Red River Island - Hanoi

Today (march 16) started misty and I (Tom Kompier) decided not to go to Tam Dao, but instead headed for Red River Island, 15 minutes walking from my home. It was a good choice and the place was full of migrants. 

There were many warblers in the trees, most Yellow-browed, Pallas's Leaf and Blyth's Leaf, with a Dusky thrown in here and there. Another common bird was Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, but there were also 3-4 Verditer, 2 male Hill Blue, 2 female and 1 male Hainan Blue and a female Fujian Niltava. 

While making my way at the tip of the peninsula, slowly going through the bushes, I flushed an owl, clearly Barn/Grass, but with dark underwing coverts, so apparently Grass. But I could not spend a lot of time on it, as my attention was caught by various tucking sounds. A beautiful Rufous-tailed Robin and very close by it, a female-type Lesser Shortwing! The first I had heard singing already, but the other came as a real surprise. Talking about sculking birds, once 3 and once a single Barred Buttonquail was not unexpected, but flushing first 2 and later 1 Japanese Quail was. Two Lanceolated Warblers flew from under my feet on two separate occasions, but showing well when they perched a little further on, and a Black-browed Reed Warbler was another nice find. The Siberian Rubythroats where singing a little shyly still, but were common, and both Japanese 'canturians' Bush Warbler and Pale-footed Bush Warblers were singing left and right. Spring! 

A beautiful male Pied Harrier hunted around the island, showing incredibly well. Two black-eared Kites soared overhead. The two Masked Laughing Thrushes that have been frequenting the island were still there too. And leaving I flushed two larks near the foot-bridge. One was clearly Oriental Skylark, but the other was puzzling, in that it was much lighter in coloration and had a white trailing edge to the wing. But it hid in the grass and when it appeared again, it flew off into the distance…

Here is a summary:

Barred Buttonquail 4

Japanese Quail 3

Common Kingfisher

Plaintive Cuckoo

Grass Owl 1

Spotted Dove 2

White-breasted Waterhen

Little Ringed Plover 2

Pied Harrier 1

Black-eared Kite 2-3

White-throated Fantail 1

Blackbird 1

Grey-backed Thrush 3

Verditer Flycatcher 3-4

Fujian Niltava 1

Hainan Blue Flycatcher 3
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Hill Blue Flycatcher 2

Rufous-tailed Robin 2-3

Siberian Rubythroat 15-20

Lesser Shortwing 1

Red-flanked Bluetail 1

Siberian Stonechat 

Daurian Redstart 1

Barn Swallow 2

Red-rumped Swallow 1

Japanese White-eye 

Sooty-headed Bulbul 

Red-whiskered Bulbul 

Light-vented Bulbul 

Yellow-bellied Prinia

Plain Prinia

Zitting Cisticola

Japanese Bush Warbler (canturians) 4

Pale-footed Bush Warbler 6

Lanceolated Warbler 2

Black-browed Reed Warbler 1

Common Tailorbird 

Dusky Warbler 

Pallas's Leaf Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler

Blyth's Leaf Warbler

Grey-crowned Warbler 3

Masked Laughing Thrush 2

Oriental Skylark 1 (+?)

Paddyfield Pipit 

Richard's Pipit 

Olive-backed Pipit 

Red-throated Pipit 

White Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Oriental Greenfinch

Eurasian Tree Sparrow