[dalat]

Tuyen Lam Lake near Dalat is sort of my local patch since the year or so I am birding. Well actually I am probably birding more at the site of Ta Nung, because access and birding is so easy there. But I always enjoy Tuyen Lam very much, maybe because it's more of a challenge and there are always some surprises to be found there.

As access to this site is a little complicated, I made a small map that Hanno has included in one of his excellent trip reports: http://www.hannostamm.com/images/tri...ake%5B1%5D.pdf

And here my list from for the site from the past 12 monhts or so (which would be a little longer, if i would be able to sort our warblers and raptors a little better):

1 Chinese Francolin Francolinus pintadeanus
2 Bar-backed Partridge Arborophila brunneopectus
3 Silver Pheasant Lophura nychemera
4 Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus
5 Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha
6 Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus
7 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus
8 Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis
9 Golden-throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii
10 Black-browed Barbet Megalaima oorti
11 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops
12 Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus
13 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
14 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
15 Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni
16 Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis
17 Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
18 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
19 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
20 House Swift Apus affinis
21 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei
22 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides
23 Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
24 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
25 Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
26 Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia
27 White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
28 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
29 Osprey Pandion haliaetus
30 Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
31 Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus
32 Shikra Accipiter badius
33 Besra Accipiter virgatus
34 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
35 Changeable Hawk Eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus
36 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
37 Darter Anhinga melanogaster
38 Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus
39 Rusty-naped Pitta Pitta oatesi
40 Blue Pitta Pitta cyanea
41 Long-tailed Broadbill Psarisomus dalhousiae
42 Burmese Shrike Lanius collurioides
43 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
44 Indochinese Green Magpie Cissa hypoleuca
45 Slender-billed Oriole Oriolus tenuirostris
46 Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii
47 Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei
48 Indochinese Cuckooshrike Coracina polioptera
49 Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris
50 Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus
51 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus
52 Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike Hemipus picatus
53 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis
54 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
55 Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer
56 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
57 Small-billed Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma
58 Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus
59 Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki
60 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla
61 Rufous-browed Flycatcher Ficedula solitarus
62 Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra
63 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni
64 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina
65 Large Niltava Niltava grandis
66 Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyornis unicolor
67 Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Culucicapa ceylonensis
68 White-tailed Robin Myiomela leaucura
69 Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus
70 Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus
71 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea
72 Black-collared Starling Sturnus nigricollis
73 Vinous-breasted Starling Sturnus burmannicus
74 Chestnut-vented Nuthatch Sitta nagaensis
75 Yellow-billed Nuthatch Sitta solangiae
76 Hume's Treecreeper Certhia manipurensis
77 Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus
78 Yellow-cheeked Tit Parus spilonotus
79 Grey-crowned Tit Aegithalos annamensis
80 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
81 Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica
82 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
83 Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
84 Flavescent Bulbul Pycnonotus flavescens
85 Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala
86 Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes mcclellandii
87 Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
88 Hill Prinia Prinia atrogularis
89 Oriental White-Eye Zosterops palpebrosus
90 Grey-bellied Tesia Tesia cyaniventer
91 Russett Bush Warbler Bradypterus mandelli
92 Mountain Tailorbird Orthotomus cuculatus
93 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius
94 Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus
95 Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis
96 Two-barred Warbler Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus
97 Grey-cheeked Warbler Seicercus poliogenys
98 Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps
99 White-crested Laughingthrush Garrulax leucolophus
100 Black-hooded Laughingthrush Garrulax milleti
101 White-cheeked Laughingthrush Dryonastes vassali
102 Collared Laughingthrush Trochalopteron yersini
103 Spot-throated Babbler Pellorneum albiventre
104 White-browed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus schisticeps
105 Orange-billed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps
106 Eye-browed Wren Babbler Napothera epilepidota
107 Rufous-capped Babbler Stachyris ruficeps
108 Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata
109 Silver–eared Mesia Mesia argentauris
110 Vietnamese Cutia Cutia legalleni
111 White-browed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius flaviscapis
112 Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler Pteruthius aenobarbus
113 Blue-winged Mila Minla cyanouroptera
114 Mountain Fulvetta Alcippe peracensis
115 Grey-crowned Crocias Crocias langbianis
116 Rufous-backed Sibia Leioptila annectens
117 Black-headed Sibia Malacias desgodinsi
118 White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca
119 Black-crowned Parrotbill Paradoxornis margaritae
120 Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus
121 Mrs Gould’s Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae
122 Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
123 Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna
124 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
125 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
126 Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
127 Vietnamese Greenfinch Carduelis monguilloti
128 Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostrameridionalis

Mammals seen there include: Black Giant Squirrel, Cambodian Striped Squirrel, Pallas Squirrel, Black-shanked Douc, Buff-cheeked Gibbon (heard only)

Florian

[dalat]

I put a some more maps and a little bit of information about access to the birding sites in Dalat (Ta Nung, Lang Bian, Tuyen Lam, Bi Doup Nui Ba National Park and Di Linh) on a small site here.

[dalat]

Just to share a beautiful photo of one of my favourite birds, the Collared Laughingthrush: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalatnl...7604689632987/
That must be the best picture of that bird on the net, it was made by Luyen, birder and photographer living in Dalat. This bird is endemic to Dalat and extremely skulking, quite difficult to see and much harder to photograph.

[Gretchen]

Yes, excellent picture and very striking bird!

[Alf King]

A bit of an update here following my recent visit to the Dalat region.

Access to Ta Nung is no longer so straightforward as an "eco resort" is under construction in the valley leading to the construction of a new road along the previously narrow track. This means that a permanent barrier supported by barbed wire fencing has been built preventing entry to the valley. You should be allowed through on request but there is no-one actually at the gate as it is tended by the people in the settlement 200m away, so you will need to shout in order to attract their attention.

The area where the Crocias were most easily found has now been cleared of scrub and trees so they need to be looked for around the forest edges a little further down. We saw them quite easily around 7.00 am and they could be heard later in the day but were skulking at that time. Orange-breasted Laughingthrush were also heard but couldn't be enticed out.

Around Tuyen Lam there is very extensive development of numerous resorts underway with at least one new road already having been built.

HTH