What is your favorite bird species?
My favorite bird species are the Chestnut-headed Partridge, the Bar-bellied Pitta, the Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, the Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, the Bengal Florican, the Masked Finfoot, the Giant Ibis, and the Sarus Crane.
Giant Ibis
What is your name, and where do you live?
My name is Sang Mony, and I live in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
I do tours across Cambodia, ranging from half-day to 3.5-week trips.
Bengal Florican
How long have you been a bird guide?
I have been guiding for almost 20 years.
How did you get into bird guiding?
I found this job after I quit the hotel industry work in 2006, and started with the SVC SAM VEASNA CONSERVATION TOURS (SVC TOURS).
Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
I like being out in the field with my clients and my beloved team for birding and bird photography, and seeing some beautiful, rare, and threatened wildlife & bird species across my country, as well as some new bird species.
I hate hunters, the wildlife trade, and traps, including logging in the protected areas.
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
The top 10 bird species are the Giant & White-shouldered Ibises, 3 Asian Vultures (White-rumped, Slender-billed, and Red-headed Vultures), the Bengal Florican, the Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo, the Sarus Crane, the Cambodian Laughingthrush, and the Cambodian Tailorbird.
Cambodian Tailorbird
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip
We can spend 3 nights in Tmat Peouy in the new eco Kriel Lodge to see the Giant & White-shouldered Ibises, and an overnight in the Beong Toal safari camping to see the 3 Asian Vulture species and other beautiful bird species in the dry dipterocarp forest, for a total of 4 nights & 5 days.
Red-headed and Slender-billed Vulture
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
The best birding time in Cambodia is from December through April, as this is the dry season and all wintering bird species are present. We are fully equipped with Swarovski binoculars & telescopes, and binoculars are available for hire as well. I am sure birders will have their own birding gear.
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
I am working for the SVC SAM VEASNA CONSERVATION TOURS. People can reach out to us at booktour@samveasna.com or reach me directly at monysang@samveasna.com.
Bar-bellied Pitta
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
SVC TOURS runs these bird-watching tours to support the local communities’ livelihoods in the protected area across Cambodia, and supports the conservation activities together with the Wildlife Conservation Society- WCS_Cambodia Program.
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