Ours was a combination trip as my husband Rick is not a birder. We aimed for the main tourist sites but I took three days off on a birding trip to see Bengal Florican & the two critically endangered Ibis species, the White-shouldered Ibis & Giant Ibis in Cambodia. We also combined a trip to the Kong Lor limestone cave in Laos with a search for the only endemic species of bird to be found in that country, the Barefaced Bulbul. During the course of our three weeks we visited wonderful cultural sites including the astonishing temples of Angkor Wat, dozens of other temples that we just bumped into. Rick investigated a bamboo railway, we also sampled delicious Asian food, met lots of gentle Buddhist people & enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Initially we flew to Bangkok on a cheap flight via Bahrain. We visited long term friends for three days & then we flew on to Cambodia.
CAMBODIA
PHNOM PENH & the Pol Pot story
Phnom Penh the capitol of Cambodia was a trifle under-whelming. Rick, visited the Killing Fields & the Toul Sleng Museum to study all the gruesome details of the Pol Pot regime. I visited the Royal Palace & the French Embassy where the last of the Westerners were helicopter’ed out as Pol Pot's army marched into town in 1975, also the Phnom Phenh Hotel which featured heavily in the last days before the Army’s arrival. We stayed at the rather ordinary Boddhi Tree Umma Boutique Hotel opposite the museum.
SIEM REAP & the Temples of Angkor Wat
We had hoped to take a ferry to Siem Reap northwards up the Tonle Sap system of lakes but unfortunately because the wet season had not started in earnest, the water was too low & the ferries were not running. We had to take a bus instead - five hours with one stop, not too terrible. Once there we stayed at the River Garden Hotel, a charming boutique hotel run by an Aussie woman from Melbourne. We were given a huge air-conditioned room, there was an excellent restaurant & a swimming pool all set in a very pretty garden. It was slightly out of town which was a bit quieter & closer to the Angkor Wat temples, just perfect for us. We immediately hired a tuk-tuk into town & visited the offices of the Sam Veasna Organisation where I booked & paid for a three day trip for me to Tmat Boey, a small village close to the Thai border to see two critically endangered birds species, the Giant Ibis & the White-shouldered Ibis . The water in the Tonle Sap Lake was too low to get to Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary for Woolly-necked Stork & Greater Adjutant so I could not visit that area, but no rain meant I would have a very good chance of seeing the Ibises at Tmat Boey as they were only viewable in the dry season.
During the next three days we followed friends’ advice on visiting the ancient temples of Angkor Wat & avoided the crowds by hiring a tuk-tuk & travelling in the opposite direction to all the tour buses that were crammed with mostly Asian groups. We also arrived VERY early each of the three mornings & were able to wander through most of these astonishing ancient monuments before the main crowds had arrived & before it got too exhaustingly hot. The temples of Angkor Wat are absolutely incredible, much more amazing than expected. Not many birds though & I have to say it’s really eerie walking through silent trees.
On the first morning we visited the atmospheric Ta Prohm temple, the one with ancient trees & roots growing up between the stones. Then we headed off to Angkor Thom, en route passing through those famous gates with huge heads carved into them, also visiting the temple of the Leper King, the Bayon & several others. It was too hot to continue by 11am so we rested up during the middle of each day. We had hoped to visit the Angkor Wat Temple itself later that afternoon but the crowds were still horrendous so we returned to the hotel & rose really early the next day & although there were still many people even at 5am, it was just about acceptable.
The next day our regular tuk tuk man drove us out of town to the pretty little temple of Banteay Srei, cut from pink stone & not so old as the Angkor Wat complex. On the return journey we visited the Landmine Museum run by a former Khmer soldier who had actually laid thousands of the mines all those years ago. After the war this man decided to make amends & has spent the last thirty years disarming the very same mines, now with a team of experts that he taught himself. He has won an international award for his work & certainly deserves it. We then drove out to the tourist pier at Tonle Sap Lake but we still did not see any water apart from a muddy river leading out presumably to the lake. The tourist trips available were not to our taste so instead we drove back to a rickety ‘cafe’ built on stilts literally overhanging the grassland & watched about 20 Asian Openbills feeding not far from us as we swung on hammocks drinking coke. Oriental Pratincoles circled overhead in the afternoon heat.
