Cambodia: A tale of a temple and a lake (Part 1)

First of all, please do not get me wrong. Forest birds with all their splendour and beauty are true wonders of the avian world. However large and rare water birds, though not as aesthetically appealing, intrigues me just as much. Possibly, even more. If there is one country in Southeast Asia where plenty of these magnificent birds still roam, it would be Cambodia. An invitation by Nigel to join him and a few others for a 5-day birding adventure to this relatively birder-unexplored country was too good an opportunity to pass. This would be my greatest pure birding trip overseas so far and the excitement was certainly overwhelming (enough to even supress my urge to try for a second Malaysian record bird that popped up somewhere in the mountains of the main range about the same time as my departure date). For me, there was one particular bird found in the Kingdom of Wonder that has always been one of my dream birds and it is the enigmatic Giant Ibis.

As soon as we touched down at the Siem Reap International Airport, I got my first lifer of the trip – the House Sparrow. The airport personnel naturally could not allow a birder stalking around the airport grounds after a sparrow and I was ushered in before I could have a better look. Thus, began my Cambodian birding adventure and the first destination of the trip was the grounds of the world famous Angkor Wat. Apparently the surrounding area was good enough to serve as an introduction to birding in Cambodia and is probably the closest birding site to the airport.

True enough, the first bird I photographed turned out to be a Two-barred Warbler and there are very few things in life that can better starting off a birding trip with a lifer. As always in any overseas trip, I am often torn between lifting my camera or binoculars first whenever a bird comes into view. We birders are constantly at the mercy of Mother Nature. A bird can choose to disappear before you can react at all or stay until your heart’s content. In most cases, it is my binoculars that goes to work first because I may not be able to capture a bird flying away well enough for a positive identification. Fortunately, I got to do both with this warbler but only barely with my camera.

As we wandered around the sacred grounds of this renowned tourist destination, the lifers started to pour. However, I also realized that most of the birds here are shy and difficult to approach. It could be due to rampant hunting in the past and good photographic opportunities were far and few. The forests here in this part of Cambodia are not as dense and tall as the rain forest back home. It does makes it easier to spot the birds but it also makes it even easier for the birds to spot the birders! The Asian Barred Owlet was an exciting lifer for our group but there was simply no chance to shoot this adorable night bird due to its wariness towards human approach. This female Brown-rumped Minivet, on the other hand, fared slightly better and a record shot was obtained.

Besides birding being hard work in Cambodia, it was also hot and dusty. It is the dry season now after all. Originating from another country in the region, the weather was thankfully still bearable for me. At times the heat was overwhelming to say the least but better that than rain when it comes to birding.

The best image from our visit to Angkor Wat was of an adult male Shrika. This species rarely winters in Malaysia where I have only encountered it once. This hawk is all elegance and beauty as it soared overhead. Although it is not new to me, the encounter was one of the best for our first experience birding in this country.

It would have been a sin if we did not pay homage to the architectural wonders of Angkor Wat since we were literally at its doorsteps. The ancient passageways and walls were carved deep with history and beauty. They were a breath taking sight no doubt. But despite all the wonders of this historical site right in front of me, my mind constantly drifted back to the surrounding forest where the tiny Asian Barred Owlet got the better of five full-grown men. It is always the birds for me and I guess it would take a lot more than a monumental landmark to alter my priorities.

The Penang Birder looking a little out of place in this Unesco World Heritage Site...

Some of the local food vendors outside the temple were offering snacks that are very much an acquired taste.

The Sonalong Boutique Village was our hotel of choice for the first few nights and it had a surprisingly lush garden. The ambience was certainly fresh and relaxing as well.

Siem Reap, the second biggest city in Cambodia, was the exact opposite. A shopping paradise for some and exciting life night for others. A typical city environment with all the attractions to draw in tourists. But for this overseas trip, I was not your typical tourist. I was a determined birder on a quest for one of the most enigmatic water birds in the world.

We did partake in some indulging too occasionally. Everyone has got to eat, right?

Anyway we hit the road the next day towards the Tonle Sap lake which itself, is another renowned landscape of Cambodia. First light is always the best time for birding anywhere in the world and it was still dark when we started our journey. One thing I can say about Cambodia is that the sunrise is quite spectacular.

Some of the people of this country live simple lives. Along the shoreline of this massive lake, there are numerous floating villages. Here, the villagers live mostly on what is provided by nature and the land. A stark difference from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Breakfast was provided by the tour agency we engaged to show us the magic of birding in Cambodia during our stay. Our bird guide Mardy Sean from the Sam Veasna Center was exceptional and deserves an acknowledgement and praise for all his efforts. And to have someone else worry about the birds not performing like how they ought to this time was a welcome change for me.

From the main jetty, we took a big boat to one of the floating villages further in the lake. While waiting to board a smaller boat in which we will do our birding, a small flock of sparrows frolicking on the rooftop caught my attention. They were not the ordinary little brown jobs that can be found around human settlements – not to me at least. And finally, I have the time observe and photograph the House Sparrow – a species that does not occur back home.

Sexes are dimorphic and I was naturally drawn to the more appealing males.

I assumed the locals found our antics amusing as the sparrows would be common to them. Anyway, I get this treatment all the time but what I am not used to are these House Sparrows and they certainly performed well.

