Site Map
Links
Sounds
New
Brazil
Thailand
Malaysia
Belize
Costa
Rica
Galápagos
Vietnam
Trip Advice
Books World
Books
Americas
Books Asia
Books
Aus/NZ
Books
Africa
Books
Europe & Middle East
Feeders
Yahoo! Groups
& Mailing Lists
FAQs
About
Contact |
Birding in Cambodia
by Frank E. Rheindt
10-27 February 2004
formicarius.at.hotmail.com
In February 2004, I had two free weeks before guiding a highly successful
Aves Tour to Vietnam. I decided to spend
that time in Cambodia in search of a number of specialties. The country, which
is home to a good number of rare and endangered birds that are difficult to see
elsewhere, has experienced a considerable increase in birdwatcher visits within
the last five years, yet site information has not become readily available on
the internet.
The following site accounts are aimed at providing help to birders in search
of some of the specialty birds Cambodia has to offer. Cambodia is one of those
destinations that do not yield high trip totals, but are more suited for the
birdwatcher who has had previous field experience in South-east Asia and who
seeks one or two handfuls of special species. The report includes a small
section on Samut Sakhon (Bangkok Area), which I visited before entering
Cambodia. I am indebted to Frédéric Goes and Otani Chikara for their kind
willingness to share information.
Target species: I am very happy that I saw all of my target species and got a
few surprises in addition. Spot-billed Pelican, Greater Adjutant, Milky
Stork, Bengal Florican, Manchurian Reed Warbler, Giant Ibis, White-shouldered
Ibis, Swinhoe's Minivet, White-rumped Falcon, Mekong Wagtail, Silver Oriole and
Chestnut-headed Partridge were doubtless the best species of the trip. Do
give yourself plenty of time to find these birds, because a couple of them
(White-rumped Falcon and Chestnut-headed Partridge) required luck and days of
searching and were seen only moments before I had to leave the respective sites.
Climate and Timing: Note that it is not recommended to attempt to see a great
many of the specialties in this report during the rainy season (northern
summer), as many of the sites are not accessible at that time, and many of the
water birds are not reliably present at their stake-outs. Additionally the
incidence of malaria is much higher during the rainy season, keeping in mind
that some of the sites presented in this report (Preah Vihear, Siem Pang) lie
within high-risk malaria areas. Don't be light-hearted when it comes to mosquito
protection, since other birders have died of malaria in the very areas that are
the subject of this report, one of them the man after whom they named the Mekong
Wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae) and a conservation center in Siem Reap. A
trip to Cambodia should best be envisaged between January and April.
General info: Though Khmer is a non-tonal language, it is still very hard to
learn because of its wealth of consonant clusters. English is now widely spoken,
and the knowledge of French was not of any help whatsoever in this former French
colony. Though most Khmer people despise the Vietnamese and regard them as their
former invaders, a few simple words of Vietnamese helped me out when talking
with townspeople as far west as Siem Reap. Latin alphabet spellings of place
names are strongly arbitrary. I have seen as many as 5 different spellings for
the village of Chepp/Chhaeb, and there are usually two competing ones for most
places.
Safety: Keep a close eye on Cambodian news when you visit. The country has
now been hassle-free for a number of years since the Khmer Rouge disbanded, but
some areas are still within lawless land where bandits roam freely. Besides, any
election or similar event could initiate another period of civil unrest. Parts
of Preah Vihear Province (where the two species of ibis are found) can be
dangerous. Be sure to enquire about local conditions before you go.
Samut Sakhon
This was the second time I visited the Spoon-billed Sandpiper site at
Samut Sakhon, after having missed that species by only a couple of days in March
2003. Good site information and even a
birders' map of
the area are available on the internet. It is recommended to get in touch
with Mr Tee upon arrival at the site. He is glad to take people around on his
motorbike and show them the exact location of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (and
possibly a couple of other species on the wishlist) for a small donation.
This time again, Samut Sakhon was teeming with shorebirds, with a single
Spoon-billed Sandpiper being complemented by loads of other species, such as
Red-necked and Long-toed Stint, Broad-billed, Wood, Common, Marsh and Curlew
Sandpiper, Greenshank, some Stilts, as well as Little Ringed, Kentish, Lesser
Sand and Pacific Golden Plover. Other waterbirds included Caspian and Little
Tern, Brown-headed Gull, Little Heron, Little, Great and Intermediate Egret,
Little Cormorant, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Gray and Purple Heron, Little Grebe
as well as Black-capped and Collared Kingfisher. Good views were had of skulking
Slaty-breasted Rails and Ruddy-breasted Crakes. Additional treats involved one
Black Kite (ssp. lineatus), Black-shouldered Kite, Asian Koel, Spotted Dove,
Large-billed Crow, Pied Fantail, Oriental Magpie Robin, Asian Pied Starling,
Common and White-vented Myna, Plain Prinia, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow Wagtail,
Tree Sparrow and a few Paddyfield Pipits on the school lawn.
Prek Toal Reserve (near Siem Reap, Lake Ton Le Sap)
12 Feb
Siem Reap must have transformed somewhat into a tourist hub over the last 5
years, as tourists have started again to flow into the area to witness the
historic sites at Angkor. The temples are said to be spectacular. But being the
only-ever tourist in Siem Reap who did not go to see them, I am in a bad
position to tell.
