Cam Ranh Bay 2020;2022

Link to 2019 Cam Ranh Bay Survey & Annotated Bird List

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Central Cam Ranh Bay, Khanh Hoa Province, South Vietnam, November 9-13 2022 Callyn Yorke

Scroll down for Cam Ranh Bay November 9-13, 2022 Annotated Bird List

Weather: Partly cloudy with intermittent light rain and showers; winds nearly constant though variable in strength, ENE, N NW, 10 -35 kph; 25C to 28C. Low tide 0600-0800 hrs.

Time: Sunrise (0540 hrs.) to sunset (1800 hrs.); primarily morning and late afternoon, 2-3 hr. surveys.

Areas Covered: Central Cam Ranh Bay casuarina ponds (CP – see previous reports for area descriptions): adjacent to the central bay bridge on the south side of a divided highway. I made daily surveys of ten, abandoned aquaculture ponds, measuring roughly 50m2, filling and emptying with tidal flow from the bay. A few of the ponds retained shallow water throughout the tide cycle; the majority became mudflats at low tide. Shorebird abundance generally followed the daily tide cycle: low tides with the greatest abundance and diversity of birds on the ponds. Long-legged waders, e.g. Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper, favored ponds with relatively deep water.

Adjacent land within the CP survey area, consisted of a small (0.25 ha), marshy pasture (about a dozen head of tethered cattle grazed it fairly regularly), disturbed, i.e, young mangrove and coastal scrub. A windbreak of mature casuarina trees (25 m) formed a border between the highway and the mangrove-pond area. Those trees, some with dieback, regularly attracted land birds, e.g. White-shouldered Starling and Asian Green Bee-eater. I also surveyed vacant lots around an adjacent Navy government hotel; one motorbike survey on the north side of the highway included backstreets, aquaculture ponds, gardens and ruderal fields. A brief motorbike and walking survey of disturbed coastal dunes (CD) north and west of the airport (unfenced, open land) on November 12, was abbreviated due to rain. A total area of about 10 hectares of wetlands was covered during the regular walking and stationary surveys at the ponds (CP).

The pasture and adjacent coastal scrub occasionally had pedestrian and motorbike traffic. Usually, the survey area was quiet and little visited by locals. The old aquaculture ponds appeared to have been abandoned some years earlier. Narrow embankments and levees separating the ponds supported pickleweed, salt grass and early successional coastal scrub growth. Areas of dense coastal scrub, screened from the highway by the casuarina grove, were used as a public latrine and trash dump.

For stationary observations at the ponds, I set up a two-person photography tent-blind (see Materials and Methods) at sunrise on 10 November, 2022, for three hours (0545-0845 hrs.). Shorebirds initially avoided the pond sections around the tent. After about one-hour, the birds appeared to habituate to the novel structure and moved into close proximity, e.g. 10-15m. But when stronger winds began rustling the tent, the birds moved further away from it. My impression was that if the tent were to remain set up in the same location for a series of days, and there was little or no human presence visible around it, most of the shorebirds would probably ignore the anomaly.

Materials and Methods

I made daily, early morning, mid-morning and late afternoon walking surveys of the above-described pond-wetland areas. I used a Zeiss 10×42 binocular and hand-held, Nikon D3X camera, fitted with a Nikon 200-500mm VR-IF-AF lens. A Google Pixel 3X cell phone was used for general photography. For stationary observations and photography at the ponds, I used a Tragopan Monal V2, two-person tent with a Tragopan folding chair. Multiple window flaps in the tent, although problematic in winds > 15 kph, allowed for viewing in all directions above and around the ponds (photo).

Field notes were recopied later the same day into a loose-leaf binder format. When species identifications were in question, images captured in the field and online resources (e.g. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA) were used for reference. In most cases, I was familiar with the bird species of this area from doing previous fieldwork (see earlier website reports). However, when an identification remained uncertain, it was given a ? in the Annotated Bird List.

Annotated Bird List: Central Cam Ranh Bay, Khanh Hoa Province, South Vietnam, November 9-13, 2022 (52 Species) Callyn Yorke

Abundance: Numbers following each species entry are the maximum count for a single survey, when multiple surveys of an area were made 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.

