Cambodia
16
– 23 February 2003
16
February 2013
Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Siem Reap, Cambodia
We arrived at Siem Reap at around
16:55 and proceeded speedily through the airport even though we had to procure
a visa on arrival.
Our guide, Naran and our driver,
Chiang, were there to greet us, and we were delivered safely to our hotel, the
Neth Socheata. It was here that we were introduced to the Cambodian custom of
removing one's shoes before entering the building, and even though we asked
Naran the reason for this practice, he was unable to give us an answer. Our
room was very clean and comfortable and we settled in before going out for
dinner.
At a restaurant bearing the same name
as the hotel we enjoyed two Tiger beers, eight delicious, fresh spring rolls,
pork stir fry, chicken curry with vegetables and two bowls of steamed rice –
all for the princely sum of $12.00! And we had the pleasant company of a group
of lizards (geckos?) scampering over the walls. Who could ask for anything
more?
Accommodation:
Neth
Socheata Hotel Rating: Four stars.
17
February 2013
Siem
Reap – Kampong Thom - Tmatboey
We met Naran in the
lobby at 05:30 and listened to the sound of loud music from a wedding party
still going strong. We loaded our luggage into a fine Toyota Land Cruiser and
headed out of Siem Reap.
About two hours later, close to the
grasslands at Kampong Thom, home of the Bengal Florican, we stopped for
breakfast, having travelled through an area of intense rural poverty. Chiang
spread a mat on the ground and offered us tea or coffee. Breakfast was a boxed
affair with two pieces of bread with jam, and a croissant. Naran and Chiang had
rice and other good stuff which we thought looked far more appealing! Some of
the local kids came to visit and we gave them all Canada flag pins and shared
our breakfast with them.
Rural Poverty
While sipping coffee an Eastern
Marsh Harrier flew by and Black Drongos and Asian Palm Swifts were all around.
Moving on to the grasslands we were
met by two local guides and were glad to see some of the impoverished villagers
able to earn an income in the protection of endangered species. Surely this is
the ultimate key to successful stewardship of the birds of the world.
It was at this point we realized
that once again our guide had no scope, much to our dismay.
We
took our shoes and socks off and waded through a stream to get onto the
principal habitat of the critically endangered Bengal Florican. Almost right
away we had a distant view of a female, and in walking through the grass I
flushed a Yellow-legged Buttonquail. We had good looks at Red-throated Pipits,
but a scope would have enhanced our experience. The same can be said of a
Horsfield's Bushlark perched on a reed.
Naran and I were walking together,
with Miriam and the two local fellows close by, when we flushed a male Bengal
Florican right in front of us. What a magnificent bird and what a stellar
sighting. It flew quite a way, all the while in our binocular view, until it
dropped back into the tall grasses to disappear again. I was truly elated at
our good fortune.
A male Siberian Stonechat was
perched on a tall grass stem, moving in the wind, like a jewel at the end of a
necklace. We had magnificent views of two Pied Harriers, as stunning a raptor
as you could ever wish to see. The wetland contained fourteen Wood Sandpipers,
an Eastern Yellow Wagtail and a Purple Heron. We saw about a dozen Red
Avadavats, two Oriental Pratincoles, a Striated Grassbird and a Zitting
Cisticola. There were two Indian Spot-billed Ducks and when we crossed the
stream again a Pied Kingfisher entertained us by hovering, then diving, coming
up with a fish. I have to say, it was far more efficient than the numerous
fisherman trying their luck!
Nest of Spotted Dove with two eggs
Nest of Spotted Dove with two eggs
Just before leaving at 09:55 it was
our good fortune to have three Sarus Cranes fly in.
What a great morning of birding!
And Naran said that he would try to
meet up with one of the other guides and get a scope. Hooray!
Heading down the highway, Naran
stopped to buy fruit, a very agreeable habit and much to our liking, so we
always had a little fresh fruit to snack on.
Lunch was taken in Kampong Thom at a
roadside restaurant. Naran left us to eat alone while he and the driver took their
lunch elsewhere. Miriam chose beef and pineapple with vegetables and I had
stir-fried vegetables; both dishes came with steamed rice and we found the food
very enjoyable. To drink, I had coconut water directly from the coconut and
Miriam had Seven-Up. The waitress was very perky, spoke good English, but
strangely was wearing a sweat shirt with the word “Toilet” on the back.