BATTANBANG, TMAT BOEY & the Ibis’s
The next day Rick set off on his own to Battanbang, an old French colonial town with an ancient bamboo railway. I was picked up by my guide Nara Duong & driver from the Sam Veasna Organisation & we set off up country in an air-conditioned four-door pick-up truck. En route we visited an area of grassland on the eastern edge of the Tonle Sap Lake to try for Bengal Florican. As arranged, one of the local farmers met us on his motor bike & we then followed him in through the dry rice paddies. He is employed by the organisation to protect the nests. We saw four male Bengal Floricans & three of them displayed, an amazing performance which this species is rightly famous for - neck puffing, wing flapping then a soaring flight low over the grass, very impressive indeed. It is very difficult to see floricans in India nowadays, so I was very pleased. It was also my first target bird in the bag. We then drove on to Tmat Boey, a journey of about 170KMS stopping only for lunch & arrived in mid afternoon.
The Sam Veasna Trust donate most of the money earned from eco-tourism (mostly birdwatchers) to the local village. The small village of Tmat Boey has a new well, a school & a newly graded road in the village itself, however the track in from the main highway was in dire need of work & we really needed the four wheel drive. Local people from Tmat Boey village are employed to look after the roosting sites of the endangered birds & to protect their nests so this meant that the local ‘minder ‘ knew exactly where the birds were to be found.
That evening the local guide took us to see nine White-shouldered Ibis’s at dusk that flew in to roost in a tree in the middle of rice paddies (the insects were a nightmare). The Giant Ibis took a bit more effort & required an early start the next morning - 3.30am. Although my guides were slightly apologetic about the early start, in my opinion it was a very exciting experience. We had to walk into the forest with head torches & wait for them to call from one of three roosting sites that the local minder knew of - which they did about four times before dawn. They are very wary so we gradually crept forward & finally saw a pair in silhouette. Thankfully they stayed until it was light enough for us to get excellent views through Nara’s scope for at least 15 minutes before they flew off.
The accommodation at the Sam Veasna headquarters is not far from the main village & is very comfortable, made up of recently constructed wooden huts with en suite European lou’s, hot & cold water for showers, fans & mossie nets (Malarone is a must). I had my very own Toko Ghekko inside the roof making an amazing noise. The huts are set in a courtyard together with an open-sided eating area where you can benefit from a pleasant breeze. It was one of the hottest places I think I have visited, my fault for visiting in April (the best time to visit is between November & March).
It was an excellent trip to the Tonle Sap Grasslands & Tmat Boey & I still find it hard to realise that I got all three of my target birds - & more. Other new birds for me were Small Button Quail & Yellow-legged Button Quail at Tonle Sap & at Tmat Boey: Rufous-winged Buzzard, Pale-capped Pigeon, Spot-breasted Woodpecker (spl. from Fulvous-breasted - by Robson anyway) & an absolutely splendid Blue-winged Pitta in the riverine forest there. This amazing bird gave incredible views, it flew out & landed on a vine directly in front of us. We also saw Indochinese Bush Lark in display flight & finally, Neglected Nuthatch (spl. from Chestnut-vented by Robson) who on earth named that one? I loved every minute of it, even though several times I thought I was not going to survive the heat, it was at least 40 degrees out in the field. Nara, my excellent guide worked very hard to get me all the bird species available & I have to say mainly due to his tenacity we succeeded admirably (131 species seen during the two night, three day trip) even though at several points I was lagging behind in the heat. Once back in Siem Reap, I said goodbye to Nara & could not thank him enough for all his help & determination during the three day bird trip – he’s a true birder. The Sam Veasna Organisation are doing an exemplary job trying to save Cambodia’s endangered birds – the only way to go is to involve the local people - if they can make a living out of birdwatchers then the birds are safe.
Rick & I spent a fifth night at the River Garden, swimming in the pool & dining in the pleasant restaurant on their excellent food, then the next day flew to Laos.
LAOS
LUANG PRABANG & the Buddhist monks
After landing at the very quaint airport in the Buddhist town of Luang Prabang we checked into the Thongbay Guesthouse, a small Swiss-run resort that consisted of about eleven charmingly built cabins set in beautiful gardens overlooking the tributary river to the Mekong about a mile out of town. Our balcony overlooked the river & we spent several hours each evening drinking Lao beer, slapping at mosquitoes & munching through delicious Lao style spring rolls. We spent two nights here then moved into town staying at Tha Heua Me Guesthouse, a Lao run place overlooking the Mekong, as it was more convenient for early morning views of the monks. On two mornings we got up early to watch the monks walk through the town with their begging bowls blessing the local residents & tourists alike who were giving them rice, food & money. Siem Reap has been designated as a World Heritage Site & is a really beautiful town, with over thirty temples in the small peninsula between the Mekong & the tributary river. Dozens of old French colonial buildings are now protected & they are only allowed to build new houses according to strict guide lines to match. The pavements are laid out in locally handmade red bricks in pleasant patterns & the streets are swept each morning, a very pleasant change from most cities in Asia. In fact it is absolutely heavenly.
