Tuesday 28 February 2017

28th February 2017 Tam Dao NP

Having breakfast pre-dawn in a small restaurant opposite our hotel the gloomy foggy weather didn't look promising, but hardly unexpected, having read a good few trip reports by birders enduring similar conditions. We arrived at the water tank trail and parked at the ranger station being greeted by the resident dogs. However, a male Fork-tailed Sunbird did its best to brighten the early morning gloom. In fact, considering the conditions, the bird activity proved really quite good and we were soon enjoying watching Chestnut Bulbuls, Spot-necked Babblers, David's Fulvettas and Brownish-flanked Bush-Warblers but there was no sign of any Short-tailed Parrotbills. A Red-vented Barbet then proved a very welcome surprise being a species that we felt we had left behind on leaving Dalat. Thang then took us to a location at which Blue-naped Pitta is sometimes seen although explained that recently it took a visiting couple from Hong Kong four whole days before they saw one there. Needless to say we left empty-handed but did enjoy seeing some Streak-breasted Scimitar-babblers present there. We then made our way to the transmitter steps that proved busy with pilgrims heading to the temple. We did add poor views of a couple of Grey Laughingthrushes and heard Indochinese Green Magpie but decided our best strategy was to return to the Water Tank trail and give the Parrotbill and Pitta another try although ultimately with the same result although we did improve upon our views as a flock of Grey Laughingthrushes passed by.

RED-VENTED BARBET 1
Bay Woodpecker 1
Orange-bellied Leafbird 4
CHESTNUT BULBUL 4
Black Bulbul 6
INDOCHINESE GREEN MAGPIE h
Sultan Tit 6
Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler 4
Golden Babbler 6
Spot-necked Babbler 4
GREY LAUGHINGTHRUSH 6
DAVID'S FULVETTA 6
Black-chinned Yuhina 8
White-bellied Erpornis 6
Oriental Magpie-Robin 1 in a cage
BROWNISH-FLANKED BUSH-WARBLER 2
Pallas's Warbler 2
Claudia's Leaf-Warbler 2
Yellow-bellied Warbler 1
FORK-TAILED SUNBIRD 3


Tam Dao NP Water Tank Trail



Pair of Spot-necked Babblers at Tam Dao NP




Sultan Tit at Tam Dao NP


Red-vented Barbet at Tam Dao NP




Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler at Tam Dao NP

Transmitter Steps at Tam Dao NP