We continued on towards Tmatboey
along a road which was under construction in numerous places and we had to
detour around it quite frequently and it was slow going and bone-jarring at
times.
Typical house
Typical house
It was dismaying to see the amount
of forest being burned as we drove. This was not planned burning by competent
authorities but random burning by local inhabitants. There was a constant odour
of acrid smoke and basic houses were being constructed even as the forest still
smouldered.
At 15:00 we arrived at Tmatboey, the
pilot ecotourism project developed in 2005 with the help of the WCS, enabling
local villagers to participate in ecotourism, earn a living and promote
wildlife conservation. The setting is dusty and the accommodation quite
primitive, but it is a very commendable attempt to have residents of the area
get involved in the protection of habitat and wildlife, while deriving economic
benefit. It was not difficult for me to suspend my pampered western lifestyle
for a few days in return for the enchanting wildlife we would see, but for
Miriam I am afraid it was not quite so easy. She was not happy there.
The rooms had a bare cement floor, two
beds with a fan overhead, and a basic bathroom with a toilet and a barrel of
water with a scoop for flushing, a shower head on the wall and a sink which
directed the water over the edge and onto the floor.
Beds at Tmatboey
Bathroom at Tmatboey
Aside from this, the dividing wall
between the units was constructed from single strips of wood, rough cut, so
there were gaps between each slat with no chinking at all. Thus there was no
privacy and you could see the people in the next room moving around.
Furthermore there was no sound proofing, and it was easy to listen to each
other's conversations at normal sound levels. Whoever coughed shared the sound
with everyone else, if one party had an early start then everyone was
disturbed. Lights went on and shone through, every footstep was heard, doors closed,
pee tinkled and so on.
At 16:00 we were introduced to our
local guide and he turned out to be a great asset. We were unable to converse
with him but it seemed to me that we got along famously and we really enjoyed
his company. The closest phonetic approximation I can get to his name is
Grrrimm.
And – joy of joys – Naran had a
scope!
We left to go birding, driving over
bumpy roads with myriad twists and turns. We parked and walked through some
dusty rice fields and through burned out forests.
In a small pond, or trapeang, as it
is called locally, we came upon two Lesser Adjutants and three Wooly-necked
Storks. By staying in the vehicle we were able to observe them for several
minutes and it was a very rewarding experience. Once we left the vehicle,
however, as quietly and stealthily as we could, to try to get in position for
photographs, the birds flushed immediately. I suspect that this reflects a long
history of hunting by villagers such as Grrrimm who now are happy to earn a
living by protecting them.
Lesser Adjutant
Wooly-necked Stork
We saw a pair of Rufous-winged
Buzzards mating. I found this raptor to be one of my favourites.
Grrrimm took us to the nest of a
White-shouldered Ibis; alas enveloped by smoke from the forest burning around
it. In the days to come we would have much better views of this critically
endangered species.
A Rufous Treepie perched in full
view and we appreciated this stunning bird very much. Other avian highlights
were Spotted Wood Owl, Black-headed Woodpecker, Chinese Francolin and Oriental
Pied Hornbill.
We returned to the “homestay” at
18:30 and got ready for dinner at 19:00. We were served rice, fish and two
vegetable dishes, with bananas for dessert. It was well prepared and very
tasty. A cold Tiger beer apiece didn't taste too badly either!
We were back in our room a little
after 19:30 where we had the delightful company of several lizards (geckos?),
one of which was quite large, and seemed to keep saying (and you will forgive
my indelicacy) “Fuck you,” much to our amusement, and judging from the reaction
of the two British birders in the next room, theirs too.
The beds were comfortable, equipped
with mosquito nets and we enjoyed a good night's sleep.
All
species 17 February – Chinese Francolin, Indian Spot-billed Duck,
Wooly-necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, White-shouldered Ibis, Chinese Pond Heron,
Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Little Egret, Little Cormorant, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Pied
Harrier, Rufous-winged Buzzard, Bengal Florican, Sarus Crane, Yellow-legged
Buttonquail, Red-wattled Lapwing, Pacific Golden Plover, Common Snipe, Wood
Sandpiper, Oriental Pratincole, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Red-breasted
Parakeet, Asian Koel, Spotted Wood Owl, Crested Treeswift, Asian Palm Swift,
Black-capped Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater,
Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Oriental Pied Hornbill,
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-headed Woodpecker, Small Minivet, Black
Drongo, White-browed Fantail, Rufous Treepie, Eastern Jungle Crow, Horsfield's
Bushlark, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Barn Swallow, Striated Grassbird, Zitting
Cisticola, Common Myna, Siberian Stonechat, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Red
Avadavat, Western Yellow Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit, Red-throated Pipit.
