Aural Mountain Birding Trip Report in December 2022 with Sam Veasna Conservation Tours (SVC).

Dates: 1st to 4th December 2022

Report Written By: Ladong Nan, SVC Bird Guide

SVC Client: Gerry Richards, Australia

Locations: Aural Mountain

Total No. of Bird Species: 70

Introduction

This is a four-day birding trip report organized by Sam Veasna Conservation Tour led by SVC guide Ladong. The starts from Phnom Penh and it takes about 3 hours from Phnom Penh to Aural Mountain. Phnom Aural is located in the Cardamon Mountains and is the highest peak in Cambodia. It is 1813 meters above sea level. Its location in the southern plains is a bit off the beaten trek and offers a great opportunity to see some really interesting species that are not seen in other parts of Cambodia. The evergreen Aural forest is home to the Cambodian Laughingthrush (one of the two endemic bird species in Cambodia) and many other rare birds, that rank at this high elevation.

Highlights of the tour

  • Cambodian Tailorbird
  • Cambodian Laughingthrush
  • Cambodian Blue Robin
  • Cambodian Flowerpecker
  • Blue-winged Minla
  • Chestnut-headed Partridge
  • Great Hornbill
  • Wreathed Hornbill
  • Mountain Scops-owl
  • Eastern Crowned Warbler

Aural Mountains Cambodian Laughingthrush Tour

4-day birding tour to see one of the true endemic species of Cambodia, Cambodian Laughingthrush. Starting from Phnom Penh.

Aural Mountain Birding Trip Report

Day 1: Morning arrival at Srekenbei and climbing up Aural Mountain

This morning we leave from Phnom Penh at 4:30 AM in the morning and head to Srekenbei village where we will meet our community and our porters, we arrive at Srekenbei at 7:00 AM in the morning from other sites (for instance Phnom Penh to Srekenbei Village).

The trip will start after an early breakfast by transferring by a local two-wheel drive to the base where we start the climb up the hill to the campsite and spend 3 nights and 4 days over there. As there is no camp or village, we have to set up our own campsite. Our porter will bring all the necessary gear: hammock, food, water, and other basic necessities (only). A porter can carry some of our personal gear as well.

Our journey will take about 7 or 8 hours. During our trekking, we saw a lot of good birds along the way such as Black-crested Bulbul, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Long-tailed Broadbill, Dusky Broadbill, Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, other bird’s species. we reach the top at a later time in the evening.

Day 2: Full day birding around Aural Mountain

This is the second day, today we will spend full a day birding around the area of Aural and we don’t need to trek up to the top of the hill, So, this morning we need to wake up very early, at 6:00 am and leave from the campsite, after having breakfast, tea and coffee and go for birding until afternoon and walk back to the campsite for lunch.

While trekking in the morning, that time we got a very good look at some bird species and we get many vocalizations of birds too, Anyway, many things were found while we trekking such as Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Blyth’s Shrike-babbler, Orange-headed Thrush, Streaked Wren-Babbler, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Hume’s White-eye, Davison’s Leaf Warbler, Black-throated Sunbird, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, etc. after we saw many birds and included our target birds. we walked back to the campsite for lunch and a rest.

Then we went for afternoon bird watching, this time, we were trekking to find Cambodian Laughingthrush. Fortunately, we have good luck when we heard a song by Laughingthrush calling nearby our campsite, and then we went to find it, that time we got a very good look at flocks of Cambodian Laughingthrush on the tree branch with one Lesser-necklaced Laughingthrush too, we keep do birding until the dark and walk back to the camp spot for overnight.

Day 3: Full day birding around Aural Mountain

Today we will spend our full day birding around the area of Aural and we will trek to the top of the hill of the mountain, So, this morning we need to wake up very early, at 5:45 am and leave our camp and trek to the top of the mountain after having our breakfast, tea and coffee and pack lunch box for the afternoon.

