A trip to Koh Kor Kao (business, not birds) on the eastern tip of Baan Nam Kem showed the island, though targeted for future business endeavors, is still in pristine condition and well stocked with plenty of birds and other animal life.

Koh Kor Khao is situation south of Koh Pratong, an island gazetted for National Park status but currently mired in legal disputes due to protests by the locals living there. While Koh Pratong is well known by many birders as one of the only places in the south which is home to such rare species as Lesser Adjutant, White bellied Woodpecker, Cinamon capped Pigeon and Grey headed Fish Eagle, Koh Kor Khao is seldom visited and still relatively unknown. Both are largely deserted with little infrastructure to speak of. The difference between the two is that Koh Kor Kao has been targeted by major hotels as the new “Phuket”, with talk of an airport being constructed on the north end, where a former WWII Japanese runway was cleared from the forest.

I did not have a lot of time to look for birds but from the terrain and available habitat, it looks like there could be a good number of birds here. Back in 2002 I was able to do some birding on the north end of the island and it proved to be very good for many species of forest and open-country birds. The beach was also uninhabited, making good feeding sites for waders, which flock in to feed during low tide. Marshlands are a familiar sight in the island and are home to a large number of waders, egrets and herons. I wouldn’t be surprised of from time to time one could find the Lesser Adjutant here as well.

King Cobra as seen crossing the road and a Water Monitor was spotted sunning itself on the road as we drove by. Both prove there are plenty of other animals about on the island.

Off on the horizon we spotted a large stretch of boulders and rocks which form a natural boundary, protecting the shores from the strong tidal currents. These islands were formed during the tsunami of 2004 and may be prime resting spots for ocean-going birds, much like the famous sand spit in Laem Pak Bia on the inner gulf.

Again, there is much to be explored around here, an hopefully one day someone (or I) will find the time to seriously assess the potential here.