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| Pinon Imperial Pigeon |
Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon) lives in tropical rainforest of West Papua. They are important seed dispersers that maintain the forest. April is the mating season of the bird. When I guided a Canadian tourist a few days ago, I saw some Pinon Imperial Pigeon mating in trees. Because they were bigger than the average birds, I could take several good pictures of them. In addition to pigeons, I also saw Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Bee-eater and Oriental Dollarbird in the forest.Walking deeper into the jungle, I could see Lesser Birds of Paradise performing courtship dance to attract their female birds.
It is the source of protein for some people. The bird has been hunted for years. The availability of air gun in certain places such as in Manokwari and Sorong, have increased the hunting of the birds at an alarming rate.
From my personal experience, in the villages where I introduce birdwatching tourism, the hunting of birds have been stopped. The population of birds has been restored.
Visitors need to bring binoculars or a spotting scope in order to watch birds in Indonesia. Two weeks ago, I guided two tourists from France on a hiking, camping, and birding trip to Susnguakti forest. We watched Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, and Magnificent Riflebird as well as other tropical birds during the day and we did night walk to watch cuscus possum. One of the tourists carried a pair of Olympus 10×42 EXPS I binoculars. Birding gear from famous brands such as Nikon, Leica, Swarovski are also used by avid birders.
If you are interested in Birding in West Papua, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
Also read:
Beautiful Fruit Dove