Prek Toal is a nature reserve on the opposite side of Ton Le Sap (a giant
seasonal lake) from Siem Reap. It is the breeding site of a few very rare
South-east Asian waterbirds, and visitors to Cambodia will obviously not want to
miss it. The best way to visit is to contact Frédéric Goes at the Sam Veasna
Center for Wildlife Conservation (P.O. Box 9345 - Siem Reap – Cambodia), Tel:
063 963 710, E-mail: samveasna.at.online.com.kh. At the time, I was unable to
get into touch with him, so I just arranged for a moto to the harbour (a few
kilometres south of town) from where the "hovercraft" to Phnom Penh leaves, and
hired a speedboat for transport across the lake. The bad news for budget birders
is that boat transport will be one of the bigger expenses of your trip: I paid
$50 US, thinking that was a good deal as compared to the "official rates" for
tourist boats in the Lonely Planet Guide, but I was not aware that I would have
to pay an extra $25 entrance charge for onward boat transportation (to the
Greater Adjutant site) at the reserve headquarters. Frédéric Goes tells me that
he recommends people directly contact Osmose Tours at osmose.at.online.com.kh if
they are interested in a birding visit to Prek Toal from Siem Reap. Their rates
are comparable to what I paid for roughing it on my own, but with the advantage
that part of the revenue goes into the protection of Prek Toal.
Birds: Of the specialties, you will probably easily find Spot-billed Pelican,
Painted Stork, Asian Openbill and Lesser Adjutant by just boating around the
floating village where the headquarters is located. But to see the main
specialty, Greater Adjutant, at this time of year, you need to be taken to a
far-removed corner of the reserve. If you book a tourist trip to Prek Toal in
Siem Reap (or with the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation or Osmose
Tours), make sure the tour departs early and includes a visit to the Greater
Adjutant breeding spot. Getting there involves another lengthy speedboat ride
from the HQ to a floating village at the mouth of a little river, from where you
have to be paddled up the river for about 3-4hr until you get to a tree
platform. From this platform, you can view a giant breeding colony of storks,
mostly Openbill and Painted, but this is also the only place where I saw Milky
Stork (another rarity). The Greater Adjutants breed far in the distance and I
could only identify four individuals with a scope. Frédéric Goes informed me
that access to this Greater Adjutant site varies greatly with season, and
visitors in December may well be able to reach the spot by motor boat, whereas
visitors in April would have to walk through knee-deep mud for two days to get
there. Supposedly there are other – more unreliable – spots for Greater Adjutant
in the reserve.
Birds other than those mentioned, which I saw in Prek Toal include:
Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher, Purple Swamphen, White-throated and
Black-capped Kingfisher, Common Moorhen, Brown-headed Gull, Whiskered Tern,
Gray-headed Fish Eagle, Little Egret, Purple and Gray Heron, Great and
Intermediate Egret, Little Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Yellow Bittern,
Darter, Little and Indian Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Black-headed Ibis,
Large-billed Crow, Oriental Magpie Robin, Common and White-vented Myna, Sand
Martin, Barn Swallow, Dusky Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Tree Sparrow and
Green-billed Malkoha. Two species (Yellow-bellied Prinia and Yellow-browed
Warbler) were heard only.
Preah Vihear Province
13-16 Feb
Preah Vihear is a region is central northern Cambodia that has so far missed
out on the advances of development. The local capital (Tbeng Meanchey) is still
only accessible on an average dirt track (from Kompong Thom), and apart from a
few horrible sand tracks, there are no other roads that would deserve that
attribute. Guidebooks like Lonely Planet love to portray this area as one of the
last truly wild places in South-east Asia where untamed jungle dominates the
landscape, but apart from two small stretches of road (one between Kompong Thom
and Tbeng Meanchey, and the other between Chepp and Stung Treng), I did not see
any habitat I would call true forest, with most of the area being dominated by
savannah interspersed with grasslands and little woodlots.
Birders have started to take an interest in Preah Vihear because of its
remnant populations of Giant and White-shouldered Ibis. There are now two
sites where the former can be seen, and one site where the latter is regularly
found. But a visit to the area will also get you hooked up with a number of
dryland species that may be hard to connect with elsewhere. Considering the
scarcity of public transport, you are definitely better off renting a vehicle
for the time of your visit so as to stand the greatest chance of finding the
ibises and whatever else you want to see. While most birders will probably
prefer to rent a 4WD in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, you do have the option of
hiring a guide with a motorbike if you are on a budget, provided you feel
physically able to hang on to the back of a bike on terrible sandtracks for days
on end.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has a long-term project to protect
the two species of ibis at the sites mentioned below. WCS has set up a guiding
system to see the ibises and other key species and can be contacted at
wcs.at.everyday.com.kh.
Tmat Baui: The site of greatest interest is Tmat Baui, a little village north
of the provincial "capital" (Tbeng Meanchey) approximately 3km to the east of
the track that leads all the way to Prasat Preah Vihear, the famous temple on
the Thai border. From Tbeng Meanchey, it is only about a 3hr moto ride to the
intersection to Tmat Baui. If you go with the WCS guide (see above), he will
contact the village before you get there to make sure the ranger is not on an
excursion. Accommodation is with the ranger. White-shouldered Ibis bred
not far from the village, and the ranger's wife was able to show me two in the
vicinity of their nest in broad daylight just minutes after my arrival. Giant
Ibis required some longer hike (5km) with the ranger. His strategy was to
check as many seasonal waterholes (tropeangs) as possible on the way to some
larger wetland area, and one tropeang finally paid off.
