13 May 2020

Bird watching trip report


Introduction

Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, a world famous area to look for waders. It is part of the Pak Thale – Laem Phak Bia Flyway Site, recognised as a priority site on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. There are many salt pans in the area. There is also the Environmental Research & Development Project with mangroves.

Go to the fishing harbour and rent a small boat with a Captain to explore the canal and mudflats going out to the Gulf of Thailand. And with the boat you can also go to check out the Sandspits.

This area is interesting in Spring/ Summer when you can see the waders in breeding plumage. Of course, most of the birds are here when they fly south from the winter months in the winter.

Shorebirds

Shorebirds are birds commonly found along sandy or rocky shorelines, mudflats, and shallow waters.

In some regions, shorebirds are considered wading birds.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Waders

Waders are birds commonly found along coastal habitats shorelines and mudflats that wade in order to forage for food (such as insects or crustaceans) in the mud or sand. They are called shorebirds in North America, where the term "wader" is used to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons. Waders are members of the order Charadriiformes, which includes gulls, auks and their allies.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale is an exciting area and there are of course several eBird hotspots in the area:

• Pak Thale Nature Reserve--Intertidal mud flats only
• Pak Thale Nature Reserve (General area)
• Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity
• Wat Khomnaram (Khomnaram Temple)
• Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans EAST of Hwy. 4028
• Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans WEST of Hwy. 4028
• Laem Phak Bia (General area)
• Laem Phak Bia--Environmental Research & Development Project
• Laem Phak Bia--Canal
• Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit
• Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint
• Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds
• Laem Phak Bia--"Abandoned building" wetlands
• Laem Phak Bia--Garbage dump

I have planned to visit 4 of the eBird hotspots today:
• Pak Thale Nature Reserve (General area)
• Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity My first visit
• Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans WEST of Hwy. 4028
• Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds My first visit


To skip the information and to go straight to the TRIP REPORT click HERE


Guide

I usually don't use any bird watching Guide in / around Bangkok. But could be a good idea to have a Guide to help me identify all the birds I see. As it is now my eBird checklists are not very impressive as I can only ID half of the birds I see.


Land transportation

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand
About 130 km from the Sukhumvit / Asoke intersection in DOWN TOWN Bangkok

You will need a car and if you don't have your own a taxi is a very convenient way of travelling. Depending on the early morning traffic it will take a little more than 2 hours to reach Pak Thale. You rent the taxi for a full day and it will set you back with about 1500-3000 Baht (May 2020). To make sure that the driver understand you can show the below Thai Script:
• Pak Thale ปากทะเล

• Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) ศุนย์เรียนรู้เรื่องนกและระบบนิเวศบ้านปากทะเล

Or show the driver a map. Click HERE for a map to the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) in Pak Tale


Scan for map to Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) in Pak Tale


• Laem Phak Bia แหลมผักเบี้ย

Or show the driver a map. Click HERE for a map to the bridge over the canal in Laem Pak Bia


Scan for map to the bridge over the canal in Laem Pak Bia


Get to Rama II Road on the west side of the Chao Phraya River and follow route #35. Reaching road Phetchaburi Border and #35 merge with route #4 about 21km after having crossed the Mae Klong River. The second river you cross after having left Chao Praya River behind. Get up on route #4 going south towards the town of Phetchaburi.

Road #4 goes all the way down to the border to Malaysia, but we will leave to road in Phetchaburi. Entering Phetchaburi and we slowed down to keep an eye out for any sign for road #3177. We could not see any sign until we had a sign saying 3177 “keep left” and it is easy to miss the exit.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Look out for road #3177

We turned off the highway and we turned left at the first intersection. We drove north until reaching the intersection and turn right to get on road #3177. Drive south for about 16 km until reaching an intersection. Turn left to get on road #4028.

From the intersection it is about 5 km to Laem Pak Bia fishing harbour. And it is about 14 km to Pak Thale following road #4028 driving north from Laem Pak Bia fishing harbour.

You can also leave RAMA II about 13 km after having crossed the bridge over River Klong, the second river you cross after having left Chao Praya River behind. Turn on road #2021 (Called highway 2021) and this road is soon turned in to road #4012. Follow this road until you reach BanLaem.

Turn right following road #3176. Turn left to follow the Rural Road #2021 and turn right at Na Am Phur and when coming out from BanLaem you reach a small roundabout.

The roundabout, can easily be mistaken for an intersection. But go straight and you are up on the road #4028. If you follow road #4028 it will take you to all the eBird hotspots 11 km south of the intersection starting with the Pak Thale Nature Reserve.


