Khok
Kham is
an area of salt farms close to Samut Sakorn (often written as Samut
Sakhon, although Samut Sakorn gives a better indication to pronunciation)
in the province of the same name and at first glance seems a fairly
unlikely place to go birdwatching. However, large numbers of wetland
birds congregate here in the winter months with many exciting species
seen regularly and this is an ideal place to go as a day trip from
Bangkok, especially if time is limited.
This site is
quite barren with very little vegetation and certainly no shade
to speak of so it is a good idea to go armed with sunscreen and
a hat; some people even bring along their own sunshades! At Khok
Kham the birds can be quite distant at times and this is a location
where a telescope is almost essential.
Whimbrel
Sharp-tailed & Wood Sandpipers
(Photos by Alister
Benn)
Shorebirds
are the main attraction here, indeed, they are almost the
only birds one is likely to see here due to a severe lack
of vegetation but a plentiful supply of shallow water and
mud. The most exciting species to look for at Khok Kham is
of course Spoon-billed Sandpiper which is seen every year
from about late October to April, but which numbers no more
than 2 or 3 birds at this site.
This
species is by no means the only attraction however, as every
year other rarities show up including Sharp-tailed Sandpiper,
Red-necked Phalarope and Nordmann's Greenshank. A good number
of Terns frequent this site too with Caspian and Gull-billed
Terns both being easy to find here. Whatever one sees here
it is unlikely to be disappointing just for the large numbers
of shorebirds that can be present.
Click
here for a checklist of the birds of Khok
Kham
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Travel
Information
Khok
Kham is a very convenient place to go birdwatching if there
is not time to go further afield. If driving, simply get on
Rama 2 Road which is the main road towards the south and head
for Samut Sakorn. In the early morning this is quite a quick
journey, taking well under an hour from Bangkok. However,
later in the day the traffic can get quite bad and the journey
to Samut Sakorn can take up to one and a half hours.
When approaching
Samut Sakorn look out for signs to Mahachai Samut Sakorn,
one needs to keep to the left to avoid missing the turning.
If exit 1 is missed there is a second exit a little further
up the road. If both exits are missed (this can easily happen)
do not worry too much as there is a large U-turn bridge a
few kilometres further on to come back in the opposite direction.
One must then do a second U-turn after a few more kilometres
and try to get the correct exit on the second pass. Having
to make a third attempt would be silly!
Having found the way to Samut Sakorn one must get to the salt
farms. If coming from exit 1 take the first major left hand
turn after entering the town and follow the road to Mr Tii's
birding centre. If taking the second exit then continue straight
over the traffic lights and follow the road out towards Mr
Tii's birding centre. The birding centre is easily missed
but the two large bridges over a canal are very obvious landmarks.
On crossing one of these a market can be seen on the left.
Very shortly after this is a bridge on the right which goes
over another canal; take this and then turn left. This is
where the salt farms begin.
It
is possible to get to Samut Sakorn by public transport; there are
plenty of buses from the Southern bus terminal and the train stops
here too, starting from Thonburi station. From Samut Sakorn a taxi
or tuk-tuk could be hired to take you to the salt farms, but there
would be a lot of hot walking when there. I would imagine that a
lift back to town could be arranged with Mr Tii.
The dirt tracks
here are pretty solid and a hire car can be driven along them with
no concern. On a good day some of the side tracks can be negotiated
too, but after rain these side tracks turn into mud glue as David
Lewis and myself found out.
There
are not really any places where particular species are more
likely to be found than any other at Khok Kham. The best policy
here is to cover as much of the salt farms as possible, scanning
for birds as one moves along. Having said that, the largest
concentration of birds and a reliable location for Spoon-billed
Sandpiper is in the vicinity of a small, green-roofed building
1-2 kilometres along the dirt track from the school. Once
in the correct area look for flocks of Rufous-necked Stints
with which SBS tends to associate. Along the canal Pied Fantail,
Golden-bellied Gerygone and Collared Kingfisher can be seen
in mangrove trees.
The dirt
track to the sea finishes at a small parking area where the
mudfalts can be scanned for more waders. This is a favourite
spot for Asian Dowitcher and other good birds often turn up
as do dolphins (high tide). Driving towards the research station
also gives the opportunity to scan over even more muddy pools
and salt farms in search of wading birds.
Sometimes,
on arrival at Khok Kham, it can appear disappointing, with
very few birds obvious. The birds here move around the site,
following the water levels that suit them most. Typically
they seek out ponds that are in the process of being drained
and have a shallow layer of water still in them and/or ponds
that have small puddles with soft mud.
Once the
congregations of shorebirds has been located species such
as Spotted Redshank, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper,
Marsh Sandpiper and Kentish Plover are common and desirable
birds such as Great Knot, White-winged Tern, Whiskered Tern
and both Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers can nearly always
be found. Over the years a number of rarities have turned
up here so there is always the possibility of seeing something
very unusual at Khok Kham, with the late winter months being
the best time for rarities such as Sharp-tailed Sandpiper,
Red-necked Phalarope and Nordmann's Greenshank.
Khok
Kham has very few facilities to speak of so it is important to bring
plenty of water to deal with the heat in this exposed location.
There is, of course, the Khok Kham birder's restaurant which serves
food and drinks and it is even possible to stay here, although I
see little reason to do so given this site's close proximity to
Bangkok and all the comfortable hotels there. Mr Tii is a friendly
chap though, and considering his readiness to impart free advice
it is worth stopping in his restaurant for something to eat to lend
some support. For those who are particularly averse to setting
foot in Bangkok and do not fancy Mr Tii's for the night, there are
several passable hotels in the town of Samut Sakorn which, obviously,
has all the shops that are normally associated with Thai towns.
Along the road
back to Samut Sakorn are some very nice seafood restaurants where
feasts can be had at low prices.
This location
is not a National Park and you will not be charged to go birding
here.
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