Some of the best other birds on this stretch of the trip were in the dry
forest (more like closed savannah) between the village and the main track,
including Chinese Francolin, Rufous-winged Buzzard (common), Black-headed
Woodpecker, Indochinese Bushlark and Brown Prinia. The savannah woodlands
further afield from the village held Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Common
Flameback, Lineated and Coppersmith Barbet, Green Bee-eater, Brown-backed
Needletail, Red Collared Dove, Crested Treeswift, Stork-billed Kingfisher (at a
tropeang), Dollarbird, Vernal Hanging-Parrot, flocks of parakeet including
Blossom-headed, Red-breasted and even Alexandrine Parakeet, Crested
Serpent-eagle, Brahminy Kite, Shikra, Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Woolly-necked
Stork, Black-necked Stork (1 at a tropeang), Golden-fronted Leafbird, Burmese
Shrike, Greater Racket-teiled, Ashy and Spangled Drongo, Red-billed Blue Magpie,
Rufous Treepie, Large-billed Crow, Black-hooded Oriole, Common Iora, Large and
Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Common Woodshrike, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Small
Minivet, Scaly Thrush (at a tropeang), Asian Brown and Red-throated Flycatcher,
White-rumped Shama, Siberian Stonechat, Chestnut-tailed, Vinous-breasted, Asian
Pied and Black-collared Starling, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Great Tit, Red-rumped
Swallow, Sooty-headed, Black and Streak-eared Bulbul, Gray-breasted, Rufescent
and Plain Prinia, Radde's, Yellow-browed and Two-barred Warblers, White-crested
Laughingthrush, Purple Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Richard's and
Olive-backed Pipit, Scaly Munia and Plain-backed Sparrow.
Birds seen along the road during the moto ride include Red Junglefowl, Indian
Roller, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Asian Palm Swift, Spotted Dove, Emerald Dove,
Cattle Egret, Greater Coucal, Green-billed Malkoha, Black Drongo, Oriental
Magpie Robin, Pied Bushchat, Common Myna, Barn Swallow, Black-crested Bulbul and
Olive-backed Sunbird.
Chepp/Chhaeb: This village is en route from Tbeng Meanchey to Stung Treng and
makes for a good stop-over on your way to the Mekong River. The way to see Giant
Ibis is by taking a local guide organised through WCS, who will take you to a
tropeang a few kilometres from Chepp. The most secure way to view the bird is to
stay at the tropeang overnight for an early morning, but a day visit might be
fruitful, too. Since I had seen Giant Ibis at Tmat Baui, I just briefly stopped
over in Chepp for a night, and as time was short I asked a seemingly
disappointed guide to just take me around some of the good woodlands nearer to
town, realizing that a visit to the Giant Ibis might have cost me another day.
My main goal was seeing Swinhoe's Minivet, which birding groups have
found here in the past, and a leisurely 5-hr morning stroll got me to a grove of
ancient trees that yielded a great mixed flock containing four species of
minivet (Small, Scarlet, Rosy and Swinhoe's), apart from Asian Emerald Cuckoo,
Black-naped Oriole, White-browed Fantail, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush and
Large Woodshrike. The savannah areas around Chepp yielded pretty much all the
species I had seen around Tmat Baui, and even the drier areas were rich in
birdlife, producing Hoopoe, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-shouldered Kite and
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater. The older trees and groves in the savannah were
fantastic for woodpeckers, with as many as ten species seen in a few hours
(Gray-capped Pygmy, Lesser Yellownape, Streak-throated, Black-headed,
Gray-headed, Great Slaty, Common and Greater Flameback, Rufous Woodpecker and
White-bellied Woodpecker.
Stung Treng and Siem Pang
17-20 February
In an ideal itinerary, Stung Treng would be an end point or starting point of
the Preah Vihear leg of your trip. Situated at the confluence of the Mekong with
another major river (for which there are at least 3 slightly differing names
available on different maps), this is the place to be if you want to find the
newly described Mekong Wagtail. The bird is confined to river islands and
vegetation along the riverside, and should eventually be seen if you hire a boat
to take you around for a few hours (especially up the tributary). Other good
river birds also make the time investment worthwhile (see below).
Siem Pang is a little town inhabited by Lao people a good day's boat journey
up that very same tributary. Before Tmat Baui was staked out (see above), Siem
Pang was the only reliable site for White-shouldered Ibis for a couple of years,
but now fewer people actually may opt to go. I still decided that Siem Pang was
worth the immense time investment (one day going up the river and one day going
down, plus two full days there), since it is one of very few sites where
White-rumped Falcon occurs, a species very far up on my wishlist. Remember
to check on the terrestrial transport alternatives if time is really short,
because it can apparently be done faster on the back of a motorbike if you want
to rough it.
Birds: The boat journey to/from Siem Pang is probably the easiest way to
connect with the Mekong Wagtail (beware: there are wintering leucopsis White
Wagtails feeding on the same river islands). Along the lower parts of this
tributary, Small Pratincole and Caspian Tern are easy to find, and the further
up you go, chances increase of seeing (in descending order of number of
sightings) River Tern, River Lapwing, Stork-billed Kingfisher and Great
Thick-knee. In Siem Pang, where there is at least one very nice hostel, get in
contact with the Virachey National Park office. They will assign you a
park-guard/motorbike-driver for something like $20 a day who can then take you
around for day trips. There is probably no other way to get into good habitat,
unless you want to walk.
Most habitat is savannah, the closer to town, the more degraded. The park
guards don't seem to be knowledgeable about the local avifauna, but they are
well aware of the White-shouldered Ibis and the places where those are
hanging about. Actually, on the second day, after quite a few ibis sightings, it
took me some effort to let the park guard know that I was now more interested in
finding some of the other goodies rather than just hang around waterholes.
I finally found a male of the sought-after White-rumped Falcon on the evening
of the last day before departure in closed savannah, after having scanned
countless tree-tops in the previous 50 hours. The species seems to be sparse,
though other birding groups have had up to two independent encounters given the
same time investment.