VIENTIANE – Gateway to Highway Eight
Then we flew to the Lao capitol of Vientiane. Again like Phnom Penh it is not a very inspiring city although 'littered' with huge extravagant government buildings, several notable temples & a magnificent gold stupa. Nevertheless it was the gateway to our next expedition.
After checking into the rather under-whelming Vietnamese run Mali Namphu Hotel in downtown Vientiane we virtually went straight to the Green Discoveries office to investigate the possibility of a trip to the province of Khammuan to visit the famous Kong Lor Cave. This was also the area that the only Lao endemic bird species, the Bare-faced Bulbul lives, on the top of the many huge limestone pinnacles very conveniently in this same area of Laos. They were very helpful, however the English speaking guide Ola (who my birding friend Hugh had recommended) was away & in the end we decided to take a risk, save some money, forgo a guide & to use Hugh's directions. On the recommendation of the woman at Green Discoveries we hired Mr. Souk, our taxi driver from the airport. He had already phoned & offered his services as in fact he had worked for them from time to time. He was a sincere & intelligent man, he'd been a monk for five years & had learned English whilst in the monastery.
KHAMMUAN PROVINCE & the Bare-faced Bulbul site
The next day Mr Souk drove us south down Highway Thirteen following the Mekong for about 170Kms & then turned off east onto Highway Eight. The brand new air-conditioned Hyundai was extremely comfortable. For three days (two nights) Mr Souk helped us recce the area & drove us around at all times of day without complaint, was happy to pick us up from the Sainhamhai Resort early each morning & was excellent company. It turned out that the owner of Sainhamhai also knew where the Bare-faced Bulbuls were to be found. He had also been given photos, albeit pretty poor ones - blown up to A4 size copies - by Ashley Banwell & Albert Low, who had visited the area in December 2009 (refer to report below).
On the first morning we had poor views of the bulbuls at Km 35.5, but we set off for the Kong Lor Cave knowing that we had two more chances. The entire province is amazingly scenic with huge limestone pinnacles called karsts jutting out of the rice paddies for miles & miles around. The astonishing 7.5KM long cave running through the limestone mountains is explored by long-tail boat & takes about three hours. At one point you get off the boat & walk up to an area where hundreds of stalactites are lit up. In some places the water was too shallow for the boat to power through so we had to get out & walk through the shallows until it was deep enough again & then climb back in the narrow boat, a feat in itself. It was great fun & pleasantly cool inside the cave which was absolutely huge, in some places the roof was over 100 metres high & the lights from our torches could not reach it. Cook’s Swifts (split from Fork-tailed) gave stunning views as they flew into nests at both ends of the cave making that incredible high-pitched, beautiful sound & swooping above & all around us. We only saw one other boat carrying two tourists, all the other boats were carrying bails of tobacco through from the other province where there were apparently no roads. It was a lot of fun, we got soaked through but being cool for a change was a relief & we did not care. We drove back via Km 35.5 but the late afternoon produced only slightly better views of probably the same five bulbuls.
Thankfully the next morning we finally had excellent views of the Bare-faced Bulbuls on the same sets of pinnacles there. Initially seven birds stayed perched or flew around at the top on the points of limestone but then, two flew off & the other five flew down into the trees, lower & even lower until they were level with us & we had stunning views. This was a great relief as I was not carrying a scope for this trip & would have been loath to tick them off as silhouettes up on the points. Unfortunately on all three visits there was no sign of any Sooty Babblers, only Scaly-crowned & no flocks which might have included Limestone Leaf Warblers at all. In fact the forest was deathly quiet, the local boys with catapults have been cleaning up. Sadly there was also absolutely no sign of any Lao Langurs either along the highway where they had been seen by other visiting groups, albeit at a cooler time of year.
It was hellishly hot from about 8am every day so perhaps not a good time of year for a serious visit, but apparently Albert Low & Ashley Banwell et al saw Yellow-vented Pigeons & a couple of other difficult to find Asian species up a logging path in December 2009. They also saw Pale-headed Woodpecker near a stand of bamboo & had a chance encounter with Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, so it’s a promising area but probably only at the right time of year. The Sainhamhai Resort was an excellent & relaxing place to stay, the cabins were air-conditioned & comfortable & the resort serves delicious food, wonderful banana & mango smoothies & very cold Lao beer.
