Photo: The beauty of water birds in Vietnam

Moments of the rare spoonbill, black-faced spoonbill and common golden plover... were captured by the authors at the photo contest "Waterbirds in Vietnam".

On the morning of May 27, the photo contest "Waterbirds in Vietnam" opened its exhibition and awarded prizes in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the photo are two species of spoonbills - the European spoonbill (left) and the black-faced spoonbill at Xuan Thuy National Park (Nam Dinh) - by author Le Duc Hien, winning first prize. This is considered a rare and lucky moment in nature when the author captured two different species in one frame. The black-faced spoonbill, scientific name Platalea minor, has a light pinkish-brown bill and dark black facial skin, and is smaller than the Eurasian spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia ). The Eurasian spoonbill breeds in the Palearctic region, and in winter it can migrate or stray into Southeast Asia, while the black-faced spoonbill breeds in East Asia and migrates to winter in Southeast Asia, a highly endangered species (EN) with a global population currently estimated at about 4,000 individuals. Every year, they migrate to the tidal areas in the Red River Delta (Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve, Thai Binh estuary and Nghia Hung coastal area, Nam Dinh ) in small numbers and are urgent species in need of protection.

The second prize winning work "Vo doi" by author Nguyen Van Thanh took a photo of a young le hoi fish in the coastal area of Can Thanh town, Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City.

The Little Grebe ( Tachybaptus ruficollis ), is a species of grebe (Podicipedidae), 23-29 cm long, often found in freshwater ponds and lakes, at first glance it looks like a duck but is much smaller and not related to the duck family, they often live in pairs and are very good swimmers. The bird has a white ring around the eye, a small pointed beak, dark upperparts with a gray-brown neck in the non-breeding season, the white lowerparts are only visible when flying. The chicks can swim immediately after hatching, the chicks are often carried on their parents' backs when foraging.

The photo Vitality, which won second prize, by Vu Minh Tuan, captures the Bronze-winged Jacana ( Metopidius indicus ). This is one of the common birds in Tram Chim National Park. They often forage in swampy areas with vegetation including lotus, water lilies, or duckweed. Thanks to their very long toes, they can easily walk on leaves floating on the water surface.

The work "Bay ve noi xa" won third prize by author Dang Ngoc Sam Thuong, taking a photo of Mandarin Duck ( Aix galericulata ) at Ba Be Lake, Bac Can.

From October to April every year, waterfowl living in the cold Northern Hemisphere will fly south to winter, this phenomenon repeats itself creating the migratory bird season, including this Mandarin duck species. Although this species is quite common in the world , it rarely migrates to Vietnam, so far only a small number of them have been recorded migrating to Ba Be Lake in winter.

The work Spoonbill Splitting, third prize, by author Nguyen Manh Hiep, taken in Go Cong, Tien Giang.

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper ( Caldris pygmaea ) is a bird species that is at the highest level of threat of extinction (IUCN CR). It is a very rare migratory waterbird, with a few hundred individuals remaining in the world and only a few individuals migrating to Vietnam each year. The cause of this situation is due to habitat loss and hunting and trapping of wild birds.

Third prize work "Seagull" by author Nguyen Quoc Toan (stage name Ly Gia Dai), taken in Rach Gia sea, Kien Giang.

The Stork Dance on display at the exhibition by Le Minh Quoc, photographing the Great Egret ( Ardea alba ). The image of the stork working diligently in the rain and sun is imbued with Vietnamese culture.

Symbiosis work on display at the exhibition by Nguyen Quynh Dao, taken in the Vung Boi - De Gi sea area, Binh Dinh. The photo shows a rare moment of two species (Bridled Tern, Onychoprion anaethetus ) and Bryde's Whale; the Bridled Tern takes advantage of the whale's herding of fish to hunt. Every time whales appear in Vietnam, they attract photographers because of their rarity.

The work " Beside the Sea Morning Glory" is displayed at the exhibition by author Truong Huynh Son. The photo is of the Pacific Golden Plover ( Pluvialis fulva ) in the coastal area of Da Nang. This is a common migratory bird in coastal areas of Vietnam.

The first contest on waterfowl in Vietnam was organized by Vui Nhiep Anh - VNA, Canon - Le Bao Minh in collaboration with Wildtour and BirdLife. The contest took place from April 3 to 30, receiving hundreds of works from more than 70 authors, of which 160 photos were valid and of good quality. Of these, the council selected and awarded 1 first prize, 2 second prizes, 3 third prizes, displaying more than 40 works from 27 authors.