SEYCHELLES BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
  • Home
  • About us
    • History
    • REPORT SIGHTINGS
    • How SBRC operates
    • Policy on commoner species
    • Contact us
  • BIRDS OF SEYCHELLES
    • THE SEYCHELLES LIST
    • Vagrants
    • Out-of-range species
    • Annual migrants
    • Breeding species
  • RECORDS
    • Accepted Records
    • Ringing records
    • Unproven records
  • LATEST NEWS
  • Publications
    • Annual Reports
    • 5 Year Reports
    • First country records
    • Books
    • Other bird news
  • PLAN YOUR TRIP
    • Where to watch
    • Birding Seychelles Tours
  • Links


The latest bird sightings
from Seychelles

White-faced Whistling Ducks at Alphonse (Photo: Ari Fernández)

African Spoonbill: Another first for Seychelles

18/11/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
African Spoonbill at Roche Caiman (Adrian Skerrett)
An African Spoonbill Platalea alba has been present in the vicinity of Providence, Roche Caiman and near STC Hypermarket for around one month. African Spoonbill breeds in tropical Africa and northwest Madagascar. It is probably nomadic throughout most of range, moving in response to rains but it is apparently sedentary in Madagascar, which suggests an African origin for our bird is most likely. Vagrants have been recorded in Oman, Yemen and several European countries (Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic and Italy) including an instance of successful breeding in France.

This is the first record for Seychelles.
1 Comment

Madagascar Pond Heron at Alphonse

18/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Madagascar Pond Heron (Chris Narty)
Chris Narty has reported a Madagascar Pond Heron near the beach at Alphonse on 15 November. This species breeds at Aldabra and is a vagrant elsewhere in Seychelles. SBRC has accepted 6 vagrant records, two from Farquhar, and one from each of Cosmoledo, Assumption, North and Bird.
0 Comments

Common Snipe at Grand Soeur

14/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Common Snipe at Grand Soeur (Gerard Rocamora)
Gerard Rocamora has reported a Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago at Grand Soeur on 23-25 November.  There have been 22 previous records of this species.
0 Comments

Host of vagrants at Bird Island

14/11/2016

1 Comment

 
From top left to bottom right: Northern Roller, Black-winged Pratincole, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Black-tailed Godwit, Short-toed Lark, Yellow Wagtail without a tail! (all photos: Adrian Skerrett)
Bird Island has produced a long list of vagrant sightings so far this month. This includes all of the above pictured birds plus Osprey, Little Bittern, Little Stint, Sand Martin, Eurasian Hobby, White Wagtail and Collared Pratincole.
1 Comment

Garganey at Alphonse

10/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Garganey at Alphonse (Chris Narty)
Chris Narty has reported  Gargeney at Alphonse on 10 November. Garganey is an annual visitor to Seychelles. SBRC collects all reports of this species. To date, 329 reports have been collected with a clear peak in sightings during November and numbers gradually declining through the season thereafter.
Picture
0 Comments

New Seychelles birds book launched

6/11/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Adrian Skerrett, Sir Aneerood Jugnauth and Narainsamy Ramen
A new book, "Complete Birds of Seychelles" has been launched at a ceremony hosted by the Right Honourable Sir Aneerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister and Former President of Mauritius. Featuring the work of Nariansamy Ramen and Adrian Skerrett, the book is a large format photographically illustrated work celebrating the birds of Seychelles.

The book is now on sale in Seychelles at Antigone bookshop, price SR500. Profits from the sale of books will be donated to the observation work of Island Conservation Society.


1 Comment

Tree Pipit on Fregate

6/11/2016

2 Comments

 
                                                        Tree Pipit at Fregate  (Stef Houben)
Stef Houben has reported a Tree Pipit at Fregate on 7 November. Tree Pipit is an annual visitor in small numbers. SBRC has collected 352 sighting of this species to date, of which 91% occurred on southbound migration during the period October-December, with little evidence of a northbound migration apart from a slight blip in March (3.4% of sightings).
Picture
2 Comments

European Roller & Pacific Golden Plover at Fregate

5/11/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
European Roller (Stef Houben)
Stef Houben has reported a European Roller present at the airstrip, Fregate on 4 November. The bird was also seen by Naomi Lambrikx, Marcus Dubel, Janske van de Crommenacker and Sam Kendray. SBRC considered European Roller as a vagrant to Seychelles until 2014, when it was changed to annual visitor. The criteria for a species to be considered as annual is that it has been recorded in at least 8 of the previous 10 years with an average of at least 2 records per annum. European Roller now meets the criteria with 25 records 2007-2016 to date and present in every year.

Stef Houben also reports that a Pacific Golden Plover was present on Fregate on 2 October. This is another annual visitor in very small numbers to the granitics and Amirantes but a vagrant beyond and SBRC collects all reports  from throughout Seychelles.
Picture
1 Comment

African Spoonbill at Mahe

2/11/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
African Spoonbill (Catherina Onezia)
On 5 October, Lilly Soerensen and Niels Bomholt reported a Grey-tailed Tattler at Providence, Mahe (see earlier in this blog). The sent a record form to SBRC, mentioning an African Spoonbill also present. Unfortunately at the time, they did not realise that this was  first record for Seychelles and did not photograph it. Then on 28 October, Martijn van Dinther reported a spoonbill just outside Victoria. Finally on 31 October Catherina tracked the bird down and photographed it. The red face and base of the bill clearly identifies this bird as African and not Eurasian Spoonbill.

Remarkably it is less than 12 months since the first Eurasian Spoonbill for Seychelles was photographed at Aride Island.


1 Comment

Black-winged Pratincole at D'Arros

1/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Black-winged Pratincole at D'Arros (Clare Keating Daly)
Clare Keating Daly has reported a Black-winged Pratincole at the D'Arros airstrip on 3 October and 1 November. Pratincoles can be difficult to identify in Seychelles as they are usually in immature or non-breeding plumage. However fortunately, Clare managed to capture a picture of the bird taking off with wings held aloft, revealing the all-black underwing, whereas the other three pratincole species recorded in Seychelles (Collared, Oriental and Madagascar all have chestnut underwing-coverts.

Also at D'Arros, Clare reports a Pacific Golden Plover on 1 November foraging with two Grey Plovers on the airstrip and on 28 October.
Picture
Pacific Golden Plover (Clare Keating Daly)
Clare also reports a Wood Sandpiper at the pond on Fouquet Island of neighbouring St Joseph Atoll, present on 28 October. Wood Sandpiper is annual visitor to granitic Seychelles and the Amirantes, but a vagrant to the Farquhar and Aldabra groups. SBRC has collected 178 reports to date, showing the number of sightings peaks in November, steadily declining through the season thereafter.
Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Adrian Skerrett

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    April 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About us
    • History
    • REPORT SIGHTINGS
    • How SBRC operates
    • Policy on commoner species
    • Contact us
  • BIRDS OF SEYCHELLES
    • THE SEYCHELLES LIST
    • Vagrants
    • Out-of-range species
    • Annual migrants
    • Breeding species
  • RECORDS
    • Accepted Records
    • Ringing records
    • Unproven records
  • LATEST NEWS
  • Publications
    • Annual Reports
    • 5 Year Reports
    • First country records
    • Books
    • Other bird news
  • PLAN YOUR TRIP
    • Where to watch
    • Birding Seychelles Tours
  • Links