European Roller & Pacific Golden Plover at Fregate

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.