Seychelles 6^th to 19^th September 2004 

by Gerry Shilham 

After a 10 hour flight that had been delayed by 13 hours we eventually arrived at Mahe in the middle of the night tired and frustrated at the loss of the first day of our holiday. Next morning I awoke and looked out from my balcony to a beautiful hillside view bathed in sunshine to see my first Seychelles birds, a couple of Cattle Egrets flying by. These were quickly followed by close views of a colourful male Magagascar Fody moving about the trees just outside my room. My first lifer and things were definitely on the up. A noisy call soon led me to my next lifer, a couple of Common Mynas on the opposite building.

This was in fact a family holiday, but as usual I took any opportunities to bird watch that I could. For this reason you will see that I have not chased or succeeded in finding some of the more difficult species. As always I enjoyed the first hour just sitting on the balcony taking in my new surroundings and watching the birds go by (feathered variety of course!). It was not long before I spotted some tiny Barred Ground Doves and a Seychelles Sunbird. The sun and the sea were beckoning so it was off to the beach, via the restaurant for a quick refuel followed by a dip in the clear turquoise sea. 

Gulls were conspicuous by their absence and few birds were seen from the beach. However it wasn’t long before I saw one of my main target species, the dainty Fairy Tern. Pairs of these birds were seen flying around and across towards the hill. A Great Frigatebird drifted over before a walk around the hotel grounds yielded Madagascar Turtle Doves, a couple of Seychelles Cave Swiftlets and a Cattle Egret. Close examination of the horizon through my binoculars late in the day revealed thousands of sea birds moving East. Early next morning again revealed thousands of sea birds, this time moving West (where else). In the morning the birds were much closer and I could identify that many of the birds were Wedge Tailed Shearwaters. Most others were Noddy species but could not be fully identified. 

That day we hired a car to explore the island. The weather was overcast when we started and deteriorated as we ascended the hill to Morne Seychellois. As we travelled up the hill from Victoria I spotted my one and only Seychelles Kestrel flying round over the forest and then my first White Tailed Tropicbird. A little further along the road and I heard some raucous calls from the roadside trees so pulled over and found my first Seychelles Bulbul, in fact a party of six birds. We continued to the old missionary where we stopped to admire the view. Here we were spoilt by the sight of ten White Tailed Tropicbirds all in view at the same time flying around the surrounding hills, with some passing low right over our heads. We also found some more Seychelles Bulbuls and Seychelles Sunbirds, together with the ever present Madagascar Fodys and Barred Ground Doves. Unfortunately the rain started to close in so we moved on to explore the West coast. 

As we drove South the rain stopped and the sun re-appeared although black clouds kept threatening more rain. We stopped at a small inlet at Boileau Bay where we saw a Grey Heron, two Grey Plovers, a Greenshank and a Turnstone. Again there were birds distantly at sea, this time they looked like they were all Noddy species. A little further along at Anse A La Mouche there were a number of terns flying around close to the shore, but unfortunately no chance to pull over for any length of time. So I only inconvenienced the locals for sufficient time to identify that the flock was a mix of Great Crested Terns and Black Naped Terns, the latter being an unexpected find. 

In the next bay I found my first Greater Sandplover. An obliging bird that gave me ample opportunity to take a few photographs. 

A little further along the road we stopped alongside a beautiful bay for some lunch in a small roadside café. This was shared with Madagascar Fodys and Barred Ground Doves, both of which were happy to feed from the same table as ourselves. Later when we crossed the road to the beach we were surprised to see a Grey Heron and the same mix of waders as we had seen earlier, either an incredible co-incidence or more likely the same birds come to see the latest pasty arrivals from England. There were also a couple of Greater Crested Terns feeding close to the shore.  

As we travelled back over the hills towards our hotel at Beau Vallon we were amazed to see some huge Fruit Bats flying around in daylight. They appeared almost like large raptors just drifting around the hills low above the trees. We saw at least ten of these around the hills and some more flying around the capital Victoria. 

It seemed strange to see Fruit Bats in such an environment and equally strange to see Fairy Terns flying alongside us as drove through Victoria. Light was fast fading as the rain closed in again when we located the Health centre at Victoria. Just behind the Health centre there is an area of mud flats that becomes exposed at low water, a popular location for waders and herons. I was able to identify a Pacific Golden Plover, Turnstones, Curlew, Whimbrel, Grey Heron and another Greater Sandplover before bad light forced me to give up. 

Next morning the rain had set in for the day, almost like being at home but warmer, much warmer. Along the beach I spotted a Crab Plover and set off to try to photograph it, but unfortunately it was booted by a keep fit fanatic before I could get near it. A shame as I never saw another one. With the rain set in we decided to go and explore Victoria, that took care of all of 15 minutes. We then took the opportunity to explore the Botanical Gardens where we found the Fruit Bat roost, well worth a visit, but the gardens are not huge. I later revisited the Health centre only to find the tide in and no mud. However there is a foot path to the right of the Health centre that leads down to the river giving good views of the area where the mud flats should have been. In the playing fields alongside the river I found two Curlew Sandpipers, Whimbrel, Greater Sandplover and Turnstones. 

Next day the rain had abated and we were on our way to La Digue. We were transported to the airport for a short flight to Praslin, then another short drive before taking the ferry to La Digue. Amazingly all transport arrangements went like clockwork and we were shepherded through all ports by our travel representative Mason Travel who really do deserve the highest possible praise for organisation, courtesy and help (and no they didn’t pay me to write that). 

