Trombol is a coastal kampung west of Kuching, past the mouths of the Sibu and Santubong rivers.  Past it is an extensive sandy beach, much favoured by shorebirds.  Here are both wintering species and a local breeding specialty, the Malaysian Plover (Charadrius peronii). 

On February 27, 2012, Anthony Wong (a shorebird, or wader, devotee) invited me to come along - particularly as the Malaysian Plover was practically a new bird for me (I had only had my first, distant view of one a few weeks earlier, at Sedili Besar in West Malaysia during our MNS excursion to Panti Forest).  Anthony's truck made for an excellent photographic blind.

Along for the ride was my grandson Ryan, who not only behaved very well (for being cooped up in the truck with a couple of birders) but even pointed out some birds for us.  Of course, digging in the sand with a stick, which he got to do later, was more fun than birding.

The commonest birds on the beach were sandplovers.  This late in the season the Lesser Sandplovers (Charadrius mongolus) had largely departed for the north, and (I think) all the birds in these photographs, including this one, are Greater Sandplovers (C. leschenaultii). (A)

These are definitely Greaters.  In addition to shape and bill size, breeding-plumage birds have a much more restricted chestnut breast band than their smaller cousins. (B, C)

The breeding-plumage adults are handsome birds indeed. (D,E)

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Here are some more winter-plumage birds; are any of them Lessers?  They all look like Greaters to me.

This bird is different (and thanks to Dave Bakewell for confirming the ID): a Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nihonensis).  Notice, among other things, the finer bill and the white collar on the hind neck.

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These birds are Kentish Plovers in breeding plumage (ignore the file names, please!).

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This, I believe, is a female Kentish in breeding plumage.  Again, ignore the file name.  I took these birds for Malaysian plovers at the time (hence the file-naming errors).

The Malaysian Plover does look rather like the equally dainty Kentish.  Notice, though, on this male, the complete black breast band, the shorter superciliary line, and, particularly, the black collar extending across the mantle.  Notice, too, a key field mark in any plumage: the light edging to the mantle feathers and scapulars, giving the bird a distinctive "scaly" appearance. (R, S)

This field mark shows up clearly here - compare with the "smooth-backed" Kentish Plovers, above. In this bird, though, the breast band is not quite complete. (T)

The Malaysian Plover  breeds from Vietnam to the Lesser Sundas.  Its overall numbers appear to be low (perhaps less than 25,000 birds), and Birdlife International classifies it as Near-Threatened. (U)

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We took a last look offshore at the Satang Islands, themselves the subjects of an account I posted here just over a year ago….

and we ended the day by giving Ryan a chance to explore the beach (his way).