Since then, the desire to hunt for Nicobar pigeon photos in Con Dao has been burning in the hearts of photographers specializing in wild bird photography.
It wasn’t until early July 2023 that some famous photographers in the Vietnamese wild bird photography industry found and captured this unusually beautiful pigeon.
In the Vietnam Red Book, animal section (pages 190-191), the Nicobar pigeon is ranked in part 139 alphabetically. Accordingly, the Nicobar ( Caloenas nicobarrica ) is a species of pigeon found on small islands and coastal areas in the Nicobar Islands, the Malay Archipelago, the Solomon Islands and Palau.
The splendid beauty of Nicobar pigeons in Con Dao
It is currently the only member of the genus Caloenas , the closest living relative of the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire (an extinct, flightless bird that once lived on Rodrigues Island). In Vietnam, Nicobar pigeons are only found in Con Dao (Ba Ria – Vung Tau).
Nicobar pigeons are hunted in significant numbers because they are so beautiful. So beautiful that it’s mysterious. And especially, in ancient times they were hunted because their bodies contained something very unique: gizzard stones! This is a small stone located in the kite’s bulb, helping to grind food into a liquid to feed the chicks. People hunt Nicobar for gizzard stones to make jewelry.
After the photographer group’s trip to Con Dao in early July, a gorgeous photo of Nicobar in Con Dao appeared on July 28 on the information page introducing the Vietnam Wild Bird Photo Contest & Exhibition 2023. organized for the first time. The author of this photo is a member of the organizing committee – photographer Thuan Vo (Vo Quoc Thuan) just took it on July 27 and used it to “decorate” to introduce the contest.
“I had planned a photo hunting trip to Nicobar on July 27. On the evening of July 26, I sat and interacted with a few guys who had just returned from taking bird photos. Seeing everyone showing off their photos made me giddy with excitement – Thuan Vo said – My brothers advised me that the weather on July 27 was quite bad, so I reconsidered. It might not be possible to go to the small island because of the wind and very strong waves, but because I had already taken the plane ticket, I didn’t care. Fly out and see.”
It should be added that whether or not trips like this are successful is thanks to the “bird saint” Toby Trung, a young man whose help is needed in most bird photography circles. Trung traveled all over Vietnam, searching for unique birds everywhere and acting as a guide to guide people to take photos. If you want to go photography hunting in Nicobar, most people have to rely on the “holy bird”.
“I took the first flight on July 27. When I arrived at Con Dao, I was a bit disappointed because the tourist boats were all grounded due to not very good weather – Thuan Vo said – However, local fishermen said that the weather was bad. The weather was “not too bad” so I hired a fishing boat to take me to Hon Tre Lon island, about 2 nautical miles from Con Dao. At 9am, we set foot on Hon Tre Lon after a boat trip of about 40 minutes.
