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The
first Ramsar Site in Vietnam, Xuan Thuy is
situated in Nam Dinh province and covers an area
of 7,100 ha. The major habitats are estuaries,
mangroves, mudflats, sandy flats and shrimp
ponds.
Birding highlights : Black-faced Spoonbill,
Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Spotted Greenshank,
Saunders's Gull and Asian Dowitcher.
Bird fauna : To date, more than 200 bird species
have been recorded at Xuan Thuy. The site is the
most important staging and wintering area for
migratory waterbirds in the coastal zone of the
Red River Delta. It regularly supports large
numbers of commoner migratory waterbird species,
including Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank
and Eurasian Curlew. Many rare species can also
be found at Xuan Thuy, including the largest
wintering population of Black-faced Spoonbill in
Vietnam, with around 60 birds each winter in
recent years. Other rare species that regularly
occur at the site include Saunders's Gull,
Spotted Greenshank, Spoon-billed Sandpiper and
Asian Dowitcher. In addition to its importance
for waterbirds, Xuan Thuy is also an important
migratory stop-over for non-waterbirds, with
large numbers of passerines and cuckoos passing
through the site during the spring and autumn
migrations. During the summer months, small
numbers of Painted Stork and Spot-billed Pelican
occur as non-breeding visitors.
Other features : Estuarine habitats and
traditional aquaculture activities.
Transportation : Car and boat. Xuan Thuy is
about 150 km by road from Hanoi or three and
half hours by car. The site is not well known
and, for this reason, may be difficult to find.
From the national park headquarters, the site
can be visited by boat or by foot. It is
important to take account of tide times when
planning a trip to Xuan Thuy, as some of the
best birdwatching areas can only be reached at
high tide.
Accommodation : At the moment, accommodation at
Xuan Thuy is basic. The park has only one
four-bed guestroom with no hot water or
electricity. However, a new guesthouse with 10
standard rooms is currently under construction.
In addition, there are two guesthouses in Ngo
Dong town (20 km from Xuan Thuy) and a resort
area in Quat Lam (40 km from Xuan Thuy), where
there are many hotels and restaurants.
Permission : An entrance fee system has not yet
been established; visitors should contact the
park authorities in advance to arrange
permission. Both Vietnamese and foreign visitors
can visit the park, providing they secure the
approval of the park staff and the local border
army station.
Birding routes :
As a staging and wintering site on the East
Asian-Australian flyway, the best time to visit
Xuan Thuy is September to April. In August and
September, it is still possible to see
non-breeding Painted Stork, as well as early
migrants, such as Black-winged Stilt. Later,
from October onwards, it relatively easy to find
wintering Black-faced Spoonbills, particularly
at their roost sites in the shrimp ponds.
Visitors can ask for assistance from the
national park staff, who know the site well, and
can advise on places to look for particular
species. Hiring a guide from the park is
recommended.
Birding routes: Visitors can travel by foot to
some places of interest; others can only be
reached by boat at high tide.
Walking routes: Walking through the shrimp ponds
on Con Ngan island, where the park headquarters
is located, can be rewarding, especially at high
tide when Black-faced Spoonbills and various
gulls, ducks and waders come to roost and feed
in the shrimp ponds.
Boating routes: At high tide, boats can be
chartered to reach the offshore mudflats and
sandy flats, where Spoon-billed Sandpiper can be
found among large flocks of waders. Saunders's
Gull can also be found here during December and
January, as well as other gulls and ducks.
An alternative boat route involves visiting Con
Xanh island, which is planted with Casuarina,
which shelters migrating passerines, including
pittas, and the outer edge of Con Ngan island,
where waders, ducks and herons feed in the Tra
river mouth.
Contact details :
Xuan Thuy National Park, Giao
Thuy district, Nam Dinh province.
Tel.: +(84 350) 741501/895125
Fax: +(84 350) 893065/895008
Bird list (source: BirdLife
International Vietnam Programme) :
