July 2021 – Wild Bird Conservation

Another successful myna eradication

July 27, 2021

Common Mynas have gained notoriety as dangerous invasive birds when introduced to countries, especially islands, remote from their southern and south-eastern Asian native range. In Seychelles, however, successful projects have been undertaken to eradicate mynas from some islands in the archipelago in order to protect native fauna from myna depredations and interference. The latest successful … More Another successful myna eradication

A feast for the eyes and a “surround-sound” experience of a lifetime

July 18, 2021

Advertisements for Bird Island, and also for Seychelles, often show Bird Island’s Sooty Tern colony. In 1973, Lindblad Travel’s beautiful yacht Dwyn Wen called fortightly at Bird Island. After showing an American tourist around the colony and explaining some of the behaviour we saw, he said “Chris, you’ve just shown me the eighth wonder of … More A feast for the eyes and a “surround-sound” experience of a lifetime

Tortoise repair

July 16, 2021

While we were studying Sooty Terns on Bird Island in 2019, one of the Island’s Giant Tortoises was injured when a large branch of a Casuarina tree fell on to its carapace, trapping the animal beneath. A section of the edge of the carapace close to the tortoise’s head appeared to have become largely detached … More Tortoise repair

A green poo puzzle!

July 15, 2021

In my former life as a PhD student studying marine snails (dogwhelks) on rocky shores in North Yorkshire, UK, several times a week I walked from Leeds University’s Marine Laboratory in Robin Hood’s Bay, along the coast to my study area about 3 km to the north of the village. This walk took me beneath … More A green poo puzzle!

A new food delivery system

July 15, 2021

In my blog of 4 July 2021, I suggested that frigatebirds, two species of which roost on Bird Island in large numbers, might have changed their feeding behaviour following the increase in the number of Red-footed Boobies that now also roost on the island. Many boobies now spend the day roosting in tall Casuarina trees, … More A new food delivery system

Satellite tagging progress on Bird Island

July 7, 2021

During the first week of our arrival on Bird Island this year, we (Martin Wikelski and Uschi Mueller [Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour, Germany], Rachel Bristol, Christine and me) devoted our time to fitting Icarus satellite tags to 80 pairs of nesting Sooty Terns, catching one member of the pair during incubation, waiting for … More Satellite tagging progress on Bird Island

Another change on Bird Island

July 4, 2021

Thursday 1 July gave us our first dull and drizzly day of our 2021 visit. It was too wet to catch and handle birds, so we decided to go on a beach walk, starting at the hotel and walking up the western beach to the northernmost point, then down the western beach heading into the … More Another change on Bird Island

Wild Bird Conservation

With WildWings Bird Management

Month: July 2021