Cambodia: A tale of a temple and a lake (Part 2)

I raked in quite a few lifers on the boat trip today. All were significant records but one truly stood out from the rest and it was the Spot-billed Pelican. Regardless of what species we were observing, as soon as this unique waterfowl comes into view everyone’s eyes were on it. It was a much anticipated lifer for me and probably the bird of the day as well despite the stiff competition it faced from some other species recorded on this memorable exploration of the largest lake in Southeast Asia. You will have to bear with me as I have so many images of the Spot-billed Pelican from this trip that it could easily have a post of its own.

A good number present had darker overall plumage. It is not easy for me to age these birds precisely (for any bird as a matter of fact) and hopefully, there are no errors in all my posts from this incredible country. As it takes a few years for the pelicans to fully mature, I can only assume these darker birds as subadults because of the present of distinct spots on the upper mandible which is a sign of maturity. I never consider myself an expert birder. I make identification mistakes and have no idea how to separate all those near identical species. Anyway, the important thing is that these are all definitely Spot-billed Pelicans and I enjoyed every minute spent with them – regardless of their age and sex.

I love everything about the Spot-billed Pelican - from its massive size and the utterly enormous bill to its laidback approach to life. It is truly an amazing animal. Best of all, the pelicans were not that shy and all the good photographic opportunities presented were utilized to the fullest.

A Spot-billed Pelican casually paddling along the waters of the lake was a picture of tranquility. But it did very little to calm my nerves each time our paths crossed.

We even had one resting on a tree offering a chance to gawk at the true size of this bird.

In flight, these huge birds are surprisingly graceful but taking off will take some effort due to their bulk.

They fly at a relaxing pace as well and that enabled my gear to capture some flight shots in situations where my gear usually fails. It was a breeze to focus on a flying pelican as it is one big mass of feathers and wings.

Needless to say, shooting against the blue sky was even easier...

And when a flock of them are in flight, they look like a squadron of aircrafts. Not the swift fighter jets though. But more like bombers. With the approaching noon, more and more of the pelicans took to the sky taking full advantage of the hot air thermals generated by the blistering heat.

Together with a few species of storks, the Spot-billed Pelicans sometimes darkened the sky with their sheer numbers and size. It was a true visual treat for me and my companions. And where better to enjoy this view than from the top of a wooden watch tower in the middle of a freshwater swamp forest. However, it took a little trek along a muddy trail to get to the tower and the climb down is not for the faint-hearted.

The storks we encountered today ranked a close second after the Spot-billed Pelican in my book. In a way, it was a relief that the Asian Openbill has colonized Peninsular Malaysia and is now a regular sight in my home state of Penang. If not, there will be at least an additional 100 photographs be processed back home. It could be my imagination but I find the Openbills here tougher looking. It comes as no surprise considering the other more aggressive storks that it has to find a living alongside with.

And here there is no other stork more sinister looking than the Adjutants. Both the Lesser and Greater Adjutants are found here with the former outnumbering the latter significantly. It was a shame I had very little chance to observe the Greater Adjutant and this record shot of an individual in flight is all I have to show for this exceptional bird.

The Lesser Adjutant, on the other hand, performed admirably and overshadowed all my encounters with the species before this faithful day. This was the closest I have ever gotten to a Lesser Adjutant in the wild and I must admit, it did look intimidating. Even downright scary. It is not all looks either because Adjutants are quite accomplished predators. That is the reason why I fell head over heels with this stork the first day we met. The look, the character and the majesty – it is one awesome representative of the natural world.

You might wonder why majestic until you see one in flight. Enormous wings carry this massive bird with such ease that elegance, unbelievable as it might seem, is the first word that comes to mind. I have seen words like ugly used to describe this stork and in a sense, it is true. However for me, all I see is a striking animal evolved to perfection with the charisma to have me eternally spellbound by its presence.