We will trek up to the top mountain and we spend a few hours finding White-tailed Robin (now called Cambodian Blue Robin) and Blue-winged Minla. While we trek down and up to the top of the mountain, we heard many vocals of birds from the tall tree nearby us and we spot walking and find a good spot for looking birds. At that time birds saw many good birds and included our target birds such as Cambodian Blue Robin, Blue-winged Minla, and other birds such as Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Blyth’s Shrike-babbler, Wreathed Hornbill, Orange-headed Thrush, Eyebrowed Thrush, Indochinese Green-Magpie, Streaked Wren-Babbler, Warbler, and other bird species. We keep birding until late afternoon we walk downhill back to the campsite overnight.

Day 4: Early Morning birding Aural; then downhill back to Srekenbei and transfer on to next destination.

We will spend our morning as the last birding for Aural. Then after breakfast, we will walk downhill back to Srekenbei.

The journey back will be faster with just 4-5 hours, so around 1:00 pm we will arrive at the village and continue with our car toward the next destination Phnom Penh for looking at Cambodian Tailorbird and finish the tour in Phnom Penh at Hotel late evening.

END TOUR

Ladong Nan

Ladong Nan

SVC Guide

 

Ladong has over 10 years of bird guiding experience with SVC and has often represented SVC at international birdfairs including in Thailand in 2015 and Malaysia in 2016. Giant Ibis and White-shouldered Ibis are his favourite species to show clients in Cambodia.

Aural Mountain Birding Trip Report Complete Bird List

Total No. of Bird Species: 70

 

  1. Chestnut-headed Partridge Arborophila cambodiana
  2. Scaly-breasted Partridge Arborophila chloropus
  3. Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera
  4. Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
  5. Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
  6. Shikra Accipiter badius
  7. Mountain Hawk Eagle Nisaetus nipalensis
  8. Rock Dove Columba livia
  9. Red Collared-dove Streptopelia tranquebarica
  10. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
  11. Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
  12. Zebra Dove Geopelia striata
  13. Thick-billed Green-pigeon Treron curvirostra
  14. Mountain Imperial-pigeon Ducula badia
  15. Vernal Hanging Parrot Loriculus vernalis
  16. Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus
  17. Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei
  18. Germain’s Swiflet Aerodramus [germani]
  19. Asian Palm-swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
  20. Orange-breasted Trogon Harpactes oreskios
  21. Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus
  22. Indochinese Roller Coracias benghalensis
  23. Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni
  24. Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris
  25. Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis
  26. Wreathed Hornbill Aceros undulatus
  27. Green-eared Barbet Megalaima faiostricta
  28. Moustached Barbet Megalaima incognita
  29. Blue-eared Barbet Megalaima australis
  30. Greater Yellownape Chrysophlegma flavinucha
  31. Long-tailed Broadbill Psarisomus dalhousiae
  32. Dusky Broadbill Corydon sumatranus
  33. Blue Pitta Pitta cyanea
  34. Blyth’s shrike-babbler Pteruthius aeralatus
  35. White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca
  36. Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus speciosus
  37. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus
  38. Great Iora Aegithina lafresnayei
  39. White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis
  40. Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
  41. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer
  42. Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus
  43. Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
  44. Indochinese Green Magpie Cissa hypoleuca
  45. Burmese Shrike Lanius collurioides
  46. Brown-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis
  47. Black-throated Sunbird Aethopyga saturata
  48. Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
  49. Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile
  50. Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus
  51. Blue-winged Leafbird Chloropsis cochinchinensis
  52. Asian Fairy-bluebird Irena puella
  53. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis
  54. Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina
  55. Green Cochoa Cochoa viridis
  56. White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura
  57. Hainan Blue Flycatcher Cyornis hainanus
  58. Snowy-browed flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra
  59. Grey-eyed Bulbul Iole propinqua
  60. Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus
  61. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
  62. Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris
  63. Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps
  64. Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus
  65. Hume’s white-eye Zosterops auriventer
  66. Streaked Wren-Babbler Napothera brevicaudata
  67. Cambodian Laughingthrush Garrulax ferrarius
  68. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger
  69. Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
  70. Cambodian Tailorbird Orthotomus chaktomuk

Mammal List

  1. Variable Squirrel Callosciurus finlaysonii
  2. Cambodian Striped Squirrel Tamiops rodolphii