Accommodation:
Tmatboey
Rating: Two stars
18
February 2013
Tmatboey
and area
We were up at 04:00
for an early start to visit a roosting site of Giant Ibis.
Before leaving Miriam had quite a
shock. She had splashed water on her face and was about to dry herself on the towel,
but fortunately she opened her eyes before the towel made contact with her
skin. There was a large frog clinging to her towel in the very area that would
have hit her face. I shook off the towel outside and calm was restored!
We had a cup of tea before leaving
and drove through the dark to a place known to Grrrimm and parked the vehicle
at a clearing in the forest. Then Grrrimm led us unerringly in total darkness
through rice fields and into the forest to arrive at the roosting tree before
first light. He set up the scope and we waited. As soon as we had light we
could see three of these critically endangered, truly magnificent birds,
perched high atop a tree. As daybreak advanced we watched them stretch, preen,
hop around a little and finally take off to head for their feeding grounds. The
sound they made was atmospheric indeed, a sort of deep howl.
These are the Zen moments in life
for me. To view these kaleidoscopes of nature surpasses all other experiences I
could have. And to add to the euphoria we saw five White-shoulderd Ibises fly
into a tree, furnishing much better views than we had had of the one at the
nest. It was a remarkable morning. Let us all hope that places like Tmatboey
can help in the slow recovery of these species to make sure that they continue
to populate the wild areas of Cambodia. Congratulations to Sam Veasna Centre
for their foresight.
We continued birding, stopping
shortly for breakfast, which we ate at an abandoned house in the forest. We had
fried noodles with a bit of chicken, carrot and cabbage and it was very good.
Naran had also brought bananas, much to our delight.
I should mention at this stage that
we were finding Naran to be not only a first class guide, but a very engaging
personality also, with a well-developed sense of humour. Our driver was
terrific, and along with Grrrimm, we were a compatible group.
We continued birding until about
10:00, the cool of the early morning giving way to blistering heat. We saw
several Crested Treeswifts, two Vinous-breasted Starlings, and a couple of
Greater Flamebacks. We watched a male
Burmese Shrike displaying to a female; he must have put on a good performance
for it was not long before the female came to him. A Crested Serpent Eagle was
perched and it was great to have a scope view, as opposed to the aerial (and
nonetheless magnificent) views we normally had. Numerous Oriental Pied
Hornbills were flying through the trees and although we heard Red Junglefowl
call several times we never did see one.
The sound is very pleasing however.
Crested Serpent Eagle
We drove back through the village
and bought ice for the cooler, and headed back to our room. Miriam took a
shower and we went for lunch shortly afterwards where we enjoyed rice, deep
fried chicken, a beef dish and sauteed Chinese cabbage. It was very well done
and slices of pineapple for dessert rounded it off nicely. We chatted for a
while to a group of British birders staying there. It turned out that their
trip had also been organized by Vietnam Birding, but they were doing it in
reverse to us, heading for Vietnam the following day.
We rested until 15:00 when it was
time to leave to go birding again, but Miriam decided not to go.
The highlight of this excursion was
two Pale-capped Pigeons, a species for which one of the British birders in the
room next to us had specifically come to Cambodia. Grrrimm knew the location of
a Brown Fish Owl with young and took us there to see this exciting nocturnal
raptor. We also saw White-bellied Woodpecker, three Lesser Adjutants and,
amazingly three Giant Ibis. I finally was able to see a Crested Treeswift
perched, all the other sightings having been of birds in flight. On the way
back to the homestay (as Naran was wont to call it) we made a successful search
for Brown Hawk-Owl.
Naran and Grrrimm in burned out forest
I was back in our room by 19:00 and
Miriam told me that our friendly frog had found its way back inside. However,
it was hiding behind one of the boards, and occasionally would slowly work its
way out. We both agreed that as long as it sat there and minded its own
business it was perfectly welcome to stay. And so it did. Along with lizards of
various sizes and colours we had interesting companions during our stay at
Tmatboey.