Frequency: C = Common, i.e. found during all or more than half of the surveys in appropriate habitats; UC = found on fewer than half of the surveys; R = found only once.

Localities & Distribution: Casaurina Ponds, Central Cam Ranh Bay, including abandoned tidal aquaculture ponds, adjacent mangrove, wet pasture, ruderal fields, commercial and residential developments with ornamental fruiting trees and gardens (CP); Coastal dune scrub north and west of the airport (CD) See Introduction for further location details; ubiquitous in the appropriate habitat (ubiq).

Ecology and Behavior: aerial insect hawking (ah); taking fruit, berries or parts of flowers (fr); probing in the substrate (pr); gleaning insects from foliage (ig); estimated height (m) above ground (agl); gregarious (greg); mixed species flock (msf).

Systematics and Nomenclature used herein, follows Avibase and current (2022) online resources, i.e. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA.

• Feral Rock Pigeon Columba livia 8 greg. in pasture and edges of ponds, C, ubiq.
• Eastern Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis 4 vocal, usually in pairs, flushed from ground or low perches, C, CP, CD
• Red Turtle Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica 2 greg. pairs on utility wires, UC, CP
• Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 8 vocal, greg., C ubiq.
• Germain’s Swiftlet Aerodramus germani 60 greg. in large flocks (est. 60 birds) flying low, back and forth, like bats over sw pond at dusk; at other times of the day, widely scattered flocks at 2 – 60m agl, noticably lower during and immediately following rains, C, ubiq.
• Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis 2 greg., pairs flying 10m agl, UC, CP
• Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis 1 flushed from coastal scrub and mangrove, UC, CP, CD
• Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus 1 vocal, seen on hotel parking lot and flying into grove of ornamental trees in adjacent developments, UC, CP
• White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus ? 2 flushed from shady canal on east side of mangrove patch; seen briefly as two medium-sized, dark rails in flight, R, CP
• Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis 1 in flight, low over mangrove, R, CP
• Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis 1 (ad) flying low over mangrove in late afternoon, R, CP
• Striated Heron Butorides striatus 4 (ad, imm) loosely gregarious in mangrove and often elsewhere in wetland areas with good vegetative cover; readily flushed then flying a short distance to cover, C, CP
• Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 5 (ad, imm.) loosely gregarious and readily flushed from pasture and edges of ponds, C CP
• Gray Heron Ardea cinerea 1 (ad.) flying low over the ponds in the morning and late afternoon, alighting in tall mangrove growth on south side, UC, CP
• Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta 4 individuals flying low over wetlands, occasionally alighting on pond mudflats and pasture, C, CP
• Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 12 bsc. plmg. greg., clattering calls given in flight over wetlands in early mornings and alighting on edges of ponds and in pasture amongst cattle, e.g. Cattle Egret, C, CP (photo).

• Little Egret Egretta garzetta 60 greg. C, ubiquitous in wetlands
• Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 18 ad., imm., greg. adults and immatures often in separate flocks when foraging; always seen in and around the deeper ponds on south side, C, CP
• Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius ssp. jerdoni & curonicus 30 ad. imm., bsc. and trans. plmg. (an individual C.d. jerdoni was in full alternate plumage) loosely greg. on mudflats and dry ponds; usually the last species to flush upon close approach; an apparent mix of resident and migratory C. d. jerdoni being the numerically dominant subspecies present; small numbers of the primarily migratory subspecies, C.d. curonicus, found only sparingly on mudflats, usually near cover in mangrove; UC (C.d. curonicus); C (C. d. jerdoni), CP (photos).

• Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus 6 often in pairs, rather shy and staying apart from other shorebirds on open mudflats and mostly dry ponds, C, CP (photo).

• White-faced Plover Charadrius dealbatus 2 on open, dry ponds, staying apart mostly but sometimes loosely associated with LRPL, UC, CP
• Lesser Sandplover Charadrius atrifrons 4 bsc. plmg., loosely gregarious on dry ponds and mudflats in and near mangrove, UC, CP
• Mongolian Sandplover Charadrius mongolus 3 loosely gregarious on dry ponds and mudflats, often associated with LRPL UC, CP

• Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii 1 on semi-dry pond, UC, CP
• Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 1 on dry section of s pond at daybreak; shy and retiring to cover where unseen during the day, UC, CP
• Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta 18 greg. on mudflats, levees and marshy grassland, C, CP
• Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis 20 greg. in small flocks foraging on wet and semi-dry ponds, mangrove, C, CP (photo – see intro).
• Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 1 flushed from mudflats in mangrove, flying to nearby cover; wading in pond, UC, CP (photo).

• Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 2 edge of ponds and mangrove, C, CP (photo)

• Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 2 greg. a pair on edge of backwater canal and sw pond; shy and readily flushed, flying out of the immediate vicinity of the ponds, UC, CP
• Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 6 individuals foraging in mangrove, marsh and mudflats; vocal when flushed, C, CP
• Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 5 individuals and pairs foraging in relative deep water of ponds; occasionally in mangrove and open marshy pasture; vocal when flushed C, CP
• Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis 4 pairs often perched on utility wires over pasture and mangrove, sallying to ground and aerial forays for large insects, e.g. dragonflies, C, CP
• Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1 low (20-30 cm) perch in mangrove and edge of ponds, usually with nearby cover; readily flushed, UC, CP
• White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 2 vocal, often perched on utility wires and dead tree limbs, C, CP
• Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris 1 perched on low utility wires over mangrove, UC, CP
• Common Iora Aegethina tiphia 1 (m) in ornamental trees adjacent to the highway, UC, CP
• Burmese Shrike Lanius collurioides 2 on utility wires and low tree limbs at edge of pasture and mangrove, sallying to ground for insects, C, CP
• Indochinese Bushlark Mirafra erythrocephala 3, pairs and individuals in coastal dune scrub, CD
• Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris 3 vocal but seldom seen in dense coastal scrub and mangrove edge, C, CP
• Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius 1 repeated song from concealed shrubs and lower limbs of casaurinas, UC, CP
• Oriental Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis 6 vocal, remaining well concealed in dense coastal scrub and mangrove, C, CP,CD
• Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata 2 repeated vocalizations (calls) in the late afternoon while concealed in tall grass and shrubs, UC, CP
• Eurasian Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 16 greg., flying .5- 20m agl over pasture and wetlands; roosting in multilevel building adjacent to CP,C, ubiq.
• Streak-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus conradi 10 vocal, greg. in trees, shrubs, mangrove, gardens and second-growth, C, ubiq.
• White-shouldered Starling Sturnia sinensis 20 (m,f) vocal, greg. in flight throughout the area, aggregating in casaurinas, and tall ornamental trees, C, ubiq
• Sunbird sp. c.f. Cinnyris ornatus 1 vocal in adjacent residential garden with ornamental fruiting trees, UC, CP
• Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura nisoria 4 (m,f) greg. in tall grass, pasture, shrubs and gardens, UC, ubiq.
• Indian (House) Sparrow Passer indicus 20 (m,f) vocal, greg., pasture, gardens, pavement; numerically dominant and apparently maintaining spatial segregation from congeneric P. montanus, C, ubiq.
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 10 (m,f) vocal, greg., limited to a residential area adjacent to the wetlands; not found associated with congeneric P. indicus, C, CP
• Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus 6 partially greg. though often aggressively territorial in wet pasture and edges of ponds; possibly two subspecies here, resident (nominate) and migratory (malayensis), the latter slightly smaller, darker overall with blackish central rectrices and less or no white showing in outer rectrices when flushed, C, CP, CD
• Chinese Wagtail Motacilla leucopis 1 actively foraging on dry pond beds, UC, CP

Central Cam Ranh Bay; Bai Dai Beach, Khanh Hoa Province, South Vietnam, October 4-9, 2022 Callyn Yorke

Scroll down for Cam Ranh Bay October 4-9 Annotated Bird List

Weather: Partly cloudy to heavy overcast with intermittent showers; temp. 27C to 32C; wind variable ENE 2 -15 kph; seas choppy, surf 0.2-1m; high tide 0600-0700 hrs.

Time: 0530 (sunrise) to 1800 hrs. (sunset).

