Seima Forest, Cambodia John Bowler

I spent 6 days in the Seima Forest area in Eastern Cambodia (21-27 March 2016) with local

Sam Veasna Centre (SVC) guide Pech Mogn and with the local World Conservation Society

team overseen by Soeung Khang. The main aim of this work was to investigate the potential for

birdwatching based eco-tourism in the area, particularly around the Jahoo Gibbon Camp (JGC)

at Andong Kraloeng, which already has established primate-watching eco-tourism. Jahoo

Gibbon Camp (JGC) is located at Andong Kraloeng in the east of Seima Protected Forest at

12°19'1.68"N 107° 2'27.45"E. The camp is at the edge of a clearing overlooking tall semi-

evergreen forest at an altitude of about 450m with a good system of trails. Permanent tented

accommodation is available for overnight stays with a comfortable communal living area, locally-

cooked food, a camp-style toilet and shower facilities. The camp is already used by tourists

wishing to see Buff-cheeked Gibbon and Black-shanked Douc, although many also visit the site

on day-trips, particularly from the nearby town of Sen Monorom, so the sleeping

accommodation is currently underused. I spent 6 days with Pech birdwatching the area to

assess the potential for bird-based ecotourism as a way to increase usage of the camp.

We recorded a total of 156 bird species at Seima / Sen Monorom including a total of 126

species from the vicinity of the JGC at Andong Kraloeng (Appendix 1). This list will not be all-

inclusive but gives an idea of the richness of the area for birds. Exciting species for world-

birders in the JGC area included Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Siamese Fireback and

Germain’s Peacock-pheasant, as well as localised species such as Black and Buff

Woodpecker, Red-vented Barbet, White-browed Piculet and Grey-cheeked Tit-babbler. In

addition, further very localised species including Orange-necked Partridge and Pale-headed

Woodpecker are present in the big-stem bamboo behind the Seima WCS Office, whilst there is

a good stake-out site for Green Peafowl along the main road through Seima at the quarry site

(dawn and dusk visits best), as well as another potential site closer to JGC. For many of these

birds, Seima is the best area in Cambodia to see them, but most visiting birding groups only see

a small selection of these species because they do not overnight on site, and usually only visit

for 1 day. Staying at the JGC for 1-3 nights would greatly increase the chance of seeing many of

these key species.

Birds easily seen around JGC clearing included Grey-faced Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle,

Hill Mynah, Vernal Hanging-parrot, Red-breasted Parakeet, Thick-billed Green-Pigeon and

Black-naped Oriole perched in the taller trees, with Yellow-vented, Thick-billed and Scarlet-

backed Flowerpeckers at flowering and fruiting trees. Olive-backed Pipit, Pale-legged Leaf-

warbler, Taiga Flycatcher, Ashy Drongo, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Red Junglefowl

frequented the forest edge and Great and Oriental Pied Hornbills passed over the canopy. A

single White-throated Needle-tail flew over the clearing at dawn and dusk with Himalayan

Swiftlet, Asian House Martin, Barn and Red-rumped Swallows, whilst Brown Wood-owl

called at night. A group of Scaly-breasted Partridges frequented the forest near the toilet block

and parties of White-crested Laughingthrushes frequently passed through. An adjacent area

of secondary forest close to the camp held Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, Siberian Blue Robin,

White-rumped Shama, Red-whiskered Bulbul and Puff-throated Babbler, whilst a nearby

orchard had regular visits by Siamese Firebacks feeding on Cashew Nuts thrown to the ground

by Pallas’s and Black Giant Squirrels! The forest edge around a nearby rice field was a hotspot

for barbets with Red-vented, Green-eared and Blue-eared all seen well and the adjacent

forest is a good spot to look for Germain’s Peacock-pheasant in amongst large numbers of

Red Junglefowl.

