Tam Dao Bear Center, 05/03/11

Hi all,

I hope it's not getting boring for everyone but here some more news from the misty mountains...

Good birds today included:

- 1 Manchurian Bush Warbler (you just have to keep talking about it...)
- a flock of at least 40 minivets, the majority being Scarlet M. but also distant and short views of possible Grey-chinned and Long-tailed Minivets
- 5 Long-tailed Shrikes chasing each other around
- 1 probable Greenish Warbler

plus a few Blue Whistling Thrushes, Streaked Spiderhunters, Striated Yuhinas and the odd Common Kingfisher.

Cheers,
Falk

Lenin Park, Hanoi, Phylloscopus 'influx'

Hi all,

today (20th September) a mid-day walk through Lenin Park turned out to be a true leaf warbler ID challenge! 12 - 15 Phylloscs were seen of which 8 were identified as:

- 1 Hume's Leaf Warbler (at the roundabout)
- 1 Blyth's Leaf Warbler (near the 'starling' tree)
- 2 Eastern Crowned Warblers
- 2 Yellow-browed Warblers
- 2 Arctic Warblers

The best spot was at a small roundabout near a badminton court in the toilet area. There's a sculpture of 2 people pulling each other. Also, construction's going on here but the birds don't seem to care.
Apart from the Warblers there were also 3 Asian Brown Flycatchers here.

The area around the 'starling' tree (which had no starlings in it today, whatsoever) was good, too. Most birds were seen in 'Keo' trees ('Flame' trees).

At the northern entrance area there were 2 more Asian Brown Flycatchers, 2 Dark-sided Flycatchers (one of them without dark sides but with dark-centred undertail coverts) and 1 Brown Shrike.

Cheers,
Falk