Trip at Cuc Phuong & Van Long

Been recently to Van Long and Cuc Phuong (respectively 90 and 120 km from Hanoi) for a 2 days trip with friends. I missed a shot of Red-headed Trogon in Cuc Phuong (awww so sad...). I saw it through the bins and carefully took my camera, but it flew off before I could press the shutter button. I also bumped into some Sunbirds included Olive-backed, Crimson and Fork-tailed, but couldn't get some clean shots.

In Van Long Nature Reserve, Common and White-throated Kingfishers, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, Purple Swamphens, White-browed Crakes, and some other common birds played ball for the camera. Sadly, no Open-billed Storks, maybe they gone because of hunting pressure around. Van Long is a protected area, but some kilometers away, in the rice fields, that's another story. And the fact that Open-billed Stork is listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book (Vietnamese: Sách đỏ Việt Nam) makes very little difference... 

I also spotted Delacour's Langurs, but they were very high up in the rocks. Great looks but too far to get decent shots.

All in all it was a nice trip despite my disappointment with the Trogon, the Sunbirds and the Storks...But I will be back again soon !

Le Viet Tuan Hoang

Crimson Sunbird

White-browed Crake

White-throated Kingfisher

Purple Swamphen

Chinese Pond Heron

Delacour's Langurs

A very rare endemic Vietnamese primate listed as Critically Endangered (the total population is no more than 250 individuals). This species occurs in a very restricted area of north-central Vietnam, in limestone mountain ranges. Van Long is the best place to see Delacour's Langur in the wild.

Common Kingfisher

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Cuc Phuong and Van Long: Some earlier passing migrant species

Dear all,

I took 2 clients on a weekend birding tour (Aug 22, 23, 24). We spotted some species passing migrant earlier than the others.

Bui Duc Tien - tienpitta@gmail.com

Asian Openbill - No going back home.

Hi all,

I've been recorded Asian Openbill migrateed to Northern more than two years ago, 24 individuals at that time in Van Long. Last year I saw more and more individuals in different places as Van Long again and Thanh Mien bird garden in Hai Duong Pro, about more than 500 inds in both places. This year I often go passing through Van Long and I always see them there. I though that Van Long is very good new habitat and they do breeding there. I also see Watercock, Black Bittern, Garganey and more resident stuff.

Asian Openbill - Van Long

Asian Openbill - Van Long

 Plain Prinia - Van Long

 Delacour Langur - Endemic to Vietnam

 My photo team

Cheers!

Bui Duc Tien - Bird watching and  bird photography tour guide: tienpitta@gmail.com

Pheasant-tailed Jacana breed in E.Tonkin!

Hi all,

I took these pictures in Van Long in early July. I could not find any nest yet but they all have long tail. So, they breed here, right?

Bui Duc Tien - Freelance guide on bird watching and photography:  tienpitta@gmail.com

Cheers all!

Tien

Asian Openbills - Van Long

Ca 200 Asian Openbills spotted the 1st September at Van Long. Nice place, nice sight!

Van Long - Asian Openbills still around!

Hi all,

A morning spent at Van Long Nature Reserve revealed the hoped-for Openbill storks!
At least 29 were counted!

Other birds seen included (amongst others),
Yellow, Cinnamon and Black bittern, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebes with chicks, White-browed Crakes, 1 possible Ruddy-breasted Crake, White-breasted and Common Kingfishers, Common Moorhen, Oriental Reed Warbler.

It was great to see that once very common countryside birds (now absent from many areas, especially in northern VN) like Crested Mynas, White-shouldered Starlings, Scaly-breasted Munias and Paddyfield Pipits are doing well at Van Long.

Unfortunately a lot of fishing / collecting went on in the wetland areas.

No Bonelli's eagles or Watercocks.

We didn't try for the langurs but opted for some cold beers at the excellent Van Long Restaurant instead. There we saw 2 pretty late warblers - Eastern Crowned and Arctic.

Cheers,
Wayne Hodgkinson, John Parr, Falk Wicker

The stars of today

White-shouldered Starling

Cinnamon Bittern

Paddyfield Pipit

Mandarin and Tufted Ducks at Ba Be

Hi all!

If any of you want to see the rare ducks, please come up to Ba Be lake. There are six Mandarin and 1 Tufted Ducks around. I have also seen 1 Water Rail at Van Long NR.

Cheers!

Hung Le

Cuc Phuong NP, Van Long NR, 10 - 12/06/2011

Hi all,

A relatively productive weekend in Cuc Phuong produced the following species, amongst others:

- Eared Pitta (Loop Trail, heard only)
- Bar-bellied Pitta (1 heard, Loop Trail; 1 crossing the road between Bong and HQ)
- Malayan Night Heron (at least 2 seen well on Saturday morning along the road around "Early Man Cave", and again 2 ind. on Sunday)
- Maroon Oriole (Valley Trail)
- Silver-breasted Broadbill (Loop Trail)

plus good views of Red-headed Trogons, Rufous-throated Fulvettas, Grey-throated Babblers, Dollarbirds, Sultan Tit, Limestone Wren Babbler, Hainan Blue Flycatcher and White-tailed Flycatcher.

Van Long was a treat as usual, with excellent views of Delacour's Langurs. Avian delights included, Black Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern, Yellow Bittern, White-browed Crake, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, as well as a few White-shouldered Starlings.

Cheers,
Stephan, Daniel, Falk

Van Long - A cold of duck... but no ducks

Short visit to Van Long Natural Reserve last Sunday.