Generally, some patches of savannah at Siem Pang are excellent and yielded
birds that were absent or scarce in Preah Vihear Province, such as one
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, one Streak-throated Woodpecker, Indian Cuckoo,
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Eurasian Thick-knee, Black Baza, one Lesser
Adjutant, one Collared Falconet, Brown Prinia, Crow-billed Drongo, Indochinese
Cuckooshrike, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Asian Barred Owlet, Brown Hawk-owl and
White-browed Fantail.
An ancient tree grove yielded a family of White-bellied Woodpeckers. The
local birds (as well as those I had seen in Preah Vihear) show a distinct white
patch on the upper wing as well as the underwing and appeared noticeably smaller
than the ordinary South-east Asian feddeni subspecies. Moreover, the red on the
male crown extends a lot farther down the hindneck on these birds and almost
entirely encircles the eye. I wonder whether these birds still fall within the
natural variation of feddeni or would be more appropriately designated a new
subspecies.
Other good birds included Red Junglefowl, Gray-headed Pygmy Woodpecker,
Indochinese Bushlark, Black-headed and Great Slaty Woodpecker, Common and
Greater Flameback, Rufous Woodpecker, Lineated Barbet, Hoopoe, Radde's Warbler,
Alexandrine and Red-breasted Parakeet, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Vernal
Hanging-Parrot, Crested Treeswift, Spotted Owlet, Rufescent Prinia, Crested
Serpent-eagle, Brahminy Kite, Shikra, Rufous-winged Buzzard, Oriental
Honey-Buzzard, Woolly-necked Stork, Orange-fronted Leafbird, Plain-backed
Sparrow, Brown and Burmese Shrike, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Rufous and
Racket-tailed Treepie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Sooty-headed and Streak-eared
Bulbul, Black-hooded Oriole, Common Iora, Two-barred and Yellow-browed Warbler,
White-crested Laughingthrush, Large Cuckooshrike, Large and Common Woodshrike,
Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Small Minivet, Verditer and Red-throated
Flycatcher, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Black-collared and Vinous-breasted Starling,
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and Great Tit.
Among the more common species seen in Siem Pang and along the river, I was
treated to Common Kingfisher, Green and Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Black-capped
Kingfisher, Asian Koel, Green-billed Malkoha, Greater Coucal, Indian Roller,
Spotted Dove, Red Collared Dove, White-breasted Waterhen, Red-wattled Lapwing,
Common and Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover, Osprey,
Mangrove and Gray Heron, Little and Cattle Egret, Black and Ashy Drongo, Barn
Swallow, Large-billed Crow, Oriental Magpie Robin, Pied Bushchat, Siberian
Stonechat, Common and White-vented Myna, Scarlet-backed and Yellow-vented
Flowerpecker, Olive-backed and Purple Sunbird, Olive-backed and Richard's Pipit
as well as Asian Pied Starling.
Bokor National Park
22-25 Feb
The coastal range at Bokor National Park is one of two mountainous areas in
Cambodia that feature some avian endemism, the other one being the Cardamom
Mountains, which are due to remain out of bounds for yet another few years to
come. Bokor has become a popular two-day trip destination for backpackers, who
usually hire a motorbike (with or without a driver) at Kampot to go up to the
top plateau, where (despite its low elevation at 1000m) the tall forest makes
way to stunted woodland and eventually meadows. The French colonial occupants
built a hill resort in the midst of creepy bogs and marshes, including casino
and church, but all buildings are now dilapidated and make for an eerie
atmosphere when the fog sets in at dusk. The park centre up here supplies simple
mattresses and do-it-yourself noodle packages, so expect to share a dorm-style
accommodation with many other backpackers. The rangers here are some of the
least helpful park guards I have ever encountered, as they would not really care
to give me any information on paths and habitat after repeated enquiries.
Birds: The main avian attraction in these – I am afraid to say – impoverished
forests is the locally endemic Chestnut-headed Partridge, but it is a
difficult bugger and you should not expect to score on this one. The
impoverished but beautiful stunted plateau forest is obviously not the right
habitat for it, and the road up here provides no access to the forest interior
at intermediate elevations, so I wasted days trying to find a decent path into
tall forest. Some low-key woodcutter paths and trapper paths diverge from the
road, but be careful not to step into any active traps as I almost did.
However, after some searching I did find an excellent path that takes you all
the way down to the bottom of the table mountain (if you want), starting from
the Emerald Valley where the tea plantations used to be. Follow the footpath
from the reservoir at the park station down to the abandoned tea plantation
ruins (ca. 2km), and be sure not to cross the little river here, but instead
find the trailhead into the forest to the right about 100-200m before you get to
the little river. Following this trail, there will soon be a couple of minor
stream crossings and after 2km you should eventually be on your descent to the
lowlands. The forest gets better as you leave the plateau.
I lucked out with great views of a little covey of Chestnut-headed Partridge
on the last morning (actually just two hours before my scheduled departure) at a
stream about 4-6km down this trail. They seem to like lush growth around
streams.
The forests in Bokor are amazingly quiet and poor in activity or mixed
flocks. One flock did hold a surprise wintering Silver Oriole (a very
rare bird), and I was glad to get another few good looks at Swinhoe's Minivets
in the same flock. As far as remarkable sightings are concerned, an Indochinese
Green Magpie (which I taped) and a few Sulphur-breasted Warblers in a warbler
flock seem to be new or almost new records for Cambodia. Moreover, an
Orange-headed Thrush in a fruiting tree, a flock of Lesser Necklaced
Laughingthrush and loads of White-browed Scimitar-Babblers were good finds. Most
warbler flocks were accompanied by wintering Seicercus soror, a recently
described species that has a very distinct vocalization.
