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December 2023 - Part 3 of 3
Tuesday 19th of December 2023 and the bathroom at Mey Mey Guesthouse don't invite me for a shower. I washed my self from the tap. I did not have my tea even though my Guide had found a kettle for me yesterday. I just wanted to leave the room as quick as possible. I had some cheese and a diet drink and suddenly it was 5 thirty and I went down to the car and we left Mey Mey Guesthouse behind.  We reach the camp site about 15 minutes past 6 and our local guide join us in the car. I suggest that we drive closer to the bird hide today. I am in a hurry to get to the hide and we had seen that the terrain was good for driving the car almost all the way to the hide. We parked at a bad part yesterday and we walked the rest. But it looked like we could pass with our strong Toyota 4-wheel drive.  The sun is coming up over the fields
 The sun is coming up over the fields
 Our local guide guides us through the landscape
 The sun is coming up over the field at the bird hide
Our local guide got out and he surveyed the area and he guided us through and as soon as we had passed this part it was almost like an “highway” We were soon stopping and it was maybe 150 meters remaining to the hide and I was half running to the hide. I was lucky, no vultures and I want to see them arrive. I could see about 12 vultures sitting in the trees far away on the other side of the field. There are some Red-collared Doves and 2 crows at the cow. But still no vultures. So, I will see them when they arrive and important is not to scare the first vulture arriving. Then it will take off and we have to wait for a long time for them to come. But as soon as they have started to eat, they are not scared.  Large-billed Crow
 Large-billed Crow
 Red-wattled Lapwing
 White-rumped Vulture, the first vulture to arrive
 White-rumped Vulture, the first vulture to arrive
 White-rumped Vulture waiting in the tree
 White-rumped Vulture waiting in the tree
 White-rumped Vultures
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 Slender-billed Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 White-rumped Vulture
 Slender-billed Vulture
 Slender-billed Vulture
 Slender-billed Vulture
 Slender-billed Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 Female Red-headed Vulture
Females have yellow eyes
It was nice to watch the vultures and time passed quickly. But it is very hard to get good pictures as there are so many vultures. Same as when I watched the crane dance in Sweden. And to make sound recordings was next to impossible as there were noises all the time and it was impossible to know what kind of bird it was making the noise. So I spend a lot of time trying to get recordings. But I spotted one White-rumped Vulture taking off and I pushed the “record” button. But the recording was not any good. I use my Canon R7X camera to make videos and I will convert the videos to MP3. My ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder is not working and I will have to attend to this problem when I am back home. Waiting and waiting with my video camera stand-by and I will  hopefully be able to get a recording.
It is quiet around the cow and suddenly, two White-rumped Vultures start to arging with each other. I was quick to push the record button and I had my second recording. Listen to the White-rumped Vulture
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
 Now I have the red-headed and the Slender-billed remaining and I was waiting with my camera in stand-by mode. I was not having high hopes when suddenly, one Slender-billed Vulture stick up it's  long neck. And the bird started to call.
The bird looked like a factory whistle sticking up making the call. I was quick to push the record button. And this recording turned out to be the first ever recording of a Slender-billed Vulture, both in eBird and Xeno-canto. So I was happy about that. Listen to the Slender-billed Vulture
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
We leave the hide walking back to the car and we will drive back to Siem Reap. We drop the local guide at the camp and we continue towards the dust road and we expect it to take about 5 hours to drive to Siem Reap. Our last off-road adventure, well, some of the roads are a little bit like coming off road. We spotted a Large Cuckooshrike next to the dirt track just before we reached the dust road. So this will be my last eBird report for our visit to Boeng Toal Vulture Restaurant. It was nice to reach the dust road and next stop will be Siem Reap. Our last “off road” adventure in Cambodia
 On the dust road heading for Siem Reap
We are planning for tomorrow’s bird watching but my Guide cannot come up with anything. No cranes sighted as the fields are still under water. So, I will go to look for birds at Ankor Botanical Garden tomorrow. I ask my Guide for the best restaurant in Siem Reap, well, he had no suggestions that I was interested in. We will go to my hotel, Grand Yard La Residence to leave my luggage and I have invited the Guide and Driver for dinner. I ask at the hotel and they recommend some restaurants, same as my Guide had recommended. Buffet and show, well, no thanks!  They told me that Sofitel had the best food in town and we drove there after having stopped to buy a laser pointer that I will use during bird watching. We find out that the restaurant at Sofitel is closed during the afternoon. I was surprised, one of the requirements for a 5-star hotel is to have a 24h restaurant. So this was a disappointment. They told us that we could eat in the bar. - You can eat in the bar - PLEASE! We left and we found a steak house on internet, Tell Steak House and it looked to be open.  Tell Steak House
 Tell Steak House
 My steak
 Chocolate mousse
Maybe we had been lucky at Sofitel because the food was very good at Tell Steak House I spent the rest of the evening in my room looking at the pictures from the Boeng Toal Vulture Restaurant. And I will relax a wee bit tomorrow morning. The Botanical Garden do not open until 8 o'clock in the morning. +++++++++++++++
Wednesday 20th of December 2023 and the restaurant opens at 6 thirty and I was down to have my breakfast at 7 o'clock. And when I was finished with the breakfast, I went to find a TUK TUK and we were off to Ankor Botanical Garden.
