Visitors since 01/09/06

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale (pronounced Lairm Pug Beer/Bark TaLay) is a large area of salt pans, mudflats, mangrove remnants and a sand spit, in Petchaburi province. This is without doubt the premier birdwatching site for shorebirds in Thailand, with large numbers of birds and many rare species appearing annually.

This region is very open and exposed which allows for good views of the birds but, as with any shorebird watching, a telescope is highly desirable; in fact it is almost essential. In addition to the sand spit, mudflats and salt pans there are lots of ditches, brine shrimp pools as well as smaller areas of freshwater wetlands and scrubland meaning that a very wide variety of species can be found here; this site has far more than just shorebird watching to offer.

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale is 2 to 2.5 hours from Bangkok making it a suitable destination for day trips from the capital or as a place to stay for a day or two before moving on to, or coming from, Kaeng Krachan National Park, making Petchaburi province probably the best area for birdwatching in the whole country.

These globally endangered/threatened species are just a few of the exciting birds to be found here. Other highlights are the small population of resident Malaysian Plovers on Laem Pak Bia sandspit along with a few individuals of Chinese Egret and "White-faced Plover", although wintering large gulls have become scarce in recent years probably due to increased disturbance on the sand.

In order to get to Laem Pak Bia one must first travel to the town of Petchaburi. If coming by car, this will take just under two hours from Bangkok in the early morning. This is a simple journey, just get on the expressway in Bangkok and head for Dao Kanong/Rama 2 road. After crossing over the Chao Phraya river on a large bridge follow signs towards Samut Sakorn (at this point stop following the signs for Dao Kanong) and continue along the highway until Petchaburi is reached; the town is signposted for most of the way.

If travelling by bus, take a taxi and head to the Southern bus terminal where there are lots of buses which will stop at Petchaburi - buses to Pranburi, stopping at Cha Am and Hua Hin depart regularly and will stop at Petchaburi for you to get off.

Once in Petchaburi there are two ways to get to Pak Thale to look for Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The easiest way to navigate is to follow the highway through Petchaburi and follow signs for Had Chao Samran then, about 13 kilometres later take the left hand turn at the crossroads about 200 metres before the seafront at Had Chao Samran and drive along the road through the salt pans with good birding all along towards Pak Thale.

For those arriving in Petchaburi by public transport it would be necessary to find somewhere to hire a motorcycle to follow this route in order to enjoy the birdwatching here.

For birdwatchers wishing to get onto the sand spit it is essential to take a boat, unless you want to endure a long, hot walk along the beach; thankfully the road which was constructed upon the spit was dismantled after the construction of 7 boulder dams parallel with the shore and two breakwaters perpendicular to the sand spit, however, the spit is now more a series of islands as a result. Boats can be chartered for 800 baht from a small boatyard. This is located about 2 to 3 kilometres north of Had Chao Samran and it is obvious as a lot of boats are visible as the large canal is crossed. Drive into the entrance of the boatyard and head to the end of the road where you will come upon Mr Daeng's place. Mr Daeng has taken hundreds of birders out to the spit and knows exactly how to find all the specialities there.

Roosts of terns and shorebirds are often found at the sand bar close to the end of the Laem Pak Bia sand spit. The spit itself is home to breeding Malaysian Plovers and in winter this is the place to look for "White-faced" Plover (tides can be found here: My Forecast, Marine Reports).

Spoon-billed Sandpiper is almost guaranteed in the salt farms around the village of Pak Thale but it does occasionally show up in other shallow pools and, from time to time, on the sand spit.

A number of passerine species can usually be found in the Environmental Research Project and in the mangroves, including Golden-bellied Gerygone, Dusky Warbler, a number of Acrocephalus warblers and Racket-tailed Treepie amongst others as. Pintail Snipe can be seen here (although Common Snipe is present too), Ruddy-breasted Crake and Slaty-breasted Rail are in the marshy patches.

Shorebirds can be found all over the Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale area, it is simply a matter of driving around and stopping when birds are seen feeding or roosting on the numerous ponds that are on both sides of the coast road. But there are a few places that certain species have traditionally favoured and always seem to be worth stopping at.

Richard's Pipit
(Photo by Nick Upton)

Environmental Research and Development Project initiated by H.M King Bhumibol : This is an area of mangroves and settling pools where quite a number of interesting birds can be found as well as large numbers of common birds. One of the advantages here is that most birds can be viewed at close range from the car and the sheer number of birds that are flushed out whilst driving slowly around can be quite amazing at times.

Muddy pools here seem to be a reliable spot for Ruff and small numbers of other waders are usually present including Wood, Marsh and Common Sandpipers, Rufous-necked, Long-toed and Temminck's Stints and 3 species of Snipe (Common, Pintail and Painted).

Whiskered and White-winged Terns can often be viewed at close quarters here, fishing over the settling pools, and small areas of open land and reeds mean that many migrant passerines can also turn up during migration, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Black-browed Reed Warbler and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and most notably Large-billed Reed Warbler have been mist-netted here. The reedy areas are also a good place to look for crakes and rails as well as Pintail Snipe. This is also a great place to catch up with Common, Black-capped, Collared and White-throated Kingfishers and Golden-bellied Gerygone is abundant and can be teased out of the mangroves with a bit of whistling.

Laem Pak Bia Sand Spit : This spot is the place to visit to observe the attractive resident Malaysian Plovers that breed on the beach; these colourful shorebirds are easily found here and between the months of October and April it is worth searching for "White-faced Plover" too with one to three birds usually present.

