Yesterday I took an opportunity to go to the beach. Close to Cha-am in Petchaburi province, I wasn’t expecting much but it was really good for birds. It ended up being beyond any expectations, largely due to one rare bird sighting. I hadn’t been to the beach for so long and forgot how much I like it, how calming, and relaxing it is to be by the ocean.
Alongside the beach was still very natural with plenty of birds, it’s only a few hundred metres from the sea which was also a really nice and quiet section. Alongside birds there were plenty of Common Butterfly Lizards and I found one flattened Kukri Snake.
Entering the beach front there were lots of Little Terns and a few Sand Plovers foraging in the tidal pools. What was most exciting was seeing a Malaysian Plover for the first time. Malaysian Plovers are now classed as ‘near threatened’ due to development of beaches and human disturbance.
The next amazing thing I saw took me a while to figure out. It was hunting for fish really far away in the distance. It was my first time seeing any Frigatebird, and it’s a rare sighting here. I guess it’s mostly due to the pelagic nature of these birds. I took enough photos that had enough detail to get the finer identification of Lesser Frigatebird. I would never have guessed I’d see such a bird on this day trip!
After the sighting, I walked back down the beach and watched the Little Terns. Every few minutes a small group passed by overhead. Eventually a pair landed on the beach and were having a dispute over a fish. They settled this and then went to have a bath in the waves washing upon the shore.
A quick trip but an eventful one! After we left, a huge thunderstorm arrived, engulfing the area in torrential rain and darkness. I hope to be back at the beach soon.
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