The main trail from JGC leads downhill through tall forest with bamboo patches towards a small

river. Repeated checks along this trail located a Blue-rumped Pitta in a tree-fall area with

adjacent Buff-breasted Babblers, whilst Bar-bellied Pitta, Banded Kingfisher, Banded Bay

Cuckoo, Red-headed Trogon and Orange-breasted Trogon were also regularly heard and

eventually seen. A lone Blue Pitta has also been seen here recently and one group bumped

into a Spot-bellied Eagle-owl. Bird parties here revealed White-browed Piculet and Yellow-

bellied Warbler in the bamboo, plus a group of the little known stanfordi form of Rosy Minivet

in amongst more numerous Scarlet Minivet, Great Iora, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike,

Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Black-naped Monarch, Asian

Fairy Bluebird, Arctic Warbler, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Scaly-crowned Babbler, White-

bellied Yuhinia, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Hair-crested Drongo, Crimson Sunbird and

Green-billed Malkhoa. Striped Tit-babblers were also common but are worth checking here

for the localised Grey-faced Tit-babbler, of which we saw several. Large numbers of bulbuls

here included Puff-throated, Black-crested, Black-headed, Sooty-headed, Stripe-throated

and Grey-eyed Bulbuls. We found the very local Black and Buff Woodpecker further down

this trail, as well as Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Purple-naped

Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Radde’s Warbler and the first Hume’s Warbler for Cambodia!

Visiting birders should always be in small groups and be accompanied by an SVC guide such

as Pech and a local community guide. Use of taped calls is helpful to bring some birds into view,

but this should be done sparingly as it interrupts bird behaviour and individual birds quickly

become aware of the technique and stop responding.

Forest patches at higher elevation (800-1,000m altitude) above Sen Monorom in the Dak Dam

area are home to an additional 20+ species of birds (see Appendix 1) that occur only in the

Annamite mountains including attractive endemic species such as the Annam Barbet, White-

cheeked Laughingthrush and Black-crowned Parrotbill that can be found nowhere else in

Cambodia. I found the forest around Dak Dam Waterfall particularly productive with in addition

to the above, species such as Pale-capped Pigeon, Speckled Piculet, Maroon Oriole, Blue

and White Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Ashy Bulbul, Rufous-capped Babbler,

Chestnut-flanked White-eye and Streaked Spiderhunter. Birders on trips coming to Seima

and JGC could also spend a day or two here to look for some of these specialities to increase

their trip-lists and to add value to keeping some of these forest patches, which are streadily

being cleared.

Appendix 1 – Bird species recorded in the Seima / Sen Monorom area (J = Jahoo Gibbon

Camp area, W – WCS Seima area only, S = elsewhere in Seima Forest only, SM = Sen

Monorom only, * = first record for Cambodia). Key species for birders in bold.

Species

Orange-necked Partridge W Blue-eared Kingfisher J

Scaly-breasted Partridge J Pied Kingfisher SM

Red Junglefowl J Banded Kingfisher J

Siamese Fireback J White-throated Kingfisher J

Germain’s Peacock Pheasant J Dollarbird S

Green Peafowl J Green Bee-eater J

Woolly-necked Stork J Blue-tailed Bee-eater S

Chinese Pond-heron J Chestnut-headed Bee-eater J

Yellow Bittern J Common Hoopoe J

Little Egret J Oriental Pied Hornbill J

Black-shouldered Kite J Great Hornbill J

Crested Serpent Eagle J Red-vented Barbet J

Crested Goshawk S Green-eared Barbet J

Shikra J Blue-eared Barbet J

Grey-faced Buzzard J Coppersmith Barbet J

Common Buzzard J White-browed Piculet J

White-rumped Falcon S Pale-headed Woodpecker W

Collared Falconet S Black-and-Buff Woodpecker J

Common Kestrel SM Heart-spotted Woodpecker J

Red-wattled Lapwing J Greater Yellownape J

Feral Pigeon J Laced Woodpecker J

Mountain Imperial Pigeon J Grey-headed Woodpecker S

Oriental Turtle Dove J Rufous Woodpecker W

Red Collared Dove J Common Flameback J

Spotted Dove J Great Slaty Woodpecker S

Emerald Dove J Bar-bellied Pitta J

Peaceful Dove J Blue-rumped Pitta J

Ashy-headed Green-pigeon J Blue Pitta J

Thick-billed Green-pigeon J White-bellied Yuhinia J

Pin-tailed Green-pigeon J Large Cuckoo-shrike J

Vernal Hanging-parrot J Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike J

