Bird ringing course, Aride, Seychelles, 15-22 October 2017

A ringing training course was held on Aride Island in the Seychelles, followed by an overnight visit to Cousin Island.

Update: A repeat visit was made in 2019 - see Aride Island 2019.

Aride Island, 16-20 October 2017

Bird ringing was conducted at Aride Island in the Seychelles, together with -Dr Gerard Rocamora, Scientific director, IBC-UniSey, ornithologist and bird ringer. There was daily ringing for most of the day, but with brief lectures over lunch and in the evenings.


Lesser Noddy, common seabird on Aride

White-tailed Tropicbird nestling on nest at base of tree

Turnstone and crab; 3 Turnstones were caught in the woodland

Seychelles Fody, most ringed species

Colour-ringed Seychelles Magpie-robin

Seychelles Sunbird male

At the ringing table

More ringing

View towards Praslin

Sunset on Aride

Number of birds ringed and recaptured on Aride and Cousin, October 2017:

SAFRING
no
Species Aride Cousin
Ringed Recaptured Ringed Recaptured
28 Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri 15      
40 White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus 8   1  
180 Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus 20      
232 Turnstone Arenaria interpres 3      
302 Fairy Tern Gygis alba 21   5  
303 Common Noddy Anous stolidus 14 1    
939 Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris 24   2  
1047 Madagascar Red Fody Foudia madagascariensis 1      
1175 Seychelles Magpie-robin Copsychus sechellarum 1 1   1
1176 Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis 20 8   1
1177 Seychelles Sunbird Nectarinia dussumieri 6   1  
1178 Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum 174 18 15 4
10022 hybrid Seychelles/Madagascar Turtle-Dove Nesoenas picturata picturata x rostrata 38 2    
  TOTAL   345 30 24 6

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the University of Seychelles and the Island Conservation Society for sponsoring my trip! Thanks to Gerard for organising the trip!

Cousin Island, 20-21 October 2017

There was time for a brief visit, to assess Kara Beggs, Conservation Manager on Cousin Island Special Reserve. With 3 nets we caught 24 birds and 6 recaptures. One of the fodies had been ringed 6 years previously - ring FH66398. For ringing totals on Cousin, see Table above.

tropicbirds
Extracting tropicbirds
Fairy Tern
Kara ringing a Fairy Tern

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Kara Beggs and BirdLife Seychelles for hosting me on Cousin!