Birding Report: Mũi Né, Bình Thuân, South Việt Nam, February 14-17 2024 Callyn Yorke
Introduction
A rather bumpy, four-hour drive from Đà Lạt to Mũi Né, Bình Thuân Province, placed us at the Full Moon Resort in the coastal village of Hãm Tiến (see satellite map below). Tet holidays were in full swing; roadways, hotels and tourist facilities were busy. As with many Vietnamese, this would be Dạ Thảo‘s last opportunity for a short vacation before returning to work. Dạ Thảo, of course, was most interested in sight-seeing, e.g. visiting the famous sand dunes of Bàu Trắng and fishing village of Mũi Né Bay. I would squeeze in time for birding when possible.
The coastal area of Mũi Né appeared rather barren and largely devoid of natural habitat for birds. The vista eastward to the coastline was dominated by eroded gullies and deep ravines carved into the stony, red soil. Isolated homesteads and small farms extended for about about fifty kilometers from the western escarpment to the to the East Sea. Except for the absence of native cacti (pitahaya and prickly-pear cactus are established exotics in coastal Vietnam) and villagers wearing sombreros, this desiccated region bore a striking resemblance to the thorn-scrub lands of northwestern Mexico. Similarly, most of the land had probably been cleared of the native forest decades ago.
Only a few patches of the original, lowland deciduous forest remained on the windblown, coastal slope. As far as I could see, those ‘habitat islands’ were on private property. With land bird habitat ostensibly scarce and inaccessible, I turned my attention to the possibility of finding waterbirds at inland wetlands and shorelines.
A few artificial lakes and ponds occurred on the outskirts of Mũi Né, including one we visited next to the Bàu Trắng recreational sand dunes. A large fishing village and anchorage in Mũi Né Bay, appeared to be another place worth checking for birds. Fortunately for me, both of those locations were on a popular guided tour that we took on the morning of February 15, 2024. Indeed, each area supported interesting birdlife, especially The Mũi Né Bay anchorage, which included hundreds of gulls and terns. The latter location merited two additional bird surveys — one by a combination basket boat and diesel trawler.
The privatized, highly commercial neighborhood surrounding the Full Moon Resort in Hãm Tiến, had isolated patches of habitat suitable for birds, composed mostly of exotic vegetation bordered by scattered stands of dry, coastal scrub. This habitat provided about the only land-birding in the vicinity of the Full Moon Resort, mainly along a short, hillside driveway leading to the Trung Tâm Bùn spa facility. After securing permission from the guard at the main entrance, I surveyed the area at dawn and dusk on two separate days.
Survey Areas, Dates, Materials and Methods
Three main areas were surveyed: Hãm Tiến, Bàu Trắng and Mũi Né Bay (see following satellite maps). For all surveys, I used a Zeiss 10 x 42 binocular and hand-held Nikon D850 camera with a Nikon PF 500 mm IF VR lens. A Google Pixel 3X camera documented locations and other items of general interest; GPS metadata was included with each image and later used to map survey routes. A pocket notebook was used for field entries; notes were recopied into a loose-leaf binder format each evening. My field notes and digital images formed the basis for this report.
Weather during the surveys was fair; 22C to 33C; winds were moderate to strong, E, ENE 10 – 30 kph, increasing by 1030 hrs. and at the highest velocities by mid-afternoon. Low tide was generally 0700-1000 hrs. Surf 1-3 ft; with a strong wind chop in the afternoon and early evenings. Wind-surfing was a popular sport along this section of the coastline.
SURVEY AREAS and DATES
Hãm Tiến (HT) – Three surveys (14 & 15 Feb. 1750-1820 hrs.; 16 Feb. 0609-0645 hrs.), including the Full Moon Resort grounds and nearshore waters. Multiple, casual observations while stationary and in transit to other parts of the neighborhood. Most of the birdlife occurred along the roadway between the coast highway through Hãm Tiến and the Trung Tâm Bùn spa facility. Habitat in this area consisted mostly of exotic trees (Coconut Palm, Acacia, Eucalyptus) and shrubs (Bougainvillea, Marigold) with admixtures of assorted ornamental herbs. Native deciduous scrub occurred sparingly in the burned margins of the roadway leading to Trung Tâm Bùn and on vacant land immediately adjacent to the facility.
Bàu Trắng (BT) – One survey (15 Feb. 0600-0716 hrs.), including main sand dune formation overlooking a lake and marsh (Area A). Subsequently, I walked across the divided highway at the main entrance of Bau Trang, and surveyed the wetland, comprised of a freshwater lagoon and marsh paralleling the highway (Area B – see previous satellite map).
Mũi Né Bay (MNB) – Three surveys (15 Feb. 0830-0930 hrs.; 16 Feb. 0800-0900 hrs.; 17 Feb. 0630-0722 hrs.) – Two surveys from land, initially overlooking the bay anchorage from the adjacent, elevated walkway. One aquatic survey (16 Feb.) was completed by hiring local fishermen ($42 USD + tip) to slowly motor around the bay anchorage. An oar-propelled ‘basket boat’ was taken from shore to access a diesel-powered trawler. The motorized segment of the survey allowed me to obtain close-up images of gulls and terns, many of which were resting on anchored boats. Other birds were on the water and/or flying around the bay in search of an easy meal.
Although most of the birds could be identified from shore using a combination of binocular and telephoto camera, diagnostic plumage details, particularly of immature birds, were sometimes difficult to discern at a distance. Luckily, a family of fishermen near the main shoreline market, agreed to put me on a relatively stable boat so that clear images of the birds could be fairly easily obtained.
