We will depart
Brisbane late Saturday evening for an overnight flight to Singapore
Day 2 S [24/02] FULL DAY BIRDING TRIP TO
SINGAPORE o/n Singapore
We will arrive in
Singapore at 5-10am, absurdly early in the morning. And after a strong coffee
we will meet our guide at 6-30am for
a day’s birding around the city state of Singapore.
Our first stop will
be Bukit Batok Nature Park, a 36-hectare urban park in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Key
species here include Linneated Barbet,
Banded Woodpecker, Laced Woodpecker, Common Flameback, Olive winged Bulbul, Pin
striped Tit-Babbler, White crested Laughing thrush. Many of the common
Singapore Species with wide distributions will be found here.
Towards midday we
will make a stop for some lunch. We will allow our guide to make a selection.
After lunch we will
make our way to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, a nature reserve in the
northwest area of Singapore. It is the first wetlands reserve to be gazetted in
Singapore (2002), and its global importance as a stop-over point for migratory
birds was recognised by the inclusion of the reserve into the East Asian
Australasian Shorebird Site Network. The reserve, with an area of 130 hectares,
was listed as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2003.
Key Species here include a range of
migratory waders, Milky Stork, bitterns, herons, egrets, Black Baza, Brahminy
Kite, White breasted Sea Eagle, Grey headed Fish Eagle, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters,
Woodpeckers, Flycatchers, Flowerpeckers and sunbirds.
Our final stop will be Pasir Ris Park, a
beach park located in the eastern part of Singapore. This coastal park opened
in 1989 and is among the largest in Singapore. It occupies 70 hectares of land,
including some reclaimed land. There is a 6-hectare mangrove forest within the
park and the Boardwalks enable visitors to explore the forest. Mud crabs,
mudskippers and mangrove trees such as Rhizophora and Bruguiera are found
there.
Common Birdlife in the park include Red
Junglefowl, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Pink-necked Pigeon, Asian Koel, Germain's
Swiftlet, White-breasted Waterhen,
Common Sandpiper, Gray Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Striated Heron, Black-crowned
Night-Heron, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Spotted Wood-Owl, Oriental
Pied-Hornbill, Common Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, White-throated
Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Blue-tailed
Bee-eater, Dollarbird, Coppersmith Barbet, Sunda Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker,
Common Flameback, Laced Woodpecker, Tanimbar Corella, Rose-ringed Parakeet,
Red-breasted Parakeet, Long-tailed Parakeet, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Common
Iora, Pied Triller, Mangrove Whistler, Black-naped Oriole, Malaysian
Pied-Fantail, House Crow, Large-billed Crow, Barn Swallow, Pacific Swallow,
Yellow-vented Bulbul, Arctic Warbler, Common Tailorbird, Ashy Tailorbird,
Oriental White-eye, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Asian Glossy
Starling, Common Myna, Javan Myna, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Plain-throated
Sunbird, Olive-backed Sunbird and Eurasian Tree Sparrow.
About 6pm we will transfer to our to Days Hotel by Wyndham Singapore At
Zhongshan Park. Dinner tonight is at own expense.
Our Singapore Bird Guide: Lim Kim Seng is a licensed (by Singapore Tourism
Board) nature tour guide based in Singapore with an MSc in Environmental
Management (University of Adelaide). He specialize in birds but is also
conversant with other aspects of natural history.
He has authored
several books: Vanishing Birds of Singapore (1992), Birds: An Illustrated Field
Guide to the Birds of Singapore (1997), illustrated by the famous American bird
artist, Dana Gardner, State of Singapore's Wild Bird and Bird Habitats (2009),
with his brother, Kim Chuah, The Avifauna of Singapore (2009), and A Field
Guide to the Birds of Singapore (2010), a pocket photographic guide with
wonderful portraits of birds by the famous bird photographer, Jimmy Chew.
Day 3 M [25/ 02] - ARRIVE SIEM REAP, CHECK IN AND GROUP DINNER
We will need to
leave our hotel at 7 so we can get to Changi comfortably for our 10-15am flight
to Siem Reap. We will transfer to our
hotel where we will enjoy our first lunch of traditional Khmer cuisine. During
lunch we will meet our guide who will accompany us for the next three weeks. We
will rest until about 2-30pm when we will take an afternoon birding excursion
nearby before returning at dusk. o/n Siem Reap.