We went for dinner at 19:30 and were
served fish soup strongly redolent of Kaffir lime leaves and quite delicious,
sauteed vegetables, deep-fried pork and steamed rice. Along with bananas for
dessert it made a fine repast.
We were back in our room shortly
past 20:00 and settled in for the night with our reptilian room mates. We read
for a while, but they seemed to just loaf around not doing much of anything.
All
species 18 February – Chinese Francolin, Red Junglefowl (H),
Lesser Adjutant, White-shouldered Ibis, Giant Ibis, Chinese Pond Heron, Eastern
Cattle Egret, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Shrikra, Rufous-winged Buzzard,
Pale-capped Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Common Emerald Dove, Yellow-footed Green
Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Red-breasted Parakeet,
Greater Coucal (H), Asian Koel, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Indian
Cuckoo, Brown Fish Owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Brown Hawk-Owl, Large-tailed
Nightjar, Crested Treeswift, Indian Roller, White-throated Kingfisher, Oriental
Pied Hornbill, Coppersmith Barbet (H), Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker,
White-bellied Woodpecker, Greater Yellownape, Greater Flameback, Common
Woodshrike, Common Iora, Large Cuckooshrike, Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Small
Minivet, Burmese Shrike, Black-hooded Oriole, Ashy Drongo, Greater
Racket-tailed Dronngo, Hair-crested Drongo, Indochinese Bush Lark, Sooty-headed
Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler, Grey-breasted Prinia, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler,
White-crested Laughingthrush, Vinous-breasted Starling, Black-collared
Starling, Pied Bush Chat, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Taiga Flycatcher, Verditer
Flyactcher, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Purple Sunbird.
19
February 2013
Tmatboey
and area
We were up and about by 05:30,
without having to deal with a frog on a towel, and had a cup of tea before
leaving to go birding at 06:00.
By now Chiang was masterfully
negotiating all the twists, turns, depressions and tree stumps as we made our
way out to the road, and did so with aplomb.
We walked from the road into the
forest, birding for a short time until we stopped for breakfast. It resembled
what we ate yesterday but with rice instead of noodles, and we enjoyed it
equally.
It was pretty quiet, but we did have
a couple of woodpecker highlights. Black-headed Woodpecker is quite stunning
and we had excellent looks, and we also saw a pair of Rufous-bellied
Woodpeckers mating.
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker
A couple of Black-hooded Orioles
were flying around and we then happened upon one on a nest.
We moved from the forest onto the
road, but it was very noisy, with lots of trucks careening down the highway,
and fumes wafting over us as they sped by.
It was very hot and Naran suggested
we move back to our base and watch the feeders until lunchtime. This we did. At
first there was not a whole lot of activity, then Naran loaded a table with
rice and bananas and it picked up. There was also a pipe dripping water and
White-crested Laughingthrushes were both drinking and bathing there.
A Hainan Blue Flycatcher flew into
one of the buildings and another birder picked it up and waited for it to
recover. Obviously we got great looks at this bird and were able to take
pictures. Thankfully, the bird did not appear to suffer any permanent or
serious injury, and flew off robustly when it was released.
Hainan Blue Flycatcher
Lunch comprised gingered fish, very
much like a dish we make at home, steamed rice, mixed vegetables and chicken
soup. We had a dipping sauce which is just fish sauce with hot chili peppers in
it, good to remember as a simple and quick sauce for the spring rolls we make
at home.
At 14:55 we went birding again,
Miriam deciding to stay back. We saw another Pale-capped Pigeon, although the
poor fellow seeking it specifically had not found one yet. However, we failed
to locate our principal target, Great Slaty Woodpecker, and in fact, try as we
might, never did see this species. We did see a White-bellied Woodpecker
feeding young.
Back at the homestay I relaxed with
Miriam for a while before going for dinner at around 19:15. We both had a cold
Tiger beer, and found dinner to be a bit of an odd combination, but very good
nevertheless. We had French fries with ketchup, rice, a chicken and vegetable
dish and a fish soup with Kaffir lime leaves – very tasty but with lots of
bones. Bananas were served for dessert.
We were back in our room by 20:15
and settled in for the night. After chatting for a while, and reading
interrnittently, we said goodnight to Froggie and friends, turned out the light
and went to sleep.
