LAST CHANCE TO HEAR THEM - A Birder in Central Annam
SHORT NOTES ON TWO SPECIES
Grey-crowned Crocias (Crocias langbianis) Survey & Narcissus Flycatcher (Ficedula Narcissina) Sightings
INTRODUCTION
The following is a short report on the sightings of two species around the village of Mang Den, Vietnam during two visits to the area in 2015: Grey-crowned Crocias (GCCR) and Narcissus Flycatcher (NAFC).
An attempt at a full report, with more details on the approximately 200 species I saw during my two visits, is anticipated later this year. Sightings of all bird species have been entered into ebird.org, so if you are interested in a particular species now, you can look for it using ebird.org's EXPLORE DATA options.
MY SIGHTINGS
I am an amateur birdwatcher who has birded extensively in South East Asia and this document should be treated as such. This is was not a professional survey, I did not band or handle any birds. I relied on my binoculars, camera, my ear and Craig Robson's field guide.
I hiked in the general area of Mang Den village, primarily in the forests west of the village. I followed well used tractor and motorcycle trails through closed canopy forest, or walked the empty streets and local paths in the village. Communication was difficult here, few people spoke English. I therefore just assumed Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) from the Vietnam/American War may have been present here, so I stuck to the trails. Local people wandered off trial, so perhaps the threat of UXO is low here. American Army Topographical maps from the Vietnamese War show the twin villages of Konplong/ Mang Den as an American landing zone at an altitude of 1170 meters a.s.l.
All of my sightings, including my daily checklists, have been entered on ebird.org. To view my sightings (and the lists of other ebirders) go to ebird.org, then click on EXPLORE DATA, then click on SPECIES MAPS. Enter the species you wish to view, and zoom into the Mang Den area which I explored. It is roughly 250 km southwest of Danang, or 50km NNE of Kontum.
All species sightings can be placed in the region of CENTRAL ANNAM in Craig Robson's “Birds of South east Asia.”
LOCATIONS
Location 1. Mang Den village and the surrounding forests are located in Kontum Province, Central Annam, Vietnam at an altitude of about 1050 – 1200 meters, 50 km east of Kontum City.
Location 2. Chestnut-eared (CELT) Location lies another 17 km north of Mang Den Village at an altitude of 1250 - 1400 meters. I visited this location 3 times in late March and early April and did not record GCCR. I did not visit here in January.
The Mang Den area is known as the only accessible place in Vietnam to see the Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush (CELT), and it is on the itinerary of most international Birding Tours, most of whom seem to pass through Mang Den for just two nights between March 10-20. A recent sighting in March 2012 of Grey-crowned Crocias (GCCR) added even more excitement to this relatively under-birded region. The forest west of the Mang Den village may be at an altitude too low for CELT, but it is ideal for many other species, namely the GCCR.
THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT
As in most tropical regions of the world, the greatest threat to the environment is someone like myself; the consumer of products grown in a tropical environment: Coffee, Sugar, Palm Oil, Paper, etc.
The forest seems to have some protection, as there are many signs (in Vietnamese) prohibiting the extraction of wood and other forest products. Who is responsible for the protection of these forests remained a mystery to me. Distant chainsaw music and selective logging was happening throughout. The government had just completed a new road directly through this forest from Kontum to Mang Den, along with multiple clearings for hydro lines. The altitude here is ideal for growing coffee and plantations have begun to spring to life. At least one foreign investment company has cleared 100 hectares of forest to start an organic vegetable farm. Extensive clear cut logging is happening to the north, the most recent Googlemaps satellite picture does not show the true extent of the clearing yet. Major plans to develop the entire area into a major tourist destination , a sort of new “Dalat”, seem to have stalled, but most of the forest clearing for these projects appear to have happened already. Silver Pheasant and Giant Squirrel were common here and I saw very few instances of hunting or evidence of hunting.
WEATHER AND BIRD ACTIVITY
In January the weather was characterized by a cool and constant misty wind from the east. The birdwaves were very impressive at this time, birds densities seemed high here perhaps due to the rampant deforestation in the surrounding area which may have forced the surviving birds into the remaining forest. My highest one day species total in January was 73, but 60-65 was more typical.
