Corncrake at Bird Island

Corncrake at Bird (photo: Olaf Zesch)

Olaf Zesch and Chris Feare have reported a Corncrake Crex crex from Bird island, presumed to be an immature. Olaf Zesch first saw and photographed the bird in front of the hotel restaurant on the morning of 27 September. Searches there for it in the afternoon failed, but Christine Larose and Chris Feare found in in the late afternoon feeding in short vegetation on the airstrip.

The first record for Seychelles was also from Bird Island and also reported by Chris Feare in October 1973. In the intervening 46 years between the two Bird sightings there have been just 3 other records accepted by SBRC, with individuals at Aride, Fregate and North.