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Field Guides Birding Tours: Vietnam

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Field Guides Birding Tours: Vietnam Field Guides Tour Report VIETNAM Nov 20, 2010 to Dec 11, 2010 Dave Stejskal & Uthai Treesucon The magnificent forest and mountainous landscape of Tam Dao National Park in the north (Photo by guide Dave Stejskal) We didn't have the bitter cold temperatures in the north on this year's tour that we had on Field Guides' last tour here in 2009, which was a welcome change. I was really glad to see that the bird activity had retruned to what I would call 'normal' levels at Cuc Phuong NP, which was the hardest hit area in '09's freeze. We may have gotten a little more rain than usual as a trade-off, but overall the weather this year was certainly workable and we pulled off a good tour again in this intriguing, infrequently birded country. We started our trip in what was clearly the tour's most species-rich park, Cat Tien NP north of Ho Chi Minh City. Our four days of birding there were very productive ones, with many of the most sought-after species being seen quite well. A stop in the town of Di Linh on our way to Da Lat at the southern edge of the southern Annam highlands held a few specialties for us, including our first of several endemics on the trip. The Da Lat/Mt. Langbiang area was a little wetter than I'd like, and wood-cutting has taken its toll since I was last there, but we still managed just fine with the birds, scoring on yet more endemics and regional specialties there amid the abundant pine forest and remaining evergreen broadleaf forest. In the north, Cuc Phuong NP's lush broadleaf forests cloaking stunning limestone karst landscape was certainly birdier than my last visit there. Though it was still pretty quiet at times, our birding was frequently punctuated with some outstanding finds. A day's journey to the coastal habitats of Xuan Thuy wasn't as productive as I had planned, but it sure was great to see that wintering flock of endangered Black-faced Spoonbills there! Our last stop in the north, at Tam Dao NP, produced some excellent birds during our nearly three days there, despite the intermittent wind and fog. At the start of our tour, Vietnam held the largest number of endemics of any of the mainland Southeat Asian countries, but that total actually grew after we returned home when we saw that the latest Clements checklist update finally recognized many of the unique forms there as good species. Uthai and I tried to stress these forms throughout the tour whenever we encountered them with the group, but now there's even more reason to bird this fascinating country with the recognition of Field Guides Birding Tours • www.fieldguides.com • 800-728-4953 1 Vietnamese Cutia, Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Limestone Leaf-Warbler, Black-browed Fulvetta, Collared Babbler, Indochinese Yuhina, Indochinese Barbet, and Black-headed Parrotbill all being newly split. In addition to these, which were seen well by most in the group, we delighted in such gems as Germain's Peacock- Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Banded and Black-and-red broadbills, Banded Kingfisher, Blossom-headed Parakeet, White-browed Piculet, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, and the critically endangered Douc Langur at Cat Tien NP; Vietnamese Greenfinch, Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Red-vented Barbet, Pin-tailed Pigeon, and Mugimaki Flycatcher at Di Linh; Gray-crowned Crocias, the endemic meridionalis race of Red Crossbill, the regional endemic annamensis race of Black-throated Tit, Slender-billed Oriole, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Jerdon's Baza, endemic races of both Gould's and Black-throated sunbirds, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Spotted Forktail, and Black- headed Sibia in the Da Lat area; Pied Falconet, White-tailed Flycatcher, Green Cochoa, Brown Wood-Owl, Bar-bellied Pitta, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, White-winged Magpie, Japanese, Black-breasted, and Gray-backed thrushes, Long-tailed Broadbill, Lesser Shortwing, Sultan Tit, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Fork-tailed Sunbird, and Fujian Niltava at Cuc Phuong NP; and Short-tailed Parrotbill, Streaked and Eye-browed wren-babblers, Gray Laughingthrush, Coral-billed Scimitar- Babbler, Black-chinned Yuhina, Scaly Thrush, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Blue Magpie, Chestnut Bulbul, and Slaty-bellied Tesia at Tam Dao NP. There are more than 300 others in our final triplist that follows, so read on for more of your personal highlights. Thanks to Muoi, our ever-cheery man of action who helped us through the complicated logistics of this tour and the one who introduced us to that fabulous buffet in Hanoi (surely one of the many trip highlights)! And thanks to all of you from Uthai and myself for your good companionship throughout. It was a delight guiding for all of you in Vietnam and we both hope to see you again on another birding adventure! --Dave KEYS FOR THIS LIST One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant BIRDS Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) EURASIAN