Other species included: Moustached and Blue-eared Barbet, Wreathed Hornbill,
Red-headed Trogon, Drongo Cuckoo, Green-billed Malkoha, Mountain Imperial
Pigeon, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Barred Cuckoo Dove, Asian Fairy Bluebird,
Long-tailed Broadbill (common), Blue-winged Leafbird, Ashy and Lesser
Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-naped Oriole, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Bar-winged
Flycatcher-Shrike, Large Woodshrike, Scarlet Minivet, Black-naped Monarch, Asian
Paradise-Flycatcher, White-throated Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush (ssp.
philippensis, around ruins), Asian Brown, Verditer and Red-throated Flycatcher,
Mugimaki Flycatcher, Siberian Blue Robin, Common Myna, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch,
Black-crested and Stripe-throated Bulbul, Ochraceous and Gray-eyed Bulbul,
Yellow-browed and Arctic Warbler, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Eastern Crowned and
Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Streaked Wren-Babbler, Striped
Tit-Babbler, White-bellied Erpornis, Little Spiderhunter, Black-throated Sunbird
and Olive-backed Pipit.
Some birds were heard only, such as Collared Owlet, Mountain Scops Owl,
Large-tailed Nightjar and Dark-necked Tailorbird.
Kompong Thom
26 Feb
The town of Kompong Thom, roughly halfway between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in
the midst of Cambodia's agricultural belt, is an excellent starting point or end
point for the Preah Vihear leg of your trip. But you should definitely not
forget to consider stopping over for a day or – preferably – two, since the
cultivated land around this town has some good species on offer, not least one
of the only accessible populations of Bengal Florican and a wintering
population of the elusive Manchurian Reed Warbler.
The terrain is vast on the plains around Kompong Thom, and to stand a chance
of finding these very special birds, you will need to hook up with a local
contact. WCS have a Florican conservation project and can organise guides. Their
email address is wcs.florican.at.everyday.com.kh. The guides can take you around
by motorbike, and have a thorough knowledge of where to find both the florican
and the warbler.
Birds: Besides one to two male Bengal Floricans, the florican site that I was
taken to also held Pied Harrier and Eastern Marsh Harrier, and a few wetlands
and scrub-dotted fields en route produced some excellent species, such as Asian
Golden Weaver, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Red Avadavat, Yellow-breasted Bunting,
Black-browed and Oriental Reed Warbler, Cinnamon and Yellow Bittern, Siberian
Rubythroat, Bluethroat, both Common and Pintail Snipe as well as a distant
Aquila (probably Greater Spotted Eagle).
In the afternoon, we went to some extensive reeds and wetlands (a female
Japanese Sparrowhawk en route), where Manchurian Reed Warblers were pretty hard
to find among myriad Black-broweds. Reed warblers here are very confusing until
you figure out their vocalizations: Black-browed sometimes utters a tchuck-like
call (similar to its description in the guide) but this can be extended to a
short "trt", whereas Manchurians exclusively give a long rasping "churr" and
don't quite seem to like coming out in the lower reedy and sedgy vegetation
(though this statement is only based on an afternoon's worth of field
experience). That same general area also yielded Streaked Weavers, a
Rusty-rumped Warbler and several good birds already seen in the morning.
I had only one day to spare, so the WCS guide suggested a visit to the
florican site first thing in the morning and a visit to the warbler site in the
afternoon, but you may want to do it the other way around or – alternatively –
stay for two mornings, because I only had a quick glimpse of one calling
Manchurian Reed Warbler late in the afternoon. It must be a lot easier to find
them in the mornings.
Other birds, some of them common, others quite noteworthy, included:
Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher, Spotted Dove, Green Sandpiper,
Red-wattled Lapwing, Black Kite (ssp. lineatus), Brahminy Kite, Black-shouldered
Kite, Little and Cattle Egret, Gray and Purple Heron, Black Drongo, Large-billed
Crow, Pied Fantail, Siberian Stonechat, Asian Pied Starling, White-vented and
Common Myna, Bank and Barn Swallow, Yellow-bellied and Plain Prinia, Striated
Grassbird, Dusky Warbler, Richard's and Red-throated Pipit, Yellow Wagtail (ssp.
macronyx), Tree Sparrow, Scaly-breasted Munia and Bright-headed Cisticola.
