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8 February 2012

Aquila sp. on Red River 20 km north of Hanoi




At 16h27 on Sunday 22 January 2012 I flushed an Aquila sp. from a sand bar on the Red River, c.20 km north of Hanoi. On the ground I provisionally identified it as A. clanga but once airborne it showed a longish tail, not typical of this species. It was very windy that afternoon and the bird struggled against the head-wind. This made photography very difficult as I chased it on my motorbike across the island, snapping shots whenever I could. Could it be Aquila heliaca?
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5 comments:

  1. Vietnam Bird News8 February 2012 at 13:15

    The above post and photographs are published by Jonathan C Eames

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 February 2012 at 16:14

      Wow...fantastic sighting Jonathan !
      I am not able to discuss the identity of this guy, but I just would like to know where you spotted it ?
      Around the Grass Owl spot maybe ?..

      Cheers,
      Sebastien

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8 February 2012 at 16:45

      I returned to the Grass Owl nest you showed us the following day to obtain better photos and flushed the eagle from the sandy area near the river bank, about 1 km east of the nest.

      Jonathan

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8 February 2012 at 17:02

    Hi Jonathan,

    I agree, the tail looks quite long for Greater Spotted Eagle. However, I would stick to your initial thought.
    The whitish rump seems to be quite clear and relatively well-defined but small. The upper parts seem to be bordered by a fine white line, and it looks like there are some whitish markings as well?
    I would say this is an immature / subadult Greater Spotted Eagle but without guarantees.
    It has been a while that I've seen both species, and I'm certainly not an expert.

    Cheers,
    Falk

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  3. Anonymous3 March 2012 at 07:28

    Hi there,
    Sorry to waste a bit of space here, but I'm trying to contact a chap called Jonathon Eames. My name is Andy Firth and I currently work in advertising in Sydney. However, I've recently been chatting with Mai Huong (a friend of yours, I'm told) above moving up to HCMC and working with her.
    I'm English and have been in Sydney about 14 years and a few years ago got back into bird watching. I'd be fascinated to find out more about bird watching in Vietnam, and may how I could get involved with some part time conservation if I decide to move up there. Anyhow, hope I'm talking with the right person. My email is andy@mammal.net.au.
    Regards,

    Andy Firth

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