Areas Covered: 1) Central Cam Ranh Bay (4-6 October: five surveys, SCRB). Early to mid-morning and late afternoon walking surveys using a Zeiss 10×42 binocular, Nikon D3X with Nikon 200-500 IF AF VR lens and field notebook, visually surveying about 5-hectares of mostly ephemeral wetland habitats — a mosaic of disturbed coastal beach scrub with a small grove of mature casuarina, young mangrove, pickleweed and tidal mudflats, wet, short-grass pasture and a checkerboard arrangement of abandoned tidal aquaculture ponds separated by sandy berms. This area was relatively quiet and undisturbed by human activities during the surveys. Open-range livestock were grazing the pastureland on the afternoon of 5 October; two fishermen were netting in the only deep-water pond on the morning of 6 October.

2) Bai Dai Beach and adjacent coastal dune scrub (6-9 October: four surveys, BDB). Early to mid-morning and afternoon walking surveys using the equipment described above, visually surveying about 20-hectares of ocean shoreline, adjacent coastal dune scrub, water-filled sand-mining pits and lily ponds, eucalyptus, casuarina and other planted trees, resort gardens with ornamental flowering shrubs and trees, lawns and vacant lots. These areas had comparatively more disturbance from construction work, pedestrians, vehicles, and people on the beach. Shorelines outside the resort areas were abundantly littered with trash.

Annotated Bird List: Central Cam Ranh Bay & Bai Dai Beach, Khanh Hoa Province, South Vietnam, October 4-9, 2022 (62 Species) Callyn Yorke

Abundance: Numbers following each species entry are the maximum count for a single survey, when multiple surveys of an area were made 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.

Frequency: C = Common, i.e. found during all or more than half of the surveys in appropriate habitats; UC = found on fewer than half of the surveys; R = found only once.

Localities & Distribution: Bai Dai Beach and adjacent areas (BDB); Central Cam Ranh Bay (SCRB); see above Introduction for further location details; ubiquitous in the appropriate habitat (ubiq).

Ecology and Behavior: aerial insect hawking (ah); taking fruit, berries or parts of flowers (fr); probing in the substrate (pr); gleaning insects from foliage (ig); estimated height (m) above ground (agl); gregarious (greg); mixed species flock (msf).

Systematics and Nomenclature used herein, primarily follows current (2022) online resources, i.e. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA.

• Feral Rock Pigeon Columba livia 12 greg. foraging in pasture, C, SCRB
• Red Turtle Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica 6 greg. on utillty wires and in casuarinas, C, SCRB
• Eastern Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis 4 vocal, greg. coastal scrub, C, SCRB, UC, BDB
• Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 20 vocal, greg. often on pavement, gardens and clearings, C SCRB, BDB
• Germain’s Swiftlet Aerodramus germani 70 greg. flying 5 – 60m agl, lowest during and after rains, over open areas, C, ubiq.
• Asian Palm-swift Cypsiurus balasiensis 2 greg. pairs flying 5-15m though groves of palms and ornamental trees, UC, BDB
• House Swift Apus nipalensis 1 flying 40m agl over open field, R, SCRB
• Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis 3 in trees, coastal dune scrub, UC, BDB
• Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus 1 vocal, flying from ornamental tree, UC, SCRB
• White-browed Crake Amaurornis cinerea 1 running in open between clumps of pickleweed at edge of shrimp ponds, R, SCRB (photo).

• Striated Heron Butorides striata 5 ad., imm., vocal when flushed, loosely greg. in dense vegetation bordering shrimp ponds; on utility poles and wires, and at exposed edges of pasture and ponds, C, SCRB
• Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 3 flying low over ponds and pasture, C, SCRB, UC, BDB
• Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta 1 flying over wetlands; southeast bay shoreline UC, SCRB, BDB
• Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 6 greg. flying over wetlands; at edge of ponds, C, SCRB, BDB
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta 12 greg. in and around wetlands, C, SCRB, BDB
• Great Thicknee Esacus revurvirostris 5, at least five sets of single and possibly paired fresh tracks in sand above high tide line, along a 0.8 km section of the shoreline; birds unseen during dawn and dusk surveys in those areas, likely due to their exclusively nocturnal activity, BDB.
• Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 3 (1 ad, 2 imm) in shallows of shrimp ponds, C, SCRB (photo).

• Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva 1 (trans. bsc. plmg.) flew to dense patch of pickleweed at edge of shrimp ponds, R, SCRB
• Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 10 (ad, imm; bsc. plmg.) loosely gregarious on edges of shrimp ponds and between patches of pickleweed, C, SCRB, BDB (photo).

• Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus 2 (bsc. plmg.) on sandy berms at edges of ponds, UC, SCRB

• White-faced Plover Charadrius dealbatus 5 pairs and individuals on shore (inner and outer); on sandy berms at edge of shrimp ponds, C, BDB, SCRB
• Lesser Sandplover Charadrius atrifrons 2 greg. on sand berms and edges of shrimp ponds, C, SCRB
• Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaulti 3 greg. flying low over outer shore, alighting on inner shore, UC, BDB, SCRB
• Black-necked Lapwing Vanellus atronuchalis 1 vocal in flight over dune wetland, R, BDB
• Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 2 a pair walking between patches of pickleweed at edge of shrimp ponds, UC, SCRB
• Broad-billed Sandpiper Calidris falcinellus 3 loosely gregarious in shrimp ponds, UC, SCRB
• Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminicki 1 (trans. bsc. plmg.) at edge of shrimp pond between pickleweed patches, R, SCRB
• Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta 8 (ad, imm; bsc. plmg.) loosely gregarious, pr in shallows and edges of shrimp ponds, C SCRB
• Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis 12 greg. (ad, imm; trans. & bsc. plmg.) pr in shallows and edges of shrimp ponds, C, SCRB
• Red-necked (Northern) Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus 1 (bsc. plmg.) spinning in tight circles in shallows of shrimp pond; flushed and returning to adjacent pond, swimming; also pr at edge of pond, C, SCRB (photo).

• Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 2 a pair flushed from edge of pasture and shrimp pond and mangrove channel, R, SCRB
• Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 2 (ID: bsc. plmg. long-legged with conspicuous white supercilium) a pair in pickleweed and edge of shrimp pond, UC, SCRB
• Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 2 pr at edge of shrimp ponds, UC, SCRB
• Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 4 (ad, imm; bsc. plmg.) in pickleweed, tall grass at edge of pasture pond and shrimp ponds, C, SCRB (photo).

• Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatalis 6 (bsc. plmg.) greg. pr in shallows of shrimp ponds, C, SCRB (photo).

• Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii 2 (ad) a pair flying low offshore near fishing boats in late afternoon, R, BDB
• Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis 2 greg. pairs sallying to ground for insects, perched on utilty wires and exposed limbs, C, SCRB, BDB (photo).

• Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1 flushed from cover at edge of ponds, UC, SCRB, BDB
• White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 1 vocal, on utility wires and low limbs near ponds, C, SCRB, BDB
• Common Iora Aegithina tiphia 3 vocal, ig, fr, in ornamental garden trees, C, BDB
• Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 1 sallying to grass with AGBE at edge of pasture pond, R, SCRB
• Burmese Shrike Lanius collurioides sallying from utility wires and low limbs over wetlands, C, SCRB, BDB
• Indochinese Bushlark Mirafra erythrocephala 2 in pairs – loosely gregarious in tall grass and patchy shrubland, often flushed from ground, UC, BDB
• Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris 8, vocal, loosely gregarious in shrubs and trees, C, ubiq.
• Plain Prinia Prinia inornata 2 vocal in shrubs at edge of ponds and pasture, UC, SCRB
• Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius 6 vocal, in shrubs and ornamental garden trees, C, ubiq.
• Eurasian Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 20 (bsc. and alt. plmg.) vocal, greg. flying back and forth over pasture, wetlands and nearshore waters; roosting on window ledges of tall buildings, C, ubiq.
• Southern Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster 3 vocal, greg. in trees, dune scrub, R, BDB
• Sunda Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 5 vocal, greg. in trees at edge of wetlands, gardens, C, SCRB, BDB
• Streak-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus conradi 16 vocal, greg. in garden trees, shrubs, C, ubiq.
• Phylloscopus sp. c.f. P. inornatus 1 foraging on limbs and foliage of fruiting garden tree, UC, BDB
• White-shouldered Starling Sturnia sinensis 12 greg. flocks in casuarinas and flying over wetlands, C, SCRB, BDB
• Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 4 vocal, greg. on ground and roof tops, mostly around settlements, C, ubiq.
• Eastern Blue Rock-thrush Monticola philippensis 1 (f) flushed from driveway to window ledge of hotel, R, SCRB
• Ornate (Olive-backed) Sunbird Cinnyris ornatus 5 vocal, (m,f) pairs active in flowering and fruiting ornamental trees, C, BDB
• Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura nisoria 6 vocal, greg. in tall grass, patchy shrublands, wetlands, C, SCRB, BDB
• Indian Sparrow Passer indicus 10 (m,f) vocal, greg. on lawns and driveways, mostly in and near settlements, sympatric with EUTS but spatially separated, rarely in msf, C, SCRB, BDB
• Plain-backed Sparrow Passer flaveolus 2 roadside shrubs and trees, R, BDB
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 30 (m,f) vocal, greg., C, ubiq.
• Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi 1 (ID: very similar to nearby PAPI by comparison, but with pale lores, buffy eye-ring) at edge of pasture, R, SCRB
• Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus 10 individuals on ground in pasture, vacant lots, edge of ponds, inner shore, C, ubiq.
• Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis 3 (imm) all in immature, 1st bsc. plmg. loosely greg. ig in tall grass, occasional intraspecific aggression at edge of pasture pond, C, SCRB (photo)

