Flying species in Con Dao (Part 1)

The sunrise in Con Dao has a strange impression, even though you have been here. The serene calmness that dominates the history-filled streets of history seems to be the opposite of the eagerness of the sea. Far away from the sea is a small island with interesting things waiting.

Is a collection of 14 islands large and small, Con Dao is the short name of the Con Son archipelago. Its natural location gives the place an extremely rich natural environment. After 2 hours of travel, you will arrive at a small island surrounded by sharp stones, the first stop. Following the dirt road from the bottom up is a small hut like an observatory rather than a place to live. This is the small island Hon Tre, a place of ranger station of Con Dao National Park.

(Photo: Asiadivesite) Located not far from the neighboring small islands, rocky outcrops spread out under the harsh sun and surrounded by sea, the cliffs are an ideal shelter for many seabirds.

Even in the big ravine beside the road, the wild terns do not pay attention to the strange guests. They parked on the steep cliffs, hovering, flapping their wings and parked their wings calmly. They also did not pay attention to the clouds coming to show the rain coming down as if to cool the exposed rocks all day.

In Con Dao, from June to September, showers often come on suddenly during the day. The large amount of rain water gives this natural garden an abundant source of life. Those rains seemed to wash away the heat and return the small island a fresh air. Sunset is a time to easily distinguish each species.

The cliff is close to the waves that are stomped on by the terns, and the white knuckles and doves often sit on the trees near the nest. Terns usually reside near the edge of the sea and only in the rocks, even when resting, they do not park on tall branches. Only when it was dark, were they reluctant to fly to their nest.

Pass through a dense forest with dry maple trees on the west side of the small island, the sea froze in front of you with the fluttering wings. If you look a little bit, sometimes, you will see the signs of this bird's life right below the ground - it's the still-warm swallow eggs. Terns have many species, each with its own characteristics. Two breeds of representatives for Con Dao are gray heads and black backs.

The gray-headed species has an scientific name of Anous stolidus. When mature, they have white fur and turn gray at the top of the head. They live in groups, and are on the list of rare birds.

Black-backed terns are the most common terns in Con Dao. They are white and black. The head and face are black, with white streaks from the forehead to the back of the eyes, the upper part is lighter. They can dive into the water and dive well to be able to find bait near the surface of the water. This black dorsal species lives in pairs and follows quite large flocks. The body structure of the black mantle is very suitable for the marine environment. Their legs are thin and relatively long, which is a favorable feature for parked on rocky outcrops, cliffs as well as hunting under the water.

Anous stolidus - Anous stolidus (Photo: pari.go.jp)

The internal structure is almost like other birds, the terns' brains are stowed in the apical cavity to suit the environment of aquatic life. Their bones are softer and lighter than poultry species, which makes terns easy to take off in all terrain. When flying, due to a fairly wide wingspan and a light bone structure, the black dorsal can flutter a long distance without flapping its wings.

Black-backed crews are usually quite simple. The relatively dangerous cavities and cliffs that other species cannot reach are where they always choose. In the nest, the soil is dug with the average diameter of 15 to 20cm, the nest is not lined.

The time for mother terns to give birth around the beginning of May is an annual calendar. In the breeding season of terns, each nest usually has 1 to 2 eggs, spawning about 2 weeks apart. About a few weeks, egg oocytes quickly form embryos. After the mother bird lays eggs, the embryos form very quickly and are able to hatch chicks after a month, the young birds mature and become very fast. When the speckled spots on the egg start to darken more than the time when the young bird in it has completed to be born.

At this time of birth, young terns are easy to be prey for reptiles such as snakes and mice. therefore, the cliff topography of the sea is really a safe haven for them. It is also the reason that the number of black-backed swallows is more pronounced on the west coast of the small Hon Tre island.

At a young age, the black back had a pale gray coat, it was not as clear and black and white as its parents' fur. Instinct to live on rock as a genetic gene of this species.

At just 1 week of hatching, the size of the young bird just fits into the palm of the human hand, the wingspan has not grown wide enough. The white hair color chamber under the belly has begun to form, although not yet clear. Their food is just small pieces of food that their parents separated from captured fish and shrimp.

At the end of May, this is the time when these children are present in the most crowded tern community. Only after a season of feeding, young birds will be strong and mature so they can enter. They continue their lives as true fishermen, always looking out to sea and finding food sources there.

A small distance from Bamboo Mountain, there is a place that is considered a paradise of seabirds. It is the Egg Shell. This name comes from the appearance of this small island with this rocky geology.

Because the structure is full of cliffs, approaching and reaching the top of the Egg Island is not easy. A large amount of perches were released here with a large amount of waste, making the cliffs slippery and dangerous. If anyone climbs up to the top, outside beans rush up and alert the others on the island.

With an area of ​​nearly 1 km ² , the landing area at the top of the Egg is ideal for all activities of seabirds. Here, it seems that in addition to the curiosity of the visitors, they are not disturbed by any other species.

Although living in quite a large herd, but the custom of organizing a private life still clearly imposes in the black-backed terns. Each pair, each pair create their own corners. In the mating season, the swallows charm their subjects with shiny, well-groomed wings. Males park down and hold a distance away, staring at the females as if probing. After a while, as if making a price, the children flew up and teased. Both black-backed swallows mingle with the collective dance as to better define each other. Only a few moments later, the female descended to the place she had chosen earlier, and the male seemed to be able to answer, without hesitation, right down to the side.

At the most exciting time of the year, the black-backed couples are numerous, but now they seem to care only about their life partners. Each pair chose to own a cliff separate from the others, their competitiveness at this time is quite high. The gentle look on the male side of the terns will disappear as soon as there are other animals that intend to occupy its place.

The mating season of the black terns is not long, usually only about 2 weeks. After that time, the female birds restricted their movements more than before, they only flew away at times of feeding during the day. Apparently, maternal instincts force them to become meek to protect the life that begins to form.

(There's more.)

Hoang Lam