As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Seychelles “island that belongs to birds” is barometer of the health of the Indian Ocean



25th July 2014

(Seychelles News Agency) - Cousin Island Special Reserve known worldwide as “the island that belongs to birds’ in the Seychelles archipelago is living to its billing. It is teeming with birds again. Well, the nesting season is here again and thousands upon thousands of seabirds are flapping all over the island. It is a seabird celebration of Tropical Shearwater, White Terns, Bridled Terns, lesser Noddys and Brown Noddy’s which are all nesting in Cousin. At this time of the year visitors are strongly advised not to come with their Sunday best outfits. Wide-brimmed hats at this time of the year are recommended as birds poop on shampooed hair or shiny pates is a surety. Guano is literally everywhere.

The white tailed tropic bird and the wedge-tailed shearwater are also enjoying rare family moments at this time in Cousin which is managed by the environmental non-profit Nature Seychelles. This is not just a special time for the birds but also for the watchful bird monitoring and census group the Seychelles Seabird Group (SSG) which consists of specialized staff of ornithologists, marine scientists and volunteers drawn from Nature Seychelles, Cousine Island and Fregate Island Private. Last year the census found that 150,000 birds were breeding at Cousin during this season.


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