TRIP LIST
SS = Samut Sakhon (near Bangkok), PT = Prek Toal (at Ton Le Sap Lake), TB =
Tmat Baui (near Tbeng Meanchey), Ch = Chheb/Chaepp, SP = Siem Pang (incl. boat
trip from Stung Treng), Bk = Bokor National Park, KT = Kompong Thom Area
- Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis: SS
- Chestnut-headed Partridge – Arborophila cambodiana: Bk 2
- Chinese Francolin – Francolinus pintadeanus: Tbeng Meanchey, TB
- Red Junglefowl – Gallus gallus: Tbeng Meanchey, TB, Ch, SP
- Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker – Dendrocopos canicapillus: TB,Ch, SP
- Rufous-bellied Woodpecker – Dendrocopos hyperythrus: SP 1
- White-bellied Woodpecker – Dryocopus javensis: TB, Ch, SP
- Lesser Yellownape – Picus chlorolophus: Ch
- Streak-throated Woodpecker – Picus xanthopygaeus: Ch, SP 1
- Black-headed Woodpecker – Picus erythropygius: Tbeng
Meanchey, TB, Ch, SP
- Gray-headed Woodpecker – Picus canus: Ch
- Great Slaty Woodpecker – Mulleripicus pulverulentus: Ch, SP
- Common Flameback – Dinopium javanense: TB, Ch, SP
- Greater Flameback – Chrysocolaptes lucidus: Ch, SP
- Rufous Woodpecker – Celeus brachyurus: Ch, SP
- Lineated Barbet – Megalaima lineata: TB, Ch, SP
- Moustached Barbet – Megalaima incognita: Bk
- Blue-eared Barbet – Megalaima australis: Bk
- Coppersmith Barbet – Megalaima haemacephala: TB
- Oriental Pied Hornbill – Anthracocerus albirostris albirostris:
Tbeng Meanchey, TB, Ch
- Wreathed Hornbill – Aceros undulatus: Bk
- Red-headed Trogon – Harpactes erythrocephalus: Bk
- Indian Roller – Coracias benghalensis: Tbeng Meanchey, TB, Ch, SP
- Dollarbird – Eurystomus orientalis: TB
- Hoopoe – Upupa epops: TB,Ch, SP
- Blue-tailed Bee-eater – Merops philippinus: PT, KT
- Green Bee-eater – Merops orientalis: TB, Ch, SP
- Chestnut-headed Bee-eater – Merops leschenaultia: TB, Ch, SP
- Common Kingfisher – Alcedo atthis: PT, SP, KT
- Black-capped Kingfisher – Halcyon pileata: SS, PT, SP
- Stork-billed Kingfisher – Halcyon capensis: TB, SP
- White-throated Kingfisher – Halcyon smyrnensis: PT
- Collared Kingfisher – Todyramphus chloris: SS
- Blossom-headed Parakeet – Psittacula roseata: TB, Ch, SP
- Red-breasted Parakeet – Psittacula alexandri: TB, Ch, SP
- Alexandrine Parakeet – Psittacula eupatria: TB, SP
- Vernal Hanging-Parrot – Loriculus vernalis: TB, SP
- Indian Cuckoo – Cuculus micropterus: SP
- Asian Emerald Cuckoo – Chrysococcyx maculatus: Ch
- Drongo Cuckoo – Surniculus lugubris: Bk
- Asian Koel – Eudynamys scolopaea: SS, SP
- Greater Coucal – Centropus sinensis: Ch, SP
- Green-billed Malkoha – Phaenicophaeus tristis: PT, Ch, SP, Bk
- Mountain Imperial Pigeon – Ducula badia: Bk
- Thick-billed Green Pigeon – Treron curvirostra: Bk
- Yellow-footed Green Pigeon – Treron phoenicoptera: SP
- Barred Cuckoo-Dove – Macropygia unchall: Bk
- Spotted Dove – Streptopelia chinensis: SS, Tbeng Meanchey, TB, Ch,
SP, KT
- Red Collared Dove – Streptopelia tranquebarica: TB, SP
- Emerald Dove – Chalcophaps indica: Tbeng Meanchey, Ch
- Asian Barred Owlet – Glaucidium cuculoides: SP
- Spotted Owlet – Athene brama: SP
- Brown Hawk Owl – Ninox scutulata: SP
- Brown-backed Needletail – Hirundapus giganteus: TB
- Asian Palm Swift – Cypsiurus balasiensis: Tbeng Meanchey, TB
- Crested Treeswift – Hemiprocne coronata: Tbeng Meanchey, TB, Ch, SP
- Bengal Florican – Eupodotis benghalensis: KT 1,0
- Slaty-breasted Rail – Gallirallus striatus: SS
- Ruddy-breasted Crake – Porzana fusca: SS, KT
- White-breasted Waterhen – Amaurornis phoenicurus: SP
- Purple Swamphen – Porphyrio porphyrio: PT
- Common Moorhen – Gallinula chloropus: PT
- Pintail Snipe – Gallinago stenura: KT
- Common Snipe – Gallinago gallinago: KT
- Marsh Sandpiper – Tringa stagnatilis: SS
- Greenshank – Tringa nebularia: SS, SP
- Wood Sandpiper – Tringa glareola: SS
- Green Sandpiper – Tringa ochropus: SP, KT
- Common Sandpiper – Actitis hypoleucos: SS, SP
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper – Calidris pygmeus: SS 1
- Red-necked Stint – Calidris ruficollis: SS
- Long-toed Stint – Calidris subminuta: SS
- Broad-billed Sandpiper – Limicola falcinellus: SS
- Curlew Sandpiper – Calidris ferruginea: SS
- Black-winged Stilt – Himantopus himantopus: SS
- Great Thick-knee – Esacus recurvirostris: SP
- Eurasian Thick-knee – Burhinus oedicnemus: SP
- Little Ringed Plover – Charadrius dubius: SS, SP
- Kentish Plover – Charadrius alexandrinus: SS
- Lesser Sand Plover – Charadrius mongolus: SS
- Pacific Golden Plover – Pluvialis fulva: SS
