A fairly standard beginning of September at Hanoi with not many migrants but a rather good diversity. Some trips in the city and around produced the following :
- Wooded/scrubby areas : 3-4 Asian-Paradise Flys race incei, 1 Hill Blue/Chinese Fly, 5-6 Yellow-rumped Flys (an early migrant, 1st sighting in mid-August), 2 Asian Brown Flys, 3 Black-naped Monarchs, 2 Seicercus Warblers (probably Bianchi’s) together low down in the undergrowth, some Eastern Crowned Warblers (plus fleeting glimpses of some other unidentified phylloscs).
“Highlight” : 2-3 Jerdon’s Bazas in/around the wooded area of the Red River Island.
- Cultivation (Red River Island): some Brown Shrikes and Siberian Stonechats (both 1st sight: 27th August), good numbers of Barn Swallows hunting above the fields.
“Highlight” : a lone Pied Bushchat male. This species is known much further south (central, southern Vietnam) and, to my knowledge, has never been recorded in the Hanoi area. This dude is not meant to be here, that’s certain. So, a lucky escapee? Considering the fact that some northern populations are vagrant, I’d give to it the benefit of the doubt.
- Mudflats (along the Red River) : the classical assemblage of common Waders (Little Ring Plovers, Green/Common Sandpipers, Common Greenshanks..) + Yellow Wagtails.
“Highlight” : Oriental Pratincoles (flock of 10 ind.).
Pied Bushchat (Red River Island, 29th August)
Well, hm.. hmm..., probably not a genuine bird... Significant wear on the tip of the tail...
Eastern Crowned Warbler (3th September)
- Wooded/scrubby areas : 3-4 Asian-Paradise Flys race incei, 1 Hill Blue/Chinese Fly, 5-6 Yellow-rumped Flys (an early migrant, 1st sighting in mid-August), 2 Asian Brown Flys, 3 Black-naped Monarchs, 2 Seicercus Warblers (probably Bianchi’s) together low down in the undergrowth, some Eastern Crowned Warblers (plus fleeting glimpses of some other unidentified phylloscs).
“Highlight” : 2-3 Jerdon’s Bazas in/around the wooded area of the Red River Island.
- Cultivation (Red River Island): some Brown Shrikes and Siberian Stonechats (both 1st sight: 27th August), good numbers of Barn Swallows hunting above the fields.
“Highlight” : a lone Pied Bushchat male. This species is known much further south (central, southern Vietnam) and, to my knowledge, has never been recorded in the Hanoi area. This dude is not meant to be here, that’s certain. So, a lucky escapee? Considering the fact that some northern populations are vagrant, I’d give to it the benefit of the doubt.
- Mudflats (along the Red River) : the classical assemblage of common Waders (Little Ring Plovers, Green/Common Sandpipers, Common Greenshanks..) + Yellow Wagtails.
“Highlight” : Oriental Pratincoles (flock of 10 ind.).
Well, hm.. hmm..., probably not a genuine bird... Significant wear on the tip of the tail...
Seicercus Warbler (Botanical Garden, around the toilets as usual, 4th September).
Wing-bar well marked : Bianchi's?
Wing-bar well marked : Bianchi's?
female-type Black-naped Monarch (Red River Is., 4th September).
Note the long whiskers around the beak.
Hi Sebastian,
ReplyDeleteGreat to see the Vietnam birding blog still up and running.
The wear on the tail of that Pied Bushchat looks normal to me for a bird which spends much of its time on the ground. I see no reason why it wouldn't be a genuinely wild bird, probably from the north as you suggest!
Simon
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