Equipment

Canon 5D Mk. III + Canon 5D Mk. IV
Canon EF 28-300/3,5-5,6 L IS USM
Canon EF 70-200/2,8L IS II USM
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens
Canon Speedlite 600EXII-RT flash
Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II
Panasonic HC-W585 video camera

Sound recorder
ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder

Binocular
Steiner Skyhawk 8x32 (Since May 2020)


Weather / climate

Weather, I don´t know if Bangkok is the hottest capital in the world. But this is what they say and I have no reason to doubt this information because it is darn hot.

Bangkok, Thailand - Climate & Temperature
Pictures from www.climatemps.com

Bangkok, Thailand - Climate & Temperature - Click picture for full size
Pictures from www.climatemps.com



References/Resources

Thai National Parks - About the National Parks in Thailand A very good web page - Do you know that there are still wild tigers, elephants, leopards, tapirs, gaurs, bears and many monkey species in many tropical rainforests across Thailand? Do you also know that around 10% of all marine species in the world can be found in Thailand? And the fact that Thailand is the best bird-watching destination in mainland Asia?

National parks are protected areas of land because they have unspoilt landscapes and a diverse number of native plants and animals. There are 127 national parks in Thailand, of them 22 marine national parks. These parks offers a diverse range of flora and fauna, home to important population of endangered species.
So now it will be easy to find out if there are any National Park close to you.

Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) - The Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) is one of the oldest Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST)organisations conserving birds and nature in Thailand and is the country partner of BirdLife International. BCST's role to the local community is to spread awareness about urban birds and reconnect people back to nature.

The Logo
Dated back to 1986 when BCST was then a loosely-formed “Bangkok Birdwatching Club”, the Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis), or “Nok Gang Ken Baan” in Thai, has been chosen to represent the organisation.

There are two sites covering Thailand and I have used them many times. These two web pages are actually everything you need for your birding adventures in Thailand. All the information you need about all the birding spots. Click on the map and then select your spot and you will have maps and everything you need to know about the areas. They have put a lot of jobs in to their web pages, North Thailand Birding and thaibirding.com A must to visit before you go bird watching in Thailand.

www.norththailandbirding.com - A one stop only for all your birding in Thailand

thaibirding.com - Nick Upton's one stop only for all your birding in Thailand.

Use both www.thaibirding.com and www.norththailandbirding.com and you have a winner. Some of the maps on www.norththailandbirding.com are way better than Nick Upton´s, while some of Nick's maps are much more detailed. So I have found that if I use both the web pages for information, well, nothing else needed.

PBase/Peter Ericson - Peter Ericson, a guy I thought was from USA because of his family name. I met him at Lat Krabang Paddies in May 2020 and turned out that he was Swedish. Anyway, I have used his excellent page PBase since 2016 as help to ID birds by the help from his beautiful bird pictures.

Here you can also find information about birding tours.

He is also having a Blog - Thaibirds and more with interesting information.

Bangkok City Birding - A lot of interesting birding stories and information on this bird watching blog by David Gandy. Bangkok-based patch-worker in Suan Rot Fai, a large park close to the city's famous weekend market. He have recorded 150 species on his patch since 2008. As one of the only big green spaces in the city, “SRF” acts as a real magnet for migrants during spring and autumn, and holds a healthy selection of "sibes" during the winter months.


The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership - The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership is a network of partners within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) aims to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitat and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them.

The Flyway is one of 9 major migratory routes recognised globally. Partners include National Governments, Inter-Governmental Organisations, International Non-governmental Organisations, and International Private Enterprise, which agree to endorse the text and support the objectives and actions under this Partnership.

Thailand have three Flyway Network Sites - www.eaaflyway.net/thailand to find more information.
Pak Thale – Laem Phak Bia Flyway Site
Khok Kham Flyway Site
Krabi Estuary and Bay

www.tideschart.com GET THE LATEST TIDES IN THAILAND AND AROUND THE WORLD - A must to check out times for HIGH and LOW water when going to look for waders / shorebirds.

ebird - Find birding hotspots with bird checklists from all over the world

Avibase - is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over 25 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information for 12,000 regions, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages


www.oiseaux.net This web page is also excellent for identifying birds. There is information and range maps for many many birds from all over the world. This page is almost guaranteed to give you any answer you have about any bird in the world.

Cloudbirders - Read birding trip reports from all over the world

Fatbirder - Linking birders worldwide... Wildlife Travellers see their sister site: WAND


Fatbirder is a fantastic web page with information from, I think every country in the world. My first stop when I plan for my bird watching trips. There is information about locations and guides, well, pretty much everything you need to know. Sometimes this is the only place I need to visit to plan my trip.

