Waders in Lam Bak Bia in Thailand- Oct 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Aladdin]

Dear members and bird watchers

Whale watching in Gulf of Thailand today. A lot of terns feeding on the fishes escaping the whales. Low water when coming back and I spotted several waders on the mud flats.

Picture 1: I have identified this as a Common Greenshank. Just because of the dark legs. According to my book the Common is darker than Nordman's. But I have second thought as the tail is black with thin grey lines as the Nordman's have in my book. Anyone know which Greenshank it is.

Picture:2 Identified as Lesser Sand Plover, even though the bird is much darker than in my book. But the bird have dark legs. So a Kentish Plover? But the Kentish have a withe neck ring in my book.

Picture 3: SORRY, POOR PICTURE, passing with the small boat. This bird is driving me up the walls. Marsh Sandpiper, but the legs are black so it is not a Marsh Sandpiper. I'm sure it is NOT a Sanderling but that is the only bird in my book with black legs and bill

Picture #4: SORRY, POOR PICTURE, passing with the small boat. White belly so it is not a so it is not a Bar-tailed Godwit. Maybe a Black-tailed changing to winter plumage, but the bar-tailed should be grey backed.

Any ideas?

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[johnallcock]

#1. Common Greenshank. Not only the leg colour but also length - too long for Nordmann's. The bill of Nordmann's should be paler as well.

#2. Lesser Sand Plover (one of the atrifrons group, probably schaeferi).

#3. Common Greenshank. I think the legs and bill look dark because of the light conditions on the photo and the movement of the bird. The structure is distinctive for Common Greenshank.

#4. Black-tailed Godwit. Long legs, long bill and plain back fit Black-tailed rather than Bar-tailed.

#5. A great picture of the whales! You're lucky to get a view like this.

 

[rollingthunder]

Stunning Whale image:eek!::t:

Laurie -

 

[Aladdin]

#1. Common Greenshank. Not only the leg colour but also length - too long for Nordmann's. The bill of Nordmann's should be paler as well.

#2. Lesser Sand Plover (one of the atrifrons group, probably schaeferi).

#3. Common Greenshank. I think the legs and bill look dark because of the light conditions on the photo and the movement of the bird. The structure is distinctive for Common Greenshank.

#4. Black-tailed Godwit. Long legs, long bill and plain back fit Black-tailed rather than Bar-tailed.

#5. A great picture of the whales! You're lucky to get a view like this.

Thank you very much!!!

The Lesser Sand Plover, in my book it is very light brown, almost like orange. Birds of Thailand - Craig Robson

But the only one without the white neck ring. The very poor picture of the Godwit, very hard to see the back of the bird in a plumage that looks to be halfway through the moulting. Maybe normal, but the bottom seems to be full winter (white) and the top half way and still red.

And if you ever come to BAngkok, they do whale watching from May. But Sep to Nov is the best chance to see the whales. October and I have seen the feeding whale with uncountable terns every time going out. Just a shame it is so hard to identify the Terns. But for whale watching you have Common, Whiskered. Crested and I thought I saw a napped. But very hard to see as they change plumage now

Today I saw 2 very very dark Terns, but not close enough to identify. And I am pretty sure I saw 2 black-bellied Terns as well. But no identification as I have no pictures

Thank you very much again
Aladdin

 

[Aladdin]

Stunning Whale image:eek!::t:

Laurie -

Thank you!

I only wish I could identify all the terns. I see plenty common, but the other terns are impossible for me.

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Oldnintheway]

And if you ever come to BAngkok, they do whale watching from May. But Sep to Nov is the best chance to see the whales. October and I have seen the feeding whale with uncountable terns every time going out.
Aladdin

Where does the boat leave from Alladin? We usually come in Feb. but thinking about an October trip next year. Thanks!

 

[Indobirder]

Does the whale picture have 4 tern sp and 1 gull sp?
My *guesses* are:
Common
Whiskered
Bridled (top middle)
Gull-billed
And Black-headed Gull

I don't know anything, but I am curious what they are

 

[Aladdin]

Where does the boat leave from Alladin? We usually come in Feb. but thinking about an October trip next year. Thanks!

Hello

45 minutes with taxi from Bangkok. Then you have all the way down to Lam Bak Bia. But check out Wild Encounter Thailand.

https://www.wildencounterthailand.com/

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60606234

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60634497

They leave Bangkok 06:30 and we are back in Bangkok about 12 hours later.

They use one van and some times 3 vans depending on how many passengers. It is a good full day trip. I have been on quite a few whale watching trips and only two times with no sightings.

If you don't see any it is free to coma back

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Aladdin]

Does the whale picture have 4 tern sp and 1 gull sp?
My *guesses* are:
Common
Whiskered
Bridled (top middle)
Gull-billed
And Black-headed Gull

I don't know anything, but I am curious what they are

Cheers

The look the same to me flying around. And there are plenty of them.
Gull billed, the one I have marked with red?
Black-headed Gull, the one I have marked with green?
Bridle Tern, the one I have marked with light blue? And together with a Common Tern in picture #2?

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Indobirder]

Cheers

The look the same to me flying around. And there are plenty of them.
Gull billed, the one I have marked with red?
Black-headed Gull, the one I have marked with green?
Bridle Tern, the one I have marked with light blue? And together with a Common Tern in picture #2?

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

I've changed my mind. I don't think there are any gulls in there. Whiskered T instead.

Yes you circled the ones I was referring to, though I was looking at lower left birds for the gull (looks like the same sp. though)

Hopefully someone with more knowledge can give definitive answers.

 

[johnallcock]

I would say the one circled in green is White-winged. There seem to be other White-winged as well - look for the unmoulted black in the underwing coverts and the 'headphone' head pattern (eg in front the whale at bottom right).

The one marked in red looks like a Whiskered to me. Again, there are a few birds I would say are Whiskered (eg to right of the whale at bottom right).

The one marked in blue is Bridled. Most of the others are Common.

I don't see any that look like Gull-billed to me, which I would expect to look bigger and heavier-billed than these birds. I think the confusion is with the Whiskered/White-winged, which have a black patch behind the eye and a largely white crown.

 

[Aladdin]

Thank you Indobirder and johnallcock

Thank you Indobirder and johnallcock

I am 99.9% sure that there is no crested terns or any other yellow billed terns in the picture. The first thing I look at is the colour of the bill and they are all black, expect for the common with some red, very dark red in the bill.

I spotted two crested terns and the first I reacted on was the bill. I am pretty sure I spotted two Black bellied terns flying across but I never got any pictures.

The green marked, white winged black tern. DARN! My book and the white winged and whiskered are looking the same in winter plumage. The white winged have dark shoulder in the book and in flight there is a sand coloured band along the underside of the wing and the front part looks a little darker grey than the back part. For me impossible.

Of course, breeding plumage and it is a different story. Should be interesting to go out there when they are breeding even if the chances to see whales are slim.

Thank you again and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Oldnintheway]

Thanks Aladdin, so the pier is in Phetchaburi? Or Samut Songkhram?

 

[Aladdin]

Thanks Aladdin, so the pier is in Phetchaburi? Or Samut Songkhram?

Hello

They have in Moo Ban Pramong (40 minutes from Bangkok) and Bang Tabun 90 minutes from Bangkok. Seems to be depending on how many passengers they have which pier they are using

I had a private boat yesterday, going from Laem Pak Bia, NOT recommended. The boat, I book the boat and yesterday we had 10 passengers on board and no seating. But I was lucky to get to see two whales feeding together.

But I will never use that boat service again

Kind regards and happy birding
Aladdin

 

[Oldnintheway]

Great photos! Thanks.