The rest of our exploration of the lake which is called the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary was conducted from a small motorboat. I do not know about my companions but I could hardly contain my excitement. If my guess is right, we were going for one hell of a boat ride.

And we were not the only group in for a ride of a lifetime...

A few minutes to enjoy the views of the landscape before the birder in me took over completely...

I took close to a thousand photographs throughout the boat trip and I am not sure how to start. So, I will start with the commoner ones to me. Pond-Herons are aplenty but they were mostly ignored throughout the trip. However, they will be mentioned again in my later post because of an interesting behaviour. Anyway, here is one of the many present at the locality. Most were in non-breeding plumages except for a few partial breeding plumaged Chinese Pond-Herons which, like in Malaysia, is the commonest occurring species.

Egrets, with their wholly white plumages, are naturally very conspicuous. Since, there will not be any new egrets for me here, they received almost the same treatment as the Pond-Herons. And now, back in the comfort of my home, a slight feeling of guilt has crept over me. So, here are a few images of egrets to help clear my conscious starting with this Intermediate Egret foraging among Hyacinths at the water’s edge.

With its big size, the Great Egret should feel right at home in this land of giants. We came across one in full breeding plumage and it certainly had my undivided attention. Here I am, thousands of kilometres from home and yet, I still get smitten by an egret I see almost on a daily basis just because it was in breeding plumage. I am a real sucker for water birds…

There were a number of Grey Herons present which was pretty much expected.

Purple Herons occasionally caught my attention as well.

I was quite surprise that in this bird sanctuary, there were no paddling waterfowls like ducks and grebes to be seen today except for a flyby of a few Indian Spot-billed Ducks. On the other hand, there is a family of birds that is impossible to miss here due to the sheer numbers present and they are the cormorants. Our bird guide Mardy, noticed that I was taking notes and asked me if I was counting the number of birds seen as well to which I replied I was not because I was too excited. And I was not exaggerating. Trees full of cormorants are something very new to me and to be able to witness such a spectacle evoked the same type of excitement that I felt when I first started birding all those years back and almost every bird I saw was new. I have not felt this way for a long time.

There are not one but three species of cormorants present here. It is unlikely to confuse the Great Cormorant with any other species due to its bigger size and pronounced white throat. For the Little and Indian Cormorant, it takes effort to distinguish the two but I will come to that later in the post. I have encountered the Great Cormorant before during past trips overseas but it still has my undivided attention.

Paler underparts is an indication of young birds. From what I can see, there is no doubt the population is thriving here and the authorities are doing a great job of conserving and protecting this natural heritage.

The Little Cormorant is a recent colonizer to Malaysia but I do not encounter them as often as I would like to. Here, this species is the commonest of the three and I had some good observation and photographic opportunities.

The waters here are still abundant with fish which are the main source of food for the cormorants and the other water birds. Prek Toal is a true paradise for both birds and birders. This is one of the reasons behind my decision to visit this country instead of other more popular birding locations in Southeast Asia. There was very little doubt to begin with as I am a water bird lover especially for the big ones. And spending time in the company of hundreds of cormorants is a vacation made in heaven for me.

Distinguishing the Little Cormorant from the Indian Cormorant will take some scrutiny especially when the birds are alone. Maybe it is because of my lack of field experience with the latter. However, I do not think it will be an issue anymore in future because I certainly obtained a considerable amount of experience today!

After scanning through hundreds of photos, I found this one to be very useful indeed as it depicts the differences in anatomy between the two species with the Indian Cormorant, on the left, possessing a more slender and elegant overall appearance.

The Indian Cormorant will don a darker appearance come breeding season and I absolutely dig this sleek look. I just could not get enough of the silky black plumage and dreamy blue eyes. It was difficult to stay focus on one species for long when there are so many distractions present but the elegant Indian Cormorant certainly received its fair share of attention from me.

A pair of Oriental Darters unexpectedly showed up at one of my local patches a few years back and immediately became one of the highlights of my life as a birder. This beautiful water bird intrigued me then and nothing has changed. My heart still skipped a beat whenever one was seen and it was quite often. The darter is a common sight at this locality often resting together with the cormorants but the in smaller numbers.

In flight, the Oriental Darter cuts a distinct silhouette and if you can still mistake it for anything else, you might want to consider an easier pastime...

All the paler birds present are juveniles as the sexes are identical in plumage. Like the cormorants, the darters have found a true sanctuary here in Prek Toal. I know that I sound like a broken record but how often do I have the chance to say the birdlife is thriving and not the other way round.

There is one notable species recorded in our visit to the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary that was no water bird. To be able to momentarily steal the limelight from the water birds meant that this bird was or did something extraordinary and it was the latter. We came across a Grey-headed Fish-eagle on a few occasions and I guess it was the same individual. Unexpectedly confiding, it provided my best photos of this species to date despite the fact I have my fair share of encounters with it in Malaysia.

I do not have top of the line photographic gear with me as I am more of birder than a photographer. There are times that I wished I did and this is certainly one of those times. The eagle swooped in for the kill during one of the encounters as we were photographing it. I just continued pressing down the shutter, followed the movement of the raptor and hoped for the best. It was not the best of images as the action was fast and furious but I know my limitations and this series will certainly be for keeps.

To be continued…