Botanical Garden

I met with Wayne this morning to sort out our Fanispan trip this weekend (anyone want to join?) and look at some birds.
Lots of Phyllos around, I was never good with these, and addtionally a bit out of practice, but these ones I thought to have IDed:
Yellow-browed Warbler
Pale-legged W.
Eastern-crowned W.
Two-barred W.

A glimpse of a Taiga Fly and a female flycatcher with plain back and orange breast near the toilets, which I think was a f. Hill Blue, but Wayne may paste photos later and you can look yourself.

Also a Burmese Shrike.

Florian

EDIT: Here are some images from this morning. Firstly the female flycatcher (Hill Blue???). Would love a confirmation. Wayne

And is this a Pale legged leaf warbler???

Sun Oct 02: Lenin Park, Hanoi

Saturday in the Botanical Gardens was a disaster. Do not try to take a 20 month old boy out birding!

Sunday morning saw me, albeit a touch late, at Lenin Park. Seemed to be plenty around (much of which was passing over and I could not ID). Today they were cutting branches down around the (great birding) toilet block, so I am not sure what it will be like in the future. All the branches on the ground did attract a lot of flycatchers though. Just after my phone went, a large dark coloured raptor casually flew over, not to far above me. Photo not possible, damn it (hands on phone). It looked (to an amateur) like a very big, dark coloured falcon, (but with slower wing-beats, and strong banding on both body and wings). Next time...

Birds I have some idea about:

• Drongo - Ashy


• Robin - Pied magpie


• Flycatcher - Hainan blue


• Flycatcher - Asian Brown


• Flycatcher - Hill blue


• Flycatcher - Taiga


• Robin-Siberian blue (female)

I have posted images of the last birds here on Birdforum to try and tie them down. This post has been updated, based on that.

Wayne

Hill Blue flycatcher

Botanical Garden Blues

A short wander around the Botanical Gardens on Saturday morning (2nd April) did not turn up much that was different from usual. There were still lots of warblers on the trees overhanging the 2nd lake. In amongst them were two Black-naped Monarch. Wednesday morning (April 6th), and there were much fewer warblers in this area of the Botanical Gardens. They seem to have dispersed over a lot more of the park. Again not too much of interest, although I did see this guy in the distance. Could not get closer. Presume he is a Hill Blue Flycatcher. A better photo may have helped.

Wayne.

Orange-headed Thrush in the botanical gardens

Quick pre-work walk around the botanical gardens today produced males of Orange-headed Thrush and Hill Blue Fly, as well as a single Taiga Fly. There were plenty of phylloscs, Y-brows, Greenish and Arctic at least.

Also, one large tree held about 10 Black-naped Orioles, 10 Spangled Drongos and at least 30 Ashy Drongos (of races salangensis and one of the other races that look superficially like Black Drongo at lest least). Realising that this tree was visible from my flat I rushed home and with use of the 'scope added these three species to the house list. A very satisfying morning!

7th October 2010

Simon

Hill Blue Fly ?

Hi all,

Some pictures of a flycatcher seen today in the Lenin Park. I think it's the Hill Blue (I have no experience of this bird, never seen !) ; what do you think ? Observed also 1 very shy Black-capped Kingfisher in the canopy.

Sebastien