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On
10 April, as I was returning from Khao Luang National Park, Dr. Panom
Archarit kindly led me to Thung Tha Laad,
also known as Suan Somdej Sri-
nagarind, on the outskirts of the town of Nakhon Si Thammarat. To say
I was
amazed would be an understatement. I was confronted by one of the most
sig-
nificant wetlands, and waterbird sites anywhere in the peninsula, if not
Thailand
as a whole. Furthermore, it was a site I had never even realised existed,
even
though it was well known to birders in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Part of the
area
is developed as a very pleasant public park and part is a landfill. However,
much
of what remains is a very nice swamp, with extensive beds of sedges and
other
aquatic vegetation. On view on the water were about 90 Cotton Pygmy Geese,
20 Lesser Whistling Duck, 25 Pheasant-tailed and 45 Bronze-winged Jacanas,
and
about 20 Common Moorhens. But what really stunned me were the numbers
of
nesting larger waterbirds, including at least 40 nests of Purple Heron,
several with
well-grown young, and several hundred nests of Cattle Egrets visible with
ease
from the road on which we were standing. There were also several hundred
Little
Egrets (none seen at the nest, though copulation was observed) and up
to a hun-
dred each of Black-crowned Night Herons and Little Cormorant. Not all
of these
species nest: Dr. Phanom mentioned that the Little Cormorants in particular
were
only present for part of the year. It was the Purple Herons that captured
my at-
tention, however. Previously, so far as we knew, breeding was confirmed
only
from Thalae Noi Swamp in Phatthalung, and from Khao Sam Roi Yot in Prachuap
Khiri Khan. Now, in just the past few months, and thanks to the expertise
of
local provincial birding groups, we have been alerted to the existence
of two more
colonies of Purple Herons: in Sa Kaeo, along with Oriental Darters at
the same
site; and now at Thong Tha Laad.
Mr. Chirdphong
Termtanan who recently visited the site reported no fewer than
243 nests of Purple Herons at Thong Tha Laad. This is fantastic news.
Apparent-
ly, the herons used to nest in reeds in the middle of the swamp, and have
only in
the past year or two chosen to nest in trees in the park. But they must
present a
vital and fascinating site for the many recreational users of the park
who congre-
gate there each morning and evening.
Let us hope
that the Nakhon Si Thammarat municipality recognises the value of
this wetland on their doorstep, and acts to conserve it and its waterbird
inhabi-
tants for the future. And, we must ask? How many more nationally or in-
ternationally important JBAs-Important Bird Areas-are waiting to be discovered
by local and regional birding groups in the provinces? Keep up the good
work!
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