Vietnam, Day 3, 23 January 2019 - Cat Tien National Park

After our 2nd night in the Cat Tien National Park we headed off out to explore some different areas, again with the help of the truck!

This time it was a morning sojourn to explore the roadside area near the Crocodile Lake Trail.

Before that we were serenaded by the local Buff-cheeked Gibbons and despite the awful lighting conditions early in the morning managed a few shots. Upon arrival at the starting point of our walk it was primates to the fore again with a few Black-shank Douc Langurs loafing around in the trees plus a close perched Crested Serpent Eagle and a very welcome tick in the form of a Grey-headed Green Pigeon. We went on to see c6 Vernal Hanging Parrots all over a fruiting shrub, Blue-eared Barbet, some great, if brief views of a drumming Pale-headed Woodpecker, Common Flameback, 2 Laced Woodpeckers, Black-naped Monarch, Great Iora, Emerald Dove and another Black and Red Broadbill. Ashy, Bronzed and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos were typically conspicuous. The group really enjoyed a small group of c4 Van Hasselt's Sunbirds (a species I'd already seen much better in Borneo) with Purple-naped Sunbird and Little Spiderhunter also getting in on the action. 2 Yellow-bellied Warblers also eventually showed well enough to be ticked and we also had the only Crested Goshawk of the trip.

Commoner birds included Oriental Magpie Robin, White-rumped Sharma, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Taiga Flycatcher.

Buff-cheeked Gibbon

Crested Serpent Eagle

 

Black-shanked Douc Langurs

Ashy-headed Green Pigeon

 Great Iora

Red-breasted Parakeet

     Taiga Flycatcher

At lunchtime a perched Common Kingfisher was by the restaurant. After lunch I took myself off to the locked photographic hide and stood quietly there letting birds come to me - here I managed to photograph Black-crested Bulbul, Grey-eyed Bulbul and Tickell's Blue Flycatcher. It was nice to spend a little time on my own.

Black-crested Bulbul

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

Grey-eyed Bulbul 

        


The afternoon session in the area near the Botanical Garden (it actually just looked like more forest!) was disappointingly quiet. More Bar-bellied Pitta dipping, Black-hooded Oriole and Golden-fronted Leafbird was about it. On the trudge back to the accommodation area I hit it lucky however as 2 female Siamese Firebacks crossed the road one after the other. Only 2 of the group connected.