The northern autumn of 1972 saw me coming to the end of my first season of living on Bird Island. Seychelles’ first ecotourism venture was taking shape on the island in the form of a small chalet-style thatched hotel, and coconut trees were being felled to prepare for an airstrip. The Sooty Tern colony was … More White Terns and Noddies alert us to an intruder
In most years, some Sooty Tern eggs are commercially harvested from some Seychelles Sooty Tern colonies, including Bird Island; this is permitted under Seychelles legislation. The eggs are regarded as a seasonal delicacy by some Seychellois. This is a carry-over from the early years after human colonisation of the islands in the nineteenth century, when … More Bird Island’s Sooty Tern spectacle
WildWings Bird Management boasts no gastronomic expertise, but Christine and I both enjoy new culinary experiences during our travels. On 13 July we decided to take our hosts on Praslin out for dinner and selected a restaurant we had not visited previously. Anse La Blague is a small community based on a quiet beach on … More Anse La Blague restaurant – out of the way but a good discovery
Beach “clean-ups” have become an integral part of life for many coastal communities as plastic waste increasingly renders beaches unsightly and sometimes dangerous. Seychelles, with 115 islands scattered over thousands of square kilometres of Indian Ocean, is no exception. In previous blogs I have mentioned Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), constructed from buoys, plastic floats, plastic … More Plastic on the beach
When Bird Island was first discovered by Europeans in the 1770s, it was described as being covered by “innumerable” birds and later visitors reaffirmed this, also mentioning scant vegetation. The discoverers did not name the birds they found but Sooty Terns were likely to have been the most numerous species. Other species, mainly ground nesting … More Bird Island is not just for Sooty Terns!
In December 1971, only five months after the opening of Seychelles’ International Airport, a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) VC10, then the flagship aircraft of their fleet, delivered me safely to my first footstep on Seychelles soil. It had been a long flight, more cramped than in current larger aircraft, and necessitated a refuelling stopover … More British Airways returns to Seychelles
The Australian territory of Christmas Island lies in the eastern Indian Ocean, about 320 km south of the western end of Java, Indonesia. The 135 square km limestone island is home to many endemic and indigenous plants and animals, including the Red Crabs Gecarcoidea natalis that undertake a spectacular November migration from the forests to … More Christmas wishes for Christmas Island: under threat (again)
In the northern hemisphere, the autumn southward migration of birds is well underway as many species head for regions where food remains more plentiful than in their breeding areas. Birds from northern Europe and Asia head mainly for Africa and south-east Asia but some arrive, either deliberately or … More Bird Island beware – the onslaught is about to begin!
Since human settlement of the Seychelles archipelago about two-and-a-half centuries ago, most of the granitic islands that form the main island group have been substantially modified by man’s activities. At about 280 hectares, Curieuse is the fifth largest of the granitic islands and, like most of the others, it was formerly forested. Among the trees … More Curieuse Island
In 1808, a French privateer vessel, the Hirondelle, came to grief on the coral reef off the western point of Bird Island, from which this part of the island now gets its name. It has a beautiful beach that extends in an arc to the north point of the island. The island’s small farm, mainly … More Darrell & Jennifer at Hirondelle, Bird Island
Wild Bird Conservation 