Bird sightings Singapore to Hong Kong 1/17/19 to 2/3/19

[shorefolks]

This trip was a particular disappointment birding-wise. Air quality was abysmal throughout and even a Vietnamese tour guide said "There are no birds in Vietnam." Never before have I had a cruise of this length where port stops yielded not a single gull or tern. To make it worse, increasing severe bronchitis kept us from going ashore on two different days. 

 

Some birds of interest:

Singapore: Common & crested myna, house crow

Koh Samui: Little egret, Oriental turtle dove, Spotted dove, Striated heron, Black-naped oriole, Pacific swallow, White-throated kingfisher, black kite

Bangkok: Little egret, Oriental turtle dove, Asian house martin, Fork-tailed swift, Peaceful dove, Milky stork, Large-billed crow, White-vented myna

Sihanoukville: Pacific reef egret

Nha Trang: Pacific swallow

Da Nang: Sooty-headed bulbul

Ha Long Bay: Black kite

Sanya: Black kite

Hong Kong: Black kite

From the rail: Absolutely nothing. Not a seabird, nor a whale, a porpoise, or even a jellyfish. The few black kites in the last several ports acted in place of the missing gulls, scavenging dead fish.