Ironically, the commonest stork in the area happens to the shyest one. The Painted Stork can easily be seen flying above the lake throughout the day and sometimes, in great numbers. Naturally, I managed to obtain a fair number of this attractive stork in flight.

There are free flying populations from the zoo back in the capital city of Malaysia. So, this species is not new to me but those are captive birds. After all these years, I can now finally tick this one off my global life list. To approach a Painted Stork is challenging to say the least. It is particularly wary of human presence and I suspect, especially birders. I know I should always be grateful of what I have been given but I wish I could have obtained one nice image of this stork. The pink plumage, looking very much like a smeared patch of paint (hence the name), near the base of the wings was quite variable in intensity from one bird to another. Compared to the brutish built of the Lesser Adjutant, the Painted Stork looks delicate.

The best photo I managed for the Painted Stork at the end of trip was this individual resting on top of a tree. It tolerated the approach of our boat but unfortunately, the foliage that provided it a sense of security was a major hindrance to my photographic efforts.

However testing the Painted Storks were, they were no match for the shyness of another family of water birds present here – the ibises. And one member of the family was the main reason for my visit to this rugged country but it does not occur here at the lake. Today was just the appetizers before the main meal. Even so, the Black-headed Ibises were shy and encounters were hard to come by.

The black and white plumage of the ibis made it difficult to get the right exposure especially in this sunny condition. My flight shots are definitely an improvement from the foraging shots. It is not only the ibises but most birds will often feel more invincible when they are in the flight and are more tolerable towards human presence.

Just when I thought the Black-headed Ibis was just being plain difficult, we came across our first Glossy Ibis of the trip and this small ibis took being difficult to a whole new level. Not even once did we manage to see it not flying away. For once, a water bird encountered here in Cambodia could not overshadow my previous experiences with the same species back home. In fact, the ibises were a much needed reality check to wake me up from this dream-like birding endeavour we have been experiencing here at the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary.

To conclude our visit here, we had lunch at one of the floating village houses near the entry point. The meal was prepared by the locals and it was a way to generate income for both the village and the bird sanctuary.

The handicraft shop next to the eatery serves the same purpose. Naturally, we did what we could to help support their cause to protect and conserve this piece of heaven on earth and it certainly deserves all the help it can get.

It is usually unproductive around noon as the temperature will soar to almost unbearable degrees. We seek shelter in what I could best describe as a snack bar overlooking the paddy fields (which is where we will be heading once the heat subsides). A nesting colony of weavers next to the outlet caught my immediate attention. It was not because of the birds but the nest as they did not look like the Baya Weaver’s architectural capabilities. A quick check with Mardy and they turned out to be Streaked Weavers. It looks quite similar to the Baya Weaver but the streaks on its underparts are quite distinct once you know it is one of the main distinguishing features.

The distance and lighting may not be favourable but a lifer is a lifer. With nothing much else about, we observed the male birds flying to and fro the colony collecting nesting materials in preparation for the breeding season.

Lazing on a hammock and enjoying some local snacks (no acquired taste required this time) and cool drinks while at the same time observing a lifer in action - life does not get any better than this.

The local pooch seemed to have it good here as well…

We trekked onto the paddy fields when the time was right and obtained a few more lifers. But it was tough work as the birds were shy. Without the aid of a vehicle as a mobile hide (like how we do it back home), photography was difficult. Lifers like the Chestnut-capped Babbler, Striated Grassbird, Bluethroat and Siberian Rubythroat provided only brief glimpses. Luckily, our second day of birding in Cambodia concluded on a high note. A pair of Plain Prinias were displaying among stalks of long grass and the pair was more accommodating than the rest.

This open country warbler may not be oozing with appeal, but their performance was worthy of praise.

It is a rather lengthy first post to our birding adventure to the kingdom of Cambodia. The birding was terrific despite the testing conditions and shyness of most of the birds. Here is a photo of yours truly getting acquainted with the locals to conclude my post. The joys and tribulations of Day 3 in Cambodia will be covered in the next post.