BirdingPal - find a birding Guide around the world

BirdingPal


And the web page you cannot live without. I have been around the world looking for birds. I usually have a Guide, but sometimes it is not possible to find a Guide. So, well, I have lost count on how many times I have had help to ID birds at BirdForum. Joining this forum have been very very good for my bird watching experience.

www.birdforum.net

ClimaTemps.com is the place to learn about the worlds climates with more than 4000 locations documented. Each aspect of the climate is represented using colour enhanced tables and professional graphs so that data can easily be compared by switching between locations in different tabs in your browser.

“A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South East Asia by Craig Robson”


A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South East Asia by Craig Robson

A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South East Asia by Craig Robson. New edition updated with 76 species since previous edition “A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South East Asia by Craig” Nick Upton at www.thaibirding.com wrote “This quite excellent book is packed full of quality illustrations and written information on 1251 species recorded in Southeast Asia”

I bought this book for bird watching in Thailand, but it goes for all over SE Asia

I have been very happy with the “A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South East Asia by Craig Robson” But I had a fire in my condo 2019 and I needed to buy a new book. I was looking for the “A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand and South East Asia by Craig Robson” as I liked the book. But this book is not available anymore so I had to buy the “A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand” by Craig Robson.

What a disappointment this was, using the pictures in the book didn't helped to ID any birds.

“Birds of Thailand” by Uthai Treesuconand Wich'yanan Limparungpatthanakij


I met Peter Ericson, a famous bird watcher and he recommended the “Birds of Thailand” by Uthai Treesuconand Wich'yanan Limparungpatthanakij. I bought the book as soon as the book stores opened after the Wuhan virus. And I am very happy with the book and I have managed to ID some birds using the book.

Birds of Thailand by Uthai Treesuconand Wich'yanan Limparungpatthanakij

This new field guide will help you identify all 1049 species to have been recorded in the country to date, including the 20 species endemic or near-endemic to Thailand.

-Taxonomy follows the HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World.

-Detailed texts covering status, habitat and behaviour, age, sex and geographical variation, voice, and confusion species.

-Almost 2200 illustrations covering all species and distinctive subspecies, birds in flight, males and females, juveniles and non-breeding plumages, where appropriate.

-QR code for each species, linking to the Internet Bird Collection gallery of photos, videos and sounds.

-More than 1025 full-colour range maps for all species other than vagrants.

-Well-marked subspecies groups receive full accounts, and the distributions of subspecies breeding in the region are clearly mapped.

-Local species name and local conservation status included.


I like the book, but I miss the picture index.


Places to visit

Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale


Laem Phak Bia (Thai: แหลมผักเบี้ย, pronounced [lɛ̌ːm pʰàk bîa̯]; lit. 'purslane point') is a coastal area in Ban Laem District, Phetchaburi Province, Thailand. The shore is a large, open area of mudflats and salt pans, with some mangrove areas and scrub, tipped by a sand spit. The area is not a national park, the land being privately owned, but it is a favoured location for bird-watchers where they can see a wide variety of shorebirds. The area is administered as Laem Phak Bia Subdistrict, and is home to a village of the same name.

Fauna
This area is famed for its bird-watching opportunities. Important species include the critically-endangered spoon-billed sandpiper, the endangered Nordmann's greenshank and black-faced spoonbill, and the white-faced plover. On the saltpans nearby, the spoon-billed sandpiper is reliably present from November to March, inclusive, and the painted stork, the red-necked phalarope and the pied avocet can also often be seen.

The sand spit is a wintering area for such gulls as the Pallas's gull, the Heuglin's gull and the Vega gull, and the Malaysian plover the Chinese egret are often present. Passerines that can be seen in the mangroves, swamps and enclosures at the research centre include the golden-bellied gerygone, the dusky warbler, the racket-tailed treepie, various reed warblers, the common snipe, the pin-tailed snipe, the ruddy-breasted crake and the slaty-breasted rail.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, a world famous area to look for waders. It is part of the Pak Thale – Laem Phak Bia Flyway Site, recognised as a priority site on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. There are many salt pans in the area. There is also the Environmental Research & Development Project with mangroves.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
eBird “Hotspots” at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
eBird “Hotspots” in Pak Thale

There are several eBird hotspots in the Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale Area, have a look at these if you CLICK the names below:

Some places the hotspots are very close and it is really impossible to know the limits between them.

