Botanical Gardens - Hanoi

Some lunchtime visits at the Botanical Gardens this week ( 19th -> 24th Nov.), my first ones of the autumn’s, produced a nice selection of migrants/winter visitors – maybe I should go there more regularly!

The highlights were 4 Fujian Niltavas (2 females, 2 males), 3 White-tailed Robins (2 males, 1 female), 1 Rufous-tailed Robin, 1 male Himalayan Bluetail, 1 Blue Whistling Thrush, 10+ Japanese Thrushes (some of them very tame, certainly not arrived one day before...), 2 skittish Chinese Blackbirds, 1 Large-billed Crow high in the canopy (patch tick # 111 / this number = Lenin Park + Bot. Garden – List here – If I forgot something, please tell me!).

Other notables included some Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers (the only species of Flys), a flock of 5-6 Silver-eared Mesias, Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers (probably resident, seen or heard all the year), my first Olive-backed Pipits of the autumn, 1 Grey Wagtail, Seicercus Warblers sp., Yellow-browed Warblers…

Many of these guys were spotted around the toilets, which remains one of the best birding spot of the city centre!

I was very happy to see again many Thrushes in the park. It reminds me this fantastic winter 2010/2011 with sometimes 6-7 species of Thrushes the same day! The winter 2011-2012 was completely disappointed with very few Thrushes seen. I hope this one will be better.

For some of the images below, suggestions/remarks of the Thrushes's experts would be very welcome!

 Female Fujian Niltava

Male Fujian Niltava

It uses the “sit and wait” tactic, dropping down onto preys on the ground from its perch.

Fujian Niltava is a regular sight at Hanoi in winter, but 4 individuals in the same place at the same time it is pretty amazing!

Rufous-tailed Robin.

An inconspiscuous species with few records in the Hanoi area (mostly in November), but likely to be under-recorded.

Male White-tailed Robin.

This species is assumed to be a montane resident, although there is evidence of some movements (not only altitudinal ones) during the non-breeding season.

Female White-tailed Robin

She appeared few seconds in a bushy corner as I was waiting for Thrushes. Shutter speed 1/10s. Even with the help of a tripod, no miracle...

Male Himalayan Bluetail 

Large-billed Crow.
It shows a perfect plumage - especially no wear on the tip of the tail - so I assume it is a genuine bird and not an escapee or released individual.

2 males Japanese Thrush : one with a strong contrast between head and mantle/wings ; the other one (below) with almost no contrast. Why such a difference between 2 full adults individuals ? Different morphs/subspecies ?

"Hmm... let's see if there is not one or two plump worms here"

 I think it is a 1st winter Japanese Thrush

Blue Whistling Thrush of the black-billed migratory race caeruleus (a possible future split). A rather common passage migrant in the Hanoi area.

A bit of video around the toilets (Flycatcher + BIG flies) :

Sébastien Delonglée

Botanical Gardens - Hanoi

A walk around the Botanical Gardens yesterday produced some migrants/winter visitors : a single Asian Brown Flycatcher, some Grey-Headed Canary Flycatchers, 1 noisy and very showy male Chinese Blackbird and the usual Yellow-browed Warblers and Olive-backed Pipits. Two Fire-breasted Flowerpeckers also.
It is still poor, but better than few weeks ago !

The Crested Goshawk has gone (confirmation by a coffee shop owner who has followed its "exploits"; particularly, he saw it catching a rat), and the female Fujian Niltava also.

This male Chinese Blackbird is significantly larger-looking and more powerful than our Common Blackbird of Europe. I also read somewhere that this species shows typically yellow "knees" and a bare yellow patch in front of and also behind the eyes. And look at its bill, clearly broader than the one of Merula.

In good light, this bird shows obvious bluish sheen on the coverts. In fact, only the flanks, belly and breast are really black.

In mid-winter/spring, when the plumage is worn, Yellow-browed Warblers lose some of their brightness and become greyer. The grey head contrasts with the green-olive coverts/wings as shown in the photo below.


Olive-backed Pipit. Individuals I encounter in this park are much tamer than elsewhere.

Sebastien

Botanical gardens 24/3/11

A few new migrants in the botanical gardens as well, and some of our wintering friends are still about. This morning there were a few Olive-backed Pipits and Y-brows plus one each of the following:
Grey-backed Thrush (male)
Japanese Thrush (male and female)
Chinese Blackbird (male and female)
Manchurian Bush-warbler
Brown Flycatcher
Taiga Flycatcher
Dark-sided Flycatcher

Simon

2 Pale Thrushes at Lenin Park !

Hi all,

Short stroll at noon today (17th February) at the Lenin Park. The best were 2 strange Thrushes, together, which gave me a headache.
Some pics :

Plain grey head, brownish-chestnut nape/back/rump, yellowish bill (lower mandible)/eyering, brown washed breast, dirty white flanks (slightly brown-mottled) and belly but snowy white undertail-coverts...

Note also white alula and white flight-feather fringing.

Skittish bird

My feelings is that's looks good for a Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus. But this species is not in my Robson (edition 2005) ! Is it in yours ?

Some informations found on the net : "Breeds in south-east Siberia, north-east China and Korea and may breed in Japan. It is largely migratory, wintering in southern and central Japan, South Korea and southern China, occasionally reaching as far as Yunnan, Taiwan and the Philippines".

Yunnan, and why not Vietnam ? Maybe just need a harsh winter like this one to convince those little buggers to cross the border...

Other species seen :
1 Taiga Flycatcher
1 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker male
2 Common Kingfishers and 1 White-breasted Waterhen in the flower garden
1 Brown Shrike
1 Chinese Blackbird male, with nice bluish reflections. Yeah, the sun has reappeared...

Sébastien Delonglée