Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Cuu Thac Tu Son

Hi all,

The star bird of today's trip to Cuu Thac Tu Son (Hoa Binh Province, 70 kms south-west of Hanoi) was without the shadow of a doubt,
1 Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill.
Unfortunately Sebastién was too slow to take pictures :-) but John Parr and his family had good views, and so had I.
It was together with a flock of about 15 Collared Babblers and a small flock of Silver-eared Mesias who were more photogenic (they were closer, too).

Good habitat for Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Collared Babbler and Spectacled Barwing which has been seen here on previous visits.
Other birds recorded during our time at this lovely place included, Mountain Tailorbird, Plain Flowerpecker, Great Barbet, Golden-fronted Barbet, White-crowned Forktail, Maroon Oriole, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White-tailed Flycatcher, White-bellied Erpornis amongst others.

Collared Babbler ssp. luciae (southern China, northern Indochina) with rufescent nape and
a very prominent dark hindcrown/collar

Spectacled Barwing (ssp. yunnanensis with rufous crown) photographed 2 weeks ago in the same valley

A quick stopover at FIPI Hanoi just near the trainline down south revealed not too many exciting birds (apart from a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, a male White-rumped Shama, a Little Heron and a White-breasted Waterhen) but the habitat looked excellent for migrants!

Cheers,
Sebastién, John Parr and family, Falk