birding...

Seychelles Scops Owl Otus insularis ©Trevor Hardaker http://www.zestforbirds.co.za Birding in an Island Paradise Nearly 1,000 miles from the nearest mainland, the Seychelles is about as close as you can get to tropical paradise! But at first glance, the birding seems poor. You can see as many species of birds in one day in East Africa as you can in a lifetime on the Seychelles. But what the islands lack in biodiversity, they gain in both sheer bird spectacles and in having some of the rarest endemic birds in the world. Most birders will only visit the Central Seychelles – the islands of Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and perhaps Bird Island and some of the islands close to the main group. The outlying island groups of Aldabra, Amirante and Farquhar are too remote and difficult to reach for the average birder. But on the Central Seychelles alone there are 12 endemic species, including the very rare Seychelles Magpie Robin. And most, with the exception of the Seychelles White-eye and Seychelles Scops Owl, are not difficult to find. Most visiting birders will spend two weeks on the islands, using Mahe as a base from which to go island hopping. A visit to Bird Island (two nights stay) is a must for the sheer numbers of birds, even though you probably won`t see birds there that can’t be found on the nearer islands. Praslin, with its unique Vallee de Mai palm forest and the Seychelles Black Parrot, and the tiny island of La Digue with its Seychelles Paradise Flycatchers are also essential places to visit. A day trip from Mahe to Cousin Island will guarantee you views of the Seychelles Magpie Robin and the Seychelles Fody. Access to Cousin is easy compared to Aride. Cousin is open throughout the year, Tuesdays to Fridays, morning and afternoon tours and is only a 5 to 10 minute boat ride from Praslin. [addition: Cousin is not the only island where Seychelles magpie-robins and Seychelles fodies can be seen. Aride Island, which can be seen on a day-trip from Mahe and Praslin also has both species (+ Seychelles warbler) and is also the most important seabird island in the Seychelles with around 1 million individuals of 10 different species, including the only red-tailed tropicbirds in the granitic Seychelles - Rob Lucking]. Oliver metcalf adds: Cousin island is far easier to visit on a day trip from Praslin than Mahe - it's now open to visitors from Monday to friday, but only in the mornings. The Seychelles Warbler can be seen there [for a long time was the only place in the world it existed]. Big trip list? No! 50 – 60 species is a good list for a 2-week holiday. But the birds that are there are very special and memorable.

contributor

Ian Traynor
Traynor@tka.co.uk
http://www.tka.co.uk/birds/seychelles/

numbers

Number of bird species:225

numbers

Number of endemics:14
Seychelles Parakeet Psittacula wardi Seychelles Swiftlet Aerodramus elaphrus Seychelles Owl Otus insularis Seychelles Blue-Pigeon Alectroenas pulcherrima Seychelles Kestrel Falco araea Aldabra Drongo Dicrurus aldabranus Seychelles Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone corvina Seychelles Magpie-Robin Copsychus sechellarum Seychelles Bulbul Hypsipetes crassirostris Seychelles Grey White-eye Zosterops modestus Aldabra Brush-Warbler Nesillas aldabrana Seychelles Brush-Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis Seychelles Sunbird Nectarinia dussumieri Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum

useful reading

Bird Sounds of Madagascar, Mayotte, Comoros, Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues

Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands

Field Guide to the Birds of Seychelles

Zwazo Sesel: The Names of Seychelles Birds and their Meanings

useful information

Proact

clubs

African Bird Club

BirdLife Seychelles - Nature Seychelles

Marine Conservation Society Seychelles

Nature Protection Trust

Nature Seychelles

Seychelles Bird Records Committee

Seychelles Islands Foundation

Seychelles Seabird Group

reserves

Aride Island Nature Reserve

Cousin Island Special Reserve

IBAs

Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

1998 [October] - Ian & Ruth Trainor

2000 [August] - Paola Ricceri & Marco Salvioni

2000 [October] - Christiane & Jean Faure

2001 [November] - Peter Nash & Natalie Nash

2002 [June] - Jan van der Laan

Birdwatching in the Seychelles

tour operators

Rainbow Tours

places to stay

North Island Lodge

other links

Birds of Aldabra

Liz`s Website