Wow! A three and a half hour journey and we arrived at superb wooden accommodation overhanging the river a short walk from the ferry across to the National Park. A Lesser Adjutant soaring overhead as we arrived was to be the only one we saw but it was the start of an incredible week with 129 species of bird (18 lifers) and 10 mammals.
Cat Tien is a large lowland forest on the west bank of the Dong Nai River. Entry costs just 60,000 dong (about £2) and includes the ferry crossing but must be paid again if you leave and return in the same day. First crossing is at around 7am after the dawn songs from the Yellow-cheeked Gibbons have subsided. Good roads, trails and paths spread out from the landing mainly along the course of the river but also well inland to the NW towards a large lake, Bàu Sấu, known for it's semi-wild Siamese Crocodiles, and beyond.
Many of the off-road trails direct you to monumental trees and these trails proved the most productive for the more interesting forest birds. Within a short walk of the entrance there are a number of privately run hides. A position in one of the hides costs $30 a day but the birds that are attracted to the food and water provided there can be seen from the trails nearby if you aren't fussed about point blank views. You would need to visit all three to be sure to see all the specialities here.
We kept extending our stay here and ended up doing 7 nights. I could have stayed much longer. There was still much to see. The Green Bamboo Lodge has a range of accommodation options and does a good choice of food. It is possible, but not guaranteed, to see the male gibbons from here as they sing from the treetops on the opposite side of the river at dawn but our encounters were all in the forest near the ferry.
These were by far and away the highlight of the time here. Although heard close by every morning they spend a lot of their time quietly in the tops of the trees and glimpsed only rarely, but once or twice we encountered them closer to the ground. This video is one of those magical once in a lifetime experiences. The boisterous gibbon close to us is an immature (3 year old) male, part of a family group with its parents, and known to approach visitors. At one point when swinging across the path it used my upper chest to spring off.
We failed to encounter the Black-shanked Doucs here, which by all accounts were much deeper into park but Long-tailed, Northern Pig-tailed and possibly Stump-tailed Macaques were all seen. Other mammals included Northern Slender-tailed Treeshrew, Cambodian Striped Squirrel, Indochinese Ground Squirrel, Horse-tailed and Pallas' Squirrels and a Giant Muntjac!
Slaty-legged Crake Rallina eurizonoides
On to the birds then. Germain's Peacock Pheasant is one of two speciality pheasants here, the other being Siamese Flameback, which I unfortunately failed to locate. I only saw Germain's close to the hide south of the HQ where they are fed. This also produced my only sightings of Blue-rumped Pitta and Slaty-legged Crake but all were in very poor light with limited views. Views from the hide itself would have been spectacular. The Giant Muntjac showed close to here.
Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata
Great-eared Nightjars were common and heard singing at dawn and dusk but only occasionally seen over the farmland. Among other more common farmland birds a Burmese Shrike here was my first. The river was very productive and many birds could be seen with patience from the room balcony, often during morning and evening roost movements. Best were Pied and Black-capped Kingfishers, Oriental Pied and Great Hornbills, Oriental Darter and Blue-bearded Bee-eater. The Hornbills made dawn and dusk flights to and from the island just upstream of the ferry but views were generally brief and distant in very poor light.
Still on the eastern shore Dollarbirds were plentiful and displaying at times. Vernal Hanging Parrot and more numerous Red-breasted Parakeets often flew across the river. Watching the treetops in the park from this shore produced the only views of my first Golden-crested Mynas.
Bar-bellied Pitta Hydrornis elliotii
One of the most productive trails starts just close to the slipway near HQ. As you walk up from the ferry turn right onto the main road and c.100m on the left are stepping stones heading into the forest. This was where most gibbon encounters occurred and where we had very close views of Bar-bellied Pitta and Orange-headed Thrush at one of the hides. The Pitta also showed on the trail itself along with other forest floor species such as Scaly-breasted Partridge, Siberian Blue Robin and Puff-throated Babbler. Other highlights along here were Black-and-buff Woodpeckers (flock of 3), Laced Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape, 5 Black-and-red Broadbills together, an Orange-breasted Trogon and Large Woodshrike.
Following the main track/road north from the HQ/landing was excellent with waves of birds often passing containing things like Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Van Hasselt's Sunbird Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Purple-naped Spiderhunter and, another lifer for me, Grey-faced Tit-babbler. It was particularly good for Kingfishers, especially at places where it crossed muddy streams and pools. Black-capped, Stork-billed and Blue-eared Kingfishers all showed from time to time. Along with Pied and Common Kingfishers at the river, White-throated on the farmland and a female Banded Kingfisher at a drier part of the track there were 7 species here.
Banded Kingfisher Lacedo pulchella (photo by Phil Hall)
A short trail leaves the main track towards what's called the Uncle Dong Tree and this junction often produced loads of great birds and a few Long-tailed and Pig-tailed Macaques. On one occasion 3 Orange-breasted Trogons, a Black-and-red and 2 Banded Broadbills. Grey-eyed Bulbul and Swinhoe's Minivet were both firsts for me along here.
Banded Broadbill Eurylaimus javanicus
Orange-breasted Trogon Harpactes oreskios
Buffy Fish Owl Ketupa ketupu
Another good area was nearer HQ where a dry ford crossed just below a small dam. This held a Buffy Fish Owl that was present the whole week but could be incredibly hard to see as it tucked into the rocks of the dam but sometimes was out hunting in the remaining small pools.
I should just mention the rather up-market Forest Floor Lodge, which as far as I can tell is the only accommodation on the National Park side of the river other than at HQ. A pause here for a shady drink showed what an incredible location it enjoys. Views past fruiting trees looking up the river would be incredible for picking up Hornbills, Egrets, Adjutants and the like in flight. As it is we enjoyed extended views of an Osprey over and close views of Yellow-vented and Thick-billed Flowerpeckers, Blue-winged Leafbird and Verditer Flycatcher.
Finally there is a trail billed as the Botanical Gardens, although it is pretty dense forest, if rather younger than most of the other trails. The denser understory here made birding harder but it was the only place I saw Grey-headed Woodpecker and Scaly-crowned Babbler and it was great to see a male Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher with a full tail here.
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