Feature

Big Beauty At Little Lake

AS its name suggests, Thale Noi (''little lake'' in Southern Thai dialect), is the smallest of four interconnected lakes (Noi, Luang, Saap and Songkhla) which extend for 80 kilometres parallel to the coastlines of Phatthalung and Songkhla provinces.

Together they form a national park, an inland sea famous for its unspoiled beauty and its large, diverse population of aquatic birds. It's a favourite destination for bird watchers and photographers, particularly at this time of year.

Thale Noi covers an area of 28 square kilometres and is located in the northernmost part of the lagoon. The only one of the four lakes with fresh water, it is one of the most important wetlands and aquatic-bird habitats in Southeast Asia. (Thale Songkhla, at the southern end of the inland sea is salty; the water in the other two lakes is brackish.)

Over the years ornithologists have recorded more than 200 bird species at Thale Noi which also boast mangrove swamps, river terrapins, many types of fish, plus wide expanses of lotus, water-lily and other aquatic plants.

A number of rare birds have made their home there including the lesser Adjutant (nok tagrum), white ibis (aka black-headed ibis; nok chon hoy khao or nok gula khao), grey heron (nok grasa nuan), great egret (nok yang thone yai), purple heron (nok grasa daeng) and spot-billed pelican (nok grathoong).

A common sight, especially in the environs of the national park headquarters, is the purple swamphen (nok egong). While this attractive waterbird does bear a superficial resemblance to the domesticated hen, its long-toed feet give it an ability which would make it the envy of its farmyard cousin: the purple swamphen can literally walk on water, flitting rapidly across expanses of floating vegetation in pursuit of aquatic invertebrates, its preferred food.

Other photogenic residents here include egrets (nok yang), whistling teals (ped daeng), cotton teals (ped khubkhae), black bitterns (nok yang dam), yellow bitterns (nok yang fai hua dam), cinnamon bitterns (nok yang fai thammada), kingfishers (nok graten), little cormorants (nok gaa nam lek), white winged terns (nok nang nuan glaeb dam peek khao) and whiskered terns (nok nang nuan glaeb khrao khao.

The best time to go bird-watching at Thale Noi is between January and April before the arrival of the annual monsoons. Bungalows can be rented at the park for overnight stays and so numerous are the birds that one does not have to leave one's verandah to get good photos of them. The open-sided pavilions or sala built on stilts in the lake also provide good vantage points; they are connected to the bank by long wooden piers.

I love to visit Thale Noi in early April when many of the birds lay their eggs. With enough time and patience you can get superb shots of birds building their nests and feeding their young amidst masses of red and pink water lilies in full bloom.

Serious ornithologists make trips to more remote parts of the lake in the early morning. Most of the birds seek shade in the vegetation once the sun climbs too high in the sky so boats usually leave the jetty at park headquarters around 6 am. If you want to get close-up shots of the wildlife remember that the birds are easily alarmed by loud noises and rapid movements; so keep quiet as the driver lets the boat drift slowly in their direction.

When you tire of bird-watching ask the boatman to take you along the canal which links Thale Noi to its sister lakes; the vistas are quite enchanting. A visit to the hamlet near Thale Noi is also worthwhile; a typically southern-style settlement, this looks like it hasn't changed for centuries. The villagers earn a living by fishing, rice farming and weaving mats from reeds and dried grasses.

You can take in the main sights at Thale Noi in a single day but serious bird-watchers and lensmen prefer stays of two or more days.

Getting there: Thale Noi is located 36 kilometres northeast of Phatthalung town. Take Highway 4187 to Khuan Khanun district, then turn right onto Highway 4048. The road peters out 16 kilometres further on at the national park headquarters.

BY CHALIT PONGSOMBOON

The Nation