• Gray Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 1 flew to pasture at edge of pond, UC, SCRB

____________________________________________________________

Central Cam Ranh Bay & Bai Dai Beach: January 5-10, 2020 (68 Species)

Weather: Generally fair and warm with variable cloudiness; 68F to 85F; winds ENE 5 – 25 mph, consistent but strongest in the afternoon and early evening; Low tide 0600-0900 hrs.

Time: 0530 (sunrise) to 1730 hrs. (sunset); most observations made during the first two hours after sunrise and before sunset.

Observers: Da Thao Le Nguyen and Callyn Yorke

Areas Covered: Walking and via motorbike, largely between the north Bai Dai coastal dunes and south to the military base at the airport highway bridge (Central Cam Ranh Bay). Habitats surveyed included, open water of the bay (OW), mudflats and fragmented mangrove (MM), saltpans, wet and dry (SP), coastal dune scrub, variably natural woodland to fragmented shrubland, with and without ponds and water-filled sand-mining pits (CD), open, weedy fields and roadside margins, sometimes with scattered tall trees, e.g. Casaurina (WF). Suburban gardens and vacant lots (SG), including one visit on Jan. 9 to the Tu Van Temple gardens with mature ornamental flowering trees and shrubs (TV).

BIRDS NOTED (numbers following species indicate maximum counts during any one survey).

Red Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica) 4 (m,f) gregarious, flushed from ground to trees, CD (photo).

Eastern Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) 8 (m,f) gregarious, ubiquitous.

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata) 10 (m,f) vocal, gregarious, often on the ground in disturbed areas.

Orange-breasted Green Pigeon (Treron bicinctus) 1 (m) in flowering tree, CD.

Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) 1 vocal at dusk; flushed from ground under shrubs and Casaurinas, CD.

Germain’s Swiftlet (Aerodramus germani) 30 gregarious, 3 – 50m a.g.l., ubiquitous.

Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) 2 vocal, CD (photo).

Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) 1 in isolated tree, CD (photo).

White-browed Crake (Amaurornis cinerea) 2 flushed from lily pond to adjacent trees, CD (photo).

Striated Heron (Butorides striata) 1 edge of ponds, CD.

Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus) 5 gregarious, wet, ubiquitous.

Eastern Cattle Egret (Bulbucus coromandus) 2 gregarious CD, MM.

Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea) 1 CD; perched on fish net stake in bay, OW.

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta) 5 solitary and loosely gregarious, ubiquitous.

Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) 10 gregarious, often with EGEG and CPHE, LIEG CD.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 100 gregarious, ubiquitous.

Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger) 1 in leafless eucalpytus next to large sandpit pond, CD.

Great Thicknee (Esacus recuvirostris) unseen; several sets of tracks in sand, CD (photo).

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) 16 (ad, imm) gregarious, SP, MM (photo).

Gray Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1 on bayside sandbar with GRSP, SP (photo).

