Vietnam
1st - 26th March 2007
Leader: James Eaton
Participants: John Fox, Ron Hoff & Dollyann Myers
Black-crowned Barwing, LoXo Pass (James Eaton/Birdtour Asia)
East Tonkin & Central Annam Pre-tour Extension
1st – 10th March 2007
This exciting extension took us to some of Vietnam’s most remote national parks in searching for some of the rarest and least known Indochinese endemics including the recently discovered Black-crowned Barwing, Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Short-tailed Scimitar-babbler and Yellow-billed Nuthatch. We also made a highly successful trip to the Red River Delta where highlights were 3 Spoon-billed Sandpipers – one of the worlds most enigmatic shore-birds, 263 Saunder’s Gulls and 40 Black-faced Spoonbill. We recorded a total of 191 species and an additional 18 heard only.
After a late night arrival into Hanoi we took a leisurely drive west the following morning to Mount Ba Vi National park, which protects a good area of montane forest to the south-west of the capital. Alhough the early presence of thick fog looked a little ominous we continued to the summit following a light lunch. where we found the bird activity good despite the mist continually swirling in and out of the summit forest. Wintering thrushes were particularly conspicuous, with several prolonged views of numerous Japanese along with the occasional White’s, Grey-backed and Black-breasted, including a fine perched male of the later. The distant calls of Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush – our main target here - soon emanated from the forest below and with some strategic positioning we enjoyed several views of this shy species during the afternoon, at one stage with an excited flock of Red-billed Scimitar-babblers. Birding the remaining hours of daylight and the following morning produced a great selection of resident and wintering passerines; warblers were represented by Bianchi’s, Pallas’s, Yellow-browed and Kloss’s (part of the split White-tailed complex) Leaf-Warblers, Silver-eared Mesia’s added splashes of colour to the feeding flocks which also contained hyperactive Indochinese Yuhina (split from Straited), Silver-breasted Broadbills, Fujian Niltavas and a single Northern Orange-flanked Bush-robin. Our drive up the mountain at dawn flushed a roadside Brown Wood-Owl (for the leaders third tour in a row!) and lower down some fruiting trees held literally hundreds of Red-whiskered Bulbuls along with Grey-eyed, migrant sinensis Black and Ashy Bulbuls and a single Green-eared Barbet.
Following a rather uneventful drive east through the fertile Red River floodplain, with short-stops for several flocks of wintering Grey-headed Lapwing and Red-billed Starling, we eventually reached the new hotel at Xuan Thuy National Park and Ramsar Site ready for an early rise the following morning. Our timing was perfect, as high-tide reached its peak shortly after dawn, with the only exposed area of mud teaming with roosting shorebirds, predominately Dunlin, Sanderling and Kentish Plover but with smaller numbers of Lesser and Greater Sand-plovers, single Broad-billed and Curlew Sandpipers and at least 3 of our target species; Spoon-billed Sandpipers busily feeding in their distinctive manner – sweeping the bill from side to side in the shallow waters, 1 bird was even beginning to show some of its summer finery as it preened for 5 minutes in front of us. As the tide receded, so did we, after a short trek to study the flock of 30 or so Heuglin’s Gulls roosting on the sand-bar. After our celebratory lunch we jumped onto the back of some motorbikes across the shrimp ponds to the seaward side where we came across the regular wintering flock of 40 Black-faced Spoonbills, many of which were already in their full summer splendour and allowed a surprisingly close approach. Further birding in the area produced a surprise flock of 11 Falcated Duck, including a fine male, mingling with Eurasian Wigeon. Burmese Spot-billed Ducks, Eastern Marsh Harriers, extensicauda Plain Prinias and huge numbers of Red-billed Starlings, totalling over 700 completed the day.
Our success the previous day allowed us to visit the opposite side of the delta this morning to a military outpost with a remaining pocket of mangrove and much to our delight 263 Saunder’s Gulls, most complete with full black hoods and seductive white eye-crescents! Extending our gratitude to the superintendent we had lunch with him and his men (who were particularly appreciative of the bottle of Hanoi Vodka donated to them…) and birded the vicinity picking up little of note except large numbers of Black-crowned Night-Heron and a surprise Ruff amongst the roosting Spotted Redshanks and Pacific Golden-Plovers And a few Light-vented Bulbuls on the return journey.