All
species 19 February – Chinese Francolin (H), Red
Junglefowl (H), Eastern Marsh Harrier, Shikra, Besra, Rufous-winged Buzzard,
Pacific Golden Plover, Pale-capped Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove,
Blossom-headed Parakeet, Greater Coucal, Brown Fish Owl, Crested Treeswift,
Asian Palm Swift, Indian Roller, Green Bee-eater, Oriental Pied Hornbill,
Lineated Barbet, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker, Common
Flameback, Black-headed Woodpecker, Common Woodshrike (H), Common Iora, Small
Minivet, Black-hooded Oriole, Bronzed Drongo, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Eastern
Jungle Crow, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Black-crested Bulbul, Streak-eared Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler,
Dark-necked Tailorbird, White-crested Laughingthrush, Black-collared Starling,
Pied Bush Chat, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Purple
Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, White-rumped Munia.
20
February 2013
Tmatboey
– Kratie
We were up at 05:00
to make our final birding foray at Tmatboey. Before leaving we tried a cup of
instant coffee with sugar and whitener, and it didn't taste bad!
We had breakfast in the forest at
07:00. Today it was a very tasty omelette with fried noodles and, as always, we
enjoyed the meals that had had been prepared for us in the kitchen.
It seemed appropriate that as we
birded three Giant Ibis soared in full view and seemed to give us a departing
salute as they flapped away; their loud “honking” echoing a fond farewell. It truly was a privilege to see these birds,
and we saw them better and more frequently than we had dared to hope. We have
always appreciated the numerous species of starling found outside North
America, and were delighted to have about ten Black-collared Starlings
throughout our walk. It's a great-looking bird.
A Burmese Nuthatch was a lifer and
given our special fondness for nuthatches a very welcome sighting. A little
later we also espied a Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch.
We saw many other species, by now
familiar to us, as we birded until 09:00. Conditions were unfortunately a
little hazy, and there was the constant smell from the forest burning.
Back at the homestay we settled our
account, said farewell to the staff, and to Grrrimm, and boarded the vehicle
for the drive to Kratie.
As we progressed down a considerably
better highway than we had experienced coming to Tmatboey, the vegetation
seemed greener.
We stopped for lunch at a very busy
and patently popular restaurant, and Naran and Chiang both ate with us this
time. Miriam had fried chicken with mixed vegetables and cashews (although we
are still waiting for the cashews), and I opted for fried chicken with chilies.
It was, of course, served with steamed rice, and a server kept returning to the
table with more rice for as long as you cared to eat it. To drink, Miriam had
peppermint tea and I had a banana/strawberry smoothie. Everything was
excellent.
Before getting back into the
vehicle, Miriam and I went for a little walk along the street to a park by the river.
As we had encountered throughout Cambodia once we left Siem Reap there was an
incredible amount of garbage everywhere. It really was a shame to see this
park, with many rides for children, just strewn with garbage, piled high and
putrid in places where standing water emitted an odour enough to make you gag.
The streets were similarly littered, garbage was everywhere, far worse than in
Vietnam even. Cattle were always grazing along the sides of roads, but much of
the grass was unavailable to them; it was simply covered with trash.
Before long, it became obvious that
the driver did not know where he was going. He called someone twice for
directions, and twice we turned around. At 16:30 he stopped and again asked for
directions, and again we reversed our progress.
Naran had stated that we would stop
to bird somewhere along the way, but at 17:00 we still had 60 kilometres to go
and, given the volume of traffic, that took another hour.
We finally arrived at our hotel in
Kratie at 18:35 – more than eight and a half hours after leaving Tmatboey. The
vehicle was very well-equipped, but a GPS would be well worth adding.
The hotel was quite grand and we had
a nice room. We went down for dinner to the dining room in the hotel at 19:30
and each had a beer, unfortunately not cold. Naran and Chiang ate with other
guides and drivers, while Miriam and I dined together. Miriam ordered chicken
curry which came in a huge bowl. It was pretty mild and seemed to have more
beef than chicken.
She also had a bowl of steamed rice, of course. I had fried beef with noodles
and vegetables and a fine choice it was.
We were back in our room by 20:30.
