Every “winter” the gull flock at Bang Poo is more than 2000 birds strong and with ever-increasing numbers of Thai day trippers feeding the gulls this large flock of gulls is likely to remain a feature of birding in Thailand. A Lesser Black-backed Gull had been seen there a few weeks back, only Thailand’s second record, and although it had not been seen since I decided to spend a lazy afternoon on the pier to see if I could find any rare gulls for myself.

What amazed me more than the huge numbers of Brown-headed Gulls wheeling around was the crowds of people who were feeding the birds! I have visited Bang Poo many times but have never seen as many people feeding the gulls as were doing so on this occasion. There were at least several hundred people, possibly as many as 1000 and the gulls were enjoying a feast!

Despite spending several hours scanning the gull flock and staring out to sea in excellent visibility I did not spot the Lesser Black-backed Gull but I did locate 1 Slender-billed Gull and at least 5 Black-headed Gulls. Quite far out to sea I also spotted a Great Cormorant in flight and then alighted on the sea. Staying late I was able to see quite a nice sunset, although the photo below was enhanced by closing the camera’s aperture and increasing the colour saturation in photoshop.

For those who live near Bang Poo it is a site worth visiting on a regular basis to see if any rare gulls are present – there have been a number of firsts for Thailand here. Photographers will also find this a rewarding location due to being able to get extremely close to large numbers of gulls in flight and perched on posts and swimming in the sea.