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) 40 ad,, imm. (alt., bsc plmg.) gregarious; roosting in late afternoon and during strong winds in shallow depressions on dry saltpans, SP, MM (photo).

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus ssp.) 12 ID: ad. m., bsc. plmg, brown forecrown, black lores, dark auriculars, moderately long bill, long, light greenish legs, cf. C. dealbatus & C. peronii; loosely gregarious, SP, MM (photo).

Malay Plover (Charadrius peroni) 2 MM.

Greater Sandplover (Charadrius leschenaulttii) 10 gregarious, SP (photo).

Black-necked Lapwing (Vanellus atronuchalis) 1 flying over ponds, CD.

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) 4 distant views only, loosely gregarious, feeding in shallows, MM (photos).

Long-toed Stint (Calidris subminuta) 8 (ad., imm.) loosely gregarious, SP, MM (photo).

Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) 30 (ad, imm.) tightly gregarious, SP, MM (photo).

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) 1 edge of ponds, SP, MM (photo).

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) 5 individuals at edges of ponds, saltpans and mudflats, SP, MM (photo).

Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) 1 aggressive toward smaller sandpipers, SP (photo).

Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) 4 gregarious while feeding in shallows, SP, MM (photo).

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) 1 in short herbaceous and grassy vegetation at edge of flooded mudflat in a field, WF/MM (photo).

Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 1 ? ID: a medium-sized adult or 3rd cycle Larus with gray mantle, dark primaries, yellowish tarsi; seen at a great distance on the west side of the bay, standing on a mudflat (photo).

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) 1 flying low over fish trap area, OW.

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) 2 circling low over the bay and diving successfully for small surface fish, OW (photo).

Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii) 1 circling low over the bay and diving for small, surface fish, OW (photo).

Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) 1 dead on highway bridge road.

Asian Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) 8 loosely gregarious in shrubs and trees bordering dune scrub and ponds, CD (photo).

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 1 diving in pond, CD.

White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) 1 open, brushy and wet fields, CD.

Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) 1 perched at the edge of a mangrove patch, MM.

Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) 4 gregarious in tall trees, vocal, CD.

Northern Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 1 in weedy, vacant lot, CD.

Burmese Shrike (Lanius collurioides) 1 vocal, perched in roadside shrub, CD.

Indochinese Bushlark (Mirafra erythrocephala) 3 individuals on the ground in open fields, CD (photo).

Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris) 5 vocal, often in pairs, brushy areas near water, CD.

Oriental Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) 2 vocal, shy, active at edge of mangrove and wet fields with tall shrubs and trees, CD, SP, MM (photo).

Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) 1 vocal, shy, staying close to the ground in weedy field, CD.

Eurasian Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 10 (ad., imm.) gregarious, low-flying, ubiquitous (photo).

Sunda Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus apalis) 1 perched atop tree, CD.

Streak-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus conradi) 6 gregarious, ubiquitous in vegetated areas.

Pin-striped Tit-babbler (Mixornis gularis) 5 vocal in dense coastal scrub, CD.

White-shouldered Starling (Sturnus sinensis) 10 gregarious in flowering tree, TV.

Vinous-breasted Myna (Acridotheres leucocephalus) 1 with flock of WSST, TV.

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) 1 foraging in grassy field, CD.

Chinese Blackbird (Turdus mandarinus) 1 flying, CD.

Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) 2 a vocal pair, dense coastal scrub, CD.

Ornate Sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus) 5 (m,f) vocal, foraging in garden flowering shrubs, CD (photo).

Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) 1 m (eclipse), on tall shrubs in open field, CD.

Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura nisoria) 60 vocal, gregarious, ubiquitous in vegetated areas.

Indian Sparrow (Passer indicus) 1 on lawns of developed resort property, CD.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10 ubiquitous.

Chestnut Bunting (Emberiza rubia) 4 gregarious in tree at edge of dune, CD.

Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 4 gregarious, vocal atop a tall Casaurina, CD.

Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus) 10 individuals and pairs on ground in open areas, ubiquitous (photo).

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) 3 individuals foraging at edge of salt pans and in grassy fringes, SP, MM, WF (photo).

Chinese White Wagtail (Motacilla leucopis) 1 foraging on mudflat, MM (photo).