They opened the Botanical Garden when I stepped out of the tuk tuk and I could enter the garden right away. Last time I was here, back in August it was raining. This time I had high hopes as the sky was clear. I enter the garden and I walk the same way as last time and I could hear many tailorbirds in the garden. I was looking for them and I could spot one of them.  Entrance to Ankor Botanical Garden
 Common Tailorbird
 Common Tailorbird
 Common Tailorbird
 Common Tailorbird
I found one of the tailorbirds and I tried to get a few pictures. I continued and I was soon passing the shelter where I had taken cover from the rain last time. Now the area was full of flowers and it was really a beautiful garden. Last time rain, now irrigation. There was water spraying all over the place and I was soaking wet, actually worse than last time with heavy showers. What are these people thinking? People come here to walk around the Botanical Garden and they are spraying water all over the place. Do this during the night, give the soil a chance to soak. In the blazing sunshine and the water will vaporize before it reaches the roots. And, well, it was not any enjoyment walking around and I escaped to the sunbird area.  Sunbird area at Ankor Botanical Garden
 Sunbird area at Ankor Botanical Garden
 I call it the sunbird area because of the flowers and there is a lot of sunbirds eating from the flowers. I took a chair and I was sitting there watching fo the birds waiting for them to come to a flower close to me. It is hard to see the difference between the Brown-throated and the Olive-backed Sunbirds, especially the females. The males are easy during the breeding season. Brown-throated Sunbirds have no white tail feathers whereas Olive-backed Sunbirds have white patches on its under-tail feathers  Female Olive-backed Sunbird
And we can see the white in the tail
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Yellow-vented Bulbul
 Male Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
 Female Olive-backed Sunbird
Listen to the Crested Serpent Eagle
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
The tuk tuk driver is waiting for me so I start to walk back towards the gate. I hear a by now well-known sound, a Crested Serpent Eagle. I look up to the sky and there it is. Soaring high above the botanical garden. I go back to have my lunch and a cup of tea in my room. I had planned to go back to the botanical garden in the afternoon. But I skipped the idea and I started to make my eBird report. I was happy with my birding tour, 95 species. 21 lifers and 13 PHOTO LIFERS. 7 AUDIO LIFERS, among them the Slender-billed Vulture, the first in the world. At least no recordings in eBird or Xeno-canto and then we can consider it the first recording in the world.
Late afternoon and I go to look for a tuk tuk. I will go back to have dinner at TELL STEAK HOUSE. The food yesterday was excellent and I was fancy their bread and butter again. And they have Earl Grey tea from a proper tea pot. I used the same tuk tuk that I had used going to Ankor Botanical Garden this morning as he was outside the hotel with the tuk tuk. I showed the restaurant on the map and we were soon on our way.  On the way to TELL STEAK HOUSE
We find the restaurant and they, of course, recognize me from yesterday. I get tea and bread while waiting for my food. I asked for one “SAUSAGE LOVER” and a Schnitzel. I finished my “SAUSAGE LOVER” plate and they brought in the Schnitzel. But I was full so I could not finish the Schnitzel and I sent most of it back to the kitchen. I asked for a chocolate mousse and they put very little whipping cream on top so I asked for an extra plate of whipped cream.  Tea and bread
 Sausage Lover
 Schnitzel
 The tuk tuk driver was waiting for me and we drove back to Grand Yard La Residence and I spent the rest of the evening in my room. They will come to pick me up at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. Not much to pack, but I prepared my luggage and I am ready to go home. +++++++++++++++
Thursday 21st of December 2023 and I found a cheese when I arranged my luggage yesterday. So, I skipped the included hotel breakfast and I had cheese and tea in my room.