Pak Thale Nature Reserve--Intertidal mud flats only

Pak Thale Nature Reserve (General area)

Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity

Wat Khomnaram (Khomnaram Temple)


Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
eBird “Hotspots” in Laem Pak Bia


Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans EAST of Hwy. 4028

Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans WEST of Hwy. 4028

Laem Phak Bia (General area)

Laem Phak Bia--Environmental Research & Development Project

Laem Phak Bia--Canal

Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit

Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint

Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds

Laem Phak Bia--"Abandoned building" wetlands

Laem Phak Bia--Garbage dump


Pak Thale Nature Reserve--Intertidal mud flats only


If I understand it right, this is only a hot spot at low water. Drive as far you can get on the dirt road and you reach a pier. Maybe you can see birds here during the low water. If it is realy low water the birds will be too far away.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
As far as you can get on the dirt road at Pak Thale

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Mud flats at low water

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Mud flats at low water



Pak Thale Nature Reserve (General area)


There are a green “Pak Thale ShoreBird Site” sign and just turn east here and you are on a dirt track taking you past the saltpans and to the ponds on the way to the pier at the end of the road. There are several salt barns in the area and it had been reported that you can find Barn Owls in these barns.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Coming from south and you can see the green “Pak Thale ShoreBird Site” sign

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Follow the sign to Ban Pak Tha-le

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
By now you should already have left road #4028 and you should be on the dirt track

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
After a few hundred meters you're in the Salt Pans again, turn right as per directions on the sign

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
DRIVE SLOW TO AVOID DUST!!

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Drive by the salt pans

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Ponds turn in to mudflats during low water

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Concrete paved track to the pier

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST)

At high water the waders are in the pans/ ponds eating or resting. You can drive around on dirt tracks and you can come very close to the birds. Every time I tried to get out the birds took off and it was not possible to take any pictures.

Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) have a house in the area and if they are open you can pay them a visit.



Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity


There is a tank farm south of Pak Thale located just next to the road on the west side. Just north of the tank farm you turn down towards the water. There is a row of restaurant at the water front.

There is a gravel area between the restaurants and the road and there is plenty space for parking. Enter the restaurants slowly and carefully, to quick and three step later you're in the water on the other side of the restaurant.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale - Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Enough parking in front of the restaurants

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale - Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, Thailand
You can see the tank farm behind the palm trees on the right hand side

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale - Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Water front restaurant

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale - Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Board walks from the restaurant

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale - Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, Thailand

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale - Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Not much space for bird watching

There is a meter or two between the restaurant and the water, and you will most likely be here mid-day and by then the sun is shining on the restaurant and it is next to impossible to get between the sun and the birds in the trees outside the restaurant. OK, you can wear rubber boots to get out in the water to get between the sun and the birds.

OK, if you don't have any time, just drive by. And I don't understand why they have made this place to an eBird hotspot, but it is so I made a stop. And it was not a waste of time, but to come here to look for birds, no.



Wat Khomnaram (Khomnaram Temple)


The fields in front of the temple Wat Kom Naram and the fields turns in to mud during the rainy season. There are quite a few Oriental Pratincole nesting on the dry mud. There are Skylarks and Bushlarks in the fields. There are a lot of birds in the trees along the wall between the fields and the temple ground.

There are fish farms next to the temple on the east side and these are accessible via a dirt track on the eastern side of the fields. The fields are divided by a dirt track between the temple and road #6022 south of the temple.

If you come from the north you can turn east in to the temple and there is a gate to the dirt track going south to road #6022.


Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving to the temple

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Reaching the temple

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Dirt track dividing the fields

If you come from the south on road #4028 you will pass a fuel station on your left hand side in good time before the T junction where you turn to west in to road #6022. And it is even easier to see the red and white radio mast just north of the T junction. So turn towards west between the gas stop and the radio mast.

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Easy to see the gas stop and radio mast coming from south on road # 4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Temple from the south

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
The fields

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
The fields

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
The fields

Can be worth a visit just to see the Oriental Pratincole standing on the dry mud. Otherwise here is not much to see, but worth to drive through when you go between Pak Thale and Laem Pak Bia.



Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans EAST of Hwy. 4028


Just north of Laem Pak Bia you have salt pans on both East and West side of road # 4028 and you can expect, of course, waders. Drive slow during the low water and keep your eyes in the ditches next to the road. They are now turned in to mud. We spotted Crakes at the water line at the bottom of the ditches. But they are very scared so not possible to get any pictures as they took covers in the vegetation.

Birding/ Bird watching at Wat Khomnaram, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving south on road#4028 between Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans

Drive between salt pans and pond on the dirt tracks and it is pretty much the same as the rest of the salt pans I have been visiting in Thailand. And drive slow to avoid dust on the heaps of salt they keep everywhere.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Getting in to the dirt track East of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving around the salt pans East of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving around the salt pans East of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving around the salt pans East of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving around the salt pans East of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving around the salt pans East of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Driving around the salt pans East of road #4028

We spotted a couple of Crakes driving by the area and of course waders and all the other birds associated with ponds and salt pans. And even if you don't see any birds it is an interesting area to see.



Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans WEST of Hwy. 4028


Just north of Laem Pak Bia you have salt pans on both East and West side of road # 4028 and you can expect, of course, waders. Drive slow during the low water and keep your eyes in the ditches next to the road. They are now turned in to mud.

We spotted Crakes at the water line at the bottom of the ditches. But they are very scared so not possible to get any pictures as they took covers in the vegetation so no pictures.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Work on the salt pans West of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Work on the salt pans West of road #4028

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia Salt Pans, Phetchaburi, Thailand
West of road #4028

We left road #4028 and the first thing we see is a new sign that it is prohibited to drive and walk in the area. So we just drove down the dirt track for a couple of hundred meters before we turned around.

I was here back in 2016 and you can read about it HERE



Laem Phak Bia (General area)


This seems to be a hot spot used for the general area and I never used this hot spot.



Laem Phak Bia--Environmental Research & Development Project


Closed during the Wuhan Virus, but it is reported that you are not allowed to enter by car any more, but there is a golf cart service. I need to check this out when it opens gain.

I was here back in 2016 and you can read about it HERE



Laem Phak Bia--Canal


On the boat and you passing the canal from the fishing harbour going to the Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit. There are mangroves on both sides of the canal. And there are mudflats during low water. You see birds in the mangroves and there are waders on the mudflats during the low water.

And we can see all the birds we associate with water front, mangroves and mudflats. So here is a lot to see and if you’re on a boat you have rented yourself it is easy to ask the “Captain” to slow down. Or to ask the “Captain” to stop.

Maybe not so easy if you're in a group, the reason for me to pay the extra and go alone.

Laem Phak Bia--Canal
Leaving Laem Phak Bia fishing harbour

Laem Phak Bia--Canal
The canal and Gulf of Thailand ahead of us

Laem Phak Bia--Canal
Mangroves and mudflats on both sides of the canal

Laem Phak Bia--Canal

Laem Phak Bia--Canal
Mangroves and mudflats on both sides of the canal

Laem Phak Bia--Canal
Mouth of the canal




Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit


Leaving the canal and the sandpits are on your right hand side. During low water you can use the dried up sand as a berthing place and get of the boat. And as it is sand and no mudflats it is possible to walk on the “sea bottom” Walk around and there are many waders, even though they tend to take off when you came close to them.

Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit
We can see the sandpits on the right hand side coming out from the canal

Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit
I get off the boat

Laem Phak Bia--Sandspit
Many waders on the dry sand at low water




Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint


This place, maybe worth a visit in the winter, and it won't take you many visits to come here. Just turn east less than 100 meters south of Laem Pak Bia fishing harbour. You reach the beach about 200 meters from road #4028 and there is a big parking area. MAY 2020 and no birds was spotted, well, one Chinese Pond Heron and a Malaysian Plover very far away + three unidentified Terns.

There is a dead tree area just before you reach the parking, not one single barbet was spotted here.

Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint
It is not a well maintained area

Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint
There is enough parking

Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint
The beach

Laem Phak Bia--Had Sai Med Rak Viewpoint
I don't think I will bother coming back




Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds


Well, this hot spot is pretty much the same as the other “pans & ponds” hotspot in the area. Comming from north and turn right about 200 meters after having crossing the bridge over the fishing harbour.



Laem Phak Bia--Garbage dump


It is the same way to the garbage dump and the abandoned building and you can see the abandoned building from road #4028. When you reach the sluice gate on the south side of road #4028 you turn north on to a dirt road.

Even if you don't know what a sluice gate you will understand when you pass the sluice port. After a couple of hundred meters you will pass the garbage dump

Laem Phak Bia--Abandoned building
Easy to see the abandoned building form the road

Laem Phak Bia--Abandoned building
Sluice port

Laem Phak Bia--Abandoned building
After passing the sluice port turn to north in to the dirt track (ARROW)
AGAIN! DRIVE SLOWLY IN THE AREA!! Not far between the spots and it is easy miss a road etc.

Birding/ Bird watching in Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Thailand
Dirt track from the sluice port to the abandoned building

Birding/ Bird watching in Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Thailand
You are soon passing a garbage dump (On your left hand side)
Took this picture after passing the garbage dump

Just to park the car anywhere as there is plenty space on the dirt road. Walk around the area looking for birds and there are plenty birds around the garbage dump. And I guess it is because of flies and insects in the garbage.

MAY 2020 AND THE GARBAGE DUMP IS REMOVED

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia--Garbage dump, Thailand
MAY 2020 AND THE GARBAGE DUMP IS REMOVED

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Phak Bia--Garbage dump, Thailand
MAY 2020 AND THE GARBAGE DUMP IS REMOVED




Laem Phak Bia--Abandoned building" wetlands

Scan for map to the “Abandoned building”

Drive past the garbage dump and you reach the abandoned building in a couple of minutes. And again, plenty area for parking or drive along the dirt tracks to check out the birds.

