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Spoonie is back! 7/11/2023, Khok Kham, Samut Sakhon

The tree cutters arrived at the house to clear the tree that fell in the storm yesterday and to cut another one in half. We don’t want another tree fall on the property. Once they were done, and they did a good job, it was lunch time and I thought….hmm ‘where should I go’? Ha! Well, the sun was out, the tide was high and I knew Spoonie had arrived. Got my stuff together and did the drive ( less then an hour midday). I arrived at the Bird Center at Khok Kham just before 2 pm and it was hot! There were many pans filled with waders…..which one to start with? Well, I have been there so many times that by now I sort of ‘feel’ where my little friend like to settle. I scanned a little here and there. So nice to see the waders again and in such big numbers. They are all in winter plumage, all grey but all in different shapes, size and bill. I went to a place with a tiny shelter from the scorching sun and set up my scope. I scanned the pond in front of me. Not a lot. To the right there were a lot of birds but no spoonie. Tried to get myself comfortable on my little stool while using the scope. I scanned again….oh, yes, in the pond in front of me there it was preening itself….that familiar spoon bill gave no cause for questioning what was on display. Ha! I got some pix and then the birds flew off. Hmm…back to the pan on the right….and yet no Spoonie…’what about the next pan further away?’ Looking with intent….suddenly I see something with a rather white face….’Sanderling’? …..nah….then it lifts its bill…..my baby! I followed it in the scope, it came walking toward my pan on the right…..it got chased by other birds…but it was set on a feeding area not too far from me and finally made it there….. I slowly got my gear and walked in ‘slow motion’ as to not scare anything away and settled in a position closer to the birds. From there I got to view Spoonie for almost an hour feeding, preening, bathing etc. It never came all that close. I could have made my way closer but didn’t feel the need to as I already have close ups from before and the birds have just recently arrived so didn’t feel like disrupt the feeding too much. Here are some of the pictures I got…..
PS. the 48 km drive home took 4 hours....this is Bangkok for you... PPS. If you read the whole thing and still clicked like I adore you even more for it....he he

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