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Bird news from Vietnam, from Vietnam's resident and visiting birders.

13 May 2012

Van Long - Asian Openbills still around!

Hi all,

A morning spent at Van Long Nature Reserve revealed the hoped-for Openbill storks!
At least 29 were counted!

Other birds seen included (amongst others),
Yellow, Cinnamon and Black bittern, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebes with chicks, White-browed Crakes, 1 possible Ruddy-breasted Crake, White-breasted and Common Kingfishers, Common Moorhen, Oriental Reed Warbler.

It was great to see that once very common countryside birds (now absent from many areas, especially in northern VN) like Crested Mynas, White-shouldered Starlings, Scaly-breasted Munias and Paddyfield Pipits are doing well at Van Long.

Unfortunately a lot of fishing / collecting went on in the wetland areas.

No Bonelli's eagles or Watercocks.

We didn't try for the langurs but opted for some cold beers at the excellent Van Long Restaurant instead. There we saw 2 pretty late warblers - Eastern Crowned and Arctic.

Cheers,
Wayne Hodgkinson, John Parr, Falk Wicker


The stars of today

White-shouldered Starling

Cinnamon Bittern

Paddyfield Pipit

3 comments:

  1. You`re right Falk, Starlings are scarce around Hanoi now - we can drive hundreds of kilometers without a single sighting !
    I just came back from a - non birding - trip to Cat Ba Island. I spotted many White-shouldered Starlings there - more than my previous visits.
    Seen also from the beach one Pacific Reef Egret (dark morph) flying along rocky islets. This species is one of the - few - avian specialities of the area.

    Sebastien

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Friends!

      I don't know why I could not able to make the new
      post for several recently days.

      On 16-17 May, I and Tien visited Xuan Thuy NP tried for Pelecan but we have failed to find them. Some
      White-shouldered Starling also there and some breeding plumage of Red-necked Stint, Spotted Redshank, Grey-tailed Tattler and four juvenile Black-faced Spoonbill. There were many Indian Cuckoo in the island.

      Cheers!

      Hung Le

      Delete
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