin-striped Tit Babbler
37
Taiga Flycatcher
12
Scaly-breasted Partridge
38
Siberian Blue Robin
13
Bar-backed Partridge
39
Abbot's Babbler
14
Puff-throated Babbler
40
Arctic Warbler
15
Red Jungle Fowl
41
Vernal Hanging Parrot
16
Greater-necklaced Laughing Thrush
42
Blue-bearded Bee-eater
17
Green Magpie
43
Common Flameback
18
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
44
Greater Flameback
19
Large Scimitar Babbler
45
Heart-spotted Kingfisher
20
White-browed Scimitar Babbler
46
Violet Cuckoo
21
Emerald Dove
47
Oriental Pied Hornbill
22
Kalij Pheasant
48
Thick-billed Flowerpecker
23
Red Legged Crake
49
Brown-throated Sunbird
24
Slaty-legged Crake
50
Coppersmith  Barbet
25
Grey-eyed Bulbul
51
Lineated Barbet
26
Mountain Bulbul
52
Black-thighed Falconet




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