Hello Birders,
My son and I recently visited Vietnam for two weeks. We had a great time
and saw quite a number of good birds. All of our time was spent in the
south mostly at Nam Bai Cat Tien National Park and in the hills surrounding
Dalat. Altogether, we recorded around 215 species of which 80 were new to
me. Birding generally was difficult since most species seemed to be wary,
perhaps due to hunting pressures. We saw very little forest remaining in
the south and few birds were sighted outside of the this habitat. Sparrows
were scarce even in the cities.
Highlights for us included a variety of pheasants, Blue-bearded Bee-Eaters,
various woodpeckers at Cat Tien, and the endemic babblers in the tropical
forests near Dalat. We found the endangered Grey-crowned Crocias on two
occasions in the hills behind Ho Tuyen Lam, a resivoir, located about 15
minutes from Dalat by motorcycle taxi. The various laughingthrushes were
most interesting but generally required much effort to actually see.
Another rewarding sight was that of the Grey-headed Parrotbills, a family
that we had not previously seen.
The people of Vietnam are amazing. They are amazingly friendly to
foreigners which seems strange considering their recent history. People
came up and talked to us often, particularly in the Dalat area.
I have prepared a trip report detailing our journey and the birds observed.
If anyone would like a copy, please notify me.
David Fischer
Essendon, Vic
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