We then drove back to Vientiane stopping at the Pha That Luang Monument, a huge gold stupa, which is very famous & features on the Lao bank notes. Mr Souk also drove us past the Patuxai, the Laotian equivalent of the Arc de Triomphe & then around the town until we found a suitable hotel, this time a Lao-run place called the Souphaphone Guesthouse one block from the Mekong, beautifully clean & with a huge twin-bedded room. Perfect. It was sad to say goodbye to Mr Souk who had been such good company for three days, a thoroughly nice gentle man.
VIENTIANE - Revisited
The next day we walked to the very atmospheric Wat Si Saket which is the oldest temple in Vientiane & is unique in that it has over 2000 triangular niches cut in the walls containing tiny gold & bronze Buddhas. The surrounding cloisters also contain hundreds of larger Buddha’s of all ages, some very, very old. Then we walked back to the Lao National Museum. Again the Lonely Planet guide had misled us when they said it was full of historical weaponry, we only saw one or two old rusting rifles & actually it’s not a very interesting museum apart from hundreds of old photographs which were unfortunately only named in Lao.
The next day we packed up, drove to the airport caught a flight to Bangkok, another to Bahrain & a final one to Heathrow, which took about 19 hours. All in all it was an excellent holiday, the four target birds ticked off, delicious Asian food, wonderful cultural sites including the astonishing temples of Angkor Wat, dozens of other temples that we just bumped into, a bamboo railway for Rick, lots of lovely people & several fascinating adventurous experiences for both of us.
COST
Two Gulf Air tickets to Bangkok via Bahrain 927.70
Cash & credit card expenditure whilst travelling Approx 2,400.00
This included air travel from: Bangkok to Phnom Penh (£105.69), Siem Reap to Luang Prabang (£238.97), Luang Prabang to Vientiane (£125.64), Vientiane to Bangkok (£224.28). The total cost of these internal flights was £694.58
Total Cost of Trip £3,400.00
There was also the three day side trip to Tmat Boey – US$900 = £588.00
ADDRESSES
Phnom Penh: Boddhi Tree Umma (US$34.29 a night) – a 2 star very average boutique hotel across the road from the Toal Sleng Museum. Very small room with a fan & intermittent air-conditioning www.boddhitree.com
Siem Reap: The River Garden Hotel (US$40 a night) - 3 star & excellent. Very large room & beds, air-conditioning & a fan. Lovely swimming pool & restaurant set in a verdant garden. Just off the main route to the temples www.therivergarden.info
Siem Reap: Sam Veasna Centre (excellent eco bird tours) www.samveasna.org Mr. Nara Duong was my absolutely excellent guide (email: naraangkorcambodia@yahoo.com)
Luang Prabang: Thongbay Guesthouse – (US$35 a night) - 3 star with fans & air-conditioning) – a mile out of town but with very comfortable cabins overlooking the tributary river. www.thongbay-guesthouse.com/home
Luang Prabang: Tha Heua Me Guest House - (US$22 a night) - 3+ star with fan & air-conditioning - in the centre of town - Souliyavongsa Road overlooking the Mekong . Tel: 02055080903 or 02055331153
Vientiane: Mali Namphu Guesthouse (US$32 a night) - 3 star under-whelming Vietnamese run hotel more geared to Asian guests. Small room with airconditioning. 109 Pangkham Rd Vientiane, www.malinamphu.com
Vientiane: Souphaphone Guesthouse, Ban Watchan Chantabury district, Vientiane (US$25 a night) - 3 star, very clean & with large air-conditioned rooms in a tourist area close to the Mekong www.souphaphone.net
Vientiane: Green Discovery Adventure & Tourism –organises any sort of eco tourism holidays. Ask for Lathsamee – www.greendiscoverylaos.com Email: info@greendiscoverylaos.com
Vientiane: Our brilliant Taxi Driver - Mr Souk 020 2878 6529 Mob: +856 20 28885203, 77712220
Kong Lor Cave, near Ban Na Hin, Khammuan Province: Sainhamhai Resort (US$25 a night) - 3 star, lovely cabins with air-conditioning, fan & mossie nets. The excellent restaurant overlooks the river. www.sainhamhairesort.com
REFERENCES
A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia (2011) Robson, Craig (New Holland Publishers)
A Field guide to the Mammals of Thailand & South-East Asia (2008) (New Holland Publishers)
Birds of the World: The Clements Checklist: 6th Edition (2007) Clements, James (Christopher Helm, London)
