Date: November 2025
Time: Half Day + Spotlighting Tour
Guide(s): Tiên Nguyễn
Group size: 2x PAX
What Tour: Da Nang After Dark: Owls & Nightjars Spotlighting Tour
Guide’s Notes:
- Species Highlights: Collared Scops-Owl, Indian Nightjar, Eastern Barn Owl, Baya Weaver, Black-browed Warbler, White-throated Kingfisher, Racket-tailed Treepie, Chinese Pond-Heron, Yellow Bittern, Scaly-breasted Munia, Masked Laughingthrush, Black-collared Starling, Olive-backed Pipit, Eurasian Whimbrel, Little Ringed Plover.
- Weather Conditions: On-and-off heavy rain throughout the evening. Weather remained unpredictable due to the ongoing rainy season in Da Nang.
Detailed Tour Report:
Hoi An and Da Nang host a diverse mix of habitats, including scrubland, paddy fields, coastal dunes, and urban grasslands, making the region a rewarding destination for nocturnal birding. Our guests, Anne and Eric, were keen birders and photographers specifically hoping to encounter species such as the Indian Nightjar and Collared Scops-Owl. Despite challenging weather, the tour turned into an exciting and memorable evening.
We began our birding in the late afternoon around the paddy fields. Heavy rain showers moved across the landscape, but the clearing intervals allowed us to continue exploring. Our first sightings included a Baya Weaver, likely a female or nonbreeding male, showing its delicate buff-and-white underparts, stout bill, and subtle yellowish eyebrow as it foraged near water in the agricultural fields. While observing the weaver, a Black-browed Reed Warbler flicked in and out of the surrounding vegetation. Other notable species included White-throated Kingfisher, Yellow Bittern, and several Scaly-breasted Munia, all taking advantage of the calmer breaks between showers.
We continued to an area of scrubland where we hoped to locate the elusive Masked Laughingthrush. Although these birds remained well-hidden in dense bamboo, we managed to hear at least two individuals responding to playback. One pair briefly emerged onto a nearby shrub before disappearing again. In the adjacent grassland, a flock of eight Black-collared Starlings perched high on pine trees, showing their yellow facial skin, black collar, and contrasting dark mantle and wings.
As we approached the Cửa Đại Bay area, we also recorded an Eurasian Whimbrel and a Little Ringed Plover foraging across exposed mud and sand flats. Moving toward the edge of the water, we found an Olive-backed Pipit actively in search of food, identifiable by its greenish-brown upperparts and distinct breast streaking. However, the rain intensified shortly after, forcing us to adjust our route and turn back sooner for dinner than expected.
By dusk, the rainfall began to ease, providing the perfect conditions for the highlight of the tour – our spotlighting session. After a short wait and careful scanning, we were rewarded with incredible close views of two Indian Nightjar, both perched low in shrubs roughly 100 meters apart. Despite the drizzle, the birds remained still long enough for excellent observations. Indian Nightjar is a small, well-camouflaged nocturnal bird commonly found across open and semi-open landscapes of South and Southeast Asia. It thrives in habitats such as dry scrublands, grasslands, agricultural fields, anywhere that provides open ground for roosting and abundant insects for feeding. Farther along, two Eastern Barn Owl were seen hovering in the distance, likely foraging over open fields. Shortly after, as we drove to even quieter urban areas, we encountered a Collared Scops-Owl perched in a cultivated area near a young mangrove plantation.
Both Anne and Eric were thrilled especially as this was their very first encounter with a nightjar. Despite the on-and-off rain, the evening concluded with smiles and a sense of fulfillment, having witnessed the Hoi An’s birdlife under both day and night skies.
Additional highlights included:
- Asian Painted Frog
- Spot-legged Tree Frog
- Pantropical Huntsman Spider
This Da Nang After Dark: Owls & Nightjars Spotlighting Tour is perfect for birders, wildlife photographers, nature enthusiasts, and families looking to experience Vietnam’s rarely observed nocturnal species—and to spot birds as they emerge before dawn.
If you’re interested in joining an upcoming tour or planning a custom spotlighting experience, feel free to reach out. We’d be delighted to help you discover the magic of Da Nang’s wildlife after dark.
