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Indian Ocean Islands Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues 17Th to 28Th September 2018 (12 Days) Trip Report

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Indian Ocean Islands Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues 17Th to 28Th September 2018 (12 Days) Trip Report Indian Ocean Islands Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues 17th to 28th September 2018 (12 days) Trip Report Rodrigues Fody by Daniel Keith Danckwerts Tour Leader: Daniel Keith Danckwerts Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands 2018 2 Tour Summary Sprinkled through the tropical seas off the East African coast are a series of corraline, granitic and volcanic islands that, together, support an incredible 35 regional endemic birds. This includes some of the world’s rarest and most sought-after birds, including the magical Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, indescribably rare and critically endangered Réunion Cuckooshrike, jewel-like Rodrigues and Mauritius Fodies, mythical Seychelles Scops Owl and, of course, the swift-flying Barau’s Petrel. These islands also support several million widespread breeding seabirds, including Brown and Lesser Noddies, White and Sooty Terns, both White-tailed and Red-tailed Tropicbirds, and Wedge-tailed and Tropical Shearwaters. Our 12-day journey took us across most of these isolated landmasses, where we secured sightings of an incredible 75 species, including all but one of the region’s endemics. Some of the undisputed highlights included our day trip to Cousin Island (Seychelles), where we watched several hundred thousand seabirds attending their nests, along with three endangered Seychellois endemics (Seychelles Magpie-Robin, Seychelles Warbler, and Seychelles Fody), as well as our hike through the tree-fern dominated forests of Réunion Island, where we saw all of the island’s endemics at very close range. It really was a sensational trip like no other! ____________________________________________________________________________________ The top ten birds of the trip, as decided upon by the tour participants: 1. Seychelles Scops Owl 6. Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher 2. Réunion Cuckooshrike 7. Mauritius Kestrel 3. Rodrigues Fody 8. Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher 4. Echo Parakeet 9. Barau’s Petrel 5. Seychelles Blue Pigeon 10. Réunion Stonechat ____________________________________________________________________________________ The Tour in Detail Our journey across the wonderful islands of the western Indian Ocean began on the indescribable granitic islands of the central Seychelles, where paradise is defined by coconut-fringed white-sand beaches and tall mountain peaks adorned with moss-clad humid forests. The gardens of our tranquil lodge on the main island, Mahe, delivered the first endemics of the trip: the exquisite Seychelles Blue Pigeon, noisy groups of Seychelles Bulbul, and the drab Seychelles Sunbird. A distant large brown raptor was also spotted soaring high among large numbers of White-tailed Tropicbirds – any bird-of-prey of this size would constitute a vagrant to these remote islands, but the bird was unfortunately too far to be identified with any certainty. Other distractions included the jewel-like Red Fody, shy but common Malagasy Turtle Dove, soft-cooing Zebra Dove, and the ubiquitous Common Myna. Huge Seychelles Flying Foxes, with four-foot wingspans, were almost always visible overhead as they searched for fruiting trees. Venturing further afield, we visited La Misere, where a group of three Seychelles White-eyes provided brief views. This inexplicably rare endemic remains on the brink of extinction, with as little as fifty birds left on the island of Mahe, though several successful translocation projects are currently in place to Seychelles Blue Pigeon by Daniel Keith Danckwerts save the species. As we watched them dart Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands 2018 3 through the canopy, several Seychelles Swiftlets flew overhead like bullets in the sky. From there, we ventured to a nearby lagoon, where we saw Crab-plover, loose flocks of Curlew Sandpiper in partial breeding dress, Common Greenshank, and Common Whimbrel. A large heronry here also contained hundreds of Western Cattle Egret and some Grey Herons. Next, the Mahe International Airport produced a wonderful pair of Seychelles Kestrels – the smallest of all kestrels and one of the smallest birds-of-prey in the world. Happy with our success so far, we returned to the highlands of the Morne Seychelles National Park and waited till dusk. It took some effort, but we eventually found a calling Seychelles Scops Owl. This species is so rare it was once thought extinct, at least until a small population was rediscovered in 1960! Thrilled, we headed back to the hotel for a late dinner and some much- needed rest. It was an early start the following morning, as we boarded a small aircraft and flew to the neighbouring Praslin Island. The short journey took us over tropical turquoise seas, dotted with small Seychelles Sunbird by Daniel Keith Danckwerts islets. Praslin, our home for the next two nights, is the second largest island in Seychelles, and was the haunt of our next major target: Seychelles Black Parrot. After