Report: Central & Southern Laos – 3rd-16th December 2009 George Wagner
Report: Lao PDR: The “Badbul” Twitch – 2st – 4th December 2009 Low Bing Wen Albert, Banwell, Ashley et al
Report: Laos: Post Tour Extension 24th-26th February 2012 Hugh Buck
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong (2009) Lonely Planet Guidebook
READING
A Dragon Apparent: Travels in Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam, 1950, Norman Lewis (Eland Publishing, 1982)
First they Killed my Father, Loung Ung (Harper Collins, 2007)
Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia, Luong Ung (Harper Collins)
River of Time, Jon Swain (Vintage Books London, 1998)
The Killing Fields, Christopher Hudson, (Pan Books, 1984)
The Secret Pilgrim, John Le Carre (Penguin Books, 2011)
Up Country, Nelson de Mille (Little Brown Publishers, 2002)
I found both Cambodia & Laos to be low in bird numbers. Everywhere we went except Tmat Boey the forests were almost silent, in many places totally silent, even really early in the morning, an eerie feeling. A basic rural economy still exists in a majority of areas in both countries so birds are considered to be a protein supplement. Almost all of the mammals are long gone. I believe that large scale catapulting of birds is occurring, in fact we found a catapult in one of the forests & they are sold in the markets. The guide agreed that it was a huge problem but while people were still poor & wildlife is a legitimate protein supplement there is not much to be done about it.
We did not see many birds in cages certainly not on the scale of Indonesia, but there were a few.
Cotton Pygmy Goose – at least ten seen in the moat which circles Angkor Wat
Indian Spot-billed Duck – seven seen in or near ponds at the florican site in the grasslands near Tonle Sap
Chinese Francolin – common at Tmat Boey, several seen & constantly heard
Blue-breasted Quail – an excellent view of a male at the Tonle Sap grassland area
Little Grebe – up to 20 seen on two days in the moat surrounding Angkor Wat
Asian Openbill – 20 seen feeding in fields en route to the tourist pier on Tonle Sap Lake near Siem Reap
Woolly-necked Stork – a single bird seen flying overhead near Tmat Boey
Indian Cormorant – one at Bangkok airport, up to five at the Angkor Wat lake & a single at the Tonle Sap grasslands
Great Cormorant – a single in a pond in the Tonle Sap grasslands
Oriental Darter – up to eight seen on three days in the Angkor Wat moat
Grey Heron – one seen in a park in Bangkok
Intermediate Egret – at least two in a canal at one of the airports
Little Egret – several in Bangkok on three days & one at Angkor Wat
Cattle Egret – these birds were few & far between, very unusual for Asia - only four sightings in three weeks - of three & 15 in Cambodia & eight & a single in Laos
Chinese Pond Heron – several in semi- breeding plumage in Bangkok & three at Tmat Boey
Black-crowned Night Heron – a single bird seen flying over a park in Bangkok & several heard there also.
WHITE-SHOULDERED IBIS – nine seen coming to a regular roost tree in the rice paddies at Tmat Boey was an amazing site
GIANT IBIS – a pair was heard calling before dawn & then tracked down to one of their regular roosting trees where we had superb views until well after dawn.
Black Baza – a single bird flew over the dry dipterocarp forest at Tmat Boey
Oriental Honey Buzzard – a single bird flew over the forest at Tmat Boey
Crested Serpent Eagle – several birds seen on two days & others heard at Tmat Boey
Shikra – probably a common bird, we caught glimpses of several birds at Tmat Boey, also several at the Bare-faced Bulbul site at Km 35.5 near Na Hin
Japanese Sparrowhawk – a glimpse of a single bird at Tmat Boey was probably this species
Besra – singles seen on two days at Tmat Boey
RUFOUS-WINGED BUZZARD – Common at Tmat Boey, up to five seen on three days
Grey-faced Buzzard – a single bird seen over Angkor Thom
White-rumped Falcon – a single bird seen perched up on a branch in the open countryside in a site known by the guides off on a side road en route back from Tmat Boey
White-breasted Waterhen – several heard & one seen in Bangkok, but only one heard at Tmat Boey in all of Cambodia & Laos.
BENGAL FLORICAN – four males, three of them displaying, seen in the Tonle Sap grasslands, in an area where the local farmers are paid by the Sam Veasna Organisation (US$23 per nest) to protect them until they fledge.
