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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.
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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:
Broad-billed Rollers from top left to bottom right: at Aldabra (Nikita Pothin), Alphonse (Christopher Narty), Desroches (James Wareing), Farquhar (Priya Didon) and two photos Coetivy (Girish Menon)
![]() 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 Glossy Ibis was unrecorded in Seychelles prior to 2003. Since then, there have been twenty reports, including three in 2023 and the following in the first half of 2024:
Alan Bedford-Shaw has reported a Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan at sea between Mahe and St Anne on 20 April 2024. This is the second record of one of the more surprising vagrants to Seychelles, The species breeds in North America and migrates to South America. Like the first record, it is an adult in breeding plumage.
Rob Lucking and Adrian Skerrett have reported an Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia at Northeast Point, Mahe.from 10-14 February 2024. SBRC has accepted three previous records of this species.
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