Last year I (Tom Kompier) had quite a good day at Tam Dao for raptors (see the blog entry) on April 10. Last Saturday (April 8) the clouds above Hanoi seemed ready to dissipate around noon, so I drove up to give it a try. At first not a lot seemed to be happening, but after an hour or so harriers started moving, and soon I had a male Pied Harrier accompanying 4 Eastern Marsh Harriers. A little after that a large pale raptor appeared that had me puzzled for a while, until it finally dawned on me it was a Short-toed Eagle. A very rare bird in Vietnam indeed. The field guide only mentions it as a vagrant from Annam. But there it was. It turned into an eventful day after all.
Below the totals (12.30 - 17.00, from the Belvedere Resort):
Eastern Marsh Harrier 34
Pied Harrier 4 (3 males, 1 female)
Shikra 1 male
Japanese Sparrowhawk 6+
Chinese Sparrowhawk 20+
Eurasian Sparrowhawk 2+ (and about 15+ unidentified)
Jerdon's Baza 17
Black Baza 50 (one group)
Oriental Honey Buzzard 15+
Grey-faced Buzzard 3
Crested Serpent Eagle 5+
Osprey 1
Kestrel 1 (resident?)
Crested Goshawk 2 resident
Peregrine 1 resident
I also made a few record shots:
Short-toed Eagle
Pied Harrier, males
Eastern Marsh Harrier, male
Eastern Marsh Harrier, female
Chinese Sparrowhawk, males
Flock of Black Bazas