Day 4 T [26/02] - BIRDNG AND TEMPLES IN ANGKOR GREAT PARK
Our first birding
hotspot is the ancient city of Angkor – a World Heritage Site.
Angkor is one of the
most important archaeological sites in the world. Comprising over some 400 km2,
including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent
remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th
century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, the Bayon Temple
with its countless sculptural decorations, and Taprohm with combination of
trees growing out of the ruins, and other temples.
Angkor Thom (literally
Great City), was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire.
It was established in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII. It
covers an area of 9 km². Angkor Thom was established as the capital of
Jayavarman VII's empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme.
One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the
city as his bride.
Prasat Bayon is a
well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor. Built in the late 12th
or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist
King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital,
Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by
later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious
preferences.
Unlike most Angkorian
temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was
found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the
ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular
temples with visitors. Beside temple, you can explore some bird species such as
White- throated Rock-thrush,
Black-capped Kingfisher, Black Baza, Alexandrine and Read-breasted parakeet,
Hainan Blue and Taiga Flycatchers.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 5 W [27/02] - PREK TOAL BIRD RESERVE AND THE TONLE SAP
GREAT LAKE FLOATING VILLAGES
Prek Toal is unmatched in South East Asia for the number and
population of endangered water birds it supports during the dry season. Large
numbers of cormorants, storks and pelicans are virtually guaranteed from
January to May along with herons, egrets and terns.
The sanctuary harbors seven species of global conservation
significance: Spot-billed Pelican, Milky and Painted
Storks, Lesser Adjutant, Greater Adjutant, Black-headed
Ibis and Oriental Darter and has a globally significant
population of Grey-headed Fish Eagle. Since the Core Reserve was declared
in 2002 and came under the protection of Ministry of Environment as advised by WCS,
the numbers of all the above species have increased dramatically.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 6 T [28/02] - ANG TRAPAENG THMOR SARUS CRANE RESERVE (ATT)
Ang Trapeang Thmor is a world famous Sarus Crane reserve,
over 300 of these magnificent birds congregate to feed in the dry season along
with another 198 recorded bird species, 18 of which are globally threatened. By
February the dry season will be well underway and a few pairs of Black-necked
Storks frequent the site along with many of the large water birds seen at Prek
Toal; Black-headed Ibis, Milky and Painted
Storks, Spot-billed Pelican, Oriental Darter Asian
Openbill and Greater and Lesser Adjutants.
A few pairs of Bengal Floricans breed here during
the dry months though they are wary and may be a rare treat. Other grassland
specialists including Red Avadavat, Blue-breasted Quail, and 3
species of lark occurring in Cambodia. Six species of duck, 4 of which are
resident including Comb Duck, can be seen along with birds of prey, rare
in the rest of the country, such as Black Kite, Eastern
Marsh and Pied Harriers. Numerous waders, rails and shore birds can
be found in the marshy belts of aquatic habitat. Herds of the Critically
Endangered Eld’s Deer can be seen
from February to the start of the rains in May on most visits to the site.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 7 and 8 F & S
[01 & 02/03] CHANGKRAN ROY
From Siem Reap we will
make a two hour drive north west to the last remaining evergreen forest in this
area. This area, Changkran Roy, is protected by the local community and therefore
some good birds!
Ecotourism in
Changkran Roy is run by local people from the local village. Our camping
arrangements, food and guiding will be provided by them. As you are led along
the forest paths, animals, butterflies and birds will be identified. The native
trees, flowers and plants will be described and we can expect some insight into
their traditional local usage in medicine and food.
We will stay one night
in Changkran Roy and on the second day we will return to Siem Reap.
Day 9 S [03/03]
- AM – BENGAL FLORICAN CONSERVATION AREA; PM -BIRDING TO TMATBOEY,
OVERNIGHT TMATBOEY LODGE (WINNER OF THE WILD ASIA RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD)
Our day’s journey will
start as early as 5.30am from Siem Reap and after a 2-hour drive we will arrive
at the Florican Grassland where we will spend a couple hours looking for the
critically endangered Bengal Florican and other grassland species.
