OUR FIRST STOP AFTER AN EARLY START from Tam Dao to Cuc Phoung was ostensibly a restroom break. But by the number of tour buses at the Vietnamese craft center we suspect that the guides get a bit of baksheesh from the paintings, silk, wood carvings and other “useless things you do not need” purchased by their clients. If so, Quang got stiffed—the only things our group bought were cold drinks and snacks.
Woman in a conical hat, Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve
Mist obscured the flock of Open-billed Storks 400 meters distant at Van Long Wetlands Nature Reserve, our next stop, but the Black-Backed Swamphen and Black-Browed Reed Warbler were much nearer and we had two new birds before we even reached Cuc Phoung National Park.
Open-billed Storks and a Great Egret
Black-Backed Swamphen
Black-Browed Reed Warbler
Connie and I had an aborted visit to Cuc Phoung in 2008 when torrential rains and heavy flooding forced us to retreat to Hanoi. The weather was marginally better this time and we got to stay for a couple of nights, time enough to have our laundry done. While Connie stayed in the room eating her cold pizza, I joined our group and about 75 field-tripping kids from an international school for lunch. Brad, a US "government employee," told me that there are branches all over the world teaching the same curriculum on the same schedule—in French, no less—so it’s easy for a kid to pick up and move to another country. Only the faces change.
International School field trip, en français
Andre waltzes Noreen down Prehistoric Cave Trail
After lunch we headed to a trail in Cuc Phoung National Park that climbs a rough trail through sharp karst to a cave where evidence of prehistoric man has been discovered. It is also the home of Annam Limestone Babblers, another nondescript bird found in few other places. Sweat running in our eyes didn’t help the rough going but we all made it to the cave and waited. The photos aren’t great but neither is the bird—unless you are compiling a Life List, that is. Safely down the steep trail, we gathered on the bridge across a ravine while Andre played his Collared Owlet call and sure enough, along came a Scaly-crowned Babbler, our fourth new bird of the day.
Annam Limestone Babbler
Scaly-Crowned Babbler
Our room at Cuc Phoung was pretty good with air-con, wifi and an electric kettle but the beds were like sleeping on plywood so our 4:30 wake-up was a mixed blessing. We’ve been hoarding bread, wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, “La Vache Qui Rit” and instant coffee for these mornings when birding takes preference over breakfast.
Japanese Thrush who missed the migration memo
Rufous-Throated Fulvetta
A forty-minute bus ride and a wet ten-minute hike took us to another secluded bird hide where we sat in the dark listening to the patter of rain on the tarp. Dave and I kept fiddling with our camera settings, knowing fully well that there wasn’t nearly enough light for a decent photo. No problem, though—whatever birds we were expecting seemed to have taken the morning off. Eventually a Japanese Thrush who had missed the migration memo flitted in and held still long enough for a photo. A while later a Rufous-Throated Fulvetta, a bird we first saw yesterday, stopped by and I was able to improve on our photo.And "Th-th-that's All Folks!"
After our second breakfast (don’t tell anyone) Quang started to lead us up a rocky trail covered in something slimy. After about fifty meters Alistair, the most serious birder in the group, called a halt and said no way, Jose! We turned back and when the rain increased we jumped on the bus and called it a day.