Red-breasted Parakeet J Brown Shrike SM

Banded Bay Cuckoo J Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike J

Green-billed Malkoha J Ashy Minivet J

Greater Coucal J Scarlet Minivet J

Lesser Coucal S Rosy Minivet J

Spot-bellied Eagle-owl J Black-naped Oriole J

Brown Fish-owl J Black-hooded Oriole J

Brown Wood-owl J Large Woodshrike J

Crested Treeswift S Black-naped Monarch J

Himalayan Swiftlet J Asian Paradise-flycatcher J

White-throated Needletail J Ashy Woodswallow SM

Orange-breasted Trogon J Ashy Drongo J

Red-headed Trogon J Greater Racket-tailed Drongo J

Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo S Yellow-browed Warbler J

Hair-crested Drongo J Hume’s Warbler* J

Common Iora J Yellow-bellied Warbler J

Great Iora S Pale-legged Leaf Warbler J

Purple-naped Sunbird J Arctic Warbler J

Little Spiderhunter J Two-barred Greenish Warbler W

Crimson Sunbird J Lanceolated Warbler W

Brown-throated Sunbird J Radde’s Warbler J

Purple-throated Sunbird W Striped Tit-babbler J

Olive-backed Sunbird W Grey-faced Tit-babbler J

Thick-billed Flowerpecker J Scaly-crowned Babbler J

Yellow-vented Flowerpecker J Buff-breasted Babbler J

Scarlet-backed Fowerpecker J Puff-throated Babbler J

Golden-fronted Leafbird J White-crested Laughingthrush J

Blue-winged Leafbird J Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush J

Asian Fairy Bluebird J Dark-necked Tailorbird J

Olive-backed Pipit J Common Tailorbird S

Paddyfield Pipit J Tree Sparrow SM

Forest Wagtail J Rufescent Prinia J

Grey Wagtail J Plain Prinia SM

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch J

Common Myna SM Additional species at Dak Dam

Golden-crested Myna S Bar-backed Partridge

Common Hill Myna J Pale-capped Pigeon

Vinous-breasted Starling SM Speckled Piculet

White-throated Rock-thrush J Annam Barbet

Blue Rock-thrush W Long-tailed Broadbill

Oriental Magpie-robin J Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babbler

White-rumped Shama J Maroon Oriole

Siberian Blue-robin J Grey-crowned Tit

Hainan Blue-flycatcher J Ashy Bulbul

Tickell’s Blue-flycatcher J Black Bulbul

Blue-and-white Flycatcher J Ochraceous Bulbul

Taiga Flycatcher J Rufous-capped Babbler

Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher J Collared Babbler

Asian Brown Flycatcher J Spot-throated Babbler

Red-whiskered Bulbul J Yellow-eyed Babbler

Sooty-headed Bulbul J Black-throated Laughingthrush

Black-headed Bulbul J White-cheeked Laughingthrush

Black-crested Bulbul J Silver-eared Mesia

Stripe-throated Bulbul J Black-browed Fulvetta

Grey-eyed Bulbul J Black-crowned Parrotbill

Puff-throated Bulbul J Black-chinned Yuhinia

Black Bulbul SM Rufous-browed Flycatcher

Asian House-martin J Blue-throated Flycatcher (klossi)

Barn Swallow J Black-throated Sunbird (johnsi)

Red-rumped Swallow J Streaked Spiderhunter

Oriental White-eye SM Chestnut-flanked White-eye