Birding/ Bird watching in Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Thailand
Driving past the garbage dump - The abandoned building

Birding/ Bird watching in Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Thailand
The abandoned building

Birding/ Bird watching in Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Thailand
Wiev from the abandoned building





Bird checklist

I never use any bird lists, but since I try to make it in to Cloudbirders. A very helpful site when planning your birding trips. But they ask for a bird checklist, and if I use their service, of course I want to contribute as well. My two first bird watching trip reports was rejected by Cloudbirders.

So I started to take ideas from the reports I found on Cloudbirders. So I have started to use bird lists, eBird generate one for me and I can post it on Cloudbirders. I will post my birds on eBird and on my different “BIRDS THAT I HAVE OBSERVED” pages.

Full Thai list updated to the taxonomy, nomenclature and sequence of the IOU/IOC World Bird List. The complete checklist, including Thai names and synonyms, can be downloaded in Excel format - Thailand Bird Checklist. - Version 8.2 (2018) - found at www.norththailandbirding.com

Check lists can come in handy to find out the local name of the bird etc. And Avibase have a list with pictures and sounds, excellent!

So I will post bird checklists here and if my Guides provide me with checklists I will also post them here.

Cloudbirders


Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World

Phetchaburi bird checklist from Avibase, click HERE - eBird version 2019 taxonomy

Avibase is providing you with bird checklists from all over the world. And I´m impressed by their web page. Select country and area and you get the bird checklist. Like the PDF files I got from Avibase on the links above. You also get the checklist with pictures and sounds.

The best part is that you get the local names of the birds and the online checklist gives the names in English plus the language you have selected. But it seems like the PDF cannot handle some alphabet.

For example the Japanese language so it is blank in the PDF checklist. But it worked excellent with Swedish. But you get them in the local language on the online version.


Bird list

I only list birds I have got on picture on my list of OBSERVED BIRDS. But since I started using eBird I have changed a bit. I list all the birds on the eBird checklist. See the DAY TO DAY report in the itinerary below.

And you can visit my list of “Birds I have seen in Thailand” ONLY BIRDS I HAVE ON PICTURE.


Trip Report


13th of May 2020 and we left my Condo at 6 o'clock in the morning. We left Rama II at the Scenic Route and we approached Pak Thale from the north. My plan is to visit four eBird hotspots starting from the north to the south. Then I will go north on road #3177 to visit another hotspot and to have lunch at ป้าหยันร้านอาหารเพชรบุรี

Scan for map to ป้าหยันร้านอาหารเพชรบุรี

Birding/ Bird watching at Hat Chao Samran, Phetchaburi, Thailand - ป้าหยันร้านอาหารเพชรบุรี

First stop: Pak Thale Nature Reserve (General area) and I started my eBird app at 07:45. We had a Pelican flying over the road in front of us coming here and I hope to see one here as well so I can get a better picture than what I got last time here.

There were a lot of the Red-necked Stints, hundreds of them on the mudflats. I spotted on Bar-tailed and one Black-tailed Godwit. I spotted one Grey Plover as well, and I was most happy about me being able to ID the bird.

Red-necked Stint, Calidris ruficollis, นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง

Red-necked Stint, Calidris ruficollis, นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง
Red-necked Stint / นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง

Red-necked Stint, Calidris ruficollis, นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง
Red-necked Stint / นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง

Red-necked Stint, Calidris ruficollis, นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง
Red-necked Stint / นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง

Grey Plover
Grey Plover

Lesser Sand Plover, Charadrius mongolus, นกหัวโตทรายเล็ก

Collared Kingfisher, Todiramphus chloris, นกกินเปี้ยว, White-collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Kingfisher

Collared Kingfisher, Todiramphus chloris, นกกินเปี้ยว, White-collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher / นกกินเปี้ยว

Chestnut Munia, Lonchura atricapilla, นกกระติ๊ดสีอิฐ

Chestnut Munia, Lonchura atricapilla, นกกระติ๊ดสีอิฐ
Chestnut Munia / นกกระติ๊ดสีอิฐ

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand
Pond heron - No ID as it is not in breeding plumage

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand
We meet a new friend

There was not many waders around except for the Red-necked Stint, well, there was a lot of Lesser Sand Plovers as well. But the rest of them are in Europe having babies. But I was happy to spot one Black-tailed and one Bar-tailed Godwit on the mud flats. But not in breeding plumage, a little disappointing as they are very beautiful during the breeding season.