This so-called Bengal
Florican Conservation Areas (BFCAs) is the great inundated grassland which is
protected and managed for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use by
local communities. The conservation areas mainly contain grassland dominant
landscapes, which are now extremely rare in South-East Asia and which have been
disappearing rapidly in Cambodia in recent years. The target species at this
site are Bengal Florican, the rare
wintering Manchurian Reed-warbler, Raptors including Greater Spotted Eagle and Imperial
Eagle, Pied Harrier and Eastern Marsh- harrier, Siberian Ruby Throat, and Small Buttonquail.
After visiting the
Florican grasslands the group will travel toward Tmatbeoy village passing Beng
Melea and Koh Ker temples (if time allows we will break the journey with some
birding at these temples). The group will have lunch en route near Koh Ker
before arriving Tmatboey Eco-lodge around 3pm in time for the first afternoon
birding near the lodge with a short- walk through the open forest to where the
White-shouldered Ibis come to roost at sunset.
Tmatboey is a remote
village of 314 families situated in the Northern Plains of Cambodia, within the
Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary. Tmatbeoy is the most significant ground for
the two critically endangered Ibis; Giant and White- shouldered. The
conservation project was set up by the Cambodian Government (ministry of
environment), conservation NGOs and Tmatboey village. Tmatboey is one of only
two known nesting sites for Giant Ibis, which use large trees in the
forest away from the village. We can expect to see them at their roost trees or
foraging at seasonal pools. White-shouldered Ibis are found closer to the
village where they are reliant on the grassland clearings amongst the
dipteropcarp forest. Daily sightings are virtually guaranteed. Woolly-necked
Stork is relatively common and can be seen in flocks of over
40. Indian Spotted Eagle, Grey-headed Fish
Eagle and White-rumped Falcon occur at low densities.
The Pale-capped Pigeon is another highlight along with an amazing
diversity of woodpeckers. Our local guides have made a special effort to find
owls on their night roosts, allowing comfortable daytime viewing of Brown
Fish Owl, Spotted Wood Owl and Brown Wood Owl. Night walks
regularly yield Collared and Oriental Scops Owl.
The accommodation at
Tmatboey is basic but comfortable. The Lodge is comprised of a central
recreational building and 5 surrounding bungalows each with 2 twin en-suite
rooms with solar powered electricity.
The group can discuss
with the CBGA guide how they wish to spend the day outside the sunrise and
sunset birding. Packed lunches can be arranged if they want to spend more time
in the forest and night drives / walks can spot the owls and Savannah Night
Jar. The village of Tmatboey is remote and self-sufficient. CBGA organises an
optional village tour,
Day 10 M [4/03] -
FULL DAYS BIRDING AT TMATBOEY
In the morning the
group will leave the lodge very early, around 4 or 4;30 a.m., with a quick cup
of tea or coffee, and packed breakfast then a drive and a walk to less
disturbed areas of forest where Giant Ibis have been located. We return back to
the Lodge around noon for lunch and nap before we continue for another
afternoon birding.
Tmatbeoy also supports
other target species such as Woolly-necked Stork, Indian Spotted Eagle, Grey-
headed Fish Eagle and White-rumped Falcon. The Pale-capped Pigeon is another
highlight along with an amazing diversity of woodpeckers. Our local guides have
made a special effort to find owls on their night roosts, allowing comfortable daytime viewing of Brown Fish
Owl, Spotted Wood Owl and Brown Wood Owl. Within this 2night birding trip at
Tmatboey, you will have enough time to see all the species at Tmatboey at no
rush. We will spend whole days birdwatching in the Deciduous Dipterocarp forest
to see other birds including the target species above. We will also stay late
in the forest until dark for Nightjar (Sovanna and Large-tailed) and Owl
(Oriental Scops Owl and Barn Owl). Head light and torch are recommended to take
along with you.
Days 11 / 12 T W [05 & 06/03] - TRANSFER TO OKOKI
FOR WHITE WINGED DUCK. OVERNIGHT OKOKI
After some final morning birding around Tmatbeoy the group will head
toward Okoki passing Dongplet village; the community that will provide the our
services at the Okoki site. We will arrive at Okoki for a two night stay around
noon time. We will enjoy some birding around the camp site; especially waiting
in the hide near the feeding pond for the duck.
