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