Sarus Crane – a single bird seen flying over the Tonle Sap grassland area
Red-wattled Lapwing – several pairs seen alarming as we passed by some rice paddies at Tmat Boey were probably nesting there
Black-winged Stilt – up to 11 seen in the channels at Bangkok airport on both occasions during landing there
SMALL BUTTON QUAIL – two seen running off the track in front of the four wheel drive at Tonle Sap grasslands gave us excellent easily identifiable views (at last)
YELLOW-LEGGED BUTTON QUAIL – a single bird at the Tonle Sap grasslands was identified by the guide as this species. A reasonable flying view
Oriental Pratincole – wonderful close views of this stunning wader flying close overhead at the Tonle Sap lake area near Siem Reap & also at the florican site. They are known to breed in these areas
Whiskered Tern – a single bird flying over the Mekong at Phnom Penh was the only sighting of a gull or tern for the trip
Rock Pigeon – seen almost every day in all cities towns & some villages with the exception of the Tmat Boey area
PALE-CAPPED PIGEON – a single close view of an immature large brown pigeon flying past - without a pale head was the only sighting, OK to tick it off though.
Red-collared Dove – a pair in Bangkok & up to four grubbing around in the Rice paddies at Tmat Boey
Spotted Dove – a pair in Bangkok, quite common at Tmat Boey & several at the Kong Lor Caves
Zebra Dove – at least eight on two occasions in Bangkok, several pairs in Phnom Penh & several at Banteay Srei Temple about 20 kms from Siem Reap
Orange-breasted Pigeon – at least three at Tmat Boey
Pompadour Green Pigeon (Grey-headed) – at least ten at Tmat Boey
Yellow-footed Pigeon – several pairs flying over Tmat Boey
Green imperial Pigeon – at least four at Tmat Boey
Alexandrine Parakeet – a pair & a single at Tmat Boey
Blossom-headed Parakeet – a single female at Tmat Boey
Red-breasted Parakeet – a flock of up to 20 seen over Ta Phrom temple in the early morning, also quite common at Tmat Boey
Vernal Hanging Parrot – a single flyover at Tmat Boey identified by its distinctive call
Large Hawk Cuckoo – a pair & a single all seen at Tmat Boey
Indian Cuckoo – one seen & several heard at Tmat Boey
Banded Bay Cuckoo – one seen but mostly heard at Tmat Boey, also heard at Luang Prabang from the cabin overlooking the river
Plaintive Cuckoo – common in Bangkok with one seen & others heard. Also heard in Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat & Luang Prabang
Asian Emerald Cuckoo – one heard at Bantey Srei, just out of Angkor Wat
Asian Koel – seen & heard in Bangkok & Tmat Boey
Green-billed Malkoha – a single bird at the Bare-faced bulbul site at KM35 near Na Hin
Greater Coucal – not as common as in other countries, only heard in Bangkok, Angkor Wat, & almost every day in Laos but not often
Lesser Coucal – one seen & one heard in Tmat Boey
Asian Barred Owlet – seems to be quite common but mostly in Laos, one seen & several heard at Tmat Boey. Several seen in Luang Prabang & heard at the Sainhamhai Resort near Na Hin
Spotted Owlet – two birds seen at Tmat Boey
Spotted Wood Owl – one heard at Tmat Boey
Germain’s Swiftlet – swifts seen almost every day in small numbers in all three countries were this species (I assume)
Cooks Swift – (spl. fr. Fork-tailed) – several thousand birds sweeping in & out of the Kong Lor cave & flying into nests were this species
Asian Palm Swift – up to eight seen in the park on the outskirts of Bangkok. Also at least 20 en route to Bantey Srei Temple 20 KMS out of Angkor Wat
Crested Tree Swift – up to three seen each day of the Tmat Boey trip
Stork-billed Kingfisher – one see flying along the river at Tmat Boey
White-throated Kingfisher – two at Tmat Boey
Black-capped Kingfisher – a single at the florican grasslands near Tonle Sap
Green Bee-eater – at least eight at the florican grasslands, also at least six at Tmat Boey
Blue-tailed Bee-eater – at least 20 at the florican grasslands near Tonle Sap
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater – two hawking insects above the river at Tmat Boey
Indian Roller – fairly common en route to Tmat Boey, also one seen near Na Hin
Dollarbird – one in Bangkok & a single on the bus trip to Siem Reap
Eurasian Hoopoe – two on two days at Tmat Boey
Oriental Pied Hornbill – 17 at Angkor Wat, also up to four on two days at Tmat Boey
Red-vented Barbet – heard on two days at KM35.5 near Na Hin, but not seen
