Room with a view…

For the last 3 years I have been living in an old, rather dilapidated flat in the district of Mont Fleuri – amidst its many shortcomings however it has the advantages of being strategically placed in terms of work and it does have a couple of interesting views.

From my balcony facing east north east (well as best as I can ascertain) I have a near 180 degree view of the Port Victoria through to the town and the hills such as Mont Signal to the North. At night it can be very attractive with the bright lights from cruise ships and tuna vessels at the docks and the warmer hue of the glittering windows of the capital.

Windows on the opposite side (back) of the flat look out over the Botanical Gardens in the foreground with the peaks of Trois Frere and Morne Seychellois majestic to the north and the hills and residences of la Misere to the south. So in many respects it’s pretty spectacular and I do occasionally take time to appreciate the aesthetic.

In addition however it’s very interesting in terms of wildlife. There is a large roost of fruit bats at the back of the botanic gardens and my flat is therefore surrounded by a bat flight path and their “bickering” in adjacent tree canopies can be really rather distracting.

Of particular interest however is a tree, adjacent to the main DoE building. I don’t know what species it is – I will try and find out – but it has an interesting crown where the branches bend laterally at the top providing apparently ideal perching for various bird species. Over the last couple of years I have regularly observed large groups of Blue pigeon gathering there, on occasion 3 or 4 grey herons, a green backed heron, a Seychelles kestrel, Bul buls etc… the challenge for me now is to try and photograph some of these species and post the photos here. I’ll see how I can do over the next couple of weeks…