Birds

The critically endangered Giant Ibis, National Bird of Cambodia

Frédéric Goes, a good friend of mine, started many years ago (in a 'former life') writing a book called "The Birds of Cambodia", subtitled "An Annotated Checklist". His request to make photos for the book blew fresh life in my childhood birding hobby which had faded, and the combination with photography fits me well. 
So in the weekends I was often out in ‘the bush’, the mangroves, on the sea, or other habitats, trying to take good photos of these winged animals, not an easy task as they tend to fly away. I don't see myself sit in a hide from before sunrise waiting for a bird passing by, although …… I did for the Giant Ibis, which came as close as 5 meters to my hide….. as if I had landed in a Jurassic Park movie.

It was a lot easier to take photos of the birds depicted on the bas-relief walls of the Bayon Temple in Siem Reap, to illustrate the three sections in the book, as these never flapped their wings in their long life.
The book is finally printed (early 2014), became the 'Bird Bible' for serious birders in Cambodia. It is for sale at the Flora & Fauna Int. office in Phnom Penh and the major bookstores in Cambodia, surprisingly even at Pochentong airport, as it weighs a hefty 1.3 kilogram.