Not many pictures as the birds was too far away and I will buy a binocular when the shops are opening again. I have read that they will open at the end of the week, Thursday and Friday in the news-paper all week long. But now when we are here no news when they will open so I can buy a binocular.
Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, นกปากแอ่นหางดำ

Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, นกปากแอ่นหางดำ
Black-tailed Godwit / นกปากแอ่นหางดำ

Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, นกปากแอ่นหางดำ
Black-tailed Godwit / นกปากแอ่นหางดำ

Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica, นกปากแอ่นหางลาย

Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica, นกปากแอ่นหางลาย
Striated Heron

Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica, นกปากแอ่นหางลาย
Great Egret

Collared Kingfisher, Todiramphus chloris, นกกินเปี้ยว, White-collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Kingfisher

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand

Lesser Sand Plover, Charadrius mongolus, นกหัวโตทรายเล็ก

Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, นกปากแอ่นหางดำ
Black-tailed Godwit / นกปากแอ่นหางดำ

Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, นกปากแอ่นหางดำ
Black-tailed Godwit / นกปากแอ่นหางดำ

Javan Pond Heron, Ardeola speciosa, นกยางกรอกพันธุ์ชวา

Well, I was happy to have invested in my tour with Wild Bird Eco Tour as I had learned to ID a few more birds than what I could before the tour. So I am sure that I will use them again, most likely next winter to come back here again when the area is full of waders when they are back from Europe.

And if we are lucky they will show up with their babies that they are busy making in Europe now.

Wild Bird Eco Tour

Of course, wrong time of the year to come here, but the waders are (many of them at least) in breeding plumage this time of the year so it is worth a visit. I had seen a lot of birds, but not the pelican and I will Yet another Smiley on www.aladdin.st hopefully see the bird next time.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand
Today´s track at Pak Thale


eBird

eBird Report

Pak Thale Nature Reserve (general area), Phetchaburi, TH May 13, 2020 07:45 - 09:08
Protocol: Traveling
4.73 kilometer(s)
25 species (+1 other taxa)

Little Grebe 1
Feral Pigeon X
Red Collared Dove 1
Spotted Dove 5
Zebra Dove X
Black-winged Stilt 1
Grey Plover 1
Pacific Golden Plover 1
Lesser Sand Plover X Many many on the mudflats
Kentish Plover 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 One Bar and one Black tailed eating close to each other on the mudflat
Black-tailed Godwit 1 One Bar and one Black tailed eating close to each other on the mudflat
Red-necked Stint X Hundreds
Common Redshank X
Painted Stork 1
Little Cormorant 1
Great White Egret 1
Little Egret X
Javan Pond Heron 2
pond heron sp. 2 Not possible to ID as not in breeding plumage
Striated Heron 1
Collared Kingfisher 2
Malaysian Pied-Fantail 2
Common Myna X
Great Myna X
Chestnut Munia 10

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S68957797

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We leave Pak Thale and we drive south for a couple of minutes before we leave the road. We will visit the eBird hotspot: Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity A few restaurants at the waterfront just east of road #4028.

We park the car and we have a look at the area, the restaurants are just at the water front so no space to walk around. There is a bridge that you can walk out on the water from one of the restaurants.

There are some bushes and a couple of trees in front of one of the restaurants but not much space to take pictures. I reported one Coppersmith Barbet in my eBird map and I found it strange that it had never been reported before.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand - Oriental Magpie Robin, Copsychus saularis, นกกางเขนบ้าน

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand - Coppersmith Barbet, Psilopogon haemacephalus, นกตีทอง

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand - Streak-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus blanfordi, นกปรอดสวน

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand - House Sparrow
House Sparrow

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand - House Sparrow
House Sparrow

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale, Thailand - House Sparrow
House Sparrow

There was one Asian Koel in the tree and I managed to get a recording before we left the area. There was a few birds but I never understood why this place have turned in to an eBird hotspot: . But it might be good for a snack stop if you have been up and about since early morning. Have a snack and spend a few minutes to check out the area.

Listen to the Asian Koel

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity

Visiting eBird hotspot: "Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity" and this bird sitting on top of the kitchen

As the restaurant is on the water front with the tree between the water and the restaurant there was no room to get a picture


www.xeno-canto.org

Birding/ Bird watching at the Mai Payung Restaurant vicinit
Today´s track at the Mai Payung Restaurant vicinit


eBird

eBird Report

Mai Payung Restaurant vicinity, Phetchaburi, TH May 13, 2020 09:17 - 09:55
Protocol: Traveling
0,28 kilometer(s)
11 species

Red Collared Dove 12
Asian Koel 1
Black-winged Stilt 2
Little Egret 1
Javan Pond Heron 1
Coppersmith Barbet 1 Sitting in the tree at the restaurant
Streak-eared Bulbul 3
Asian Pied Starling 3
Great Myna 5
Oriental Magpie-Robin 2
House Sparrow 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S68959392

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We left the restaurants continue driving south towards the eBird hotspot: Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds and I will stop at the eBird hotspot: Laem Phak Bia--Salt pans WEST of Hwy. 4028 on the way. My main reason for coming to Laem Pak Bia / Pak Thale todawas to visit the two hotspots I had not been visiting before.