Black-faced Spoonbills, Xuan Thuy NP Saunder’s Gull, Red River Delta
Leaving the north behind we flew south to the coastal city of DaNang, made famous during the American War as an American seaport, our first port of call were the Central Highlands of Kon Tum province, an area only explored by western ornithologists as recently as the late nineties. The original expedition to the area produced two babblers new to science along with a whole host of new subspecies. Unfortunately much of the area is still out-of-bounds but at least one accessible pocket of forest is just high enough to hold one of the new species; the Black-crowned Barwing, and it took just a matter of minutes after the surprise downpour before we came across a vocal pair of this stunning species. Cameras were clicking as the pair entertained us with an amazing display as they sat top-to-tail, bobbing their heads, raising crests and puffing their wing and throat feathers out while duetting. Moving onto a forest track (soon to be road) was initially slow going until a huge feeding flock buzzed around us with a family of Yellow-billed Nuthatch stealing the show and a supporting cast of Rufous-winged and Mountain Fulvetta, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Red-tailed Minla, Rufous-backed Sibia, Maroon Oriole and sultry Yellow-cheeked Tits, on our walk back to the vehicle a flock of White-winged Magpies flew in and landed ahead of us, just perfect!
Unfortunately we awoke to the distinctive sound of heavy rain hitting a corrugated metal roof and our plans for some early morning birding were washed away so we opted to drive early to our next destination; Bach Ma National Park, in time for some afternoons birding. The weather was decidedly better here and we enjoyed a rare outing in the sunshine along the summit road. Birding activity was high, and our main target here soon appeared, as a Short-tailed Scimitar-babbler ran from side-to-side along the grassy road verge guarding its territory from an unseen intruder! We birded the summit area for the whole of the following day, mostly in heavy fog which ironically probably helped us with some of our target species including the Blue-rumped Pitta that hopped along various exposed fallen branches while calling profusely for as long as we wanted. A short pre-dawn night-birding session produced Hodgson’s Frogmouth overhead and other notable species performing here included Indochinese Green-Magpie (shouldn’t that be Yellow-Magpie!), 5 Ratchet-tailed Treepies, White-gorgetted and distinctive klossi Blue-throated Flycatchers, Black-crested gayeti Sultan Tits, Long-tailed Broadbill, White-crowned Forktail, Grey-cheeked Warbler, Bay Woodpecker, White-browed Scimitar-babbler, Black-throated and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes and a super Rufous-throated Partridge that slowly walked across a large open area showing of its red boots while some large feeding flocks responding to our Collared Owlet impersonations, one flock containing over 30 Yellow-browed Warblers.
Unfortunately for us and the habitat, a massive typhoon that hit this area the previous year had wiped out most of the lowland forest on the seaward side, leaving just the under- and mid-story relatively intact. The trails were difficult to walk with a number of fallen logs yet to be dealt with, making our birding just that little bit more difficult and although we found activity to be quite low in this area a male dazzling Bar-bellied Pitta sat motionless as we soaked in its splendour made the experience more than worthwhile. Blue-throated & Hainan Blue-Flycatchers, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Scaly-crowned & Abbott’s Babblers, perched Mountain Hawk-Eagle and both Fork-tailed and Crimson Sunbirds made up the rearguard. Some pre-breakfast birding near to our accommodation produced the hoped-for Masked Laughingthrushes and also Racket-tailed Treepie while at night a Collared Scops-Owl showed well, glowing in our spotlight after giving us a brief run-around.
Short-tailed Scimitar-babbler, Bach Ma NP Blue-rumped Pitta, Bach Ma NP
Our next drive took us into Quang Binh province, close to the Lao border. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is one of the few areas of accessible karst limestone forest, the specialised home of the near endemic Sooty Babbler, confined to a small area in central Annam and Lao and only rediscovered as recently as 1994. Screaming flocks of Pacific Swifts wheeled overhead at their breeding cliffs, also occupied by returning White-shouldered Starlings and White-vented Mynas. We then made our way up the steep steps to a forested limestone gully where before long we found our tricky quarry as a pair of Sooty Babblers fed quietly on the limestone and in the dense vegetation enabling us to fully appreciate their comical expressions, banana-bill, blue eye-ring and quiet chirping to one other, a quite unique species. With persistance we also picked up Crimson Sunbird, Black-browed Fulvetta, Blue Whistling-thrush, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and, finally, a Sulphur-breasted Warbler of a possibly undescribed taxon which appears to be restricted to this limestone zone and we wait with baited breath on the taxonomic status of this (sub-) species! After this latest successful outing we headed back to the scenic town of Hue to connect with our onward flight to Saigon to meet with the rest of the group for the start of the main tour.
