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At last I have had the opportunity to visit a place I have wanted to go for a very long time! I knew that Cambodia has been safe to visit for a number of years now but I was rather taken aback by the number of tourists in Siem Reap. Clearly, Angkor is now a big draw for international tourists and the city and its inhabitants are reaping the rewards! Fancy new hotels are seemingly everywhere. Despite this Siem Reap is a lovely town and a very pleasant place from which to venture out to explore the ancient city of Angkor. BUT the highlight of my trip was without doubt my visit to the remote village of Tmatboey - sincere thanks to Tom Clements of WCS for his assistance with this. I was hailed as "the first lady own her own" to visit this lovely village and never felt unsafe for a moment. Actually, three nights in a local house with no electricity, fancy cooking, traffic etc. was better than wonderful - there is something very calming about this place. Angkor is one of the great archaeological sites of Southeast Asia along with Pagan, Borobodur and Ayuthaya. Although I was here primarily for the birding, it would be unthinkable not to visit this magnificent reminder of an empire that shaped the entire region. The Khmer Empire flourished for three centuries from 800 to 1100 AD., they ruled over most of Burma, Laos, central Vietnam and the Malay Peninsula. The forests surrounding Angkor were declared a national park in 1925 although I can't find any information regarding its present status. Nevertheless, the forest is wonderful with many very large trees and some great birds, including some big congregations of parakeets in particular. ITINERARY 27 February Arrived in Siem Reap late in the afternoon and immediately rang Tom Clements at WCS in Phnom Penh to organise my visit to Tmatboey in Preah Vihear Province in Cambodia's north.
28 February Spent most of the day exploring Angkor, visiting Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. Birding around Angkor Wat was excellent with lots of activity and Lesser Adjutants flying around overhead. I have never seen so many Black Baza. Close examination of many of the friezes is interesting as there are depictions of Javan Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant and many birds, some of which are unidentifiable, but I could see Sarus Crane, adjutants, ibis and a few others. 1 March Siem Reap to Tmatboey. I left my Siem Reap hotel at 0800 and arrived at the village twelve gruelling hours later! The road from Siem Reap to the northward turnoff at Kompong Thom is excellent but from there on it is absolutely abysmal. Some of the potholes were bigger than the Toyota Hilux, although given that I saw a number of sedans that actually passed us I wonder about the suspension in this very uncomfortable vehicle. We picked up Hong at the WCS office in the provincial capital Tbeng Meanchey at 1700 and decided to continue on to the village as I didn't want to waste birding time by staying at the office. My driver Li followed Hong on his motorbike but about 10 km up the road he declared that we have a problem (which I had already actually guessed was the case due to the horrendous sound emanating from somewhere under the bonnet). My queries elicited the reply that we have no brakes! I am numb by now so not overly distressed. At a small junction town we stopped at a small repair shop where Li spent an hour fixing the front brake. I made the mistake of looking at his handiwork - an enterprising job of wire and string wrapped around ...something. Eventually we continued on and turned off down a sandy track for another hour. The surprisingly large village of 800+ inhabitants has no electricity or amenities but our host's house is full of people and they have made a great screened off mandi and toilet in the yard. I slept very well under a mosquito net on the bamboo floor. 2 March Next morning Ri, a local man who knows the forest intimately led the three of us (me, Hong and Li) out into the forest. We drove the first couple of kilometres in order to get into the best forest at daybreak. When Ri isn't taking birders out, he collects resin and herbal medicines in the forest to sell at the market. The forest here was a revelation - birds everywhere! This must have been what the dry forests in Thailand used to be like. At the height of the dry season, today was very hot and hard work. We walked for the entire morning until it was just too hot and there was virtually no activity. We walked through open dry dipterocarp forest and bamboo-lined creekbeds from trapeang to trapeang (small permanent waterholes). Eventually I spotted a Giant Ibis in flight which we scoped when it landed but it was partly obscured. Later we found two at a trapeang but they were seen only briefly before they flushed. I also found three Pale-capped Pigeons, which I watched at length in the scope. In the afternoon we walked from the other end of the village through fallow rice padi and forest. We found a White-shouldered Ibis in flight and then perched, and Ri showed us a nest with two chicks. Woodpeckers are common here - fantastic Black-headed and White-bellied were highlights. 3 March We left the village a little later today in search of more Giant Ibis. As the sun rose it became apparent that it was very overcast and in fact looked like rain! On the walk in to the trapeangs Ri spotted a Small Buttonquail and I enjoyed wonderful views of this scarce bird. At the third trapeang we found two Giant Ibis which took flight and perched in nearby trees. I watched the birds as they preened and called to each other. The calling increased in frequency and pitch as the male moved closer, until the flew off. As we departed the rain started falling and we were soaked to the skin by the time we got back to the car. Just as we arrived back into the village Li got the car stuck on a rise and we had to be dug out by about 20 of the villagers (plus onlookers), many of whom were undoubtedly muttering about the uselessness of these newfangled car things. There are no cars in the village - just a couple of motorbikes and a handful of bicycles. That afternoon we returned to the same area as the previous day but surprisingly after the rain there was very little activity. Rufous-winged Buzzards did seem to be everywhere though. Rice cakes with palm sugar specially prepared for me were a real treat on returning to the house! 