A Leisurely BY 2022 from Herman and Kit

[Kitsafari]

158/cb53. Indian Cormorant, Prek Toal

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

17/CB54. Great Cormorant, Prek Toal

 

[Kitsafari]

01/CB55. Blue-tailed Bee-eater

 

already in SG list

 

[Kitsafari]

106/CB56. Purple Heron, Prek Toal

 

already counted

 

[Kitsafari]

108/CB57. Brahminy Kite, Prek Toal

 

[Kitsafari]

159/CB58. Grey Heron, Prek Toal

 

[Kitsafari]

160/CB59. Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Prek Toal

 

Counted at least 4 that we saw during the boat rides

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

161/CB60. Black-capped Kingfisher, Prek Toal

 

we saw at least 4 but they kept disappearing when the boat went closer. this one paused for a bit on the branch but in a distance. 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

162/CB62. Spot-billed Pelican, Prek Toal/ATT

 

This was another target of mine at Prek Toal but I was disappointed we couldn't get closer views of this pelican. 

 

Prek Toal

 

 

ATT

[Kitsafari]

163/CB62. Lesser Adjutant, Prek Toal

 

But I was more than pleased to get fairly close shots of this adjutant species which comes occasionally to Singapore but always in flight or in a distance. 

 

walking on air

 

 

[TonyQ]

The Adjutant is an amazing bird.

You are racing along!

[Soukous]

Do you spend all day every day looking for birds? The rate at which you are posting them suggests you have little time for anything else 

[michael-ibk]

Great additions Kit, looks like a very rewarding trip. 

[Galana]

Good to see birds from another world entirely.

[Kitsafari]

thank you @TonyQ @Soukous @michael-ibk @Galana

 

and @Soukous  this  manic pace belies the title of this thread! but it's only temporary. I'm back to work next week so I'm trying to complete the cambodian list - 2 more sites to put up - as much as possible, then it'll be back to the leisurely pace.

 

 I forgot to add Herman's photos of the lesser adjutant seen in Singapore (better put up since he devoted time to make the birds loook good). 

 

 

 

[Soukous]

8 minutes ago, Kitsafari said:

better put up since he devoted time to make the birds loook good). 

 

he did, didn't he

[PeterHG]

So many exciting additions! Herman certainly made some great shots of the Adjutant, but you took some pretty good ones yourself!

[Kitsafari]

@PeterHG thank you, and I did, didn't I? and on a moving boat, no less, as @michael-ibk can attest, I fare so well on using the camera on a moving boat that I end up flat on the floor of the boat.   

[Galana]

6 hours ago, Soukous said:

he did, didn't he

I could not have put it better myself. Great second shot.

[shazdwn]

Wow I am just catching up, loving your Cambodia shots and stories. 

[Kitsafari]

@shazdwn Thanks!

 

another of my targets was to see the Bar-bellied Pitta as pittas are one of my favourite species. The guide picked Chongkran Roy Community Forest for this species. Chongkran Roy's evergreen forest is one of the last few remaining forests in the country and is so far protected by the community. It is about a 2-hour drive from Siem Reap. you have to camp in tents in this forest. The local authority is building a small lodge with proper accommodation but given the propensity of Cambodians to blast music throughout the night (I experienced this in every spot I went, even in outlying forests, the villagers blasted their music every night until midnight), my guide holds out little hope that the stayers will forego loud and noisy parties in the forests.

Chongkran Roy's community runs two hides. One looks like a permanent structure and the area is cleared with two small waterholes and set up for photography. There are conflicting thoughts on hides - the staged sets may not sit well with birders who want natural settings and as little disruption to the birds' behaviours as possible. But if you have been to a jungle/thick forest, you will know, without playcall or feeding or water, you will struggle to see any bird, let alone a pitta. 

The birds seemed comfortable with the arrangements, and they vanished instantly whenever they heard strange noises or see movements within the hides. 

The hide is perfect for an appearance of a pitta, but  unfortunately, my guide played the calls of a pitta only twice and very briefly, which meant that the pitta would never be drawn closer. He just shrugged when i asked him about the pitta twice. so there went my dream. 

But the other birds tempered my disappointment. The second hide is still about 6 months old and the birds are not familiar with it, so we saw almost nothing for an entire morning, except for a warbler. The second hide is targeted at the very secretive coral-billed ground cuckoo, a highly skittish bird. we heard it all around us the entire morning, but caught only glimpses of the very large cuckoo twice. each time i turned my head, it disappeared.  the guide wanted to return to the second hide on the afternoon of the second day, but I rejected it, seeing there was nothing else to be seen at that hide. so we returned to the first hide, where there was plenty of action, but from the species we had seen the day before. Unfortunately, the Siamese Fireback failed to put in any appearances. 

 

164/CB63. Abbott's Babbler, Chongkran Roy

 

[Kitsafari]

165/CB64. Puff-throated Babbler, Chongkran Roy

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

166/CB65. Scaly-crowned Babbler, Chongkran Roy 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

167/CB66. Black-crested Bulbul, Chongkran Roy/Tmat Boey Hide

 

An unmistakably bright yellow bird with a strong black head and crest and startling white eyes. 

 

Chongkran Roy hide

 

 

 

Tmat Boey hide

[Kitsafari]

168/CB67. Stripe-throated Bulbul, Chongkran Roy

 

Another easily distinguishable bright looking bulbul that was quite gregarious and unafraid of the other birds.