I jad one remaining “FIZZ” drink that I will enjoy on the trip to the airport.  One remaining refreshment for the trip to the airport
They are waiting for me when I come down to the reception. I ask them to stop at an ATM on the way to the airport and we leave Grand Yard La Residence. I paid the trip with bank transfer, 1620 US Dollars + 750 US Dollars. Last day was cancelled, otherwise it would have been 100 instead of 750. They had two more “FIZZ” drinks in the car so that means that I can bring one back to Bangkok to enjoy in the taxi going back home. 1620 was received and I sent the 750 before I left for Cambodia. But they never received the money and we investigated. I had put one number wrong in the account number so we stopped at the ATM so I could give them 750 in cash.
 Approaching Siem Reap International Airport / អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប
 Approaching Siem Reap International Airport / អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប
Brand new airport and we were the only car approaching and when we came up to the departure level I discovered that the whole “DROP OFF” area was empty. There was not one single person to be seen and one car was parked in the area. Well, there was a police asking for my passport before I could enter the building. Coming inside and it was empty, I was alone at the check-in and it was like a ghost town in the terminal. I stepped up to the check-in and they complained about the weight of my carry on. I moved some stuff to the check-in bag and he was happy. - Do you have electronics in your bag? -No He sent away my bag and we heard an alarm. He looked at me and told me that there was electronic in my luggage. We went to the x-ray to have a look.  Arriving to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport/ អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
 Arriving to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport/ អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
 Arriving to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport/ អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
 Arriving to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport/ អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
 Arriving to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport/ អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
We opened my bag and I showed them my USB cables and chargers. They were very interested in my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. We put back everything in the bag and my luggage tag was stamped “SECURITY PASSED” Next stop was the immigration and it was quite quick as I was alone. And it looked like many of the Immigration Officers was sleeping in their booths. And then I passed the security, alone again and it was quick to pass. Only one departing flight, Air Asia flight FD 611 to Don Mueang International Airport (ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง). And my fellow passengers had already checked-in when I arrived to the airport 90 minutes before departure.  Check-in is empty
  Check-in is empty
 Immigration
 Departure hall
 Departure hall
 Departure hall
There are some shops and fast food restaurants in the departure hall and the airport looks very nice. No passengers to be seen and it looked like all of them was waiting at gate 1. I discovered that there was no plane so we are still waiting for Air Asia to arrive from Don Mueang International Airport (ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง). Boarding to start at 11:05 but the flight from Bangkok have not arrived. But I could see the flight landing and taxi to the gate. Passengers came off and we started to board. And as I am in a bit of a hurry, I was worried that we would be late. I was in group 3 so this is the group to board last but everything was running smoothly and we were soon walking down the jet bridge.  Air Asia flight FD 610 from Bangkok arrive
 Air Asia flight FD 610 from Bangkok arrive
 Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport/ អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
 Boarding Air Asia flight FD 611
 Boarding Air Asia flight FD 611
 Boarding Air Asia flight FD 611
 Boarding Air Asia flight FD 611
 Boarding Air Asia flight FD 611
Departure 11:45 but they pulled us out from the jet bridge just a little after 11 thirty and I was happy as I have some important things to do when I arrive to Bangkok. The flight was very quick and we landed 25 minutes before scheduled arrival time and I was soon in a taxi going back home. I had been home for a couple of minutes when they called, my Christmas food had arrived. So, I will start to prepare the Christmas food on Sunday morning. Now I am in a hurry to get to the Swedish Embassy and to the post office. I made it to the Embassy 2 minutes before they closed so I was lucky. Even though I think I lost a wee bit of weight in Cambodia I will go to Chaiyasit Muay Thai Gym first thing tomorrow morning for yoga and 10 rounds with The Red Devil (ปีศาจแดง ก.กุมานนท์) Christmas in Bangkok and we just need to click HERE to find out about that.
 You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
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Species lifer: First time that someone observes a species in their life
Photo lifer: First time that someone photographs a species in their life
Audio lifer: First time that someone audio records a species in their life
Naturalized: Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional: Either: 1) member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2) rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.
Escapee: Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
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