As a supplemental travel note, the following day, during an early morning visit to the Mũi Né shoreline fish market, another local fisherman offered to take me out in his basket boat to photograph birds. His price ($8.30 USD) was considerably lower than that of the two fishermen who helped me the previous day. However, the wildly unstable basket boats could be problematic for bird photography. I politely declined the man’s kind offer of assistance.
Annotated Bird List: Mui Ne, Binh Thuan, February 14-17, 2024 Callyn Yorke
LEGEND
Abundance: Numbers following each species entry are the highest count for a single survey, when two or more surveys at a particular location were made. Locations (see below) with the highest numerical abundance are listed first in the species accounts.
Age, sex and molt (when known): ad = adult; imm = immature; m = male; f = female; bsc plmg = basic (non-breeding plumage; alt plmg = alternate (breeding) plumage; trans = transitional plumage, i.e. basic into alternate plumage.
Survey Location Abbreviations (see preceding satellite maps and area descriptions): Three main areas were surveyed: Hãm Tiến (HT); Bàu Trắng (BT) and Mũi Né Bay (MNB). See text and maps for further details.
Ecology and Behavior: aerial insect hawking (ah); taking fruit, berries or parts of flowers (fr); gleaning insects from foliage (ig); probing on or beneath the surface (pr); estimated height (m) above ground (agl); gregarious (greg); mixed-species flock (msf).
Systematics and Nomenclature used herein, is an amalgam of Avibase, International Ornithological Congress (IOC) and current (2024) online resources, i.e. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA.
Annotated Bird List
- Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 25 greg. pairs diving in open water and near shore, Area A, BT.
- Red Turtle-dove Streptopelia tranquebarica 1 atop Casuarina tree, Area B, BT.
- Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 12 vocal, greg. pairs on ground and on utility wires, ubiq..
- Germain’s Swiftlet Aerodramus germani 200 + flying 3 -60m agl over towns and adjacent open areas, ubiq..
- Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus 1 vocal (unseen) garden with tall Acacias, HT.
- White-browed Crake Amaurornis cinerea 3 aggressive interactions and flight from shallow peninsula with water hyacinth near shore, Area A, BT.
- Watercock Gallicrex cinerea 1 flushed from edge of marsh, Area B, BT.
- Striated Heron Butorides striata 1 flying to perch on fishing boat, MNB.
- Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 2 flying over shore and pond, Areas A & B, BT.
- Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus 4 greg. flushed from tall, marshy grass with a grazing cow, Area B, BT.
- Gray Heron Ardea cinerea 1 perched in a tall tree near the shore of a narrow peninsula, Area A, BT.
- Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 1 on shore, Area A, BT.
- Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 1 wading in shallows at end of narrow peninsula, Area A, BT.
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta 1 with INEG, wading in shallows at end of narrow peninsula, Area A, BT.
- Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra 2 flying offshore; one alighting on a fishing boat, MNB.
- Little Cormorant Microcarbo niger 6 individuals flying low over lake and diving in open water and near shore, Area A, BT.
- Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis 2 flying low over the lake, Area A, BT.
- Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus 2 interacting on shallow peninsula, then flying together to adjacent shore, Area A, BT.
- Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus 120 (ad, bsc. plmg. (one in trans. alt. plmg – photo; imm) greg. resting on fishing boats and flocks in water; flying low around boats; foraging fish and aquatic life at surface, MNB (photos).
- Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris 14 ( 5 ad.; 9 imm. – first cycle) greg., adults and immatures; most birds resting in pairs and trios on large fishing boats in outer bay; a few individuals flying low around outer anchorage, MNB (photos).
- Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 2 flying low around fishing boats, MNB.
- Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii 60 (ad. in bsc. plmg.; imm) most resting on outer fishing boats, on anchor lines and rigging; a few flying around bay and shoreline, dipping into surface water for small fish, MNB (photos).
- Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii 1 standing on a piece of floating polystyrene in outer bay, MNB.
- White-bellied Sea-eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster 1 picking up a fish from surface about 30m offshore, HT.
- Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops 5 greg. pairs foraging (pr) in ashes on a recently burned vacant lot; others flying around and alighting in garden trees, HT; MNB (photo).
- Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1 flying low near shore, MNB.
- Common Iora Aegithina tiphia 2 (m,f) in garden trees, HT.
- Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius 2 vocal in gardens, HT; MNB.
- Dark-necked Tailorbird Orthotomus atrogularis 1 vocal in garden trees and adjacent scrub, HT.
- Oriental Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orientalis 1 flushed from edge of marsh, Area B, BT.
- Eurasian Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 10 loosely greg. flying 1-20m agl over water, marsh and dunes and shorelines, ubiq..
- Sunda Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus analis 2 active in garden trees, HT.
- Streak-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus conradi 5 vocal, greg. in garden shrubs and trees, HT.
- Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 8 vocal, greg. pairs on utility wires, ubiq..
- Black-collared Starling Gracupica nigricollis 2 vocal; adult gathering blades of dry grass for nesting material, HT (photo).
- Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura nisoria 8 (m,f) greg. vocal, garden flowering shrubs, HT.
- Indian Sparrow Passer indicus 6 (m,f) shoreline, picking up nest material, MNB (photo).
- Plain-backed Sparrow Passer flaveolus 2 (m,f) vocal, taking small fruits from garden trees, HT (photo).
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 20 (m,f) greg., vocal, ubiq..