Aural Mountain Birding Trip Report: 1st to 4th December 2022

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 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

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