White-browed Crake breeding in Hanoi

Although Craig Robson's guide mentions White-browed Crake as an "uncommon / locally common" resident southern species, occurring in Vietnam in Cochinchina, it was long known that they occur at least at Van Long Nature Reserve regularly. But in the swamp behind my house on Xuan Dieu in Hanoi they also occur. 

This is a shallow pond, oblong, but quite large, if all the time encroached upon by the surrounding houses. Part of it is used for floating vegetable cultivation, but the part behind my house is mostly covered in Water Hyacinth. In the autumn of 2013 I noticed White-browed Crake for the first time, but assumed it was a winter visitor. However, they have never left since. Quite vocal and territorial, there are now at least 4 pairs and already some time ago I thought one was an immature. But today we finally got definite proof of breeding. Two adults were balancing on the Water Hyacinths and when I checked with my binoculars why they were walking on top, rather than sneaking amongst, I noticed 3 small chicks, all covered in black down and still completely featherless, trying to make their way over the hyacinth leaves. Yes, White-browed Crake breeds in Hanoi!

Tom Kompier

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

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