Okoki is in Chhep Wildlife Sanctuary, where pools are dotted in a line of
mixed evergreen forest which itself follows a
water course, providing habitat for
White-winged Duck. This is one of the most pristine parts of Cambodia – its
limited population gives us the possibility of seeing mammals. Gaur are
sometimes seen and Asian elephants are a remote possibility. Pileated
Gibbon are regularly heard and occasionally seen and there are signs of
Banteng, Sambar, Wild pig, Red Muntjac, Long-tailed
Macaque, Fishing Cat and Asian Jackal.
Overnight camping with Safari style tents are set up among the tall trees
with shady location provide a comfortable night. A service team will travel
with the group from the village.
We will rise early to walk through the forest to arrive predawn at hides
constructed next to the pools favored by the duck. Bird watching throughout the
day could produce a plethora of dry-forest specialists including Green Peafowl
and White-rumped Pygmy-falcon. In the gallery forest we can find a different
suite of birds including Bar-bellied Pitta, Banded Broadbill and Banded
Kingfisher. On our night walks we are likely to encounter Oriental Bay Owl and
Blyth’s Frogmouth.
13 - T [ 07/03] A
M – OKOKI, TRANSFER TO THE
VULTURE RESTAURANT AT BOENG TOAL
In
the late morning we leave from Okoki to Beong Toal (vulture restaurant)
arriving late afternoon then enjoy bird watching around the camp site especially
Woodpeckers and Vultures.
The
Vulture Restaurant is a feeding program set up the government of Cambodia and
conservation NGOs to help sustain the 3 critically endangered species of
vulture: Red-headed, White-rumped and
Slender-billed Vultures. The world’s populations of these vultures have
suffered from Diclofenac poisoning which has caused a drastic decline in their
numbers. In Cambodia cattle are not given this drug; however the lack of food
is a problem for the vultures.
Safari
style tents will be set up for the night at Boeng Toal camp by the Dong Plat
ecotourism community.
Overnight at Boeng
Toal.
14 - F [ 08/03] AM
– BIRDING AT VULTURE RESTAURANT. PM – TRANSFER TO KRATIE
The Vulture Restaurant is a
feeding program set up by WCS, and supported by SVC ecotourism to help sustain
the 3 critically endangered species of
vulture: Red-headed, White-rumped and Slender-billed
Vultures. The world’s population of these vultures have suffered from
Diclofenac poisoning which has caused a drastic decline in their numbers. In
Cambodia cattle are not given this drug, however the lack of food is a problem
for the vultures.
For some, this the highlight of the whole itinerary: before
dawn the group will make their way to a hide positioned not far from the
vulture restaurant. Up to 70 vultures maybe present, often competing for the
carcass with Golden Jackal.
In the late morning we leave from Boeng Toal to Kratie
arriving late afternoon. We will stop at a small marsh near Kratie, where we
should see large numbers of weavers including Asian
Golden and Streaked Weaver and other wetland birds.
Overnight at hotel in Kratie. The hotel is clean with
en-suite hot showers, airconditioning and good Khmer food.
15 – S [09/03] - AM – BIRDING KRATIE, PM – TRANSFER TO SEIMA
In the early morning we will board a boat on the Mekong
River, looking for the Mekong Wagtail, which is restricted to channel
island habitats; we will also enjoy the pod of Irrawaddy Dolphins that frequent this part of the river. After
breakfast we will drive two and a half hours on to Keo Seima Wildlife
Sanctuary.
16 / 17 – S M [10 & 11/03] SEIMA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY & DAK DAM
We will have two full days and two half days to experience
the birds and mammals of this spectacular forest. Top of most birders wish
lists is the Orange-necked Partridge, a species which went missing for
much of the last century, only to be rediscovered in the 1990s. We have a
moderate success rate with this species but there are many other spectacular
species to keep our interest during our time here, including Green
Peafowl, Germain’s Peacock Pheasant, Red-vented
Barbet, Scaly-breasted Partridge and Pale-headed Woodpecker, all
of which have been seen on the trails close to the WCS station.
Cambodia may be the best place in the world for woodpeckers. The largest
woodpecker in the world, the Great Slaty can be seen at forested
sites throughout the trip and is particularly easy to see in Seima. We’ll also
aim to see White-bellied, Laced, Heart-spotted and Black-and-buff
Woodpeckers here. We’ll make a special effort to seek out fruiting trees
because these often hold in Hill and Golden-crested Myna as
well as a range of barbets, pigeons and hornbills.