On a return visit in late March and early April, the weather was a bit more stable and the temperature was quite warm at mid-day, slowing birding activity. The birds were still around but not in birdwaves, many resident species were beginning to pair up and begin nesting, while winter visitors and passage migrants were going north. My highest one day species total in March/April was 86, but 60 was more typical and most species were heard only and /or I had poor views.
The Vietnamese celebration of TET should probably be avoided if planning a birding visit to Vietnam.
GREY-CROWNED CROCIAS
The GCCR has an interesting history. Collected in 1939 by Bertil Bjorkgren, an assistant of Count Gyldenstople it's origin of was not documented and therefore was left unseen by ornithologists and birdwatchers for some 50 years. In 1994 Jonathon Eames, Le Trong Traai and Nguyen Cu shocked the birding world when they rediscovered this species on the Dalat Plateau in southern Vietnam. In March of 2012 a birding tour saw a (GRRC) near Mang Den, well to the north of it's only known location on the Dalat Plateau, rocking the ornithological world to it's core.
The forest west of Mang Den may hold the largest known population of GRRC in Vietnam.
In January I found the GCCR to be quite vocal and usually in multi-species birdwaves. All birds seen were in adult plumage and typical group size was 3-4, maximum 5. These may have been family groups; perhaps adult parents with adult offspring. The species was encountered in these groups 1-2 times per day (8-10 hour) in it's preferred habitat (closed canopy forest, middle to upper story). I counted 48 birds in about 9-10 visits to the forest, but 8 were probably repeats as this species seemed quite loyal to it's own small territory of the forest.
In late March a few birds were seen, but they were no longer in birdwaves nor groups. Usually seen as just one or two birds (pairing?) and they had become less vocal. One exception was a vocal group of 4 birds in early April. I mostly left this species to it's (assumed) nesting time during this period, and the species seemed almost rare, quite the opposite of January.
Mang Den lies on the southern limits of the Troung Soun Mountain Range. These mountains stretch northwest into Laos, and perhaps contain more “localized pockets” of this species were altitude and remaining forest are ideal.
NARCISSUS FLYCATCHER
Due to the recent splitting of this species, I will add a brief species description so as to separate it from the Green-backed Flycatcher and the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher. Photographs were taken and they can be viewed on ebird.org's EXPLORE DATA option.
Male has a variable bright orange to yellow supercilium, with similarly colored chin and breast fading to white belly. Small white wing patch (not elongated) and yellow rump. Remainder of body black.
Female is overall rather plain looking, light brown above and light below. Lack's white wing patch, upper tail slightly rufous.
The multiple sightings of this species from 25 March to 3 April was quite unexpected and thus deserves some mention. Listed as a vagrant to Vietnam in Craig Robson's “A Field Guide to South-East Asia” , my sightings of this species suggest it's status as a possible regular passage migrant. During this time period typically one or two birds were seen daily, although 7 birds on a four kilometer walk on 31st March was exceptional, in part because I dedicated this day to searching for the species.
Sightings of this species coincided with the passage of the Blue-and-White Flycatcher, seen from 22nd March to 3rd April. I had a single day high count of 9 Blue-and-White Flycatcher's also on 31st March. Both species were mostly seen around the village streets, the Blue-and-White Flycatcher's were high in the pines and with the Narcissus Flycatcher's skulking in the bushes below. On a few days both these species could also been found in forest. Many Birding Tours passing through the area from March 10-20 would probably just miss these species.
CONCLUSION
The Grey-crowned Crocias appears to be a fairly common yet local resident in the forest to the west of Mang Den village. It's habitat is under threat despite some protection. Once the Ta Nung Valley on the Dalat Plateau becomes completely deforested in the next 10 years, Mang Den may be “The Place” to see this species in Vietnam.
The status of the Narcissus Flycatcher requires future fieldwork to determine whether this is a regular passage migrant through Kontum Province, or if my recent sightings were just a group of wayward migrants that were blown off course on their northward migration from Borneo to Northeast East Asia.
REFERENCES
Robson, Craig - A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia
Eames, Jonathon et al. - Rediscovery of Grey-crowned Crocias
New location for Grey-crowned Crocias
http://www.birdlife.org/asia/news/grey-crowned-crocias-crops-new-location