BIRD SURVEYS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

Thailand and Cambodia December 2012 - January 2013

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INTRODUCTION

Thirty-three years ago I concluded a three-year assignment as a Peace Corps Volunteer at the National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (1977-1980). During that time I travelled extensively in Southeast Asia, including multiple visits to Indonesia and Thailand. I always kept a copy of Ben King's first edition of A Field Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia (1975) which was the only comprehensive, authoritative and accurate account of the region's avifauna. That tattered, heavily annotated little field guide, shelved inconspicuously in my home library, remained essentially unopened until a few weeks before Christmas, 2012, when I began planning to revisit Southeast Asia.

Since I already knew the birds of Peninsular Malaysia reasonably well (Yorke, C. D. 1984. Avian community structure in two modified Malaysian habitats. Biol. Conserv. 29:245–36) and my travels had included much of southern Thailand, I was intrigued by the possibility of visiting the mountains of northern Thailand, where many birds occurred that are rare or absent in Malaysia. Coincidentally, an AVC colleague and long-time friend Dan Byrne had recently retired and moved to Chiang Rai, Thailand. An avid birder, Dan thoughtfully arranged our itinerary and handled the logistics for our visit, including a trip to a well-known area for wintering shorebirds in the region, Pak Thale and Laem Phak Bia, located on the northwestern shore of the Gulf of Thailand.

Dan Byrne (left) and Mr. Daeng, Laem Phak Bia Thailand The newly rediscovered White-faced Plover (Charadrius a. dealbatus), LPB Thailand

January 29, 2013 © Callyn Yorke

We had also discussed a side-trip to Cambodia during our visit, but very little published information could be found to help us plan for it. Furthermore, Cambodia's national parks and remote areas (presumably the more ornithologically interesting places) are reportedly riddled with active landmines and unexploded ordnance left over from the U.S. - Vietnam War and a subsequent series of brutal conflicts in the 1970's (i.e. the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields"). More than 200,000 Cambodian civilians (mostly children) have been accidentally killed or severely wounded by explosive devices. Several internationally funded organizations have successfully begun the tedious and expensive task of removing landmines throughout the country (see photos below).

Minefield clearance sign at the ruins of Koh Ker, Cambodia. Cambodian amputees performing at Angkor Wat

January 25, 2013 © Callyn Yorke January 23, 2013 © Callyn Yorke

Luckily, travelling in Cambodia was relatively safe and easy for us. Excellent accomodation, meals, transportation and guides were readily available, courtesy of Mr. Keing, in the bustling tourist town of Siem Reap, our base of operations.

Han Kong Hotel, Siem Reap

Good birding areas were found nearby, including the impressive ruins of Angkor Wat and Koh Ker, the fields along Highway 6 and the wetlands of Trapang Thmar.

Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans) Highway 6, Cambodia Jan 26 2013 Koh Ker, Cambodia January 25 2013

One of my primary goals for this visit was to investigate the possibility of conducting our Tropical Biology class (AVC Biology 170) in Southeast Asia. In effect this was a scouting trip to find suitable locations for studying tropical ecology and wildlife with an emphasis on birds. To that end our trip was successful. In northern Thailand we found two national parks, Doi Inthanon and Chiang Dao, offering interesting high altitude (e.g. 6,000 to 8,000 ft.) habitats full of bird species with specialized requirements. At lower altitudes (1,300 ft.) to the northeast, an aquatic wildlife preserve with an impressive bird list was found at Chiang Saen. A lakeside resort (Viang Yonok) combined excellent accomodation, meals and transportation with abundant opportunities for studying local terrestrial and aquatic animal communities. Soon after our arrival we learned from the owners, Ian and Jim, that Viang Yonok had been used by college and university classes from abroad. We spent eight days here and considered this one of the highlights of our journey.

Sunset over the Chiang Saen Yonok ecological preserve, northern Thailand January 16, 2013

Near the end of our rather lengthy visit to Southeast Asia, and quite unexpectedly while in transit to Koh Ker, Cambodia, we met a biology class of about 12 students from the University of Delaware (Dr. Jake Bowman, instructor). This enthusiastic class of young college students had been studying the distribution and ecology of birds of Cambodia and Vietnam. They had already become quite knowledgeable of the local avifauna, quickly spotting birds along the roadside and reporting the species identities (correctly for the most part) to their instructor. Dr. Bowman told me that his biology classes, similar in structure to our AVC Tropical Biology, had taken trips all over the world. We exchanged email addresses for future correspondence regarding international biology programs.

Dr. Jake Bowman (third from the right) and his biology class from the University of Delaware, USA Koh Ker, Cambodia Jan 25, 2013

Another goal for this trip was to increase scientific knowledge of Southeast Asian birds by documenting as many of our findings as possible (see Bird List). As a bonus, some of the birds we discovered along the way were quite restricted in distribution and poorly known (e.g. Giant Nuthatch). In other cases (Oriental Darter - Chiang Saen) our discoveries apparently represented new local records. Thus, detailed notes and photographs contained in this report should be useful to the scientific community.

Giant Nuthatch (Sitta magna) @ 5000 ft. elev. Chiang Dao, Thailand Jan 10, 2013 Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)