The restaurant was one of them and the Artemia ponds is the other one, of course coming here and you are visiting Pak Thale and the Laem Pak Bia Salt Pans. And I never got any pictures of the rails last time at the Salt Pans so I will give it a try today again. So we left road #4028 turning east to get out on the salt pans WEST of road #4028.

I could not believe my luck. We spotted a Slaty-breasted Rail, most likely the same bird as last time when I was here with Wild Bird Eco Tour. And the bird ran away as the previous rails had been doing. But today the bird didn't ran in to the vegetation. Our new friend the Slaty-breasted Rail was running along the vegetation and I was trying to get pictures.

Slaty-breasted Rail, Gallirallus striatus, นกอัญชันอกสีเทา

Slaty-breasted Rail, Gallirallus striatus, นกอัญชันอกสีเทา
Slaty-breasted Rail / นกอัญชันอกสีเทา running along the vegetation

Birding/ Bird watching at the Mai Payung Restaurant vicinit
Kentish Plover
Picture not good enough for the bird to make it to my list of observed birds

Birding/ Bird watching at the Mai Payung Restaurant vicinit
Striated Heron

Birding/ Bird watching at the Mai Payung Restaurant vicinit
Little Cormorant

We get back out on road #4028 where we had entered last time here with Wild Bird Eco Tour and we drive south to enter the area again to see if we can see the Slaty-breasted Rail. We drive slowly along the dirt track looking down in the mud ditch. But no luck this time as our new friend seems to be hiding.

We turn around and drive back to road #4028 keeping an eye in the mud ditch.

Birding/ Bird watching at Laem Pak Bia salt pans
Today´s track at Laem Pak Bia salt pans


eBird

eBird Report

Laem Phak Bia--salt pans west of Hwy. 4028, Phetchaburi, TH May 13, 2020 10:09 - 10:51
Protocol: Traveling
4,71 kilometer(s)
14 species

Feral Pigeon X
Red Collared Dove X
Spotted Dove X
Slaty-breasted Rail 1
Black-winged Stilt X
Lesser Sand Plover 1
Kentish Plover 1
Little Cormorant 7
Little Egret 1
Javan Pond Heron 1
Striated Heron 1
Collared Kingfisher 1
Great Myna 2
Chestnut Munia 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S68960544

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Back out on road #4028and we turn to south and we drive across the bridge over the canal and fishing harbour. 200 meters or so after the bridge and we turn towards west to have a look at eBird hotspot: Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds. Driving on a small dirt track between some buildings before we reach an area looking pretty much as the other “salt pans” hotspots in the area.

But as I had never been at this hotspot before it was nice to see even if it is the same habitat and the same birds. But you never know what you will see. We passed the buildings and we stopped to by ice cream from an ice cream motorcycle standing along the dust road.

Common Redshank, Tringa totanus, Rödbena, นกทะเลขาแดง

Common Redshank, Tringa totanus, Rödbena, นกทะเลขาแดง
Common Redshank / นกทะเลขาแดง

Lesser Sand Plover, Charadrius mongolus, นกหัวโตทรายเล็ก

Red-necked Stint, Calidris ruficollis, นกสติ๊นท์คอแดง

Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva, นกหัวโตหลังจุดสีทอง

Birding/ Bird watching at Artemia ponds
Today´s track at Artemia ponds


eBird

eBird Report

Laem Phak Bia--Artemia ponds, Phetchaburi, TH May 13, 2020 10:55 - 11:14
Protocol: Traveling
1,25 kilometer(s)
8 species

Red Collared Dove X
Zebra Dove 1
Asian Koel 1
Black-winged Stilt 1
Pacific Golden Plover 3
Lesser Sand Plover 4
Red-necked Stint 1
Common Redshank 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S68960910

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

We turned south when we were back on road #4028 and we will drive to Chao Samran Beach. We will get on road #3177 and drive north towards Phetchaburi. We will stop at the eBird hotspot: Hat Chao Samran--Hwy. 3177 ricefields & marshes on the way to Phetchaburi.

We have also planned to have lunch at the restaurant we visited last time. Anyway, click HERE to find out if we see any birds.



Bird watching trip report



       
                  


                                       

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