VIETNAMIntriguing survey tour to bird-rich but poorly known Vietnam. Fascinating culture and interesting (i.e., good) cuisine.
$4575 (2008 fee). 22 days Vietnam is home to one of the richest but most poorly known avifaunas of any Southeast Asian country, with a number of endemic, near-endemic, and highly threatened species found there. As a matter of fact, no other mainland Southeast Asian country can boast as many endemics as Vietnam. Although intense agriculture, population pressures, and the long era of strife in this small country have taken their toll on the native wildlife and habitat, several fine reserves and national parks dot the length of the country and shelter some of Southeast Asia's rarest birds and mammals, including several species new to science. Our three weeks in the country will allow us to sample the richest sites that are presently accessible to tourists. We'll commence in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), and from there we'll visit Cat Tien N.P., arguably the richest lowland forest birding site in the country, and one of the few intact lowland forest areas in the south. Among the more numerous and widespread species are a host of rarely-encountered birds, including Siamese Fireback, Germain's Peacock-Pheasant and Orange-necked Partridge (difficult), Red-vented Barbet, Lesser Adjutant, Gray-headed Fish-Eagle, Pale-headed Woodpecker, and Gray-faced Tit-Babbler. Birding the low, forested mountains between the park and Da Lat might yield looks at three range-restricted laughingthrushes: White-cheeked, Black-hooded, and the endemic Orange-breasted (Spot-breasted). In the Da Lat area, one of the centers of endemism in the country, we'll search the high-elevation broadleaf forest on the Lang Bian Plateau for such classy endemics as Collared Laughingthrush (one of the most beautiful laughingthrushes of all!), Vietnamese Greenfinch, or even the recently rediscovered Gray-crowned Crocias. Near Hanoi, the lovely forests of Cuc Phuong N.P., Vietnam's first national park, will provide us with a few days of exciting birding. Dramatic limestone outcrops punctuate the landscape, and a good road accesses the remote interior. We'll have nearly three full days to search for the likes of Silver Pheasant, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Malayan Night-Heron, Bar-bellied Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, White-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, and many others. The former French resort settlement of Tam Dao, our next stop, is situated at a comfortable elevation of roughly 3000 feet. A number of trails and new roads venture into the lush growth cloaking the hillsides and provide access to an avifauna with strong affinities to that of the Himalayas. Palearctic migrants and mixed species flocks are common features of this area, and with luck we might locate a noisy group of Gray Laughingthrushes clambering through the branches, or a scarce Green Cochoa in a fruiting tree. The final destination on our tour is the productive montane habitat at the base of Mt. Fan Si Pan near the Yunnan border far to the northwest of Hanoi. Here we’ll search for a fine sampling of Himalayan foothill specialties such as Broad-billed Warbler, Long-tailed Wren-Babbler, Golden-breasted and Rusty-capped fulvettas, and White-collared Yuhina. Join us in February for this intriguing offering that is sure to delight even the most seasoned Asian traveler. We are again pleased to have as our co-leader on this tour Thai birder extraordinaire Uthai Treesucon, who has led numerous tours to this delightful country in the last several years.
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