Mundane meets somewhat interesting...

Many people I meet, from overseas, imagine that I live an idyllic existence in Seychelles with my time split between a mix of fascinating, feel-good conservation work, beach parties and barbeques. If only... Admittedly my first few years in Seychelles in the early 90s whilst working on small islands and when in the possession of my own boat were different with much more of my leisure time actually devoted to leisure. It was pretty good, I really enjoyed my time off but that also has something to do with being 20-something – I think.

Alas! These days just like everywhere else, for everyone else, normal life gets in the way. My work entails lots of tedious meetings and paperwork just like most managers. My main employers insist I work half-Saturdays in some misguided belief that more time in the office automatically translates into greater productivity. Saturday afternoons are therefore generally spent shopping and/or recovering from the preceding 51/2 days which means Sunday usually gets dedicated to delightful chores like laundry, ironing and cleaning. Yes I live in a truly beautiful country and I am lucky to spend a significant amount of my working time doing things outdoors that I enjoy – but it isn’t all BBQs and parties (I could of course make more of an effort in that regard but that’s another matter!).

Still the wonderful thing about the tropics relative to temperate climes is the intensity and abundance of nature all around you it’s like it’s constantly spring! This morning I was hanging laundry out to dry on my balcony when a Seychelles turtle dove (Streptopelia picturata) landed on the roof opposite with a twig in its mouth. I caught its movement in the corner of my eye as I was turning away and so turned back quite abruptly. My rapid movement made it suddenly aware of my presence also and an amusing moment passed between us as the bird appeared to try to look casual as if “it often flew around on a Sunday with a twig in its beak - just to pass the time you know”; whilst I waited to see if its nest was nearby. Well the bird was not doing anything whilst I was on the balcony so after a minute or two I went inside but continued to observe it through the curtains. As soon as I was out of sight the dove took flight off the roof across the clearing and into the canopy of a nearby palm tree.

Over the next few minutes I observed the dove repeat the same flight path several times and was able to ascertain the location of the nest. The nest is well concealed but the occasional breeze will move the palm leaves sufficiently to give a view of it and the second dove seated upon it. Incubating already or just putting her house in order with the additional materials brought by her mate? I couldn’t tell - but I did manage to get some reasonable photos despite the distance and screening greenery.

Skerrett et al (2001)[1] states that Seychelles/Madagascar turtle doves[2] have a breeding peak from October to February and that the chicks are initially covered in bright orange down! I’ve never seen this before but the angle from the balcony is quite good – so I will keep a watch on the nest and report back.

Success of course is not guaranteed and this attempt faces a few dangers. Firstly the resident in the flat across the way has a cat and I often see it on the roof which the birds use as their perch before approaching the nest. Second there are a lot of rats around and when the chicks start calling they may well attract the attention of the arboreal Rattus rattus . Finally there are a lot of common Mynahs as well and they are a known nest predator.

One might be tempted to say that is all just part of nature until one realises that rats, cats and Mynahs are all invasive species in Seychelles introduced by man! So not natural at all!!! Anyway I will follow the nest’s progress and keep you posted in the hope of seeing some bright orange chicks!!!

[1] Skerrett et al (2001). Birds of Seychelles. Helm Books, London, UK.
[2] The birds in question are clearly grey headed and as such show the phenotype of the Madagascan nominate race.

What’s in a name? The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea).

Visitors to Seychelles are often a little disappointed by the rather muted colouration of the island’s native birds. People’s perception of tropical birds relates more to brightly coloured Amazonian parrots than it does to the rather undistinguished Seychelles Fody! Of course it is in fact normal for bird species native to isolated small islands to be relatively drab when compared to their continental counterparts - there is a good evolutionary argument for it which I won’t bore you with.
I have recently moved office to a location adjacent to the St Louis river and today whilst parking I saw a grey heron perched on a roof just across the road. It seemed like a good photo-op so I grabbed my little digital camera and took a few shots. As you can see the bird is quite beautifully coloured and the “grey” name doesn’t do it justice. The black eye stripe to the crown, streaks on the neck and black shoulder contrast wonderfully against the white head, pale grey neck and darker grey wings. What is particularly notable in these photos, however, is the reddish hue to the bill and legs which shows that the bird is in breeding colours. Normally the breeding season commences in May-June so this bird appears to be very early into breeding plumage and I will check on this with a colleague to see if this is particularly unusual.
The Grey heron has an interesting story in Seychelles. It apparently was hunted, as a source of food, to extinction in the central archipelago in the 1960s! Rising standards of living since then and the greater availability of poultry etc... (well until this year anyway!) have seen the end of such activities and from the 1980s onwards the central archipelago has been gradually re-colonised. I personally have noted a marked increase in their numbers on the east coast of Mahe over the last 10 years or so –such that now an adult can be seen every 50-80 metres or so along streams and in the mangrove areas, whilst on the mudflats near la promenade I have seen 10 -12 evenly spaced over the flats. I likewise saw four perched together on the tree outside my flat a few months ago.
The future of the birds around Mahe is not assured however with the breeding colony/roost on Hodoul Island threatened by planned developments and who knows (?) if times get much worse, the Grey heron might find itself back in the pot in the coming months!