A spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is snapped on the beach of Thọ Quang in Sơn Trà penisula in Đà Nẵng. At least 50 migrarory birds and other bird species were found in the city. Photo courtesy Minh Hà

ĐÀ NẴNG — Endangered species of migratory birds have been regularly recorded on beaches, river banks and vacant land plots in Đà Nẵng between 2018 and 2020.

A report from a group of conservationists from the biology and environment science faculty of Đà Nẵng Education college released reports from surveys to help build a database for the Master Plan on biodiversity conservation.

Conservationist Phạm Tài Minh said three spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) individuals – listed as a Critically Endangered species with a population of less than 200 worldwide – were captured around the fishing port of Thọ Quang in Sơn Trà peninsula.

Minh said the spoon-billed sandpipers were approaching fishing vessels.

A greater sand plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) seeks food at Thọ Quang fishing dock of Đà Nẵng city. The site would be an attractive site for researchers on migratory bird species. Photo courtesy Phạm Tài Minh

He said various endangered migrant bird species that were listed in the Red Book of Việt Nam, including purple herons (Ardea purpurea); red-necked phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus); ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres) and pacific golden plovers (Pluvialis fulva) were seen.

“The endangered migrant bird species used to stop on the beaches of Đà Nẵng and coastal sites for food and nutrition before their journeys from Siberia through Southeast Asia and the Himalayas,” Minh said.

“The appearance of endangered bird species makes Đà Nẵng a safe stop for migrant birds and a research site in the near future,” he added.

Minh, who studies environment management at the college, warned that a lack of strict protection measures and human activities at the Thọ Quang fishing dock would have negative impacts on the migrant bird population.

He warned the migratory birds would not find Thọ Quang fishing dock a safe stop in the annual trip as the site would see the construction of the Ocean Park complex in the near future.

He also said snares and nets for birds – which can be found often in the buffer zone of the Sơn Trà nature reserve, land plots in the Asia Park and Ngũ Hành Sơn district – have emerged as dangers for wildlife and birds.

Minh said birds found at pet shops in Đà Nẵng were illegally trapped by poachers.

“The city should reserve protective areas for migratory birds on the beaches of Đà Nẵng and parks, and provide education programmes on wildlife and bird protection for local fishermen and residents.”

The city approved the Master Plan on biodiversity conservation in line with sustainable development goals, and current nature reserves of Sơn Trà, Bà Nà-Núi Chúa and Nam Hải Vân, or South Hải Vân forest, will be key priorities for strict protection in biosphere reserves, natural landscape protection, herb and botanical gardens.

Fishing boats dock at Thọ Quang beach in Sơn Trà peninsula. The site will be an ideal location for eco-tours and community-based tourism. VNS Photo Công Thành

Several new flora and fauna species were found in reserves of Sơn Trà and Bà Nà-Núi Chúa between 2017-19.

Sơn Trà reserve alone had 43 plant species listed as endangered in Việt Nam’s Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Two species – Owston’s Cvivet and Spotted Linsang – and the first-ever pictures of Chamois or Sumatran Serow and Crested argus pheasant were recorded in the Bà Nà-Núi Chúa reserve in 2016-18. — VNS