DAY 12 to DAY 14

For the remaining few days of the trip we were so close to the 'hot spot' for another of South East Asia's newest 'species' namely White-fronted Plover, we decided to give it ago even though it was a bit early in the season (they usually appear from October onwards) and you never know we might find a Spoon-billed Sand or two.
Staying at the delightful Rabiang Rua Beach Resort (yes I know we've still not unpacked the tent) the BFB birded the surrounding area which was made up of a vast labyrinth of salt pans, seashore, mangrove and endless mud.

Chinese Pond Heron (non breeding adult) and below a juvenile Yellow Bittern both very common along this coastal stretch.

For wader enthusiasts like Pod one of the big attractions is the huge numbers of 'mega' rare Stints such as this adult Long-toed Stint, a bird which Pod just happens to have on his British List as well....nice!

We were wader watching at Pak Thale when in dropped four Great Knot...what a place!
The shear variety and numbers of waders plus Egrets etc is outstanding a must stop if you're ever en route down the peninsular.

Video of the 4 Great Knot plus Red-necked Stint, Long-toed Stint, Lesser Sandplover and Curlew Sandpiper...

The other famous place just down the road from Pak Thale is the sand bar called Lam Pak Bia. Below a photo looking towards (west) the coastal mangroves from LPB. This place can only be reached by hiring a boat from the local dock. Checkout Nick Uptons website...http://www.thaibirding.com/ for directions etc. This is the prime site for White-fronted Plover and even the boatmen will give you a hand searching.

The Bare-faced Birders in typical pose...Gregsy doing the hard work and Pod posing for the camera and not a leech in sight...bliss!

No White-fronts for the BFB but we did find several pairs of Malaysian Plover, this one a 'flagged' male. Please excuse the crap photo but my eyes were going due to the glare of the sun on the bright white sand (honest!) take your shades and a hat.

Birding highlights

INTERMEDIATE EGRET

STRIATED HERON

PACIFIC REEF EGRET

ASIAN OPENBILL

BLACK BITTERN

BRAHMINY KITE

WHISKERED TERN

EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL

FLYEATER

BAYA WEAVER

27 species of wader included:-

RED WATTLED PLOVER

GREATER SANDPLOVER

LESSER SANDPLOVER

MALAYSIAN PLOVER

GREAT KNOT

TEREK SANDPIPER

TEMMINCK'S STINT

RED-NECKED STINT

LONG-TOED STINT

LITTLE STINT

MARSH SANDPIPER

ttfn....BFB