All
species 20 February – Giant Ibis, Chinese Pond Heron,
Rufous-winged Buzzard, Red Turtle Dove, Spotted Dove, Yellow-footed Green
Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Asian Barred Owlet (H), Oriental
Pied Hornbill, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Common Iora, Large Cuckooshrike,
Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Burmese Shrike, Black-naped Oriole, Black-hooded
Oriole, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Indochinese Bushlark, Streak-eared Bulbul,
Brown Prinia, Grey-breasted Prinia, Chestnut -capped Babbler, Burmese Nuthatch,
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Siberian Stonechat, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Purple
Sunbird, White-rumped Munia.
Accommodation:
Oudom
Sambath Hotel and Restaurant Rating: Three and a half stars.
21
February 2013
Kratie
– Mekong River Trip – Siem Reap
We were up at 05:00 and went down
for breakfast before 05:30. There was no regular milk for the coffee so we took
it with condensed milk. It was super sweet, but good. Miriam had bread with an
omelette and I had bread with jam. The chunks of bread were enormous!
We drove to the Mekong River to
board our boat to go out and search for the endemic Mekong Wagtail and were out
on the water by 06:45. It was not long before we located a Small Pratincole and
there were hundreds of Little Cormorants flying by. An Osprey was patrolling
the river and in short order we saw no less than three Mekong Wagtails. We also
had a couple of Little Ringed Plovers.
Small Pratincole
The boatman moved to a deeper part
of the river and we quickly saw the endemic Mekong River Dolphin, the object of
search for most of the tourists who flock to Kratie.
By 07:45 we were back on shore and
returned to the hotel to check out. We took a brief walk along a promenade that
runs the length of the river. It is quite splendid, although crumbling in
places and sadly in need of repair. If one sat on a bench and looked directly
out a magnificent vista presented itself. The Mekong is wide at this point and
dotted with numerous small islands. It is truly picturesque. If one lowered
one's eyes, however and looked at the river bank, one was immediately assailed
by a sea of garbage stretching all the way down to the river's edge. It truly is
appalling. Somehow or other Cambodia needs to find some solution to this
problem of trash marring the entire landscape. The festering, putrid pools no
doubt constitute a health hazard also.
Mekong River Boats
We then drove to some nearby rice
paddies with a natural wetland area where the birding was quite terrific. We
were able to walk through some rice paddies that had not yet been harvested and
many birds were rising up from the rice and dropping back down again. In this
fashion we saw numerous Zitting Cisticolas, Lanceolated Warblers, and Pallas's
Grasshopper Warblers. There were many other interesting species including
Watercock, Little Ringed Plover, Asian Openbill, Pin-tailed Snipe and a Greater
Racket-tailed Drongo flycatching from the back of a cow.
We saw mist nets used for a purpose
for which they were certainly not intended. A section had been set up for the
express purpose of trapping birds. I am not sure whether this was to protect
the rice crop or to capture food, but when we left a Cinnamon Bittern had been
caught in the net where it had died. To his credit, Naran was visibly upset at
this practice.
Rice
I would have liked to have spent
more time here, but we had to leave to start the long drive back to Siem Reap
and by 10:00 we were back on the road.
At about 12:30 we stopped to stretch
our legs and take a few pictures from a bridge. Naran bought a “pancake” of
deep fried shrimp, which we all tried and found delicious. A short time later
we crossed the longest bridge in Cambodia and looked for a place for lunch. We
found a small, family-run place, and enjoyed a very tasty lunch which we all
shared. Naran ordered for everyone and made excellent choices: a chicken and
lemon soup, sweet and sour chicken with pineapple with bell peppers, a beef and
onion salad, and an omelette made with fish added to the eggs and served with
raw carrots, cucumber and green beans. And obviously we had a copious quantity
of steamed rice!
When we got back in the car we had
some rambutant (a fruit resembling lychee) which was delicious. The fruit was covered in ants
which Naran assured us it meant that it was pesticide-free!
By 13:45 we were back on the road.
We stopped at 16:00 to stretch our legs, with still quite a way to go until we
reached Siem Reap.
We finally arrived back at the hotel
at 18:00 and were glad to see it and to know that we were there for two nights.
This meant that we had travelled for
eight and a half hours yesterday and eight hours today to get in three and a
quarter hours of birding. I think it would be a far better arrangement to
expand the birding on the river and around Kratie to take up a full day and
leave the following day to drive back to Siem Reap. It is certainly not a good
trade to invest sixteen and a half hours cooped up in the vehicle for barely
more than three hours of birding time.
