VIETNAM TOUR

23 days

 

At last, it's possible to visit this ill-starred country with all those  wonderful endemic birds. Although woefully scarred by the war, most of the scars are gone and there are still some good birding areas left. We'll explore north and south, in both lowlands and mountains in our search for Vietnam's special birds. We should see most of the following: Pied Falconet, Bar-backed, Orange-necked, and Scaly-breasted Partridges, Silver Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Germain's Peacock-Pheasant, Green Peafowl, Blue-spectacled Pigeon, Red-vented Barbet, Bar-bellied Pitta, Spot-throated Babbler, Coral-billed and Red-billed Scimitar-Babblers, Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, Black-hooded, Grey, White-cheeked, Spot-breasted and Collared Laughingthrushes, Rufous-throated and Black-browed Fulvettas, Grey-crowned Crocias, Blue-spectacled  Parrotbill, Fujian Niltava, White-tailed Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Vietnamese Greenfinch, White-winged and Indochinese Magpies, and Ratchet-tailed Treepie. With luck, we could see a Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Pale-capped Pigeon, Red-collared Woodpecker, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Blue-rumped or Blue Pitta, Short-tailed Scimitar-Babbler, or Short-tailed Parrotbill.

We'll be visiting a site in the Red River Delta that is excellent for Black-faced Spoonbill, Nordmann's Greenshank, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Russian Gull (Larus heuglini), and Saunders's Gull. Our trip list should be over 300 species. While some of the accommodations are poor, the food is mostly good. The trip is not particularly demanding physically. The Vietnamese are very gracious hosts and, surprisingly, they welcome Americans. Leader: Ben King.