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Sophie Morel has reported that the long-staying Great Cormorant at Bird Island was still present on 13-14 June 2020. The record has been accepted by SBRC as only the second in Seychelles for this species.
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On 15 March 2020, Martin van Rooyen reported a species of plain martin at Aldabra. The bird was seen hawking insects at Picard Island, near Basin Cabris. While perched it was persistently mobbed by an Aldabra Drongo, making photography difficult.
Seychelles is probably the only country on earth where African Plain Martin Riparia paludicola, Asian Plain Martin R. chinensis and Madagascar Plain Martin R. cowani might all be considered as potential vagrants. SBRC has previously accepted one Seychelles record of Asian Plain Martin from Mahe. At Aldabra, somewhat further from Asia the other two species might appear more likely, but in any report of a plain martin in Seychelles all three have to be considered. After due consideration, SBRC has accepted the sighting as the first record of Africa Plain Martin for Seychelles. A paper is planned to present full details and evidence and it is hoped it will be available on this website in due course. George Curd has reported a Yellow Wagtail at Alphonse on Friday 24 April.. Ten of 60 previous records for Seychelles have beeb from Alphonse.
.Ten Barn Swallows visited the same day, remaining through the weekend with two present to 28 April. Barn Swallow is the only migrant land bird to pass through Seychelles on Spring migration as well as Autumn migration. Even so, it is rare that as many as ten birds are recorded at one time. Photos: George Curd Martin van Rooyen has reported 3 Eleonora's Falcons at Aldabra.
SBRC has accepted 51 previous records including 16 at Aldabra. Chris Narty has reported a Little Egret at Alphonse on 30 March 2020.
SBRC has accepted 44 previous records. Martin van Rooyen, Jake Letori and Maria Bielsa have reported a white-tailed brown morph Red-footed Booby Sula sula at Aldabra. The bird was seen while conducting a frigatebird census at Grande Poche near Main Channel on 26 February 2020. The first reference to the presence of this morph at Aldabra was of "three or four" sightings in a 1974 paper (Diamond, A.W., 1974. The Red-footed Booby at Aldabra. Ardea 62). Michael Betts, Research Officer at Aldabra 1999-2000 and a current member of SBRC also reported very small numbers present and he suspected breeding.
In the Indian Ocean most colonies are entirely white morph, except at Europa (98.5% white-tailed brown morph, 1.5% white morph) and Tromelin (c. one-third white-tailed brown, two-thirds white). This suggests that colonies do not constitute one gene pool but are isolated from each other. However, in recent years, white-tailed brown morphs have also begun to breed at Farquhar, now constituting about 2% of the population. Breeding at Aldabra remains unproven, but the presence of an adult in bright (breeding?) plumage suggests this may be the case. SBRC has received two reports of Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius at Aldabra. The first was seen on 8 February 2020 by Cheryl Sanchez, Norman Pettigrew, other SIF staff and passengers from the cruiseship Serenissima. It perched in a tall Casuarina at the Old Settlement, Picard. The second sighting by Martin van Rooyen, Maria Bielsa and Luke A'Bear was at the frigatebird colony, Malabar camp on 24 and 25 February 2020.
SBRC has accepted 8 previous records of this species, including six at Aldabra and one at neighbouring Assumption. SBRC has also accepted 4 records of Black Kite M. migrans. Yellow-billed kite is the Afrotropic counterpart of Black Kite of which it is sometimes considered a subspecies. However, DNA studies suggest that these should be considered as separate species. In addition, Yellow-billed Kite races aegyptius and parasitus may be split from the Eurasian migratory Black Kite because of the former’s small size, usually yellow bill, deeper tail-fork and less streaked plumage. An Indian Pond-heron Ardeola grayii has been reported by David Jardine, present at a small pond near L'Union Estate, La Digue on 23 February 2020.
SBRC has accepted just 6 previous records of this species. A Little Swift Apus affinis was found on 2 February 2020 soaked and in a weakened state on the ground near th guest pavilion, Cousine by Stuart and Bronwyn Dunlop. It was taken indoors to assess its health and after about 30 minutes it showed some signs of recovery and was released. It flew off heading towards Cousin Island.
This is the second sighting of this species in Seychelles so far this year following four at St Francois on 21 January. SBRC has acceped 10 previous records. Craig Nisbet has reported a Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago and Corncrake Crex crex at Bird Island on 31 January. The following morning on a morning search of the tern colony to attempt to relocate these species, he found a Rosy Starling Pastor roseus.
SBRC has accepted 26 previous records of Common Snipe and 5 each of Corncrake and Rosy Starling, |
AuthorAdrian Skerrett Categories |