Seima is home to the largest population
of Black-shanked Douc Langur in the world, along with Northern
Pig-tailed and Long-tailed Macaque and Yellow-cheeked
Crested Gibbon, all of which are regularly seen on our tours. Very lucky
visitors have seen Gaur close to the headquarters. If we take a night
drive there is the possibility of more mammals
including Common-palm and Small-toothed Civets, Giant
Flying Squirrel, Lesser Mouse-Deer and Pygmy
Loris. Spot-bellied Eagle Owl has also been seen here.
We will also visit
Dak Dam. Dak Dam is located in the Southeastern corner of Cambodia on the Sen
Monorom plateau. Elevations of over 800 meters can be reached here. Much of the
forest has been lost here, but remnants here have produced a number of montane
species associated with the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam. A number of new
Cambodian records have come from this region.
Birds of interest include: Bar-backed Partridge, Black Eagle, Mountain Imperial
Pigeon, Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, Pale-capped Pigeon, Long-tailed Broadbill,
Black and Ashy Bulbuls, Silver-eared Mesia, Blue-winged Siva, Black-headed
Parrotbill, Black-chinned Yuhina, White-cheeked and Black-throated
Laughingthrush, Black-throated Sunbird, Black-browed Fulvetta.
Dak Dam
area provides the adventure of discovering the unexpected and possibly
something new for the Cambodian list.
Overnight at hotel in Sen Monorom.
18 T [12/03] - TRANSFER TO KAMPOT, ENROUTE STOP AT
CAMBODIA TAILORBIRD SITE
After the last morning of birding at Seima we will begin the
nine-hour trip to Kampot, where Bokor National Park is located.
We will make a stop along the way to locate the newly discovered
species of Cambodian Tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), which was described to
science by WCS. This species is only found in the floodplain wetlands where the
mighty Mekong River meets the Tonle Sap and Bassac Rivers. This area is also excellent
for open-country species such as Plain-backed Sparrow and we often see large
waterbirds such as Oriental Darter and Painted Stork. In the scrub in which the
tailorbird is found, we should also see a range of winter visitors, such as
Black-browed Reed-warbler, Brown Shrike and Siberian Rubythroat.
Overnight at hotel in Kampot, our base for two nights,
arriving late evening in this small town to get ready for the cloudy and chilly
mountain of Bokor the next day.
19 – 20 W T [13 & 14 / 03] - SIT BOKOR NATIONAL PARK
Bokor National Park was an historic hill station situated at
1,081 meters above sea level with jungle, a waterfall (Popokvil), rivers, and
ruins. It is located at the southern tip of the Elephant Mountains near the
Vietnam border. Though the part is now being developed as a major tourist
destination, the bird species can still be found, surprisingly undisturbed, so
far.
As we ascend through the evergreen forest to Bokor we will
start to notice species not found in other parts of the country, and by the
time we reach the top of the escarpment we will be in refreshingly cool,
stunted montane forest, a welcome relief from the steamy-hot lowlands we have
left behind.
Our key bird targets at Bokor are the
near-endemic Chestnut-headed Partridge and Silver
Broadbill, Long-tailed Broadbill, Indochinese Green
Magpie, Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, and Wedge-tailed Green
Pigeon. Over 60 bird species have been recorded here.
Packed lunches will be brought from Kampot Town. Overnight at
hotel in Kampot.
21 F [15/03] – VISIT THE SALTPANS NEAR KAMPOT; PM TO
PHNOM PENH
On our last day morning we will visit the saltpans where we
hope to find some shorebirds to add to our list. A trip to this area in 2013
produced Nordman’s Greenshank and a host of other waders such
as Whimbrel, Sandpipers, Little-ringed Plover
and Red-necked Phalarope.
After that we will transfer to Phnom Penh for a little sight
seeing and souvenir shopping.
22 S [16/03] – PHNOM
PENH SIGHT SEEING
After
breakfast at the hotel, the group can visit the Royal Palace. Lunch in the city
and continue the tour with the visit Boeng Chueng Ek killing field and Toul
Sleng Genocide Museum (S21). And then we will transfer you to the airport AT
4pm for the departure of our 6-25pm flight back home.
