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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dalat" data-source="post: 3307239" data-attributes="member: 65207">Con Dao is a small group of Islands off-shore of South Vietnam. It has nice beaches, relatively little development yet, a lot of historic interest (it was used as prison island for political prisonors by both French and Americans/South Vietnamese), and a national park. The NP is famous for turtles coming on shore to lay eggs, but we were a little late in the season and did not do the trip to the smaller Bay Canh island, where these can usually be seen.The other attraction of Con Dao are sea birds (terns, Brown Noddy and Brown Booby) nesting on some rocks far out, but a longer boat trip to the Egg Island (hon Trung) was also not so compatible with the family plans. So my birding was limited to morning walks through the forest of the main island, Con Son, and here I aimed at my main target: Nicobar Pigeon. Con Dao is the only place in Vietnam where it can be found, as it is for Pied Imperial Pigeon. My expectations were rather low, as there are zero reports of sightings of Nicobar Pigeons by visiting birders. On the other hand, very few birders actually visit the islands, so...My main walk was on the trail up to the So Ray Plantation and down the other side until the coast near Ong Dung Beach. The start of the trail is marked by a sign at the road, so easy to find. After 50 m through banana trees the forest starts and it is actually pretty nice forest with relatively tall trees. Into the forest I was welcomed by Common Tailorbirds, Pin-striped Tit-babblers, Streak-throated Bulbuls and White-rumped Shamas, which remained the most common birds I saw on the Island. Also rather soon I saw a group of Red Junglefowl. And then I flushed a bird from the ground, it flew up and perched in sight but mostly hidden behind branches. Darkish body and a few times a wierd shaped thin head peaked out. I tried to approach for a photo, but it escaped unphotographed. Before, when the bird was flying up, a white tail flashed, the rest was very dark. That was it then, Nicobar Pigeon! Less than satisfying views, but the bird was there, with only 20 min on the trail.After this sighting the trail went up steeply, and when almost reaching the highest spot, several Pied Imperial Pigeons were flying off from the trees above the trail. That spot remained the only place where I saw them, again when returning. On the top it got flat again, I guess that's what is called So Ray Plantation. More Junglefowl here, a female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Common Iora, some Phyllos Warblers, Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo. Then the trail descended steeply down the other side. A lot of Long-tailed Macaques and also quite many Giant Black Squirrels down here. The black variant of Variable Squirrel was very common everywhere. All three are endemic subspecies. Also a few Northern Treeshrew. The mammals seemed more common than birds, actually. Almost all the way down the slope I flushed another Nicobar Pigeon. This time I saw the short while tail and the dark back and wings of the bird quite well. Like the first bird, it made a loud woosh-woosh sound with the wings when flying up.I returned the same way and reached the road around lunch time. The way back could also be shortend by going up the new paved path to the road leading to Ong Dung beach, when arranging pick up there.Along this road, they are constructing a new National Park headquarter, if I read the construction sign right. Shortly after this, there is a signpost marking trails to Bai Bang Beach (2.4 km) and Dat Tham Beach (3 km). I tried this path another morning. As the ones decending to Ong Dung beach, these ones where also recently paved. One of thoe works not so uncommon in Vietnam's national parks: a 3 m wide path made from granite blocks and lots of mortar, surely very expensive and totally useless. The algue growing on the mortar made the path extremly slippery. It was rather dry and I managed not to  hurt myself too badly. The forest here is also nice, but much lower trees and dryer than the one at So Ray trail, and I saw much less birds here. Forest Wagtails and a White-bellied Sea Eagle at Bai Bang Beach were the only new birds here. However, during the first km on the trail, lots of Pigeons were calling, probably Pied Imperial.I did not see much else: Kentish Plover, Common Sandpiper and Pacific Reef Egret on the Beaches, 2 Terns hunting on the Lotus ponds, I believe it were moulting White-winged Terns. And Flying Foxes feeding in the trees of the hotel compound.So very happy about the two Pigeons, but nothing really exiting besides. For a birding trip to Con Dao, I'd recommend to focus on the So Ray trail (both my sightings of the Nicobar Pigeon were at the parts with tallest forest near the lower end of the steep slopes on either side of the hill) and try to get out to Trung Island for the terns. <a href="http://condaoseatravel.com.vn/du-lich-con-dao/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/con-dao-map-ok.jpg" target="_blank">Here is map</a> of the Island, the mentionned trails can be seen west of "Con Dao Town". Another trail in the North of the Island is marked there as well, could be interesting, but I havn't tried it.Photos:- Common Con dao Birds- Con Dao Mammals- A Whip Snake, not sure which Species- Slipery paths- White-bellied Sea-Eagle</blockquote>

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