Mark was very determined to find the Sandpiper. He looks a little dejected here and in the end after 3 and a half hours search we had to move on. We did get all the other wanted ones:
Chinese Egret, Malaysian Plover, Nordmann's Greenshanks, White-faced Plover and more. It still was my first dip with a client in need of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The good news is that Mark later informed me he had visited Khok Kham later on and there found his bird! It pays to have backup plans.
(the birds are there but the farmers keep changing the water levels in the pans and the birds keep moving about)