1. Japanese Quail
2. Greylag Goose
3. Common Shelduck
4. Gadwall
5. Falcated Duck
6. Eurasian Wigeon
7. Mallard
8. Spot-billed Duck
9. Northern Shoveler
10. Northern Pintail
11. Garganey
12. Common Teal
13. Common Pochard
14. Baer's Pochard
15. Tufted Duck
16. Red-breasted Merganser
17. Buttonquail sp.
18. Eurasian Wryneck
19. Dollarbird
20. Common Kingfisher
21. White-throated Kingfisher
22. Black-capped Kingfisher
23. Collared Kingfisher
24. Pied Kingfisher
25. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
26. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
27. Large Hawk Cuckoo
28. Indian Cuckoo
29. Lesser Cuckoo
30. Plaintive Cuckoo
31. Asian Koel
32. Greater Coucal
33. Lesser Coucal
34. Fork-tailed Swift
35. Oriental Turtle Dove
36. Spotted Dove
37. Red Collared Dove
38. Emerald Dove
39. Thick-billed Green Pigeon
40. Slaty-breasted Rail
41. White-breasted Waterhen
42. Ruddy-breasted Crake
43. Purple Swamphen
44. Common Moorhen
45. Common Coot
46. Eurasian Woodcock
47. Pintail Snipe
48. Common Snipe
49. Black-tailed Godwit
50. Bar-tailed Godwit
51. Whimbrel
52. Eurasian Curlew
53. Eastern Curlew
54. Spotted Redshank
55. Common Redshank
56. Marsh Sandpiper
57. Common Greenshank
58. Nordmann's Greenshank
59. Wood Sandpiper
60. Terek Sandpiper
61. Common Sandpiper
62. Grey-tailed Tattler
63. Ruddy Turnstone
64. Long-billed Dowitcher
65. Asian Dowitcher
66. Great Knot
67. Red Knot
68. Sanderling
69. Spoon-billed Sandpiper
70. Little Stint
71. Red-necked Stint
72. Long-toed Stint
73. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
74. Dunlin
75. Curlew Sandpiper
76. Broad-billed Sandpiper
77. Ruff
78. Red-necked Phalarope
79. Pheasant-tailed Jacana
80. Great Thick-knee
81. Eurasian Oystercatcher
82. Black-winged Stilt
83. Pacific Golden Plover
84. Grey Plover
85. Little Ringed Plover
86. Kentish Plover
87. Lesser Sand Plover
88. Greater Sand Plover
89. Grey-headed Lapwing
90. Oriental Pratincole
91. Black-tailed Gull
92. Heughlin's Gull
93. Pallas's Gull
94. Black-headed Gull
95. Saunders's Gull
96. Gull-billed Tern
97. Caspian Tern
98. Common Tern
99. Little Tern
100. Whiskered Tern
101. White-winged Tern
102. Black Baza
103. Eurasian Marsh Harrier
104. Pied Harrier
105. Chinese Sparrowhawk
106. Japanese Sparrowhawk
107. Eurasian Sparrowhawk
108. Grey-faced Buzzard
109. Common Buzzard
110. Common Kestrel
111. Amur Falcon
112. Merlin
113. Eurasian Hobby
114. Peregrine Falcon
115. Little Grebe
116. Little Egret
117. Chinese Egret
118. Pacific Reef Egret
119. Grey Heron
120. Purple Heron
121. Great Egret
122. Intermediate Egret
123. Cattle Egret
124. Chinese Pond Heron
125. Little Heron
126. Black-crowned Night Heron
127. Yellow Bittern
128. Cinnamon Bittern
129. Black Bittern
130. Great Bittern
131. Black-headed Ibis
132. Eurasian Spoonbill
133. Black-faced Spoonbill
134. Spot-billed Pelican
135. Painted Stork
136. Fairy Pitta
137. Tiger Shrike
138. Brown Shrike
139. Long-tailed Shrike
140. Grey-backed Shrike
141. Black-naped Oriole
142. Maroon Oriole
143. Cuckooshrike sp.
144. Rosy Minivet
145. Ashy Minivet
146. White-throated Fantail
147. Black Drongo
148. Ashy Drongo
149. Spangled Drongo
150. Black-naped Monarch
151. Asian Paradise-flycatcher
152. White-throated Rock Thrush
153. Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush
154. Blue Rock Thrush
155. Blue Whistling Thrush
156. Orange-headed Thrush
157. Siberian Thrush
158. Scaly Thrush
159. Eurasian Blackbird
160. Asian Brown Flycatcher
161. Ferruginous Flycatcher
162. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
163. Red-throated Flycatcher
164. Blue-and-white Flycatcher
165. Small Niltava
166. Fujian Niltava
167. Hainan Blue Flycatcher
168. Blue-throated Flycatcher
169. Siberian Rubythroat
170. Bluethroat
171. Siberian Blue Robin
172. Oriental Magpie Robin
173. Common Stonechat
174. Grey Bushchat
175. White-shouldered Starling
176. White-vented Myna
177. Great Tit
178. Sand Martin
179. Barn Swallow
180. Striated Swallow
181. Red-whiskered Bulbul
182. Light-vented Bulbul
183. Sooty-headed Bulbul
184. Plain Prinia
185. Japanese White-eye
186. Lanceolated Warbler
187. Rusty-rumped Warbler
188. Black-browed Reed Warbler
189. Manchurian Reed Warbler
190. Oriental Reed Warbler
191. Thick-billed Warbler
192. Common Tailorbird
193. Dusky Warbler
194. Radde's Warbler
195. Yellow-browed Warbler
196. Arctic Warbler
197. Greenish Warbler
198. Pale-legged Leaf Warbler
199. Blyth's Leaf Warbler
200. White-tailed Leaf Warbler
201. Sulphur-breasted Warbler
202. Golden-spectacled Warbler
203. Australasian Bushlark
204. Oriental Skylark
205. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
206. Forest Wagtail
207. White Wagtail
208. Yellow Wagtail
209. Richard's Pipit
210. Olive-backed Pipit
211. Red-throated Pipit
212. Scaly-breasted Munia
213. Chestnut-eared Bunting
214. Yellow-breasted Bunting
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