- Red-wattled Lapwing – Vanellus indicus: Ch, SP, KT
- River Lapwing – Vanellus duvaucelii: SP
- Small Pratincole – Glarerola lactea: SP
- Brown-headed Gull – Larus brunnicephalus: SS, PT
- Caspian Tern – Sterna caspia: SS, SP
- River Tern – Sterna aurantia: SP
- Little Tern – Sterna albifrons: SS
- Whiskered Tern – Chlidonias hybridus: PT
- Osprey – Pandion haliaeetus: SP
- Black Kite – Milvus migrans lineatus: SS, KT
- Brahminy Kite – Haliastur indus: TB, SP, KT
- Crested Serpent-eagle – Spilornis cheela: TB, Ch, SP
- Gray-headed Fish Eagle – Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus: PT
- Black Baza – Aviceda leuphotes: SP
- Black-shouldered Kite – Elanus caeruleus: SS, TB, KT
- Eastern Marsh Harrier – Circus spilonotus: KT
- Pied Harrier – Circus melanoleucos: KT
- Shikra – Accipiter badius: TB, SP
- Japanese Sparrowhawk – Accipiter gularis: KT 0,1
- Rufous-winged Buzzard – Butastur liventer: TB, Ch, SP
- Oriental Honey-Buzzard – Pernis ptilorhychus: TB, SP
- White-rumped Falcon – Polihierax insignis: SP 1,0
- Collared Falconet – Microhierax caerulescens: SP 1
- Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis: Tbeng Meanchey, TB, SP, KT
- Little Egret – Egretta garzetta: SS, PT, SP, KT
- Gray Heron – Ardea cinerea: SS, PT, SP, KT
- Purple Heron – Ardea purpurea: SS, PT, KT
- Great Egret – Casmerodius albus: SS, PT
- Intermediate Egret – Mesophoyx intermedia: SS, PT
- Little Heron – Butorides striatus: SS, PT, SP
- Black-crowned Night Heron – Nycticorax nycticorax: SS, PT
- Yellow Bittern – Ixobrychus sinensis: PT, KT
- Cinnamon Bittern – Ixobrychus cinnamomeus: KT
- Little Cormorant – Phalacrocorax niger: SS, PT
- Indian Cormorant – Phalacrocorax fuscicollis: PT
- Great Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo: PT
- Darter – Anhinga melanogaster: PT
- Black-headed Ibis – Threskiornis melanocephalus: PT
- White-shouldered Ibis – Pseudibis davisoni: TB 2, SP 1-2
- Giant Ibis – Pseudibis gigantea: TB 1
- Spot-billed Pelican – Pelecanus philippensis: PT
- Milky Stork – Mycteria cinerea: PT 2
- Painted Stork – Mycteria leucocephala: PT
- Woolly-necked Stork – Ciconia episcopus: TB, SP
- Asian Openbill – Anastomus oscitans: PT
- Black-necked Stork – Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus: TB 1
- Lesser Adjutant – Leptoptilos javanicus: PT, SP 1-2
- Greater Adjutant – Leptoptilos dubius: PT 4
- Long-tailed Broadill – Psarisomus dalhousiae: Bk
- Asian Fairy Bluebird – Irena puella: Bk
- Blue-winged Leafbird – Chloropsis cochinchinensis: Bk
- Golden-fronted Leafbird – Chloropsis aurifrons: TB, Ch, SP
- Burmese Shrike – Lanius collurioides: TB, SP
- Brown Shrike – Lanius cristatus: SP
- Large-billed Crow – Corvus macrorhynchos: SS, PT, TB, Ch, SP, KT
- Red-billed Blue Magpie – Urocissa erythrorhyncha: TB, Ch, SP
- Indochinese Green Magpie – Cissa hypoleuca: Bk
- Rufous Treepie – Dendrocitta vagabunda: TB, Ch, SP
- Racket-tailed Treepie – Crypsirina temia: SP
- Black Drongo – Dicrurus macrocercus: Tbeng Meanchey, TB, SP, KT
- Ashy Drongo – Dicrurus leucophaeus: TB, Ch, SP, Bk
- Crow-billed Drongo – Dicrurus annectans: SP
- Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo – Dicrurus remifer: Bk
- Greater Racket-tailed Drongo – Dicrurus paradiseus: TB, Ch, SP
- Spangled Drongo – Dicrurus hottentottus: TB, Ch
- Black-hooded Oriole – Oriolus xanthornus: TB, Ch, SP
- Black-naped Oriole – Oriolus chinensis: Ch, Bk
- Silver Oriole – Oriolus mellianus: Bk 1,0
- Common Iora – Aegithina tiphia: TB, Ch, SP
- Large Cuckooshrike – Coracina macei: TB, Ch, SP
- Indochinese Cuckooshrike – Coracina polioptera: TB, Ch, SP
- Black-winged Cuckooshrike – Coracina melaschistos: Bk
- Common Woodshrike – Tephrodornis pondicerianus: TB, Ch, SP
- Large Woodshrike – Tephrodornis gularis: Ch, SP, Bk
- Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike – Hemipus picatus: TB, Ch, SP, Bk
- Rosy Minivet – Pericrocotus roseus: Ch
- Swinhoe's Minivet – Pericrocotus cantonensis: Ch, Bk
- Small Minivet – Pericrocotus cinnamomeus: TB, Ch, SP
- Scarlet Minivet – Pericrocotus flammeus: TB, Ch, Bk
- Asian Paradise-Flycatcher – Terpsiphone paradisi: Bk
- Black-naped Monarch – Hypothymis azurea: Bk
- Pied Fantail – Rhipidura javanica: SS, KT
- White-browed Fantail – Rhipidura aureola: Ch, SP
- White-throated Rock Thrush – Monticola gularis: Bk
- Blue Rock Thrush – Monticola solitarius philippensis: Bk
- Orange-headed Thrush – Zoothera citrina: Bk
- Scaly Thrush – Zoothera dauma: TB
