The 2024 report of Seychelles Bird Records Committee has been released today.

In 2024, 155 reports were received by Seychelles Bird Records Committee and circulated to members for authentication. This is the highest number of reports received in any year since SBRC was founded in 1992. It is almost exactly the same figure as the three previous years 2021-2023 combined (156). 

The 2024 report is dedicated to the memory of Ian Bullock., who passed away due to melanoma in January 2025. It an be downloaded at this link:

SBRC Annual Report 2024

In June 2024, Chris Mason-Parker and Rebecca Filippin reported a Cotton Pygmy Goose at Intendance, Mahe. This was accepted by SBRC as the first record for Seychelles and the western Indian Ocean. It disappeared but what was presumed to be the same individual reappeared for 2 days in December 2024 only to vanish once again.

Adrian Skerrett, James Wareing and Elisabeth Hein visited the site on 27 April and located the bird again. Perhaps it had visited another wetland on Mahe or perhaps it just remained hidden given its diminutive size and secretive habits.
 
The Cotton Pygmy Goose is found mainly from southeast Asia to Australia. It is not a goose at all, but in fact holds the world record for the tiniest species of wildfowl on earth. Its distinctive mainly white plumage with specks of grey and black gives it a cotton-like appearance, hence the name. Normally, it does not migrate long distances. However, birds can disperse quite widely following the rainy season and have been recorded as far away from the traditional breeding grounds as the Middle East.

Dr Girish Menon has reported the appearance of a huge number of Red-footed Booby in the skies above Coetivy Island. Red-footed Booby are not unusual visitors to almost any island in Seychelles but normally away from their breeding grounds they are in small numbers. It is exceptional to see so many at one time. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. It could be connected to weather conditions one of the breeding islands or perhaps a seasonal migration. 

On 26 November 2024, Christophe Mason-Parker visited Intendance wetlands and photographed four unidentified ducks, forwarding the image to SBRC. Anthony Bentley, Island Manager of Aride Island Nature Reserve, visited the site on 9 December, observed the same ducks and submitted an identification to SBRC as two male and two female Gadwall. On 10 December, Adrian Skerrett visited the site and photographed the same ducks.  Numbers increased to nine  by 3 January 2025,
 
Meanwhile, Dr Girish Menon reported two female and one male Gadwall at Coetivy on  23 December and Anthony Bentley reported a female At Aride Island the same day. Adrian Skerrett reported a male in eclipse at Anse a la Mouche on 4 January 2025,
 
Gadwall breeds across northern temperate latitudes, descending to lower latitudes in winter. Southern breeders are mostly sedentary, but birds from easternmost part of range winter south to the Indian Subcontinent and west to Caspian and Black Seas, with smaller numbers in Africa, regularly south to Ethiopia and more exceptionally Kenya (Leschack et al. 2020)
 
These sightings from Intendance (Mahe), Coëtivy, Aride Island and Anse a la Mouche (Mahe) are the first, second, third and fourth records of Gadwall for Seychelles.

Saju John, Elle Moulinie and Laxmi Kumar Yadav have reported a White Stork near the main house at D'Arros on 24-26 December 2024. SBRC has accepted 5 previous records of this species including one from D'Arros

Black-headed Gulls have been reported from several locations:
1. One at Providence, Mahe on 11 December (Steve Agricole)
2. One at  SACOS mudflats 14-20 December (Steve Agricole, Adrian Skerrett)
3. One at the perimeter fence of Praslin airport on 13 December (Anthony Bentley)
4. One at Seychelles International Airport, Mahe on 22 December (Adrian Skerrett)

All birds were first winter or 1CY

SBRC has accepted 20 previous records.

Broad-billed Rollers Eurystomus glaucurus glaucurus migrate between Madagascar (where they breed) and mainland Africa (where other races breed). SBRC collect reports from throughout Seychelles, classing the species as an annual visitor to the Aldabra group and a vagrant to other islands. Where it has been possible to assign race, all records have been identified as the Madagascar nominate race.
This year there have been  reports of birds present at Aldabra, Alphonse, Farquhar, Desroches and Coëtivy. In chronological order, these are:

• One at Alphonse on 13-14 October (Christopher Narty, Oksana Simpson).
• One at Farquhar on 21-24 October (Priya Didon, Liam Padayachy, Alex Rose)
• One at Aldabra on 26-28 October (Nikita Pothin, Megan O’Brien, Francis Salomon)
• One at Desroches on 28-31 October (James Wareing, Elisabeth Hein)
• One at Aldabra on 6 November (Nikita Pothin, Megan O’Brien)
• One at Coëtivy on 9 November (Girish Menon)
  
• One at Grand Ile, Cosmoledo on 29 November (K. Day, via eBird)
  

An Indian Pond Heron remains present at the wetland of Kempinski Resort, having been there for almost two years since the first sighting on 5 October 2022. There have been 10 other records accepted by SBRC, with some present for several months, but none for anything like this period of time.

For more Seychelles photos by John Oates, see his flickr album

Victorin Laboudallon and Jurgen Kass have reported an Osprey near Constance, Praslin. on 19 August 2024. SBRC has accepted eight previous records of Osprey.

On 15 August 2024, Kaleagh Andrew and Jack Butland of Island Conservation Society witnessed an attack by a Black Kite on the small Red-footed Booby colony at St Francois. This was probably an attempt to predate a chick, but the kite was unsuccessful. A Black Kite, presumably the same individual, has been present at neighbouring Alphonse since 2 February 2024. The sighting has been accepted by SBRC as the ninth record for Seychelles.

Photo credit: Kaleagh Andrew/Island Conservation Society