Lineated Barbet – at least three at Angkor Wat, also one seen & several heard at Tmat Boey
Red-throated Barbet – common in Bangkok, at least four seen & also heard
Blue-eared Barbet – heard at Tmat Boey
Grey-capped Woodpecker – two at Tmat Boey
Spot-breasted Woodpecker – at least two of this newly split species at Tmat Boey
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker – two at Tmat Boey
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker – a single at Tmat Boey
White-bellied Woodpecker – heard & one seen at Tmat Boey
Laced Woodpecker – heard only at Tmat Boey
Black-headed Woodpecker – heard & a pair & a single seen at Tmat Boey
Common Flameback – at least four seen at Tmat Boey
Greater Flameback – heard at Tmat Boey
Great Slaty Woodpecker – a single at Tmat Boey
BLUE-WINGED PITTA – several heard & two taped in, one giving amazing views above the speaker which we had placed in a bush about 5 metres in front of our hiding place in the bushes. In the riverine habitat at Tmat Boey
Large Woodshrike – a single at Tmat Boey
Common Woodshrike – common at Tmat Boey with up to six seen on three days
Common Iora – several on two days in Bangkok, also singles at Tmat Boey on two days, one in Luang Prabang & also one in Vientiane
Great Iora – a single in Tmat Boey
Large Cuckoo Shrike – singles seen on two days at Tmat Boey
Indochinese Cuckoo Shrike – a single & a pair at Tmat Boey
Small Minivet – Up to six seen on two days at Tmat Boey
Scarlet Minivet – a male & a flock of four seen at KM 35.5 Na Hin
Brown Shrike – a brown headed bird seen in Bangkok could have been either ss. confusus or superciliosus
Burmese Shrike – three of these lovely birds at Tmat Boey
Black-naped Oriole – two pairs seen at Tmat Boey
Black-hooded Oriole – several pairs at Tmat Boey
Black Drongo – a single at Bantey Srei, near Siem Reap, also at least five at Tmat Boey
Ashy Drongo – two at Tmat Boey also several en route to the Kong Lor Cave
Hair-crested Drongo – two at Angkor Wat
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo – several on two days at Angkor Wat, also two pairs at Tmat Boey
White-browed Fantail – at least six at Tmat Boey
Pied Fantail – several pairs in Bangkok
Black-naped Monarch – a single bird was the only sighting – at the riverine habitat at Tmat Boey
Eurasian Jay – a pair at Tmat Boey
Red-billed Blue Magpie – four seen at Tmat Boey
Rufous Treepie – four at Tmat Boey
Racket-tailed Treepie – at least two en route to Bantey Srei, also a single at Tmat Boey
Southern Jungle Crow – not common but several seen each day in Bangkok, single at Bantei Srei & also one only at Tmat Boey
INDO-CHINESE BUSHLARK – several heard, one glimpsed & several finally seen displaying close to us in an open area in the dry deciduous forest at Tmat Boey
Oriental Skylark – at least eight at Tmat Boey
Barn Swallow – at least five in the florican grasslands near Tonle Sap Lake
Pacific Swallow – one poor dying bird at the Mekong in Phnom, also two over Bantey Srei
NEGLECTED NUTHATCH – a single bird of this newly split species seen at Tmat Boey was certainly paler all over than Chestnut-bellied
Black-crested Bulbul – common at Km 35.5 near Na Hin with at least eight seen on three days
Red-whiskered Bulbul - two in Vientiane
Sooty-headed Bulbul – at least three at Tmat Boey
Stripe-throated Bulbul – heard at Tmat Boey, also two pairs at KM 35.5 Na Hin
Yellow-vented Bulbul – common in Bangkok, several seen at Angkor Wat, two en route to Tmat Boey & probably heard in Luang Prabang
Streak-eared Bulbul – common in Bangkok, also three seen at Tmat Boey
BARE-FACED BULBUL – only distant views of five birds at KM 35.5 near Na Hin were seen on the first morning. That afternoon, probably the same five were on closer pinnacles & I was cursing I had not brought my scope. However the next morning we had seven birds, two flew but five stayed. Initially they were very high up on top of the points of the karsts but then they decided to fly lower into the trees & kept moving lower & lower until they were level with us. Needless to say we had excellent views, thank goodness because I would not have liked to have ticked them off as distant views on the top of the karsts
(Limestone Leaf Warbler – this is a dip. There was absolutely no sign of this species in fact we only had one mixed flock around KM35.5. Probably the wrong time of year)