A few Chinese Egrets are often seen on the mudflats adjacent to the sand spit in the dry season, with Pacific Reef Egret favouring the rocky breakwaters, and Javan Pond Heron is abundant - wait for March to see it in breeding plumage.

The end of the sand spit is a great place to see large numbers of roosting terns which usually peak around late February to early April with Common, Whiskered, Little, Caspian and Great Crested usually resting in fairly large numbers and Gull-billed, White-winged and Lesser Crested in smaller numbers. This also used to be the place to see a flock of large gulls but in recent times they have become scarce; occasionally Pallas's and Heuglin's can be seen but look out for rarities, I have found Mongolian Gull and Black-legged Kittiwake here in the past, others have seen Pomarine Skua.

800 baht is the price charged for this trip and a tip of 100 baht is appropriate for good service.

Salt Farms : Although birds can be found wherever water levels are suitable, the ponds in this area always seem to be very productive with large flocks of waders roosting. Great Knot is becoming increasingly common at this site, and here is where they usually congregate in numbers up to 2000 strong; scan through them for Nordmann's Greenshank in small groups up to 70 in number. Flocks of Lesser Sand Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover and Curlew Sandpiper are nearly always present here in large numbers and many other species can also normally be found, including Long-toed Stint, Pied Avocet, Ruff, Broad-billed Sandpiper and, occasionally, Asian Dowitcher, although this latter species is more of a passage migrant than a winter visitor.

At the southern end of this area a dirt road heads towards the sea for about 500 metres before running parallel with the main road. Entering here is useful and will afford good views of many of the above species as well as Painted Stork and Bar-tailed Godwit and this route often gives birders a closer look at flocks of gulls. Richard's Pipit seems to particularly like vegetation along this dirt road and ten or more can usually be seen in the dry season.

Wader Hotspot at Pak Thale: Around the village of Pak Thale there are salt farms and other pools where Spoon-billed Sandpiper is regularly seen; there is now even a sign which directs birdwatchers to the right area for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (see photo) which makes finding the site much easier than before. There is also a Bird Conservation Society of Thailand information centre at the site now. Take a look at the map on the right for further details on how to get to the right spot.

A network of dirt tracks allow one to drive into the middle of these pools and also towards the sea, but please do remember that this is all private property and access is dependent on a good relationship with the land owners - stick to the mud banks and please do not walk on salt pans.

Between October and mid April there are always large numbers of wading birds in this location with some of the most common species being Curlew Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and Eastern Black-tailed Godwit. Several species of tern are usually found here including Caspian and Gull-billed and sometimes one of the larger gulls will show up. This spot frequently turns up some of the less common species too; look out for Ruddy Turnstone, Terek Sandpiper, Dunlin, Nordmann's Greenshank, Asian Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope and Whimbrel. Each year a large flock of Eurasian Curlew frequent this area and most years at least one Far Eastern Curlew joins them. Remember that bill length is not an identifying feature as the females of the race of Eurasian Curlew here have very long bills, the only reliable way to pick out Far Eastern Curlew is from its buffy underwings and back/rump patch, something which can be very difficult to do when they are roosting.

Pools in this region were often used by Black-faced Spoonbill and Milky Stork in 2011 and 2012, joining feeding flocks of other large waterbirds.

The seafront can also be reached by a road which heads out to a small, covered building. As the tide rises this is a good place to see waders gradually getting closer and if you have not already seen Terek Sandpiper, look for it here. During migration periods the mud flats here are also a great place to search for Asian Dowitcher and Grey-tailed Tattler.

Sign to Spoon-billed Sandpiper site
(Photo by Nick Upton)

Click for larger Pak Thale Map

Salt Farm at Pak Thale
(Photo by Nick Upton)

Facilities at Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale are mostly restricted to Hat Chao Samran. Here there are a growing number places with bungalows which can be rented for about 800-5000 baht per night and a number of shops and restaurants selling anything from ice creams (it is the seaside you've got to have an ice cream!) to excellent seafood dishes. I would recommend any of the restaurants (marked on map; right) that are situated on the beach within a kilometre north of the main car parking area at Had Chao Samran; the food is great and very cheap. The 7/11 store on the corner at the beachfront is where visitors can buy all manner of snacks and drinks as well as cool off for a few minutes in the air conditioning. There are also a few local shops along the road from Had Chao Samran to Pak Thale and at the entrance to the boat yard there is a small restaurant which sells simple, but good, food very cheaply.

For those staying in Petchaburi, or passing through, there are all the facilities typical of a Thai provincial capital. In fact Petchaburi has a large supermarket (Big C) with takeaway restaurants and a cinema showing Hollywood movies attached at the southern end of the town. There are several hotels in town too, ranging from very good to scabby. I frequently stay at the Sun Hotel which is priced around 800 baht per night and is situated at the foot of the cable car to a very obvious temple at the top of a hill, close to the main highway. The Diamond Petchaburi hotel is close by on the main highway and is a step up at around 1500 baht per night; both hotels serve good food and provide a Thai breakfast buffet. The night market near the bus station in Petchaburi is a good place to get cheap and excellent Thai food.

This location is not a National Park and you will not be charged to go birding here.

Laem Pak Bia & Hellfire Pass, October 2008

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale & Kaeng Krachan, 19-20th February 2008

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, Khao Yai & Kaeng Krachan, February 2008

Laem Pak Bia/Pak Thale, December 2007

Laem Pak Bia, April 2004

by Stephen Totterman

by Nick Upton

by John Raven

by Praveen J.

by Peter Ericsson