Vietnam Main tour
11th- 26th March 2007
Vietnamese Cutia, Ho Tuyen Lam (James Eaton/Birdtour Asia)
Our two-week Vietnam main tour concentrated on Tam Dao and Cuc Phuong National Parks in the north and Cat Tien National Park and the Dalat Plateau in the south. We continued the success of our pre-tour extension, recording a total of 333 species of which 12 were heard only. The endemic hotspot of the Dalat plateau provided the hoped-for Vietnamese endemics; two flocks of Vietnamese Cutia, Vietnamese Greenfinches at every site visited, Grey-crowned Crocia on two dates and the recently split Black-crowned Fulvetta, Grey-crowned Tit and Black-headed Parrotbills. We also saw a brace of exciting Laughingthrushes; White-cheeked, Collared, Black-hooded and Orange-breasted which all performed beyond expectations. At Cat Tien we had glorious views of the skulkers; 11 Bar-bellied Pitta and 2 Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant in a single morning is hard to beat, although the whooping cries of Buff-cheeked Gibbons as they swung from tree-to-tree was an equal highlight. In the cooler climes of north Vietnam continued providing great spectacles; Cuc Phuong hosted feisty Pied Falconet, a confiding Asian Stubtail, Tonkin Partridges crossing the road twice and large numbers of wintering thrushes. Finally the misty hills of Tam Dao offered just occasional glimpses of sunlight but some very special birds including the bird of the tour, an unforgettable encounter with a Blue-naped Pitta at close quarters. Here we also had numerous sightings of Short-tailed and Rufous-headed Parrotbills, Grey Laughingthrushes and White-gorgetted Flycatchers.
The first day of the tour saw us heading east from Saigon, arriving in Dalat for a late lunch and in plenty of time for some early exploration of the nearby Ta Nung Valley. This was to be our first of three visits to this small but exciting forested valley. Our walk to the valley was rather rushed as the forest below echoed with the calls of Indochinese Green-Magpie, Black-hooded and White-cheeked Laughingthrushes. White-cheeked Laughingthrushes were quickly seen in typical large, roving flocks and the Black-hooded Laughingthrush and Indochinese Green Magpie were found deeper into the forest. After much patience and careful perusal we were treated to cracking views of a Grey-bellied Tesia with even the bright orange tonsil visible as the bird gave its explosive territorial song. Subsequent trips to this productive valley provided plenty of new species with a different selection of offer for each visit. Concentrating our attention to the canopy surrounding an interesting clearing gave relaxed but exciting birding where Black-browed Barbets a constant sight and sound, and roving flocks favouring the flowering bushes and neighbouring trees yielded many more additions; Rufous-backed Sibia, Grey-cheeked Warbler, a vocal Alstrom’s (=Plain-tailed) Warbler, dazzling Mrs Gould’s and Black-throated Sunbirds were the main source of colour and Grey-crowned Tit, Black-headed Parrotbill, Siberian Blue-Robins, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Rufous-capped Babblers and Hill Prinias also joined in on the fun. This was also the place where we had great, prolonged views of the greatest speciality of this valley - flocks of endemic Grey-crowned Crocia. A small conifer plantation en route to the valley was home to a Vietnamese Greenfinch territory and as dusk approached one evening an obliging pair of White-throated Rock-thrush showed brilliantly in the scope.
Siberian Blue-Robin, Ta Nung Valley Golden-throated Barbet, Mt Lang Biang
Our first full day around Dalat took us to Ho Tuyen Lam, a large recreational reservoir bordered by pines and remnant patches of broadleaved forest. The walk to the broadleaved forest took us through the pines, which had excellent bird activity; endemic Vietnamese Greenfinches, pine-loving annamensis Long-tailed Minivets, Burmese Shrikes, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Black-collared & Vinous-breasted Starlings all being particularly numerous during our early morning walk. Our target species also appeared on cue, first a close Slender-billed Oriole perched between the tourist chalets, next excellent views were had of a migrant Hodgson’s Hawk-cuckoo, yet more White-cheeked Laughingthrushes entertained us and a flock of Vietnamese Cutia played in the sun - 2 males in full song to each other as they possessively guarded the accompanying females. Birding slowed as we ventured into the broadleaved forest where a foraging pair of Eye-browed Wren-babblers next to the track tried unsuccessfully to conceal themselves without much luck, as did the White-browed Scimitar-babblers and the family party of the beautifully-marked albigula Bar-backed Partridges that strolled in unison across the trail. Several small feeding flocks of Mountain Fulvetta kept us alert although not as alert as the party of Black-headed Parrotbills that managed to find and scare off a calling Collared Owlet. We paid special attention to the warblers here; Kloss’s Leaf-Warblers (split from White-tailed group) were common, and as we climbed higher we noted Blyth’s Leaf-Warbler (of the split-off Southern complex) and ocularis White-spectacled Warblers, another likely future split.