(Manchurian Reed Warbler – another dip at the florican grasslands at Tonle Sap, just could not be found)
Oriental Reed Warbler – a single at the florican grasslands at Tonle Sap
Striated Grassbird – at least five in the florican grasslands at Tonle Sap
Zitting Cisticola – very common at the florican grasslands near Tonle Sap Lake
Golden-headed Cisticola – a single in the grasslands & on at Tmat Boey
Common Tailorbird – almost the most common bird on the trip, heard & seen in gardens & scrub in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang & around Na Hin
Dark-necked Tailorbird – two at Tmat Boey & several the next day also there
Brown Prinia – a pair at Tmat Boey also heard the next day
Rufescent Prinia – a pair & also heard at Tmat Boey
Grey-breasted Prinia – a pair at Tmat Boey
Yellow-bellied Prinia – the mewing call of this species heard at Tmat Boey
Plain Prinia – a parent with a fledgling in Bangkok, a pair on the shore of the Mekong at Phnom Penh, several at Bantey Srei & heard at Tmat Boey
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher – up to five seen at the riverine habitat at Tmat Boey
Bluethroat - one heard by the guide at the florican grasslands
Oriental Magpie Robin – common in Bangkok, fairly common in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, heard in Tmat Boey & several heard in Vientiane
White-rumped Shama – at least three at Tmat Boey & up to four in the car park at Kong Lor cave
Eastern Stonechat – a single bird at the florican grasslands
Pied Bushchat – two on wires from the bus between Phnom Penh & Siem Reap
Blue-whistling Thrush – two at KM 35.5 near Na Hin & one at the entrance to the Kong Lor cave
White-crested Laughing Thrush – a flock heard at the headquarters at Tmat Boey but never seen
Abbott’s Babbler – a pair seen also heard in the riverine habitat Tmat Boey
Scaly-crowned Babbler – a pair seen & several heard the next day at KM35.5 near Na Hin
(Sooty Babbler – dipped this bird at KM35.5, it just wasn’t present, might be that it is too hot in May & they move higher up)
Pin-striped Tit Babbler – a little flock of at least six in the riverine habitat at Tmat Boey
Chestnut-capped Babbler – three at Tmat Boey in the dry dipterocarp forest area
White-bellied Yuhina (Erpornis) – a single bird in the only mixed flock at KM 35.5 near Na Hin
Common Hill Myna – two birds in Bangkok & four in Tmat Boey were the only ones we saw that weren’t in a cage
White-vented Myna – common in Bangkok with up to 20 seen on two days
Common Myna – seen almost every day in small numbers everywhere but Luang Prabang
Black-collared Starling – singles in Bangkok, at least five at Bantey Srei & up to 14 on two days at Tmat Boey
Chestnut-tailed Starling – a flock of at least 30 flew over as we were waiting for the White-shouldered Ibis to come into roost at Tmat Boey
Blue-winged Leafbird – a pair at Tmat Boey & another pair at KM35.5 near Na Hin
Golden-fronted Leafbird – a pair at Tmat Boey
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker – a male in Bangkok, & another male at Vientiane were the only flowerpeckers identified even though they were heard on seven other occasions
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird – a female in Vientiane - (female has an orange wash to its throat)
Van Hassell’s Sunbird (Purple-throated) – a pair in the riverine habitat at Tmat Boey
Purple Sunbird – common at Tmat Boey with up to three each day
Olive-backed Sunbird – two males at Angkor Wat & a single at Tmat Boey
Paddyfield Pipit – four at the florican grassland site
House Sparrow – common in the streets of Vientiane
Eurasian Tree Sparrow – common in all areas although only along the Mekong in Vientiane, not in the streets where the House Sparrow has taken over
White-rumped Munia – a pair in the florican grasslands & we bought several in Luang Prabang & set them free at a Buddhist temple
Nutmeg Mannikin – at least four on two days in Bangkok, a single at the florican grasslands & several purchased at the gold stupa in Luang Prabang & set free. Also mixed flocks of this species seen along the river there.
MAMMALS
Cambodian Striped Squirrel – one at Tmat Boey
Variable Squirrel – probably the large two coloured squirrel seen at Tmat Boey was this species
Small Asian Mongoose – a mongoose that ran across the highway not far from the Tmat Boey turnoff was probably this species.
Lao Langur – dipped these fabulous looking monkeys at KM35.5 Na Hin