The marsh was full of Egrets of 4 species (Cattle ones seems the most numerous). Behind the dyke, the flooded rice paddy fields hold many wetland birds, notable species were 14 Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, 1 Citrine Wagtail and 18 Black-winged Stilts. I flushed some waders but failed to identify them. Many Fork-tailed Swifts were also hunting insects above the water.

No ducks. It seems that the french expression “il fait un froid de canard” = it’s biting cold (literal translation is “it makes a cold of duck”, a sentence which comes from the hunters) doesn’t work here…

A smart Grey Wagtail sitting on one of the few perches available
White-browed Crakes were in good numbers Those Black-winged Stilts were a nice surprise, but this species is probably regular here

A huge flock of Egrets congregating at dusk, looking for somewhere to roost for the night.

They chose the eucalyptus trees and the rocks around. It was truly an amazing sight enough to justify this motorbike trip, despite the brass monkey weather.

Sebastien

Cuc Phuong and Van Long 27-28th November

Stephan, Nicolas, myself and others went to Cuc Phuong from the 26th (evening) till the 28th midday, when we went to Van Long. We didn't get Hung's cochoa double, or even a single cochoa, but we had a good time nonetheless. Avian highlights were:

Spot-bellied Eagle Owl - one heard on the loop trail at 10pm
Pied Falconet - a family of four seen from the botanical gardens, to find these guys follow the main path past the first concrete bandstand thing on the left until you get paralel to the second concrete bandstand thing on your left. Then, look up to the karst hill on your right and the family of falconets should be perched on top of a dead shrub.
Amur Falcon - two at Van Long together with single Peregrines and Common Kestrels, seen well only by Nicolas and Stephan
Bonelli's Eagle - one at Van Long
Pheasant-tailed Jacana - three at Van Long
White-browed Crake - five at Van Long
Common Coot - 15 at Van Long, also five Moorhens and about five distant ducks in flight (of two species)
White-winged Magpie - three in the botanical gardens, one at the HQ
Thrushes - at Bong, almost entirely Japanese, with a few Chinese Blackbirds, Grey-backed and Eye-browed Thrushes and one Scaly Thrush. At the HQ most were Chinese Blackbirds with a few Japanese and Black-breasted Thrushes
Other frugivores - one tree contained 14 Green-eared Barbets and two Red-vented Barbets. Another tree contained two Hill Mynas and 10 Gold-crested Mynas
White-bellied Green Pigeon - one on the valley trail
Other winter visitors - on the loop trail: one Rufous-tailed Robin, one Fujian Niltava and one White-tailed Flycatcher.
Limestone Leaf-warbler - what was probably this species (and not a wintering Sulphur-breasted) was on the loop trail in a mixed species flock at the start of the steps.

A really good weekend!

Simon

Osprey - Van Long

Seen last Sunday (14th November) circling high above the dyke.

Sebastien

Van Long, 13.11.2010

Pleasant trip to Van Long to see the Delacour's Langurs that we missed during our only previous visit. Got good views around 4 pm.

Birds were pretty much the usual ones (EDIT: I just learned that Coot isn't actually so usual here), but always nice to actually see birds in large numbers:
Uncountable egrets, Great, Intermediate, Little and Cattle, White-browed Crakes 30 + (all over the place and very close views both from the boat and the dike), Pheasant-tailed Jacana 3, Moorhen 10+, Coot 2, Little Grebe 10+, Crested Myna 30+
Common and White-throated Kingfishers, Long-tailed and Brown Shrikes, Kestrel.

We went by motorbike, pleasant trip via the Ho-Chi-Minh Highway, Chi Ne and Ngo Dong and stayed overnight in the Van Long Resort there (a bit too expensive for what they offer...)
Huong and Florian

29 Asian Openbills take a rest at Van Long Natural Reserve

Hi everyone,

Birding trip at Cuc Phuong (on 14th-15th). Nothing of particular interest for all of you, but not for me ! 2 new species in the pocket, I dare not tell you which ones... I send you a photo of a mammal. If you have any idea of the species, please tell me ! I was pishing along the Loop trail in order to attract hidden birds. My pish attracted nothing but this curious animal, which approached me less than 2 meters... Hey guy, buy glasses !

On the road back to Hanoi, short stop at Van Long, mainly to rest tired butt muscles (I am a motobirder, a rare species). The marshy area 1 km on the left of the small harbour for boat trips were full of Egrets (Little 60+, Great 15-20, Cattle 30 among buffaloes). A nice unexpected surprise was a group of 29 Asian Openbills with both juveniles and adults perched quietly on top of trees, for all the local people to... admire (not the most appropriate verb, I know). They choosed a small clump of willows (?) located 500m on the right of the boats place.

An erratic group of the wealthy thai population ?

Cheers,

Sébastien Delonglée

Van Long Natural Reserve - Bonelli's Eagle

30th of july. Aroud 5PM. 1 adult and 1 immature circling along and above the limestone cliffs. Impressive raptor... At the same time, a family group of Delacour's Langurs lazed around. Hmm hmm... I don`t know if any cases of Bonelli`s predation on this rare primate have been noted there. The adult weight of a langur is about 7-10kg, so not small deal even for such a predator. But the young ones...
The 2nd of last may, I observed a Bonelli's immature flying low and quickly over the marsh, scolding by some Chinese Pond Herons. It perched on a rock, just above a small pagoda, not far from the dyke (200m), on the left side, and began to tear apart its prey (a bird, identication impossible).

Van Long, a paradise for birders, a well-stocked pantry for others...

Sébastien and Vân