4 March It was remarkably cold overnight and I was really chilled under my flimsy sheet. All the locals were complaining in the morning! Left early this morning to visit Koh Ker, a temple dating from 1100AD, a bit to the south west of Tmatboey. The whole area around Koh Ker is peppered with the remains of temples and landmines. Straying off the road to look for birds is not an option. The temple is sensational, the centre-piece a pyramid-like structure rising 40 m out of the forest. The view from the top shows the extent of forest cover here is still impressive. From here we went back to Tbeng Meanchey to drop off Hong and drive back to Kompong Thom. We arrived six hours later just in time for the brakes to fail again (this time Li shows me the broken line dripping fluid). 5 March This morning I met Chang Li from the WCS and we drove out to the grasslands near Kompong Thom to look for Bengal Florican. We turned off the main road and travelled a few kilometres along a dirt road to an extensive area of semi-cultivation and grassland. A few minutes of scanning soon revealed a male bird and then four or five more. I watched two superb birds walking and preening, another jumped up and parachuted down. Many were seen flying - the bright white upperwings and black underwings are notable. Drove back to Siem Reap. 6 March After a relaxing morning, went to Angkor again in the afternoon and spent quite a bit of time at Bayon. 7 March After speaking with a few people I decided to go back to Koh Ker as I wanted to see the direct road from Siem Reap (for work purposes) as it is apparently in very good condition - unlike the road I travelled! With a bit more time today, birding around the temple was excellent and included a distant Red-headed Vulture - the first time I have seen a vulture in Southeast Asia. 8 March Met Neung from Osmose for a trip to Prek Toal on Tonle Sap. The trip across the lake to the floating village of Prek Toal takes about an hour before transferring to smaller rowboats to go into the reserve. It was very disappointing to realise that we were not going to be taken to the breeding colony platforms. Nevertheless, I had some brilliant views of Greater Adjutant along with lots of Lessers. Quite a few Grey-headed Fish Eagles. Big congregations of three species of cormorant, Spot-billed Pelicans, Painted Storks, and so on. No chance of Milky Stork away from the colony though. Apparently it is impossible to access the platforms at this time of year due to low water levels. Despite the disappointment, the whole area is amazing with a huge number of birds. 9 March Visited Ang Tropeang Thmor reserve today and after a bit of fuss trying to find a ranger, eventually found the reserve - an extensive reservoir surrounded by woodland. The reserve is only 80 km northwest of Siem Reap - about a 2 hour drive on poor roads. In actual fact you don't really need a ranger or a permit to visit the most interesting area which is along a public road. Soon found Sarus Cranes feeding in nearby grasslands and flying over the reservoir. This is the rare, eastern sharpii race of Sarus Crane, and this reserve hosts a large non-breeding flock during the dry season. A remarkable congregation of 500+ Comb Ducks was seen near the road, and a superb male Eld's Deer and females with young were seen in the woodlands. 10 - 11 March Flew with Bangkok Airways down to Phnom Penh. Unfortunately, I was out of time and money by now although I would have liked to go up to Kratie to look for the Mekong wagtail, that would have to wait for another day. Spent the day looking around the city, before flying back to Bangkok. CLIMATE: At this time of year it is usually very hot, both day and night, and that was my experience for the first few days. During my stay at Tmatboey the temperature suddenly dropped, after a very hot night, and it rained! Judging by people's reactions this is a very unusual occurrence at this time of year. It was cool for the next few days and I was glad to have my jacket. It just goes to show nothing is guaranteed! LOGISTICS: Tmatboey Any visit here should be arranged through Tom Clements at WCS Cambodia. He and the WCS are doing a fabulous job working with the villagers to help preserve the Giant Ibis. An agreement with the local people has helped birders to contribute to the construction of wells in the village, in return for which the villagers have agreed to curtail hunting and fishing in the area. WCS have an agreement with Monsoon Tours, who help to arrange trips to the village. They will arrange 4WD transport, a WCS English-speaking guide, food, liaison with the village and a local tracker. Be sure to tell your driver before you depart that you want to travel from Siem Reap via Koh Ker, as this road is good (as opposed to the horrendous Kompong Thom road) and it only takes about three hours to the turnoff. Prek Toal Contact OSMOSE at the Sam Veasna Center for Widlife Conservation. Tel: (855) 012 832 812 / (855) 063 963 710 Angkor Wat: Anyone in Siem Reap will take you out to the temples! I recommend the tuk-tuks which are very cool and pleasant. Costs about $US6 for a half day or $US12 for a full day. Many of the drivers are multi-lingual and very knowledgeable about the history of Angkor. It is necessary to purchase an entry ticket, either a day ticket $US20 or a four day pass for $US40. BIRD LIST A = Angkor, T = Tmatboey, KK = Koh Ker, KT =
Kompong Thom, PT = Prek Toal, ATT = Ang Tropeang Thmor
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CAMBODIA
27 February ~ 11 March 2005