We went for dinner at the same
restaurant as the last time we had been in Siem Reap. We had a cold beer each,
shared an order of spring rolls, and a pizza which Miriam thought would make a
welcome change from noodles and rice. It was good but don't throw away your
number for Little Caesar's yet! For dessert we had a plate of fresh mango.
We were back in our room by 20:30.
All
species 21 February – Indian Spot-billed Duck, Asian Openbill,
Cinnamon Bittern, Chinese Pond Heron, Great Egret, Little Cormorant, Western
Osprey, Black-winged Kite, Watercock, Little Ringed Plover, Pin-tailed Snipe,
Common Snipe, Small Pratincole, Greater Coucal, Asian Palm Swift, Blue-tailed
Bee-eater, Black Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Barn Swallow, Striated
Grassbird, Lanceolated Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, Zitting
Cisticola, Common Myna, Siberian Stonechat, Eurasian Tree Sparrow,
Scaly-breasted Munia, Mekong Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit.
Accommodation: Neth
Socheata Hotel Rating: Four stars.
Angkor Wat
22
February 2013
Wetland
near Siem Reap – Angkor Wat
We drove to a
combined wetland and area of rice paddies near to Siem Reap, although I am not
sure exactly where, or whether the place has a formal name.
Breakfast was taken when we arrived
there and we had the same boxed food we had received on the first morning. We
fed most of our croissant to the chickens! Naran had picked up mangoes and they
were very welcome indeed, juicy and delicious.
The birding there was quite
fantastic. I would have gladly stayed there all day! Painted Storks almost came
to greet us and by the time we left we had seen twenty-one of them.
Pheasant-tailed Jacana was high on my wish list and we saw half a dozen of them
amongst the water hyacinths. A pair of Plain-backed Sparrows were gathering
nesting material and two Common Kingfishers zoomed along the waterways in a
dazzling flash of colour. It was amazing to see seven Plaintive Cuckoos, and
thirteen White -shouldered Starlings were a real treat.
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
We had great birding there, with
never a break in the action, yet I am sure we only scratched the surface.
I saw a wonderful example of
commensal feeding. Buffalo were grazing, Black Drongos were flycatching off
their backs and Eastern Cattle Egrets were feeding around their feet.
At 08:40 we had to leave to drive
into Siem Reap to meet our guide for our visit to Angkor Wat.
On
the way we passed a vibrant, crowded market that looked interesting and when
Naran mentioned that his wife sold clothing there we asked if we could stop to
meet her. She is very pretty and quiet. We couldn't coax a word out of her. We
were able to tour through the market a little and found it very interesting
indeed. It seemed like every product you could ever imagine was for sale.
Naran and his wife
Market scene
Market Scene
Alas, we had to leave and shortly
were joined by our guide, Dom, for the visit to the temple complex. This guy
was a non-stop staccato talker, hard to understand at times, and programmed to
recite a canned script.
We visited the main temple first,
and for this portion Naran stayed back with the driver. It's enormously
interesting and impressive, but it's a lot to take in on one visit. The sheer
number of tourists makes it a little claustrophobic for birders used to wide
spaces and solitude.
After the tour Naran met us,
thankfully, since we needed a respite from Dom The Talking Machine, and we did
a little birding on the way back to the car. It was great to have Naran with us
again with his easy, relaxed style, excellent birding skills and ever ready
sense of humour.
It was almost 11:30, close enough to
lunch time so we found a nice restaurant. Dom and Chiang went to eat with
others, but Naran joined Miriam and me.
I ordered a mango shake and Miriam a papaya shake and both were refreshing
and delicious. Naran had something similar, but I forget exactly which fruit.
We chose three dishes – chicken amok (served in a coconut) with steamed rice,
chicken with cashews and steamed rice, and chicken soup, which we all shared.
Naran was the master at ordering interesting and tasty soups and we always
enjoyed his selections.
After lunch we drove to the second
temple, with Dom's mouth going a mile a minute even before we got there. Naran
accompanied us this time, and we stopped to do a little birding every so often.
When Naran had an Alexandrine Parakeet in the scope we were able to show it to
a father and son French team who were gob smacked at the beauty of the bird.
After that they pretty much tagged along with us so as not to miss anything in
the scope and I was able to act as their de facto interpreter. It was all very
pleasant.