La Digue was very different to Mahe, the main form of transport being Shanks’s pony and bicycle. After a welcoming drink we wandered down to the beautiful white sand beach that fronts La Digue Island Lodge. As we lazed on the beach a few Fairy Terns flew by. There were a small number of waders present at the end of the beach and later that afternoon I made the effort to investigate these. There were two Greater Sandplovers, two Lesser Sandplover, five Whimbrel and eleven Turnstone. Careful scanning of the sea revealed a few passing Sooty Terns, some Wedge Tailed Shearwaters and my one and only Audubon’s Shearwater. A large Fruit Bat also flew round over the hotel grounds. 

Next morning I decided to visit the nearby Flycatcher reserve. Here I found my first Blue Pigeon together with a couple of Seychelles Cave Swiftlets and reasonable numbers of the common residents Madagascar Fody, Seychelles Bulbul, Seychelles Sunbird, Barred Ground Dove, and Common Mynah. There were also some Fairy Terns nesting in the trees and Fruit Bats both feeding and roosting in the reserve. However, despite two hours of searching, my main target species the Paradise Flycatcher managed to elude me. 

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the magnificent views and the sea as we wandered along the beach to Anse Union and then Anse La Source. A couple of Great Frigatebirds flew over, whilst Fairy Terns went about their business flying around in pairs. We also found a Green Backed Heron and saw a few more Whimbrel. The sea was gin clear and snorkelling revealed some interesting fish, but not in great numbers. 

Next day we took the local boat trip to Felicity Island for some snorkelling. On arrival at the island a Fairy Tern was perched on a low branch right next to the beach providing me with an excellent photo opportunity. We also found a Blue Pigeon and a couple of Whimbrel here. Within a few minutes of donning my snorkel mask and entering the sea I found my first Hawksbill Turtle. Even more pleasing was the way that it allowed me to swim right up close to it. The snorkelling here was excellent and well worth a visit.  

On return from Felicity I decided to make another visit to the Flycatcher reserve. This time I had a chance to talk to the warden who told me where he had regularly seen a pair of flycatchers. After another two hour search I again gave up without finding my bird. But this time I carried on along the Grande Anse road to a dilapidated house with some large scrubby grounds. Here I found a flock of approximately 30 Common Waxbills. 

I then cut back through to L’Union Estate where I heard the sound of some flycatchers in the trees adjacent to the Heliport. On investigation I found a party of three male Paradise Flycatchers and 2 Females. These together with the Waxwings completed an excellent day in beautiful surroundings. 

Next day we set off to our final destination on Praslin. Again the scenery and the beaches were magnificent and there were plenty of the common species to be seen. From out hotel beach at Anse Kerlan good numbers of birds passed by during the day, commuting between their feeding grounds and their breeding grounds on Cousin and Aride Islands. A couple of Greater Crested Terns were feeding close in to Anse Kerlan beach and good numbers of Sooty Terns, Wedge Tailed Shearwater and Noddy species were seen. Six White Tailed Tropicbirds circled overhead as we relaxed at the Lemuria Resort. In the hotel grounds I found a juvenile Green Backed Heron. 

The wind direction made it impossible to get to Aride during our stay so we settled for a trip out to Curieuse and Cousin Islands. There was little to be seen a Curieuse apart from the Giant Tortoises and the weather closed in for the morning. In the afternoon we took a boat ride across a rough sea to visit Cousin Island. This is a wonderful nature reserve where the only residents are the wardens and the birds. On arrival we were transferred to the warden’s small pointed boat and told to hold on tight. The reason soon became apparent as he opened up the throttle and drove the boat at full speed up onto the beach. 

The beach was deserted apart from the masses of birds nesting in the trees. There were literally hundreds of Lesser Noddy’s nesting in the trees right next to where the boat had landed. Arriving in the afternoon we had the benefit of the warden to ourselves and were able to enjoy the full benefit of his knowledge. Cousin is a spectacular venue for numbers of sea birds but is also an excellent location to see some of the rarer endemic land birds. We soon saw our first Seychelles Fody a much duller bird than the Madagascar Fody seen on other islands but extremely rare. We also saw a couple of Seychelles Warbler’s one of the rarest birds in the world. As our warden, Arthur, was taking us round the reserve, he stopped to make a few whistle sounds. Almost immediately a Magpie Robin appeared on a branch nearby. Arthur stooped and started uncovering some of the leaf litter. Immediately the Magpie Robin landed by his feet and started feeding on the grubs he uncovered. Perhaps it was this bird’s laziness and willingness to depend on others to find its food that was one of the reasons why so few have survived. 

We continued round the reserve where we found White Tailed Tropicbirds nesting on the ground right next to the path, and Fairy Terns perched precariously on a branch above our heads as they incubated there single egg. We also saw some more Giant Tortoises here and found a few Brown Noddys nesting. All too soon it was time to leave the island reserve and return to Praslin. 

Next day an early morning walk around the Lemuria golf course revealed a Black Crowned Night Heron and an immature Yellow Bittern. This was a bonus bird that I had read about but thought I had little hope of seeing. As it happened I had 2 more sightings of Yellow Bitterns over the next couple of days, one of which was an Adult. Also on the golf course I found Grey Herons, a Greenshank and Whimbrel. 

For our last day we hired a car and took a drive right around the island. Our first stop was at the Valle De Maie where I immediately found three Black Parrots perched in a bare tree over hanging the road. A walk around the reserve revealed four Blue Pigeons and little else apart from lots of palm trees including the Coco De Mer. No other new species were seen driving round the island, just the occasional Whimbrel, Greenshank, Grey Plover and Greater Sandplover. We stopped at Anse Lazio for some lunch and a dip and again found a Hawksbill Turtle in the sea close to the shore.  

Finally, after enjoying a superb meal, as we left the Hotel restaurant on our last evening we caught sight a Tenrec, the Seychelles equivalent to a Hedgehog. An excellent note on which to finish an excellent holiday. For further information and photographs please email gerryshilham@btconnect.com. 

Total bird species = 41, lifers = 27