River Lapwing & Long-billed Plover / Hanoi mid-August 2014

This River Lapwing below was found by Mr. Pham Van Thong (staff member of Asian Turtle Program). He said that the images were taken at Dong Mo Lake, Hanoi, on 23th August 2014 during a rainy day. As he was searching the rare Swinhoe's Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) at this lake, he noticed a bird that he had never seen before, standing on a gravel bank. He approached very carefully and managed to get some record shots. Not easy with a 55-200mm lens... A great bird, certainly not often recorded in northern Vietnam.

The second interesting bird, a Long-billed Plover, was discovered by Mr. Hoang Hao (staff of Vietnam Forest Museum at Thanh Tri, Hanoi) in mid- August 2014. Also a great bird ! It is a regular  passage migrant/winter visitor in small numbers at Hanoi.

Well done and thank you for sharing these photos ! Sharing helps others to see and enjoy the birds that others find and these records are both interesting and very useful.

I would like to take this opportunity to say again that all birders who are willing to share their sightings can post on this blog. Please contact me at sebastiendlngl40@gmail.com. In Vietnam, birders' information-sharing network is scattered and undeveloped. Let’s try to change this ! Thanks !

Ba Be Lake Sunday 22 and Monday 23 December 2013

A first winter Black-legged Kittiwake was a very unexpected find at Ba Be Lake on the afternoon of Sunday 22 December. It was still present on the 23 December.  This appears to be the first record for Vietnam and South-East Asia.  Also present on the 22 and again on 23 December was a female Greater Scaup.  Also present at the shallow margins of the south shore of the lake was a Eurasian Coot, four Long-billed Plovers and perhaps 10 Buff-bellied Pipits.  The largest flock of Mandarin Duck counted was 29 individuals.  On the morning of 23 December I counted five White-eared Night Herons returning to roost and later found an immature roosting near the lake edge.
Jonathan C Eames

Black-legged Kittiwake Ba Be Lake 22 December 2013

Long-billed Plover Ba Be Lake 23 December 2013

Female Greater Scaup Ba Be Lake 23 December 2013

Mandarin Ducks Ba Be Lake 22 December 2013

White-eared Night Heron Ba Be Lake 23 December 2013

Some more photos at Gia Lam patch (Hanoi)

Hi Friends! With the kindly help of Sebastien, I have several chances visiting the patch at Gia Lam (Hanoi). Great place on some days with many birds but confusion some days with few birds but hunters. However, I got some more new photos for me - particularly the 1cy Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher (spotted the 16th Sept. with Jonathan Eames and John Parr, and again the 18th).

Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher (1cy : lower mandible partly black, tertials buff tipped).
The individual photographed by Sebastien (13th Sept.) exactly at the same place (almost on the same tree!) was an adult (lower mandible entirely yellow)

male Chinese/Hill Blue Fly

female Chinese/Hill Blue Fly

Sulphur-breasted Warbler

1 cy Tiger Shrike

Yellow-browed Warbler

Bianchi's Warbler

Long-billed Plover (Vinh Thuy Bridge, 16th Sept.)

Hung Le

Long-billed Plovers at Hanoi : Season 02

Hi all,

Incredible, they came back ! A new chance for those who have missed the first season of the series : “Long-billed Plovers wintering at Hanoi” .

Today (03-11-2011), during a noon stroll along the channel of the Red River Island, I bumped into 2 individuals enjoying the bright sun of a lovely autumn day.

The weather was perfect, the birds very - too much I should say - confiding and - miracle ! - no rubbish around, so I managed to get some pretty good shots.
I hope they will stay there all the winter like their predecessors. But actually the level of the water is high, there are few large open mud banks available.

However, last year, I remember, at the extremity south of this channel, on the other side of the river, I saw them many times along very narrow mud banks with trees and bushes very near, the kind of place where you can only expect to see Common or Green Sandpipers.

Why are they staying here, in this narrow channel, and not around Vinh Tuy Bridge, 3 km downstream, where they could enjoy hectares of quiet sandbars ? Mystery… But tomorrow morning I will check this other place more carefully.

As I was approaching, the 2 birds turned their back on me and showed their brown upperside, much more “camouflage” than their bright white breast. Nice try guys ! But next time, try to use more your wings, there are some bad bipeds in the area.

Cheers,

Sébastien Delonglée

Red river/Hanoi - 18-3-2011

I took advantage of "better" weather for a short walk along the Red River.

All the usual suspects were seen, the more notable birds spotted included 1 Long-billed Plover, 1 Kentish Plover, 3 Temminck's Stints, 20-30 Barn Swallows.

Also at least 3 nesting pairs of Little Ringed Plover (using the "broken wing" feint), 1 chick seen. Watch your steps !

Long-billed Plover. As you can see, the plumage show a significant change (compare with this picture here, taken 2 months ago) : now complete dark breast-band, dark forecrown-band, thin yellowish eyering.

with a Little Ringed Plover

Sébastien
(and don't forget to read the last post of Falk below this one, from today too)

The Long-billed Plovers extend their stay at Hanoi

It seems that the Long-billed Plovers got a visa extension.
Today (19 February), more than one month after the first contact (16th January), I was surprised to found again 5 individuals. They just move a little (look this GoogleMap), that's why Richard didn't see them few days ago. To reach this area, you will have to go through the island.

Sebastien

Adrenaline rush at noon

Hi all,

Today, another noon bash along the banks of the Red river, same area than last Sunday.

Birding was a bit slow first with just Green and Common Sandpipers but then got more interesting with a male Bluethroat and a Citrine Wagtail.

Arrived at the extremity south of the area, I noticed some waders. I got my bins on them and was astonished to discover, one after the other, 1, 2, 3, 4 and finally 5 Long-billed Plovers !!! I said to myself : “Hey, what’s going on here? Am I dreaming?”.
Simon came after work and counted… 6 birds!
New shots of the beasts:

Short video (settings 480p please)

Hanoi - Stroll along the Red river banks

Hi all,

Sunday morning, despite the cold and the rain, I went out to explore the small arm of the Red river situated along the west side of the Island, which is not yet dry. The muddy banks (at least 1,5km) attract a nice selection of waders and other good birds.
I have marked the location of this area on this GoogleMap (access by motorbike : ngõ 76 An Dương).

The first birds I encountered were 1 Snipe sp, some Green and Common Sandpipers (5-10 each), and at least 4 (3+1) Temminck's Stints. Sorry for pic quality, but with such bad weather conditions + distance, miracle was not possible :)

Among the Stints, I noticed a bird that looks like a juvenile Little Ringed Plover but obviously larger and bulky (pic below : on the right, with the Stints and an ad. Little Ringed P.).

It was large-headed, had a white nuchal collar with a thin blackish line, a fairly long bill, broad buff supercilium, yellowish legs.

Later I consulted the Robson and the pics on the Net, and identified it as a Long-billed Plover, a juvenile. In particular, Common Ringed Plover was excluded on basis of general structure, bill, colour of legs and supercilium. Are you agree ?

On those pics, you can notice the broad buff supercilium contrasting with the white nuchal collar.

It was also long-tailed, with the tail clearly projecting beyond the wing-tip.

This good area also produced many Yellow Wagtails (with at least one male macronyx) and, much more interesting, 3-5 Citrine Wagtails.

I also picked up some smart Black-headed Munias in a mixed flock with Scaly-breasted M.

Sebastien