Today (27 Jan) a walk around the park in the late morning to look for migrants was disappointing, with just 1 Taiga Fly, some Olive-backed Pipits, 1 Dusky Warbler and 1 Red-Flanked Bush Robin.
Perhaps the best for me was some obliging Yellow-browed Warblers, usually hard to photograph.
Orange-Flanked Bush Robin A pensive Olive-backed Pipit
Tomorrow I go to Laos. I will come back on the 10st Feb.
CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI. I wish you a Happy Vietnamese New Year of the Cat! Sebastien
Short visit to Van Long Natural Reserve last Sunday.
The marsh was full of Egrets of 4 species (Cattle ones seems the most numerous). Behind the dyke, the flooded rice paddy fields hold many wetland birds, notable species were 14 Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, 1 Citrine Wagtail and 18 Black-winged Stilts. I flushed some waders but failed to identify them. Many Fork-tailed Swifts were also hunting insects above the water.
No ducks. It seems that the french expression “il fait un froid de canard” = it’s biting cold (literal translation is “it makes a cold of duck”, a sentence which comes from the hunters) doesn’t work here…
A smart Grey Wagtail sitting on one of the few perches available White-browed Crakes were in good numbers Those Black-winged Stilts were a nice surprise, but this species is probably regular here
A huge flock of Egrets congregating at dusk, looking for somewhere to roost for the night.
They chose the eucalyptus trees and the rocks around. It was truly an amazing sight enough to justify this motorbike trip, despite the brass monkey weather.
On 20th January I decided to take a stroll around the botanical gardens.
There were a few winter visitors: Japanese Thrush 2 (male and female) Chinese Blackbird 2 (male and female) Red-flanked Bluetail 1 Brown Flycatcher 1 Dusky Warbler 2 Olive-backed Pipit 6 Yellow-browed Warbler 5+
Yesterday (18 Jan) a White-crowned Forktail was seen along the small stream next to the Bear Rescue Center. Other birds of not were 1 m Hainan Blue Flycatcher 1 Asian Brown Flycatcher many Taiga Flycatchers
Today, another noon bash along the banks of the Red river, same area than last Sunday.
Birding was a bit slow first with just Green and Common Sandpipers but then got more interesting with a male Bluethroat and a Citrine Wagtail.
Arrived at the extremity south of the area, I noticed some waders. I got my bins on them and was astonished to discover, one after the other, 1, 2, 3, 4 and finally 5 Long-billed Plovers !!! I said to myself : “Hey, what’s going on here? Am I dreaming?”. Simon came after work and counted… 6 birds! New shots of the beasts:
I did my new spot along the Red river again yesterday.
No sign of the Long-billed Plover, Temminck's Stints still hanging around and a new guy : a Kentish Plover (quite rare/uncommon visitor inland ?). Some sepia pics bellow... Sun, please come back and spend few days with us. We really miss you !
Sunday morning, despite the cold and the rain, I went out to explore the small arm of the Red river situated along the west side of the Island, which is not yet dry. The muddy banks (at least 1,5km) attract a nice selection of waders and other good birds. I have marked the location of this area on this GoogleMap (access by motorbike : ngõ 76 An Dương).
The first birds I encountered were 1 Snipe sp, some Green and Common Sandpipers (5-10 each), and at least 4 (3+1) Temminck's Stints. Sorry for pic quality, but with such bad weather conditions + distance, miracle was not possible :)
Among the Stints, I noticed a bird that looks like a juvenile Little Ringed Plover but obviously larger and bulky (pic below : on the right, with the Stints and an ad. Little Ringed P.).
It was large-headed, had a white nuchal collar with a thin blackish line, a fairly long bill, broad buff supercilium, yellowish legs.
Later I consulted the Robson and the pics on the Net, and identified it as a Long-billed Plover, a juvenile. In particular, Common Ringed Plover was excluded on basis of general structure, bill, colour of legs and supercilium. Are you agree ?
On those pics, you can notice the broad buff supercilium contrasting with the white nuchal collar.
It was also long-tailed, with the tail clearly projecting beyond the wing-tip.
This good area also produced many Yellow Wagtails (with at least one male macronyx) and, much more interesting, 3-5 Citrine Wagtails.
I also picked up some smart Black-headed Munias in a mixed flock with Scaly-breasted M.
After a long time of not having contributed, here some news from TD (lower reaches, Bear Rescue Center). Notable birds that put in an appearance recently are:
- 1 Manchurian Bush Warbler (end of November last year) - lots of Siberian, Japanese Thrushes, Chinese Blackbirds - 1 Pale-legged Leaf Warbler - 1 male Fork-tailed Sunbird - 1 male Fujian Niltava - Ashy Minivets, Striated Yuhinas, Grey Bushchats, Taiga Flycatchers, Long-tailed Shrikes, Olive-backed Pipits, Red-billed Blue Magpies, Asian Barred Owlets, Collared Scops Owls (all relatively common)
Interestingly, no buntings yet which I would expect in this habitat.
