Just spent a couple of days at this fantastic nature reserve. Cycled the 65 km from Ninh Binh on a rickety bicycle with a basket on the front, and for any of you who havent cycled on vietnam's highways, believe me it's white-knuckle stuff. If you plan to go there, I recommend going sunday afternoon. That's what I did and I had the reserve all to myself - really. I booked a guide, and we met each morning at 6.00am - didn't see another soul for three days. You can stay at the reserve reception centre and walk/drive by motorbike into the reserve from there, or you can stay at the reserve centre which is 18km into the reserve. It's a beautiful spot surrounded by primary forest. There is accommodation there - pillar houses and more posh huts if you want to splash out.
My guide was great, and one of only two rangers at the park who have knowledge of the birds there and can speak good english. So, in just one full day of birding my list ran as follows:
chinese pond heron
chinese egret
grey bushchat
grey backed shrike
brown shrike
white breasted waterhen
oriental magpie robin
black drongo
forest wagtail
olive backed pipit
red whiskered bulbul
sooty headed bulbul
black bulbul
black headed bulbul
black crested bulbul
puff throated bulbul
scarlet backed flowerpecker
javan cuckoo shrike (?)
black winged cuckooshrike
grey capped pygmy woodpecker
lesser yellow nape
rufous woodpecker
scaly thrush
snowy browed flycatcher
bar winged flycatcher
red throated flycatcher
rufous tailed tailorbird
green eared babbet
red jungle fowl
rufous capped babbler
black capped babbler
sooty capped babbler
sultan tit (WOW)
white rumped shama
pied falconet (a first for the reserve)
white throated kingfisher
dusky crag martin
ratchet tailed treepie
My guide was Tran Van Bay, and if you need any info about the reserve and its birds you can email him at: tranvanbayocp@yahoo.com
andrew
Are you sure the Javan Cuckooshrike was not a Large? Don't think Javan has been recorded anywhere near Vietnam.