Birding in Cambodia Photo Gallery – March 2023

You can read the full trip report, with a day-by-day account, here – Cambodia Birding Tour Trip Report March 2023.   On this page we present a wider range of bird photos from this year’s tour, in this birding in Cambodia photo gallery, along with some notes.

Angkor Wat 14/03/23

Of course, the star of the show here are the multitude of ancient Khmer ruins that are a part of the city of Angkor and this includes the famous Angkor Wat. However, while we made sure to see the most impressive of these structures the area also serves as a nice introduction to the birds of Cambodia including a few species that are uniklely to be seen anywhere else on the tour and so it proved. From first light there was an abundance of birds and it was easy to spot many of them perched on exposed branches and a walk through some of the tangled woodland also provided some successful birding, particularly where we were afforded secluded views over the moat. Activity slowed down quite quickly as the day got hot which gave us time to focus on enjoying the magnificent temples of the Khmer Empire.

Prek Toal 15/03/23

It takes quite some time on the boat across the Tonle Sap to get to this waterbird hotspot but it is well worth the effort. Absolutely incredible numbers of egrets, cormorants, storks, herons and ibises fill the air with some superb species such as Milky Stork, Greater Adjutant, Spot-billed Pelican and Lesser Adjutant playing the starring roles. The numbers of breeding birds here had noticeably increased since my last visit about five years earlier with Painted Stork, Black-headed Ibis and Oriental Darter all being far more abundant than in the past, in fact there seemed to be a Darter on just about every available perch. The sheer numbers of large waterbirds  here created a really memorable spectacle but there were also a lot of other species to add to our day list too. This was a wonderful day trip from Siem Reap.

Ang Trapaeng Tmor 16/03/23

A short visit to Ang Trapaneg Tmor allowed us to view a lot of wetland birds around the damp edges of the lake and great views of Sarus Cranes in fringing grasslands. Anice selection of waterbirds was accompanied by open-country species, grassland birds and a few dry dipterocarp woodland birds. Some bumpy tracks gave us access to a large area of mixed habitat and a surprise in a gathering of Eastern Barn Owls as well as a couple of other owl species on daytime roosts. Some nice raptors were appreciated by all and we found a good number of species that were not seen anywhere else on the trip; it’s always nice to get a big list!

Chang Kran Roy 16-17/03/23

We visited Chang Krang Roy for one night primarily to see Bar-bellied Pitta which frequently visits a feeding station here. Giving ourselves an afternoon and morning session to ensure that we did not miss it we got lucky as the light was failing on our first afternoon. This meant that we could try our luck at a new hide for Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo the next morning and success with this too gave us a wonderful stay here even if the accommodation was extremely rustic. In the remainder of the mornong hours we were able to add a nice selection of other moist forest species that were not seen again on this birding tour.

Florican Grasslands 18/03/23

An early morning drive from Siem Reap concludes at sunrise in the extensive grasslands, punctuated by reedy pools, that is the home to one of Southeast Asia’s rarest birds: Bengal Florican. This is always a lovely spot to enjoy breakfast in the field and this was no exception with great views of several male floricans with some display behaviour action to marvel at too. The open landscape here means that a wide variety of birds can be spotted by scanning and it is always possible to add quite a few interesting species to the trip list, including a few other scarce birds such s Manchurian Reed Warbler.

Prey Veng 18-20/03/23

At Prey Veng birding, once again, meeta ancient Khmer culture with our eco camp being right on the edge of an ancient baray and close to a ruined temple that always hosts a good selection of birds and this visit was no exception. With an exciting array of woodpeckers and our first dry dipterocarp woodland birding of the trip there was a lot for us to discover including a selection of green pigeons, needletail swifts and really close views of both White-rumped Falcon and Collared Falconets, the later being a candidate for cutest bird of the trip. Birding around Prey Veng is always enjoyable and as usual we saw a nice variety of species here as well as several key birds that we were looking forward to.

Boeng Toal 20-21/03/23

Waiting for vultures turned out to be a very hot affair in a hide built from bricks and for some reason they never did come down to feed on the freshly-killed cow provided for them. However, good numbers did gather in nearby trees creating quite a spectacle and we were well looked after in the campsite for one night with a very nice meal cooked in the field and a very confiding owl after dark. Apart from vultures there were good numbers of other dry dipterocarp woodland birds, feeding in mixed flocks, including a few that were not seen elsewhere on the trip. Camping was certainly not as nice as a good hotel room but the atmosphere in the forest was entrancing and it meant that we woke up right among the birds.

Tmat Boey 21-24/03/23

Tmat Boey is one of those birding sites that should not be missed. Extensive areas of dry dipterocarp woodland with ancient rice fields dotted around here and there are the home of one of the key species on any Cambodia birding tour: Giant Ibis. Things get pretty hot here but somehow there are still lots of birds to see at more or less any time of the day, although with the time that we allocated here we concentrated our efforts on the early mornings and late afternoons seeing a wide range of really top birds including a really close encounter with White-shouldered Ibis as well as several sightings of Giant Ibis.

Kratei 24-25/03/23

Visiting the small town of Kratei always provides a nice change of pace to the birding, with rice fields, fish ponds and the Mekong River supplying a variety of wetland habitats for birding within. An afternoon in the rice fields and fish ponds were very productive after things began to cool down with a good selection of Southeast Asian open country and wetland birds while in the morning a boat trip on the Mekong got us really close to several Mekong Wagtails and a wonderful encounter with a group of Irrawaddy Dolphins. We also enjoyed a night in an air-conditioned hotel room and good, long shower.

Pursat 25-26/03/23

This location concludes this birding in Cambodia photo gallery and was a new one for our experience in Cambodia. Although it took some effort to get to this site, as soon as we arrived it was obvious that it was a birding location to include on every visit. Arriving just after dawn this was a great place to have breakfast in the field and watch large numbers of waterbirds cruising overhead; storks, egrets, herons and ibises in impressive quantity. One critically endangered species, Yellow-breasted Bunting, was almost overlooked for the extremely range-restricted Chinese Grassbird which, unlike so many target species, gave itself up quickly and gave repeated good views. With the pressure off, we were able to enjoy extended birding around the reeds and wetlands here to end our Cambodia birding tour in a successful way.

Join us on our next birding tour to Cambodia. Full itinerary and links to our booking page here – Cambodia Birding Tour.