Capital birding

Vietnam was our main aim for January but it would be wrong not to call into Phnom Penh and see our friends here. Scoddy (Scott Bywater) was doing a gig, a few other musician friends were in town and our old neighbours were also on their way to Vietnam after travelling through Thailand and Laos for the past couple of months. The bus from Siem Reap took about 5 hours with stops and we stayed in a high room overlooking the park near the National Museum at the Bright Lotus Guesthouse.

Scoddy's gig was at Tacos Kokopelli's, one of my favourite places in town, and he kindly had another musician and me play a few numbers as well. We'd met up with Phil and Carol earlier and had a great evening. The following morning I checked out the banks of the River close by. Once again found Oriental Reed Warbler, Plain and Yellow-bellied Prinias here and a Caspian Tern patrolled the water. A female Streaked Weaver that perched below our room was a lifer (but guess it could be an escape here where there are a criminal number of birds in cages).

Streaked Weaver Ploceus manyar

Black-winged Cuckooshrike Coracina melaschistos

After another evening of music at The Sundance Inn we caught an early morning bus to Ho Chi Minh City; Our first time in Vietnam. Appeared birdless from the bus but the city parks were brimming with wildlife, especially the grounds of the Independence Palace. Among more common birds I chalked up a couple of lifers, Blossom-headed Parakeet and Black-winged Cuckooshrike, and there were also Red-breasted Parakeets, White-crested and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher, Scarlet Minivets and a superb juvenile White-throated Thrush.

White-throated Rock-thrush Monticola gularis

Phil also had a Red-billed Blue Magpie in the grounds here but it failed to appear again. We didn't make it as far as the Botanical Gardens here and I think a few days stop over in the city would reveal a good deal more birdlife. We're not really ones for the city and only spent two nights here before moving on the Cat Tien National Park. The Independence Palace itself was a fascinating visit but the traffic in HCMC absolutely crazy.

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea

Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone affinis

Green-billed Malkhoa Phaenicophaeus tristis

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax monileger

 

Oriental Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor

Pallas' Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus

Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla