As part of a recent field trip to Vietnam I (along with 5 other British
enthusiasts) was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit a
RAMSAR site about 4 hours South of Hanoi known as "Xwan Thuy" (Red River
Estuary) on the 4th April 1997.
Access is not particularly easy and requiring permits and a little
homework before attempting to visit this area. The network of roads is
complicated, copies of passports may need to be left with authorities at
one or more check points. We arranged permits and obtained advice on
travel through Birdlife International who have an office in HANOI and
found them very helpful and obliging.
BirdLife Vietnam Programme- Address:
293B Tay Son
Dong Da
Hanoi
Vietnam
tel & fax: 00 84 4 851 7217
We arrived at the wader site by motorised canoe on a falling tide at
dawn. The weather was misty and conditions were looking somewhat
ominous. However the large flocks of waders that were forming looked
promising. To get to the best viewing spots involved wading knee deep
in water. Target wader naturally was the enigmatic "Spoonie", we were
not disappointed and indeed this spot would have to go down as one of
the all time best spots for waders in Asia if not the world. A locality
that needs to be looked after as it is clearly an important one for the
waders of Asia.
The list of waders speaks for itself. I was so impressed with the
locality I donated my old scope and tripod to one of the local guides.
I hope they have put it to good use.
Eurasian Curlew (3)
Whimbrel (25+)
Bar-tailed Godwit (25+)
Black-tailed Godwit (750+)
Asian Dowitcher (3) one bird in alternate plumage
Great Knot (20+)
Greenshank (50+)
Nordman's Greenshank (5)
Redshank (75+)
Spotted Redshank (50+)
Terek Sandpiper (1)
Broad-billed Sandpiper (100+)
Spoon-billed Sandpiper (19) both alternate and basic plumage
Common Sandpiper (2)
Curlew Sandpiper (4)
Dunlin (20+)
Red-necked Stint (10+)
Grey Plover (6+)
Kentish Plover (50+)
Lesser Sand Plover (100+)
Another rare species that was encountered here is the
Black-faced Spoonbill of which we saw at least 23 Individuals
(I understand that this species is now very rare globally?)
Not to mention all the ducks and passerine's and species seen
in the nearby paddy fields.
Good Birding
Tony
Tony Palliser (.....Sydney, Australia)
Phone.....+61 2 9900 1678 or Home +61 2 9427 7563
Fax.......+61 2 9900 1669
http://www.zip.com.au/~palliser
(ps It's Great to be back, However all those that saw the Great Shearwater
on the last Sydney Trip are banned from all future trips- Ratbags)
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