Frankly, Ho Chi Minh Metropolis just isn’t a spot you’d go to particularly for birding. However in case you are there anyway (initially of an extended birding journey) and have a day to spare, then why not? Particularly, a spot named Sala Township appeared fascinating primarily based on a couple of current eBird lists.
Sala Township is a barely bizarre place in that it is rather near the town middle (simply on the opposite facet of the river) and partly poshly constructed up, partly consisting of scrubland. The type of place that can be utterly uninhabitable for birds in about 5 years, if Vietnam continues growing and if my ordinary pessimism is justified.
Anyway, having learn far too many books on the Vietnam Conflict in my youthful days, there was a sure fascination in beginning birding in Vietnam – although I had been within the nation greater than 20 years in the past when the place indirectly was far more fascinating (i.e., no Starbucks anyplace, no straightforward cab rent by way of Seize, no money machines, and so on.).
In comparison with the aforementioned eBird record, my yield was modest – which I partly blame on the time of the day (roughly from 2 pm to five pm native time) and partly on my restricted abilities as a birder.
Nonetheless, it was value it for seeing a number of Asian Inexperienced Bee-eaters alone.
One paper – describing analysis conveniently executed on the college campus of Chittagong College, presumably near the canteen – seems to be at useful resource partitioning between this bee-eater and one other one, the chestnut-headed bee-eater. Useful resource partitioning is mainly the time period for liking various things, which makes it simpler to reside collectively (assume you consuming a lot of the meat and your spouse consuming a lot of the greens of a shared dinner).
Curiously, the analysis discovered that each species primarily spend their time in bushes (83% and 81%) and have the identical foremost meals supply, hymenopterans (25% every, and no, I don’t know what hymenopterans are both – presumably one thing with wings). So, mainly, the 2 species do precisely the identical issues. Then, primarily based on these outcomes, the examine concludes “coexisting bee-eater species partition their assets to restrict the results of interspecific competitors and it helps them to co-occur collectively”. QNED. (Word for these and not using a correct classical training: that is to point out off mine).
One other paper on the Asian Inexperienced Bee-eater (“Ecology of the Inexperienced Bee-eater”) could be present in a journal edited by the apparently named Vishwashanti Multipurpose Society (subtitle: World Peace Multipurpose Society). [So if global peace is not your thing, you can presumably choose another purpose at will.]
The paper offers one fascinating truth in regards to the bee-eater – apparently, it has a selected predator avoidance conduct that distinguishes it from many different species. If a possible predator is trying on the bee-eater’s nest, it is not going to enter till the predator has appeared away. This means that the hen is conscious of the place the predator is trying. The declare made within the paper – that this means the hen is conscious of the predator’s psychological state and thus has a ‘concept of thoughts’ – appears a bit far-fetched although.
If this can be a bit too thrilling for you, why don’t you take a look at a paper titled “Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I barcoding of the inexperienced bee-eater (Merops orientalis)”?
The primary hen I noticed in Saigon was much less unique although – a Eurasian Tree Sparrow.
It appears a bit unhappy to me that a paper on the Eurasian Tree Sparrow and the Home Sparrow has to justify the necessity for analysis on these species by arguing this advantages people: “Sparrow species … reside in a detailed affiliation with individuals. Subsequently, understanding their inhabitants standing and traits can even assist in monitoring the standard of environments the place most individuals reside”.
Zebra Doves appear to be as widespread in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis because the sparrows, however as they don’t reside in Shanghai, they’re extra fascinating to me – plus they’re type of cute, which is one thing not many doves and pigeons handle to tug off.
Apparently, some Zebra Doves could be fairly helpful, although presumably not those I noticed. Zebra Doves are raised for singing contests in nations together with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, and will value between 1000 and 50,000 USD relying on their singing qualities (supply).
(Word: if you wish to search for this supply, remember that the singing of the doves just isn’t the main target of the paper – as an alternative, it’s on roundworms rampant in caged dove populations. I suppose completely different individuals have completely different pursuits).
Scaly-breasted Munias additionally appear fairly widespread in HCM (as they’re in Shanghai).
And apparently elsewhere: Mississipi, …
… Texas …
… and Florida. All Republican states – does that inform us one thing in regards to the political opinion of this species?
My different spotlight of the day – after the bee-eaters – was a Collared Kingfisher.
This can be a hen that takes the formation of subspecies to an excessive. eBird states that there are almost 50 of them. To provide you an thought of the dimension of this quantity, it’s nearly as a lot because the variety of US states.
The species title of the Yellow-vented Bulbul, goiavier, just isn’t derived from Edoardo Goiavier (1734-1778), the Portuguese seafarer and naturalist, primarily as a result of such an individual by no means existed. As a substitute, it’s apparently derived from the French phrase for guava because the species was seen to continuously go to guava bushes. Apologies – a few of these title origins aren’t significantly fascinating.
45 of those bulbuls have been unfortunate sufficient to be dissected for an evaluation of their abdomen content material, leading to a paper for the Journal Of Oil Palm Analysis. The bulbuls are the most typical species in oil palm plantations and partly feed on bugs that injury the bushes, thus the scientific curiosity (and the premature demise of the people).
Germain’s Swiftlets are a problem even for significantly better photographers than me.
Whereas the species title germani appears to point a German connection for this species, it’s really named after a French collector, Louis Rodolphe Germain (1827-1912), for as soon as a reputation I didn’t make up. He was a veterinary surgeon in Indochina between 1862 and 1867, in keeping with the HBW.
The “Locomotion” part within the HBW on the species additionally explains why it’s troublesome to {photograph}: “The flight of Germain’s Swiftlet has a jerky movement, interspersed with quick glides by which wings are held angled downwards”.
My birding day ended with the flyover of a Purple Heron – not a hen one would see so near the town middle in Shanghai.
The youngest chicks in a clutch of Purple Herons of this species usually die of hunger – one paper describes this in somewhat technical phrases: “Brood discount by means of sibling hierarchies offers a fine-tuning on the time of peak nestling demand”.
Saddish story on the finish: Once I as soon as appeared for a information for a Vietnam hen tour, I contacted two tour corporations. My inquiry included the next sentence: “Do you will have feminine hen guides (I’ve had good experiences with them right here in China)?”
One of many tour corporations replied, “We shouldn’t have feminine hen guides in Vietnam, however we’ve got feminine assistant employees and there are lots of providers in Vietnam for enjoyable.” You may nearly see the “wink, wink” within the author’s face … Whereas this sounded tempting certainly, I made a decision in opposition to that firm as I’m not that a lot into enjoyable.
Due to Morten for the eBird record talked about initially of the put up and for patiently answering my follow-up questions.
