Wild butterflies, Germain’s peacock pheasant or Pygmy Loris in Cat Tien National Park come to life through the lens of wildlife guide Andy Nguyen.
Wild natural wonders in Cat Tien
Andy Nguyen is a wildlife photography enthusiast, living in Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City and is now a wildlife tour guide in Vietnam. Andy Nguyen is currently the owner of Vietnambirds website, introducing visitors to bird and wildlife viewing tours, including Cat Tien National Park.
Cat Tien National Park, located 160 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, is a nature reserve located in three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc. With an area of more than 80,000 ha, surrounded by 90 km of rivers, this is one of the national parks with abundant natural resources and biodiversity and is an ideal destination for ecotourism, experience in observing and photographing wildlife in Vietnam.
In the picture is Crocodile Lake area, located in the core area of Cat Tien, with the largest wetland area in Cat Tien, expanding to thousands of hectares in the rainy season and shrinking to about 200 hectares in the dry season.
From the administrative center of Cat Tien – Bau Sau about 14 km, in which the journey of walking through the forest 5 km can observe precious wood species, including the hundred-year-old giant tree, dipterocarp forest, Lagerstroemia forest… Visitors can also admire admiring the Black-Shanked Douc langur sitting foraging on the tall Dipterocarpus alatus (also known colloquially as the resin tree). If you’re lucky, you’ll also meet Indochinese Silver Langur.
In particular, Bau Sau is home to a rare species of freshwater crocodile (or Siamese crocodile) which is strictly preserved. Visitors can rent a boat to watch the crocodile, it often lies dormant with its head and eyes on the water, note when observing must follow the instructions of rangers and guides.
After the first summer rains, butterflies appear a lot in Cat Tien, they flutter on the trail and through the trees. The colorful butterfly wings reflected in the puddle create an attractive natural picture.
Cat Tien National Park has a diverse and rich fauna with 1,529 species, including 109 reptile species, including Siamensis spitting Cobra, taken in a trail of grassland.
“The profession of a wildlife tour guide is picky, in addition to passion, it is necessary to understand the biodiversity as well as the behavior of each species, such as distinguishing birds by their songs, as well as being able to help tourists observe animals and snakes that always find a way to hide in the jungle”
– said Andy Nguyen
Cat Tien National Park is ranked as a special national relic right on the world tourism day on September 27, 2012.
Andy Nguyen notes that when experiencing the garden, put personal waste in the right place to help keep the forest green and clean, do not carve, graffiti on the forest trees and put personal waste in the right place to help the forest. always green and clean, in addition, it is necessary to keep quiet so as not to disturb and affect the wild life of nature.
Cat Tien is a “miniature country” of Vietnamese forest birds, with 351 species, accounting for about 42% of the total number of bird species in Vietnam, including many rare species.
The picture shows a Lesser Yellownaped – a woodpecker, a common bird in Cat Tien. The bird has a prominent yellow crest from the top of the head to the neck, the upper body is blue with red primary wing feathers, the lower body has many white stripes, the male has red feathers on the top of the head.
Banded kingfisher has a length of 22 cm, the highlight is a “fashion outfit” with blue and black stripes, is a relatively common settler from the Central to the South, often found in Cat Tien.
Orange-breasted Trogon, one of the most beautiful birds, has colorful plumage and a distinctive “nok nok nok” call, with an average size of about 28 cm.
During bird photography, he was impressed with the Germain’s Peacock Pheasant. He said this bird has a charming and beautiful beauty like carrying sparkling green pearls, is a timid bird, often lives around the bush, endemic and is an endangered species. Always strictly protected. Photographing this bird is a big challenge, many people spend several years with many failures, in one place, sacrificing a lot of blood for leeches, because there are many leeches here in the rainy season.
“Four years ago, I photographed the Germain’s Peacock Pheasant for the first time. It was near Tet holiday, I stayed in the forest and had time to learn the rules of the Pheasant’s life. The first three days, the chickens just roamed around without moving to a place with enough “nice” space. But until the fourth day, the chicken came to the right place, willing to eat the small corn kernels as food to lure the birds. I remember that moment forever, I took many pictures continuously, bringing indescribable joy”
– shared Andy Nguyen.
Cat Tien National Park is an attraction for domestic and international tourists. For birdwatchers and wildlife photography, the Bar-bellied Pitta is the number one goal.
“In order to photograph the Bar-bellied Pitta, I had to make a ‘bird site’ where the birds could come and feed, which required months of patience to give the birds a familiar reflex. A camouflage tent was erected about 10-15m away from where the bird came to feed, the tourists got into the tent and sat quietly, avoiding making any noise. The bird slowly appeared in the admiration, holding the breath of tourists, just clicking shots continuously”
– said Andy Nguyen.
More Bird Watching Holidays
Our Tours are intensive bird watching holidays suitable for the serious birder. Especially, our tours are led by expert local guides – Mr. Andy Nguyen. As a result, you can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field. For more tours please visit:
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