A full morning invested on a sunny Lang Biang mountain soon produced one of Vietnam’s most colourful endemic, the usually elusive Collared Laughingthrush which allowed us unobscured views at close range in the early morning. Climbing up the mountain after our early success produced a meridionalis Brown-throated Treecreeper singing overhead (another likely endemic split) and eventually a pair of smart Black-headed Sibia. Vietnamese Cutia were again co-operative as small flocks played follow-the-leader through the canopy on two occasions. Small feeding flocks kept us on our toes - Yellow-cheeked Tit, Silver-eared Mesia, Rufous-capped Babbler, Ashy-throated Leaf-Warbler, Mugimaki Flycatcher and non-blue Blue-winged Minla were seen on several but the recently split Black-crowned Fulvetta showed just the once. As we retreated down the mountain through the pine forest, Vietnamese Greenfinch and meridionalis Red Crossbill of the isolated Dalat population both showed particularly well along with Large Cuckoo-shrike and Golden-throated Barbets.
Moving back west from Dalat we invested an afternoon and a morning at Deo Nui San, a beautiful forested mountain pass bisected by a paved road. Our afternoon visit was spent along a forested trail and was surprisingly productive as a flock of Black-hooded Laughingthrushes fed quietly on the forest floor along with yet more White-cheeked. A gaudy feeding flock contained Red-headed Trogon and Long-tailed Broadbills and a nearby clearing had both Black-headed Sibia and a brief Siberian Thrush. Along the roadside Blue-bearded Bee-eaters, Yellow-vented Green-Pigeons and Barred Cuckoo-doves were noted but our quest for a Collared Owlet calling nearby was unsuccessful.
The following morning a chorus of endemic Orange-breasted Laughingthrushes beckoned us into the forest and we soon obtained nice views of three birds perched side-by-side. Back on the roadside feeding flocks started to gather, a pair of diminutive Speckled Piculets, Bay Woodpecker, Vietnamese Greenfinches, Long-tailed Broadbill and Red-billed Scimitar-babblers were the notable highlights along with several large flocks of White-cheeked Laughingthrushes. Once again we were drawn across to the Collared Owlet calling from the same perch as the previous afternoon and this time we were more successful and great views were had of this pocket-sized predator. Unfortunately two calling Blue Pitta inside the forest failed to produce more than a brief head view but the Orange-breasted Laughingthrush in full song on an open perch was some compensation, as was a singing klossi Blue-throated Flycatcher, yet another distinctive taxon confined to southern Indochina.
Vietnamese Greenfinch, Ta Nung Valley Collared Owlet, Deo Nui San
Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Deo Nui San Black-headed Sibia, Deo Nui San
Moving back towards Saigon we had a three-night stay at Cat Tien National Park, one of Vietnam’s premier birding destinations and home to several species confined to this area and remote eastern Cambodia. Conditions were rather dry and hot at times but the birds kept coming and we enjoyed a great run of the specialties. We were greeted on arrival at the Headquarters by a sizeable flock of Golden-crested Myna and sallying Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters but eager for more we made a short walk into the forest in the late afternoon which produced some good birds, notably a surprisingly confiding male and juvenile Blue-rumped Pitta feeding by the trail. As dusk approached the whistles of Great Eared Nightjar drew our attention and soon we were treated to several low passes of the ‘harrier of the night’ along with Large-tailed Nightjar and a Brown Boobook fly-catching in our spotlight.
A dawn chorus of wailing Buff-cheeked Gibbons emanated from the forest and we were treated to a group of these beautiful primates swinging from tree to tree. We concentrated most of our efforts this morning around an area seemingly full of fruiting trees, obviously frugivores figured highly in this area and the large flocks of Thick-billed and Orange-breasted Green-Pigeons contained smaller numbers of Ashy-headed Green-Pigeons (a recent split from Pompadour). The delightful Heart-spotted Woodpecker kept us entertained and furtive Black-&-Buff and Pale-headed Woodpeckers were welcome additions. The national parks main avian prizes keep to the forest floor and with patience we hit a run of form; as we were watching a family of Blue-rumped Pitta feeding quietly next to the trail, a pair of Scaly-breasted Partridges walked by oblivious to our presence and the brilliant emerald Bar-bellied Pitta repeatedly appeared culminating in an astonishing 11 individuals in just 3 hours, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant was noticeably quiet, though after a 10-minute performance from a perched calling bird we didn’t worry any further about this species!