Sorry, I'm not going to speak about birds (very few to see in the capital actually), but...turtle ! In the days just before the New Year, the famous Hoan Kiem Lake turtle, legendary in Hanoi, surfaced signalling happiness and a lucky New Year. I was lucky enough to be there with my camera, and the show was as much in the water than on the banks ! Hundreds of people flocked to Dinh Tien Street to see the beast (1m90 long, 200 kg !). Whether or not the turtle felt happy about such chaotic scenes remains an open question !
This species with pig-like snout is Rafetus swinhoei - Swinhoe’s soft-shell turtle. It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List, and is one of the rarest turtles and even rarest animals in the world. Indeed, there are only seven living specimens of the species known to exist. Five are in China, all in captivity (one in the Beijing Zoo, one in the Shanghai Zoo, one in the Suzhou Zoo, and two in the Western Gardens of a temple in Suzhou). The sixth living Rafetus swinhoei is in Hoan Kiem Lake, in the center of Hanoi. Not a natural habitat of course, but not a zoo too ; a sort of giant aquarium of 11 hectares with banks entirely cemented over, in the middle of a busy, noisy megalopolis with heavy traffic and air pollution. In 2007, after three years of searching, scientists conducting surveys west of Hanoi discovered in Đồng Mô Lake (see last post), at the foot of the Mount Ba Vi, the seventh one which is the world's only living specimen of Swinhoe’s soft-shell turtle in the wild. Before this incredibly discovery, the species was believed to be extinct in the wild !
Other specimens may still surviving in Yen Bai and Thanh Hoa provinces. Rafetus swinhoei is on the very brink of extinction, so every one counts. (I took the photo above in mid-February 2010, but all the other one the 30-12-2010. You can notice that 10 months ago, its face was incrusted with algae, but was not recently)
For centuries, Hanoians have been fascinated by the mysterious turtle that lives underneath the tranquil waters of Hoan Kiem Lake, passing down stories about the beloved creature from generation to generation. They have respect for the turtle, and also believe in its supernatural and spiritual power. This animal is holy and associated with a legend (read here).
Habitat of Rafetus swinhoei: Large river systems and associated wetlands and lakes
Range: Southern China and northern Vietnam
Diet: According to fishermen surveyed, the stomach contents of Rafetus killed included fish, crabs, snails, water hyacinth, frogs, and green rice leaves (McCormack and Hendrie, 2004).
Actually, Vietnamese scientists are urging Hanoi authorities to wipe out the invasive Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta) which is believed to be a threat to Hoan Kiem Lake's legendary chelonian. Many Hanoians release them into Hoan Kiem for good luck during occasions that include the Tet New Year, creating the problem. Professor Ha Dinh Duc, an expert on the giant soft-shell Rafetus swinhoei, said : "Hanoi's authorities need to make a plan to kill these invaders because if there are no timely and proper measures, red-eared turtles would eat all foods of our native turtle...They even eat all plants in the lake, and the lake would not be green anymore."
When you will take a stroll along the lake, keep your eyes open and your senses alert for the slight chance to spot a moving beak in the water. Catching a glimpse of the Great Turtle is a precious moment that all Hanoians dream of having.
Cheers to all and Happy Birding for 2011 !
Delonglee Sebastien
Video : choose "Settings" 480p for optimum quality
Orange-Flanked Bush Robin
A pensive Olive-backed Pipit
A smart Grey Wagtail sitting on one of the few perches available
White-browed Crakes were in good numbers
Those Black-winged Stilts were a nice surprise, but this species is probably regular here
A huge flock of Egrets congregating at dusk, looking for somewhere to roost for the night. 
Short video (settings 480p please)
Sebastien
Among the Stints, I noticed a bird that looks like a juvenile Little Ringed Plover but obviously larger and bulky (pic below : on the right, with the Stints and an ad. Little Ringed P.).
It was large-headed, had a white nuchal collar with a thin blackish line, a fairly long bill, broad buff supercilium, yellowish legs. 
On those pics, you can notice the broad buff supercilium contrasting with the white nuchal collar.
I also picked up some smart Black-headed Munias in a mixed flock with Scaly-breasted M.
Sebastien 
Hi all,
This species with pig-like snout is Rafetus swinhoei - Swinhoe’s soft-shell turtle. It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List, and is one of the rarest turtles and even rarest animals in the world.
(I took the photo above in mid-February 2010, but all the other one the 30-12-2010. You can notice that 10 months ago, its face was incrusted with algae, but was not recently)
Habitat of Rafetus swinhoei: Large river systems and associated wetlands and lakes