2008 Tour Narrative
In Brief: This inaugural running of our new tour to Vietnam fared remarkably well, producing some incredibly rare and infrequently seen species as well as a number of endemics. The top ten birds of the trip were as follows: 1) Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, 2) Gray-crowned Crocias, 3) Fujian Niltava, 4) Bar-bellied Pitta, 5) Vietnamese Cutia, 6) Pied Falconet, 6) Black-and-red Broadbill, 8) Blue-rumped Pitta, 8) Siamese Fireback, and 10) Scaly Thrush. These highlights are an excellent representation of the diverse avifauna that Vietnam has to offer.
In Detail: Our arrival at Cat Tien National Park on the first evening set an exciting pace for the tour, with Great-eared Nightjars and Brown Hawk Owls putting on both acoustic and visual displays. Over the next three days, this tropical forest reserve and associated habitats provided no end of superb birding experiences. High on everyone’s hit-list were the pittas, and we were fortunate enough to encounter five Bar-bellied and one Blue-rumped, with prolonged and close views of both species. Both male and female Siamese Firebacks were stunning, with the subtle but intricate markings of the female rivaling the strikingly patterned male. Along the forest edges, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Black Baza, and Swinhoe’s Minivet were all encountered, while an Asian Barred Owlet obligingly remained in view while it enjoyed a tasty yellow snake for lunch. Deeper into the forest, a dazzling Banded Kingfisher and Black-and-red, Dusky, and Banded Broadbills all provided scope-filling views before retreating into the dense canopy and dark understory. A walk to Crocodile Lake accumulated no less than eight species of raptor, including superb views of Gray-headed Fish-Eagle and White-bellied Sea-Eagle, as well as Mountain and Changeable Hawk Eagles. With eyes still to the sky, we soon located Silver-backed Needletail and Germain’s Swiftlet.
Moving north from Cat Tien and gaining altitude, we stopped for some mid-elevation forest birding. We were rewarded with views of Long-tailed Broadbill, nesting Speckled Piculet, our first fine male Vietnamese Greenfinch, Rufous-bellied Eagle, and tantalizingly close calls from Orange-breasted Laughingthrush. Maroon Orioles added a splash of color while a displaying Crested Goshawk gave superb views.
With our arrival on the Plateau of Da Lat came a suite of new and exciting species. The mix of habitats, from montane evergreen forests to open pine woodland and subtropical valleys, held a plethora of endemic and range-restricted species, many of which were still unknown just two decades ago. Forays to nearby sites found us experiencing scope-filling views of Gray-crowned Crocias, Vietnamese Cutias down to seven feet, Black-crowned Fulvetta mixed in with a wave of warblers, Black-headed Parrotbill, the local subspecies of Black-headed and Rufous-backed Sibias, and Blue-winged Minla. Patience was required to get views of Lesser Shortwing and Grey-bellied Tesia; however, it was a great deal of luck that found us staring straight back into the cold black eyes of an awe-inspiring Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, then later watching a pair of Large-tailed Nightjars perched on a pine bough. With so many superb birds, it was almost easy to overlook the sideshow of Slender-billed Orioles, Burmese Shrikes, Mrs. Gould’s and Black-throated Sunbirds, Mugimaki Flycatchers, Large Niltavas, and Black Eagles.
The next stage of the tour saw us flying north to Hanoi and transferring directly to Tam Dao, an old French hill station. January and February 2008 saw some of the coldest weather ever experienced in northern Vietnam, and as a result our birding efforts had to be redoubled. Those efforts were very well rewarded. Our first day saw us watching Blue-naped Pitta for five minutes as it fed on the track in front of us. This incredibly rare and elusive species had been recorded by only one other group at Tam Dao. Another day, another star bird: this time in the form of a particularly obliging group of Short-tailed Parrotbills, with their huge heads, bright yellow bills, and puny little bodies making them look like cartoon birds! In addition to these exciting species, we also encountered the stunning Fujian Niltava, Golden Babbler, Streak-breasted and White-browed Scimitar Babblers, Chestnut Bulbul, Asian House Martin, Red-billed Blue Magpie, White-crowned and Slaty-backed Forktails, and Slaty-bellied Tesia.
Moving south we backtracked through Hanoi and out towards Cuc Phuong National Park. Our journey was broken with a stop at Van Long Nature reserve, where a tranquil boat ride across flooded rice paddies led us to the base of a spectacular limestone escarpment. Here we were lucky enough to watch four strikingly marked Delacour’s Langurs, one of the rarest primates in the world, foraging on the precipitous cliffs. At Cuc Phuong, forest birding resumed with a bang. An early morning drive to the trailhead found us scanning through thrushes as they fed along the roadside; Japanese Thrush proved most abundant, but we also found Dark-throated, Black-breasted, and Scaly Thrushes mixed in. The roadside also held several very obliging Blue-rumped Pittas and a Eurasian Woodcock. Once again we set out in search of some of the local specialties and were not disappointed. Topping the list came Eared Pitta, which finally gave itself up along the road, while two Pied Falconets showed beautifully, as did a Silver-breasted Broadbill after teasing us for some time. White-winged Magpie, Puff-throated Babbler, Sultan Tit, Red-headed Trogon, and Rufous-throated and Black-browed Fulvettas added to the supporting cast.
Dan Brown
Updated: March 2008