WIGEON (Anas penelope) [b] MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos) [b] EASTERN SPOT-BILLED DUCK (Anas zonorhyncha) – Several of these were seen quite well from the dikes at Xuan Thuy NP. [b] NORTHERN SHOVELER (Anas clypeata) [b] NORTHERN PINTAIL (Anas acuta) [b] GARGANEY (Anas querquedula) [b] GREEN-WINGED TEAL (EURASIAN) (Anas crecca crecca) [b] Phasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) RUFOUS-THROATED PARTRIDGE (Arborophila rufogularis) [*] BAR-BACKED PARTRIDGE (Arborophila brunneopectus) [*] SCALY-BREASTED PARTRIDGE (Arborophila chloropus) [*] RED JUNGLEFOWL (Gallus gallus) – The only birds that we saw this trip were at Cuc Phuong NP. SILVER PHEASANT (Lophura nycthemera) – A number of us heard this striking species, but Marcia was the only lucky one to lay eyes on it at Tam Dao NP. SIAMESE FIREBACK (Lophura diardi) – We had just been talking about this bird in the truck when we suddenly turned a corner and found a pair on the shoulder of the park road at Cat Tien NP. GERMAIN'S PEACOCK-PHEASANT (Polyplectron germaini) – YESSS!!!! We had almost given up on this guy when the bird that had been calling emerged onto the trail at Cat Tien. This scarce regional specialty can be tough to track down, like all of the other peacock-pheasants. Field Guides Birding Tours • www.fieldguides.com • 800-728-4953 2 GREEN PEAFOWL (Pavo muticus) – Cat Tien NP is still an excellent place to see this scarce and declining species. Podicipedidae (Grebes) LITTLE GREBE (Tachybaptus ruficollis) Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) YELLOW BITTERN (Ixobrychus sinensis) – A single quick flyby at Cat Tien NP this year. [b] GRAY HERON (Ardea cinerea) [b] GREAT EGRET (AUSTRALASIAN) (Ardea alba modesta) – The Europeans have split the Old World Great Egrets from the New World form, and I suspect that Clements will soon follow suit. INTERMEDIATE EGRET (Mesophoyx intermedia) Our flock of Black-faced Spoonbills (with a Gray Heron interloper) at the Xuan Thuy wetlands (Photo by guide Dave Stejskal) LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta) CATTLE EGRET (ASIAN) (Bubulcus ibis coromandus) CHINESE POND-HERON (Ardeola bacchus) [b] STRIATED HERON (Butorides striata) BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax) [*] Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) BLACK-FACED SPOONBILL (Platalea minor) – We found a group of at least twenty-five of these endangered spoonbills roosting in the mangroves at Xuan Thuy NP. [b] Ciconiidae (Storks) WOOLLY-NECKED STORK (Ciconia episcopus) – A single high-flying bird at Cat Tien NP this year. Pandionidae (Osprey) OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus) – These birds were all the nominate subspecies. Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) JERDON'S BAZA (Aviceda jerdoni) – We watched one fairly cooperative bird hunting in the canopy across the valley near Da Lat. ORIENTAL HONEY-BUZZARD (Pernis ptilorhynchus) – A couple of birds only at the end of the trip at Tam Dao NP. [b] BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE (Elanus caeruleus) BLACK KITE (Milvus migrans) – A couple of these were soaring over the rice paddies on our way to Hanoi from Tam Dao NP. [b] CRESTED SERPENT-EAGLE (Spilornis cheela) – Great views at Cat Tien NP. EASTERN MARSH-HARRIER (Circus spilonotus) – A couple of these big harriers were the only ones identified on the tour this year. [b] CRESTED GOSHAWK (Accipiter trivirgatus) – The most common of our three species of Accipiters. Field Guides Birding Tours • www.fieldguides.com • 800-728-4953 3 SHIKRA (Accipiter badius) – We only saw one of these, which is far fewer than I would expect. JAPANESE SPARROWHAWK (Accipiter gularis) – A single bird near Da Lat was our only one of the tour. [b] GRAY-FACED BUZZARD (Butastur indicus) – A least one of these was seen from the bus as we left Cat Tien NP bound for the Di Linh area. Numbers throughout the range of this species have been on the decline. [b] EURASIAN BUZZARD (JAPONICUS) (Buteo buteo japonicus) – A few in the Tam Dao area, which is where we typically run into this one. The Europeans have split this one into at least a couple of species, with this form wintering widely in much of S.E. Asia. [b] BLACK EAGLE (Ictinaetus malayensis) – A couple of brief sightings this year near Di Linh and at Cuc Phuong. Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras) PIED FALCONET (Microhierax melanoleucos) – Tom was responsible for the majority of our sightings at Cuc Phuong this year, and we all had great looks in the scopes! EURASIAN KESTREL (Falco tinnunculus) [b] PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus) – Including our 'usual' bird on the tower in Da Lat. Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) WHITE-BREASTED WATERHEN (Amaurornis phoenicurus) – The best was a pair on our way from Cuc Phuong to Ninh Binh. RUDDY-BREASTED CRAKE (Porzana fusca) – One of these was i.d.'ed with certainty crossing the road at Cat Tien, but the first crake that we saw crossing the road in the gloomy late afternoon light a couple of days before may have been something else (like a Slaty-legged Crake).
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