{"id":29236,"date":"2025-12-20T16:08:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T05:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/?p=29236"},"modified":"2025-12-20T16:10:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T05:10:32","slug":"hoi-an-birding-cruise-trip-report-october-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/hoi-an-birding-cruise-trip-report-october-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoi An Birding Cruise \u2013 Trip Report (October 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We departed from the pier at 5:30 AM, just as the first light spilled across the Thu Bon River. The morning was still and golden, with excellent conditions for scanning the mudflats and exposed sandbars as the tide receded. As the boat cruised quietly through the waterways, birdlife quickly emerged from all directions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shallow mudflats hosted a variety of waders. A lone <\/span><b>Eurasian Whimbrel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was observed foraging along the shoreline. Its distinctive head stripe and moderately long downcurved bill helping distinguish it from the larger Eurasian Curlew. Nearby, a single <\/span><b>Spotted Redshank<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stood out with its slim shape, longer dark bill, and soft grey plumage, noticeably more refined than the Common Redshank. Looking through the different areas, dozens of <\/span><b>Red-wattled Lapwings <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">patrolled the open flats, while <\/span><b>White-breasted Waterhens<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> skulked along the edges of dense reeds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heron colonies were lively this morning, we noted around 30 individuals of<\/span><b> Little Egrets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including three active flocks, alongside around 15 <\/span><b>Medium Egrets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, easily recognised by their shorter necks and yellow bills. A tall and imposing <\/span><b>Great Egret <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stood out with its long S-shaped neck, while a solitary<\/span><b> Little Heron<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hunted quietly along the riverbank. Early in the cruise, we also encountered small groups of ducks, including <\/span><b>Lesser Whistling-Ducks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (6) and <\/span><b>Indian Spot-billed Ducks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (4), gliding through the calmer stretches of water.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-29236 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/red-wattled-lapwing-Hoi-An-Birding-Cruise-2-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-768x769.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pied-kingfisher-Hoi-an-birding-cruise-2-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we approached transitional habitats &#8211; scrubland and mangroves, bird diversity increased further. We recorded a single <\/span><b>Asian Green Bee-eater<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a vibrant bird with a blue throat, and one <\/span><b>Blue-tailed Bee-eater,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> perched on a wire with long tail streamers and a yellow throat. Three <\/span><b>Long-tailed Shrikes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> scanned the grasslands from exposed perches. A <\/span><b>Racket-tailed Treepie <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">flashed its long, elegant tail as it moved through riverside trees. Kingfishers were among the stars of the cruise with: five <\/span><b>White-throated Kingfishers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, eight <\/span><b>Pied Kingfishers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> actively hovering and plunging into the water, and one <\/span><b>Common Kingfisher<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the river carried us past small villages and patches of urban forest, we encountered a mix of resident species. These included <\/span><b>Sooty-headed Bulbuls<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (5), <\/span><b>Masked Laughingthrushes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (4, heard only), <\/span><b>Black-collared Starlings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2), <\/span><b>White-shouldered Starling<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1), <\/span><b>Common Mynas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2), <\/span><b>House Sparrows<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (4), and <\/span><b>Eurasian Tree Sparrows <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(6). Overhead, two <\/span><b>Large-billed Crows<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> crossed the sky while around 20 <\/span><b>White-nest Swiftlets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and 10 <\/span><b>Asian Palm Swifts <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hovering above us. Additional sightings included <\/span><b>Red Collared-Doves <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2), <\/span><b>Spotted Doves <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(6), <\/span><b>Zebra Doves<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (8), <\/span><b>Greater Coucals <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2), <\/span><b>Paddyfield Pipit<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1), and another <\/span><b>Racket-tailed Treepie<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By 9:00 AM, as temperatures began to climb, bird activity gradually slowed and we concluded the cruise, returning to the pier with a total of over 40 species recorded.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-29242 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772-1024x546.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772-768x410.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772-1536x819.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/boat-thu-bon-river-hoi-an-2-scaled-e1766207282772-2048x1092.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this report inspires you to explore the Thu Bon River for yourself, we\u2019d love to welcome you aboard. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/hoi-an-birding-cruise\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hoi An Birding Cruise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is ideal for travelers with limited time, families seeking a nature-based experience, and dedicated birders searching for lifers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For inquiries or custom birding itineraries, please contact us &#8211; our team is happy to help you plan a memorable adventure in the heart of Central Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We departed from the pier at 5:30 AM, just as the first light spilled across the Thu Bon River. The morning was still and golden, with excellent conditions for scanning the mudflats and exposed sandbars as the tide receded. As the boat cruised quietly through the waterways, birdlife quickly emerged from all directions. Shallow mudflats [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[228],"tags":[281,550,222,688,694,151,125,126,692,695,693,696,691,689,690],"class_list":["post-29236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trip-reports","tag-birding","tag-birding-tours","tag-da-nang","tag-eurasian-whimbrel","tag-great-egret","tag-hoi-an","tag-indian-spot-billed-duck","tag-lesser-whistling-duck","tag-little-egret","tag-little-heron","tag-medium-egret","tag-paddyfield-pipit","tag-red-wattled-lapwing","tag-spotted-redshank","tag-white-breasted-waterhen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29236"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29244,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29236\/revisions\/29244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcontinenttours.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}