Treeswifts––Pure Elegance!

Among many highlights of our recent trip to Cambodia and Borneo were treeswifts––the ultimate in avian elegance!

Related to swifts and hummingbirds, treeswifts comprise one small family of only four species. For a long time they confounded ornithologists, who placed them with swallows. Even their scientific name reflects the confusion: Hemiprocne, or "half-swallow". 

On this recent trek to Asia, we were delighted to see three of the four treeswifts: Crested, Whiskered, and Gray-rumped. 

Crested Treeswifts grace the skies of Tmatboey, Cambodia

(Photos by Narca)

Most treeswifts live in more open, edge habitats, where they swoop through the air like especially acrobatic swallows to catch their insect prey, but the lovely Whiskered Treeswift is a species of primary evergreen forest, where it works a different kind of edge. It soars in the spaces around the canopies of emergent trees, acrobatically scouring the upper edge of the tall forests for its food. Only rarely does it venture into second-growth forest.

Male Whiskered Treeswifts sport deep rufous cheeks...

while the female's cheeks are blackish. 

This pair was in the Danum Valley, Borneo.

Pairs of Whiskered Treeswifts stay in their year-round territories, where they nest at the tips of slender branches (probably as a defense against predation by snakes). Their small nests are built of bits of bark, leaves and feathers, cemented by their saliva. They lay a single egg, which completely fills the tiny cup.

I never tire of watching the graceful flight of treeswifts!

Home Base at Tmatboey

Anyone considering a trip to Cambodia may be interested in seeing what accommodations at Tmatboey are like. The villagers involved in the ecotourism program were unfailingly helpful and friendly.

The cabins are duplexes. Like elsewhere in Cambodia, people are asked to remove their shoes before entering.

Our cabin at Tmatboey (Photos by Narca)

Inside, the rooms are simple and clean. The ceiling fan is a big plus. Mosquito netting keeps out unwanted nighttime visitors.

Our room at Tmatboey

The bathrooms are a... let's say cozy... combination of shower, sink, and Western-style toilet, with the typical system of flushing by means of buckets of water. The shower water was even heated, for those who could figure out the system.

And en-suite wildlife went beyond geckos to include this charming frog, perched on the bathroom mirror.

Here is the open-air dining area at Tmatboey. Food was tasty, and the cooks made an effort to meet individual needs.

Now can you manage that? Of course you can. And the true rewards include a wealth of birds. This tiny Collared Falconet graced the road in.

Collared Falconet

And butterflies! I have no idea how this one even fits into the grand scheme of life.

Tmatboey's Treasured Ibis

Tmatboey is a small village set in deciduous dipterocarp forest in the center of Cambodia's Northern Plains. It has the distinction of being home to two highly endangered ibis, the Giant and the White-shouldered. Both birds have suffered precipitous population declines in the past half-century, and both are finding refuge and breeding success in Tmatboey.

The primary threat to Giant Ibis is disturbance of critical wetlands and conversion of their habitat to agriculture. Giant Ibis were once associated with wild ungulates, and today they depend upon grazing by domestic livestock such as Water Buffalo to maintain their short-sward grassland habitat and muddy edges to waterholes.

Water Buffalo enjoy a good wallow in the mud.

(Photos by Narca)

We hike in before dawn to a vantage point for seeing from a distance a known roost of Giant Ibis. Soon after daybreak, the ibis in view begins to preen and call, then flies off to forage. Later in the morning we encounter a couple more, as they forage at the edge of a wetland. This photo is of a distant individual, but at least conveys an impression of the huge, shy, red-eyed bird.

Giant Ibis, through a telescope

Dusk at Tmatboey, with a new moon tangled in the tree branches.

Dusk is a good time to see White-shouldered Ibis, as they move to roost trees. White-shouldereds were once widespread from Malaysia to China, but now occur only as a relict population of perhaps as few as 20 individuals in Borneo and the small population in Cambodia. It is good to see them prospering at Tmatboey.

White-shouldered Ibis. Low light conditions make photography difficult!

A program to protect the ibis nests rewards the local farmers who discover the nests, employs rangers from the village, and employs two staff from Wildlife Conservation Society to monitor the nests and to confirm successful fledging. 70% of the program's funds go directly to the villagers. In a region where family incomes average $350 a year, the money from conservation is a substantial help.

White-shouldered Ibis fly to their evening roost.

Stay Tuned: Cambodia!

When there's a long break in my blog posts, you can bet I'm on the road. We have just returned from nearly a month and a half in Southeast Asia––Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore––and is there ever a lot to report!

Here is a quick preview of one of Cambodia's many jewels: Crested Treeswift. It is related to swifts and to hummingbirds. Late in the evening, the treeswifts were gathering on perches at Tmatboey, a site famed for its Giant Ibis and White-shouldered Ibis; both are critically endangered species. But we'll get to them...!

Enjoy!

Crested Treeswift, Hemiprocne coronata (Photo by Narca)