A flock of 30-40 Purple-backed Starlings stopped to feed in a fruiting fig tree along the edge of Truc Bach lake this morning (31/08/10). After half an hour or so they headed off to the botanical gardens (as did I, where there was a 1st year male Yellow-rumped Fly). I first saw them on the 29th, whizzing past the window of my flat, but did not identify them until today.
Simon Mahood
31 August 2010
Tiger Shrike in Hanoi
One immature Tiger Shrike in the botanical gardens at lunch today (30/08/10).
Also one female Yellow-rumped Fly and a bunch of escaped nonsense (Red-billed Blue Magpie, Mesias, etc)
Simon Mahood and Falk Wicker
Also one female Yellow-rumped Fly and a bunch of escaped nonsense (Red-billed Blue Magpie, Mesias, etc)
Simon Mahood and Falk Wicker
30 August 2010
Da Lat (Ta Nung, Lang Bian, Ho Tuyen Lam)
Hi all,
a short trip to Da Lat proved to be successful for me as quite a few lifers turned up.
Da Lat itself held a Black-shouldered Kite and Asian House Martins over dried-out Xuan Huong Lake.
At Ta Nung Valley (26th August, morning) birds of note were Grey-crowned Crocias (heard only), lots of White-cheeked Laughingthrushes, Indochinese Green Magpie, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Verditer Flycatcher, Slaty-backed Forktail and Black-headed Sibia. Also one Black Giant Squirrel was seen.
Lang Bian (26th August, afternoon) produced no Greenfinches at all (which I really hoped to see here) but the walk up the mountain revealed some other goodies as Large Cuckooshrike,1 Scaly Thrush (breeder?!), Little Pied Flycatcher, Black-throated Tit, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 1 Arctic Warbler, White-tailed Leaf Warbler, Collared Laughingthrush (heard only), White-browed Shrike Babbler, Green-tailed Sunbird amongst many others.
Apart from the singing Gibbons Ho Tuyen Lam was also good for birds on the 28th. Interesting species included Osprey, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Greater Yellownape, Greater Flameback, Speckled Piculet, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Burmese Shrike, Slender-billed Oriole, Hill Myna, Black-collared and Vinous-breasted Starling, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Vietnamese Cutia, Grey-crowned Crocias (again, heard only), White-browed and Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler + Vietnamese Greenfinch (finally). The best area for birds was up the new road construction site to the left just before the entrance to Da Tien Restaurant area.
Cheers,
Falk
a short trip to Da Lat proved to be successful for me as quite a few lifers turned up.
Da Lat itself held a Black-shouldered Kite and Asian House Martins over dried-out Xuan Huong Lake.
At Ta Nung Valley (26th August, morning) birds of note were Grey-crowned Crocias (heard only), lots of White-cheeked Laughingthrushes, Indochinese Green Magpie, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Verditer Flycatcher, Slaty-backed Forktail and Black-headed Sibia. Also one Black Giant Squirrel was seen.
Lang Bian (26th August, afternoon) produced no Greenfinches at all (which I really hoped to see here) but the walk up the mountain revealed some other goodies as Large Cuckooshrike,1 Scaly Thrush (breeder?!), Little Pied Flycatcher, Black-throated Tit, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 1 Arctic Warbler, White-tailed Leaf Warbler, Collared Laughingthrush (heard only), White-browed Shrike Babbler, Green-tailed Sunbird amongst many others.
Apart from the singing Gibbons Ho Tuyen Lam was also good for birds on the 28th. Interesting species included Osprey, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Greater Yellownape, Greater Flameback, Speckled Piculet, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Burmese Shrike, Slender-billed Oriole, Hill Myna, Black-collared and Vinous-breasted Starling, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Vietnamese Cutia, Grey-crowned Crocias (again, heard only), White-browed and Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler + Vietnamese Greenfinch (finally). The best area for birds was up the new road construction site to the left just before the entrance to Da Tien Restaurant area.
Cheers,
Falk
29 August 2010
Red River Island 28 August 2010
Simon Mahood and Nicolas Wilkinson
An early morning trip in the pouring rain to the Red River Island proved worth the effort.
We saw:
Blue-breasted Quail 1 (Nicolas had 5 the previous weekend)
Quail sp. 1
Yellow-legged Buttonquail 1
Black Bittern 1
Black-winged Stilt 4
Green Sandpiper 10+
Wood Sandpiper 20+
Snipe spp. 150+ (Some Common, some probable Pintail)
Jack Snipe 2 (apparently the first record for East Tonkin)
Black-winged Kite 1
Burmese Shrike 1
Black-collared Starling 1 (escape)
Also 1 Dollarbird over Hanoi late the next day.
An early morning trip in the pouring rain to the Red River Island proved worth the effort.
We saw:
Blue-breasted Quail 1 (Nicolas had 5 the previous weekend)
Quail sp. 1
Yellow-legged Buttonquail 1
Black Bittern 1
Black-winged Stilt 4
Green Sandpiper 10+
Wood Sandpiper 20+
Snipe spp. 150+ (Some Common, some probable Pintail)
Jack Snipe 2 (apparently the first record for East Tonkin)
Black-winged Kite 1
Burmese Shrike 1
Black-collared Starling 1 (escape)
Also 1 Dollarbird over Hanoi late the next day.
27 August 2010
Flycatchers are back in Hanoi !
Hi all !
Short stroll in the Botanical Garden (27th August).
Short stroll in the Botanical Garden (27th August).
Seen 1 Paradise-Flycatcher sp. female (just a glimpse, cannot rule out the possibility of the Japanese PF at this period of the year), 1 Yellow-Rumped Flycatcher female (1 photo on the left) and 1 "unknown" Muscicapa Flycatcher (2 photos above).
I think it's the Brown-Breasted F :
-brown warm above
-pale brown breast
-greyish head
-conspicuous white eye ring
-flesh colored legs, which seems to be an other good diagnostic feature (although not mentioned in the Robson). All the other Muscicapa Flycatchers of the Southeast Asia have blackish legs.
Well, Brown-Breasted Flycatcher or not ??
Need the opinions of the Vietnam's finest birders !!!
Cheers,
Sébastien
25 August 2010
Flowerpecker in Hanoi
One sub-adult male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker has been hanging around the trees bordering Truc Bach Lake since yesterday morning at least (24th August 2010).
Simon Mahood
Simon Mahood
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