Angkor Wat
After the third temple, where there
were more Alexandrine Parakeets, Dom had finished his stint with us, and left.
Now we went birding with Naran, who knew a couple of spots outside the main
temple areas, and we were rewarded with excellent views of Black Baza and
Shikra.
We met up with Chiang and headed
back to the hotel.
Having showered, we went for dinner
at 18:00. We had seen a Mexican café close to the hotel and decided to give it
a try. We ordered two frozen margaritas while we were deciding on our dinner.
Miriam opted for a chicken enchilada with Mexican rice and a salad, and I chose
a chimichanga, refried beans and also Mexican rice and salad. The refried beans
didn't make the plate but the meal was pretty good. They served a Chilean
Merlot and we each had a glass with dinner.
At 19:00 we returned to the hotel to
get ready for the journey to Singapore tomorrow.
All
species 22 February – Painted Stork, Asian Openbill, Cinnamon
Bittern, Chinese Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Little Egret,
Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Black Baza, Shikra, Greater Painted Snipe,
Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Rock Dove, Red Turtle Dove, Zebra Dove, Alexandrine
Parakeet, Greater Coucal, Plaintive Cuckoo, Asian Palm Swift, Indian Roller,
Common Kingfisher, Blue-tailed bee-eater, Swinhoe's Minivet, Ashy Minivet,
Brown Shrike, Black-naped Oriole, Black Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Yellow-vented
Bulbul, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Manchurian Reed Warbler, Lanceolated
Warbler, Plain Prinia, Chestnut-capped babbler, Common Hill Myna, Common Myna,
Black-collared Starling, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Pied
Bush Chat, Siberian Stonechat, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Plain-backed Sparrow,
Baya Weaver, Scaly-breasted Munia, Paddyfield Pipit.
23
February 2013
Siem
Reap – Bangkok – Singapore
At 06:30 we went to
the Mexican Café for breakfast. We sat at a table on the sidewalk and watched
the city come to life. We had coffee with fresh milk and Miriam ordered a fruit
plate. I had a Mexican omelette with salsa and a little mound of garlic mashed
potato with emphasis on the garlic. Vampires dropped dead a kilometre away! It
was supposed to come with refried beans but again I didn't get any.
We had time to spare so I ordered a
second coffee and we watched the traffic and the people going by.
Naran and Chiang picked us up at
07:30 and by 08:00 they were dropping us off at the airport. We were really
sorry to say goodbye to them. They had been great guys to travel with.
We were at our gate by 08:30 and
left for Bangkok a little after 10:00. No one occupied the third seat in our
row so we could spread out.
Breakfast was served almost right
after takeoff. Our vegetarian option was a “pickled” salad of pickles, carrots
and olives. There was a roll and butter and a little dish of fruit.
We landed at 10:45 and after a long
walk arrived at our gate at 11:30. We boarded at 12:15 for our 12:45 flight to
Singapore.
This narrative will continue with
our arrival in Singapore.
All
species in Cambodia 23 February – Rock Dove, Common Myna, Eurasian Tree
Sparrow.
General
Comments
We very much enjoyed Cambodia and
its people, to say nothing of the birds. It was a privilege
to
visit the country and especially to travel to some of the more remote areas.
Our
Guides
Chen Sophal (Naran) was exceptional.
He has but two years of experience as a bird guide yet he exhibits the
confidence, poise and expertise of a veteran. He has an excellent command of
English and a great sense of humour. He is courteous, friendly, considerate and
always has the interests of his clients uppermost in his mind. He was obviously
proud to be associated with Sam Veasna Centre for Wildlife Conservation and
extolled their virtues often. It is to be hoped that they can use the talents
of this young man wisely, and integrate him into their operations during the
period of the year when he is not guiding. He has a wealth of talent and a
great commitment to his work. We give him our very highest recommendation.
Grrrimm
A pleasure to be
with and a shining example of what can happen when local people are able earn a
living from protecting habitat and wildlife.
Field
Guide
Please refer to the
Vietnam trip report. The same comments apply.
Taxonomy
IOC
World Bird List 2012
Further
Information
Contact David M. Gascoigne or Miriam
Bauman, 519 725-0866, theospreynest@sympatico.ca
A spread sheet showing all the
species for the trip, together with a list of the lifers for Miriam and David,
is available on request.
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