checking into our hotel and viewing the vivid (and endemic!) Seychelles Giant Day Geckos on the trunk of a coconut palm, we ventured to the nearby Vallee des Mai. This World Heritage Site is centred around an impressive forest, filled with coco- der-mer palms that produce large pelvis shaped nuts, and it was here that multiple Seychelles Black Parrots were seen. This dull-looking parrot is the national bird of Seychelles, breeding only on Praslin, where its total population of between 340 and 600 individuals is currently listed as vulnerable by BirdLife International. While we waited for the parrots to appear, we were entertained by some particularly confiding Seychelles Bulbuls and several wonderful Seychelles Blue Pigeons. Happy with our success, we headed to a nearby wetland. Here we hoped to see Yellow Bittern, but this was clearly not meant to be. Instead, we saw many more Seychelles Blue Pigeons and Seychelles Black Parrots. The afternoon was spent around the lodge, where we watched small numbers of White and Sooty Terns, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, and Brown and Lesser Noddies flying just offshore. The next day was undoubtedly the highlight of our time in Seychelles. We boarded the Dolphin II, from right in front of our lodge, and boated to the nearby Cousin Island. This island sanctuary is one of the last remaining strongholds for three rare endemics: Seychelles Magpie-Robin, Seychelles Seychelles Magpie-Robin by Daniel Keith Danckwerts Warbler, and Seychelles Fody. All three species were easily found (within minutes of arriving!) and proved especially confiding, often coming to within arm’s reach! We then enjoyed the island’s impressive seabird breeding colonies, which include tens of thousands of both Lesser and Brown Noddies, the angelic White Tern, and the magical White-tailed Tropicbird. A visit to the island’s summit, at less than one hundred metres above sea level, also delivered a pair of nesting Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. The walk back to the research station produced some foraging Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands 2018 4 Great and Lesser Frigatebirds, and both Bridled and Common Terns. Cousin Island is also a haven for several endemic and rare introduced reptiles, and we easily located Seychelles Skink, Giant Bronze Gecko, century-old Aldabra Giant Tortoises, Seychelles Mabuya, and an endangered Hawksbill just offshore as we were transferred back onto the Dolphin II. We returned to the lodge for lunch, where we spotted a small flock of waders. This included Ruddy Turnstone, both Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Sanderling, and Curlew Sandpiper. The afternoon was then taken at our own leisure, to make the most of our ‘birding holiday’ in this tropical paradise. The next day was our most anticipated excursion in Seychelles, though the initial plans to spend the morning on Aride Island were halted by a strong wind, rough seas, and an imminent drizzle. We therefore headed straight to the island of La Digue, seeing both Great and Lesser Frigatebirds, Brown and Lesser Noddies, Great Crested and Sooty Terns, and Wedge-tailed Shearwater en route. The heavens opened as we crossed the halfway point between the two islands, providing some much-needed relief from the humidity, only to clear as we docked in a small quay on La Digue. Seychelles Fody by Daniel Keith Danckwerts Here we spotted an especially confiding Striated Heron, which posed for sublime photographic opportunities against a white-sand beach. We loaded onto the back of a truck and headed towards the small La Veuve (the local name of the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher) Reserve in the centre of the island. The key target here, the endemic Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, was easily found, including as many as ten incandescent males with their blue-black plumage, foot-long tails, and glowing cerulean facial parts. We watched as the birds chased each other back-and-forth, hoping to win the watchful eye of some nearby females. Historically, this critically endangered species was known from five islands in Seychelles, but the birds only survived into modern times on La Digue. Reintroduction projects onto St Denis (and, much more recently, Curieuse) have proven successful for the conservation of this species, the population of which now exceeds 300 individuals. Thrilled with our success, we found shelter in the nearby research station as the rain had returned with tropical force. Following a quick lunch, in which we were treated to several fly-by Bridled Terns and Lesser Noddies, as well as a frolicking pair of Bottlenose Dolphins, we returned to Praslin, where we then waited out the storm. The return trip by boat, despite us all being huddled in the dry safety of our boat’s cabin, produced a few final seabirds for the day, including White Tern and a magical Tropical Shearwater. The storm cleared, but we sadly had to return to Mahe the following morning. We were met by Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher by Daniel Keith our fabulous local guide, Pearly Constance, who Danckwerts immediately took us to find Black-crowned Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands 2018 5 Night Heron and Yellow Bittern.
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