Tweeters can enjoy water bird watching at this time of the year at the Sanambin Reservoir Non-Hunting Area in Prakhon Chai district of Thailand’s north-eastern province of Buriram.

From November to March, the 571 hectares of wetlands are ideal for spotting knob-billed ducks, swans, Indian spot-billed ducks, ibis and Sarus cranes.

According to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, five pairs of Sarus cranes have recently been found nesting in the wetlands and another five have been spotted foraging for food in the area.

Sarus cranes are native to Thailand and are one of the country’s 19 protected species of big birds. The birds had, however, mostly disappeared from the wild, due to illegal hunting and loss of habitats. In 2011, however, they were reintroduced to nature in Prakhon Chai district, with the help of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand and Kasetsart University.

Since then, the number of Sarus cranes has gradually increased and they can be seen in several wetlands in BuriRam province, such as in the non-hunting areas of the Sanambin, Huai Chorakhe Mak and Nam Huai Talat reservoirs.

The department said that the three wetlands are ideal habitats for many species of water bird and are beneficial to the livelihoods of the local people as a tourist attraction in the province.