Other highlights during our stay here included Green Peafowl sauntering past in the early evening sunlight, raucous Rose-breasted Parakeets, hyperactive Vernal Hanging-parrots, Orange-breasted Trogon, several responsive Banded Kingfishers, Great Hornbill, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and Indochinese Cuckoo-shrike. An additional mammal highlight was a fast moving group of Black-shanked Douc-Langurs, a rare, beautifully marked primate restricted to tiny areas of Southern Vietnam and East Cambodia.
Great Hornbill, Cat Tien National Park Scaly-breasted Partridge, Cat Tien NP
Upon flying to Hanoi we were greeted by a decidedly chillier climate, so after unpacking our fleeces and raincoats we drove south to Cuc Phong National Park, Vietnam’s first designated national park inaugurated by Ho Chi Minh himself, taking time off from the war to officially open the park. Our three-night stay was adequate time to find the majority of the parks specialties beginning on our drive into the park when we were treated to a roadside Pied Falconet, making feeding sallies from its favoured perch, this proved to be opportune as it was the only one seen during our stay. Winter was still much in evidence with wintering thrushes feeding at the roadside and on the forest floor. They were predominantly Japanese Thrushes, but diligent searching produced more Grey-backed, Scaly and a pair of Chinese Blackbirds, a much larger bird than its European counterparts. Our main efforts were spent on the forest trails searching for the many range-restricted species that inhabit the park, White-winged Magpie’s appeared, refreshing our memories from over 2-weeks ago when we observed this rare species in Central Annam, both Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pitta’s popped-up - our third site for both species - and some amusing encounters with Limestone Wren-babblers as both Ron and myself attempted to photograph a particularly showy pair, performing much better for Dollyann and John than ourselves! Several encounters were had with some of the other shy forest inhabitants; a pair of Large Scimitar-babbler circled us over and over again, and a pair of Tonkin Partridges (a split from Chestnut-Necklaced Partridge) fortuitously passed through the telescope as we watched yet another flock of Japanese Thrushes on the roadside, then gave a repeat performance for those that missed them initially by passing back across the road! Red-vented Barbet finally put in a performance worthy of this impressive barbet and both White-tailed and Hainan Blue Flycatchers shone in the dark understory which they shared with a single Silver Pheasant.
One afternoon was spent at the nearby Van Long National Park, a beautiful marsh against a backdrop of dramatic limestone cliffs which is one of the last remaining homes of the critically endangered Delacour’s Langur, of which there are as few as 250 wild individuals left. Birding was also very productive with three Ferruginous Ducks present among a large flock of Garganey the biggest surprise. A surprise passage of several hundred Grey-faced Buzzards were welcome as a pair of majestic Bonelli’s Eagles soared overhead while the resident Peregrine and Dusky Crag Martins circled below. Finally, as dusk approached a small troop of Delacour’s Langur was spotted in a small bush which offered wonderful views as they fed and frolicked on the limestone cliffs.
Our final destination was the hill station of Tam Dao situated in the heart of Tam Dao National Park. This area is notorious for its unpredictable weather so we were not surprised to be greeted by fog on our arrival. Our 3-night stay may have been blighted somewhat by wet and misty conditions but our one morning of fine weather produced the bulk of the specialties we were hoping for. Undoubtedly the star of the show and indeed ‘bird of the tour’ was the rarely observed Blue-naped Pitta that took little persuasion to perch on an open bamboo stem just metres from us before continuing to feed close-by for 5 minutes. The birds continued to flow during this morning clearly taking full advantage of the fine weather and several excellent feeding flocks produced many close encounters with delightful Short-tailed Parrotbills, White-gorgetted Flycatcher, the often elusive Grey Laughingthrush, White-browed Piculet and Black-chinned Yuhina. Birding in mistier conditions eventually yielded Rufous-headed Parrotbill on 2 consecutive days feeding with Collared Babblers (a recent split from White-hooded Babbler), numbers of Streak-breasted Scimitar-babblers, migrant Tristram’s Buntings flocking at dusk and bathing at dawn, a pair of Bar-backed Partridge (a species being driven to local extinction along with the other galliforms in the national park) and some fine songsters including Chestnut Bulbul, Pale-footed Bush-Warbler and Orange-headed Thrush. This fine run brought the tour to a fitting climax having recorded a total of 399 species during our extensive exploration of Vietnam, a wonderful and friendly country with a fine set of avian endemics.
Black-browed Fulvetta, Cuc Phuong Tristram’s Bunting, Tam Dao
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