Belated BY - 6th year! Herman&Kit

[Kitsafari]

thank you @BRACQUENE. hope you are having a lovely day at the seaside!

 

[michael-ibk]

No quality dip at all!

[Peter Connan]

More wonderful birds!

[xelas]

There surely is no quality dip noticed in these photos. Specially bulbuls are gorgeous 😃!

[Kitsafari]

thanks for the encouragement @michael-ibk@Peter Connan @xelas

 

 

[Kitsafari]

Heading into November, I took off for a 5-day solo birding trip to Vietnam. I had been tossing between Thailand's Khao Yai national park, tempted by the elephants seen by @xelasthere, or by pittas in Cat Tien national park. The guide in Khao Yai never replied but the guide in Cat Tien did, so pittas and primates it was to be., 

 

I spent 2 nights in Tan Phu nature reserve and another two nights at a lodge just outside Cat Tien National Park. Tan Phu  is not a designated national park but still an intact forest where the guide and his brother operates a hide. Forest birds are notoriously hard to see without a hide (which is synonymous with feeding). In a way, it is still natural as these are still wild birds and they only turn up if they feel safe. without a hide (despite the drawbacks of low lighting) you may never ever see the bird without spending days in the thick of the forest. and it supports the local community and help convince ex- or would-be poachers/hunters that this is a more sustainable way of getting income without killing the birds.

I believe Cat Tien also has hides which you have to book but the main bird species are also seen in Tan Phu so we didn't spend time in hides in Cat Tien. Also, because the guide was made very aware of my aversion to leeches (!), we avoided going on to off-road trails. Cat Tien is full of tiny leeches because of a stream that runs through it. Tan Phu has less leeches because it is a  more dry forest, although another group had a leech falling on them when they were leaving the hide. Thank goodness, I was spared of these bloody suckers!

 

470.Abbott's Babbler, Tan Phu

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

471. Buff-breasted Babbler, Tan Phu

 

 

[Kitsafari]

472. Grey-faced Tit Babbler, Tan Phu

 

Lightning-fast little critters and this was the only usable photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

473. Puff-throated Babblers, Tan Phu

 

Delightful personable critters. always very entertaining to watch while waiting long hours for the special species. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

474. Pin-striped Tit Babber, Tan Phu

 

Another fast-moving critters, darting in and out in micro-seconds. 

 

[Kitsafari]

475. Green-eared Barbet, Cat Tien 

 

A lifer for me. Saw it twice but very high in the trees and a very active bird. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

476. Ochraceous Bulbul, Tan Phu

 

Very similar looking to puff-throated bulbul, this medium-sized bird is a sociable species and was present in the two hides I was in. 

 

extra photos for the bulbul-loving @xelas 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

467. Striped-throated Bulbul, Tan Phu

 

Already in my Danang list. 

 

[Kitsafari]

477 Lesser Coucal, Cat Tien

 

a very quick shot before it hopped into the bushes

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

478. Violet Cuckoo, Cat Tien

 

A lifer for me, but the light was bad so its purple didn't shine as it should. and it was another quick shot while it was high in the very dense tree before it disappeared.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Kitsafari

[xelas]

2 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

extra photos for the bulbul-loving @xelas 

Thank you very much, Kit!

[Kitsafari]

479. Large Cuckooshrike, Cat Tien

 

Only visible in an instant as it flitted among the trees at the back from the road. 

[Kitsafari]

480. Bronze Drongo, Cat Tien

 

[Kitsafari]

481. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Tan Phu

 

Also seen in Danang and in Singapore, the unmistakable drongo showed off its rackets. Often found in thick forests. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

482. Sooty Drongo, Cat Tien

 

yes. another EBC. taken from a safari truck. 

 

[Kitsafari]

483. Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Tan Phu 

 

Male

 

Female

[Kitsafari]

484. Indochinese Blue Flycatcher, Tan Phu

 

A lifer species for  me, differentiate from the Hainan Blue by the orangey chest on the males. 

 

 

female: 

[Kitsafari]

485. Chinese Francolin, Cat Tien

 

Another lifer but the skittish francolins were seen from a distance while we were on the safari truck at the grasslands. 

 

male

 

female

[Kitsafari]

486. Great Iora, Cat Tien

 

[Kitsafari]

487. Green-billed Malkoha, Cat Tien