A Special Orange Beak

Prasae it’s always been a birding and Bird-Photo hotspot, but in August-September 2010, the appearance of a red billed bird -which turned out to be an unusual RIVER TERN- placed that site in everyone’s map!

In the calm waters of the Thai Gulf, Prasae has always been a good site to find waders terns and gulls. Not only has nice residents all year, but specially it is a great resting and feeding spot of the migration routes. You can count waders by hundreds in the right season and lots of gulls and terns are always around.

Fish farmers have cages submerged in the natural waters of the river, where they keep mostly shrimp and the cages out in the sea, are mostly full of fish. The tips of the sticks (bamboo poles principally) are used by resting birds and from a boat you can find and get close for an image to many species… some of them not that common and some just passing on migration.

Terek Sandpiper - in poles by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

In August 2010, one of these pretty unusual sights, made us all force the trip and get to enjoy a River Tern that was NOT in a river!  The pretty unusual bird, was hanging out with a colony of Common Terns and posing all day in the poles.

It wasn’t hard to approach the bird from a floating boat, but it wasn’t easy to get good shots from a moving boat in the harsh light of the coast, reflected in the sea.
Here is some of what I got of that cool looking bird that day…

River Tern - portrait by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

River Tern - calling by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

River Tern - on a pole by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

River Tern - profile by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Then, once satisfied with what I had of the main target -which, by the way, was a lifer for me- I used the chance to get a few frames of other birds in the site…

Tons of waders around in low tide

Terek Sandpiper by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Eurasian Curlew by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Whimbrel by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Ruddy Turnstone - non breed by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Waders Mix 1 by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

…and many Common Terns on the poles as well…

Common Tern by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Common Tern - flight by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

At home, this other tern seemed somehow different and I was very pleased when the experts determinated it as a Roseate Tern… another new bird to my list!

Roseate Tern by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Roseate Tern - 2 by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

You never know what new birds you can find in Prasae everytime you visit… a hotspot for real!

Waders Mix - 2 by Alex Vargas, Thailand 2010

Happy Bird-Photo Adventures!