- Asian Brown Flycatcher – Muscicapa dauurica: TB, Ch, SP, Bk
- Red-throated Flycatcher – Ficedula parva albicollis: TB, SP, Bk
- Mugimaki Flycatcher – Ficedula mugimaki: Bk
- Verditer Flycatcher – Eumyias thalassina: SP, Bk
- Bluethroat – Luscinia svecica: KT
- Siberian Rubythroat – Luscinia calliope: KT
- Siberian Blue Robin – Luscinia cyane: Bk
- White-rumped Shama – Copsychus malabaricus: TB
- Oriental Magpie Robin – Copsychus saularis: SS, PT, Tbeng Meanchey,
SP
- Pied Bushchat – Saxicola caprate: Tbeng Meanchey, TB, SP
- Siberian Stonechat – Saxicola maura: TB, SP, KT
- Chestnut-tailed Starling – Sturnus malabaricus: TB
- Black-collared Starling – Sturnus nigricollis: TB, Ch, SP
- Vinous-breasted Starling – Sturnus burmannicus: TB, SP
- Asian Pied Starling – Sturnus contra: SS, TB, SP, KT
- Common Myna – Acridotheres tristis: SS, PT, Tbeng Meanchey, TB, SP,
Bk, KT
- White-vented Myna – Acridotheres grandis: SS, PT, SP, KT
- Velvet-fronted Nuthatch – Sitta frontalis: TB, Ch, SP, Bk
- Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch – Sitta castanea: SP
- Great Tit – Parus major: TB, Ch. SP
- Sand Martin – Riparia riparia: PT, KT
- Red-rumped Swallow – Hirundo daurica: TB
- Barn Swallow – Hirundo rustica: PT, Tbeng Meanchey, SP, KT
- Black-crested Bulbul – Pycnonotus melanicterus: Tbeng Meanchey, Bk
- Stripe-throated Bulbul – Pycnonotus finlaysoni: Bk
- Sooty-headed Bulbul – Pycnonotus aurigaster: TB, Ch, SP
- Streak-eared Bulbul – Pycnonotus blanfordi: TB, SP
- Ochraceous Bulbul – Alophoixus ochraceus: Bk
- Gray-eyed Bulbul – Iole propinqua: Bk
- Black Bulbul – Hypsipetes leucocephalus: TB
- Brown Prinia – Prinia polychroa: TB, SP
- Rufescent Prinia – Prinia rufescens: TB, SP
- Gray-breasted Prinia – Prinia hodgsonii: TB, Ch
- Plain Prinia – Prinia inornata: SS, TB, KT
- Yellow-bellied Prinia – Prinia flaviventris: KT
- Zitting Cisticola – Cisticola juncidis: SS
- Bright-headed Cisticola – Cisticola exilis: KT
- Rusty-rumped Warbler – Locustella certhiola: KT
- Black-browed Reed Warbler – Acrocephalus bistrigiceps: KT
- Oriental Reed Warbler – Acrocephalus orientalis: KT
- Manchurian Reed Warbler – Acrocephalus tangorum: KT
- Striated Grassbird – Megalurus palustris: KT
- Dusky Warbler – Phylloscopus fuscatus: PT, KT
- Radde's Warbler – Phylloscopus schwarzi: TB, SP
- Yellow-browed Warbler – Phylloscopus inornatus: TB, SP, Bk
- Arctic Warbler – Phylloscopus borealis: Bk
- Pale-legged Leaf Warbler – Phylloscopus tenellipes: Bk
- Eastern Crowned Warbler – Phylloscopus coronatus: Bk
- Two-barred Warbler – Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus: TB, SP
- Blyth's Leaf Warbler – Phylloscopus reguloides: Bk
- Sulphur-breasted Warbler – Phylloscopus ricketti: Bk
- Plain-tailed Warbler – Seicercus soror: Bk
- White-crested Laughingthrush – Garrulax leucolophus: TB, SP
- Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush – Garrulax monileger: Ch, Bk
- Puff-throated Babbler – Pellorneum ruficeps: Bk
- White-browed Scimitar-Babbler – Pomatorhinus schisticeps: Bk
- Streaked Wren-Babbler – Napothera brevicaudata: Bk
- Striped Tit-Babbler – Macronous gularis: Bk
- White-bellied Erpornis – Erpornis zantholeuca: Bk
- Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker – Dicaeum cruentatum: TB, SP
- Yellow-vented Flowerpecker – Dicaeum chrysorheum: SP
- Purple Sunbird – Nectarinia asiatica: TB, Ch, SP
- Olive-backed Sunbird – Nectarinia jugularis: Ch, SP
- Black-throated Sunbird – Aethopyga saturata: Bk
- Little Spiderhunter – Arachnothera longirostra: Bk
- Tree Sparrow – Passer montanus: SS, PT, KT
- Plain-backed Sparrow – Passer flaveolus: TB, SP
- Streaked Weaver – Ploceus manyar: KT
- Asian Golden Weaver – Ploceus hypoxanthus: KT
- Scaly-breasted Munia – Lonchura punctulata: TB, KT
- Red Avadavat – Amandava amandava: KT
- Mekong Wagtail – Motacilla samveasnae: SP
- White Wagtail – Motacilla alba leucopsis: SP
- Yellow Wagtail – Motacilla flava macronyx: SS, PT, KT
- Paddyfield Pipit – Anthus rufulus: SS
- Richard's Pipit – Anthus richardi: TB, SP, KT
- Red-throated Pipit – Anthus cervinus: KT
- Olive-backed Pipit – Anthus hodgsoni: TB, SP, Bk
- Indochinese Bushlark – Mirafra marionae: TB, SP
- Yellow-breasted Bunting – Emberiza aureola: KT
Heard Only:
- Banded Bay Cuckoo – Cacomantis sonneratii: TB
- Collared Owlet – Glaucidium brodiei: Bk
- Mountain Scops Owl – Otus spilocephalus: Bk
- Large-tailed Nightjar – Caprimulgus macrurus: Bk
- Dark-necked Tailorbird – Orthotomus atrogularis: Bk
|
|