albatross02
Well-known member
Hello together,
this year middle September I travelled 3 weeks to Seychelles.
Information about Seychelles I got from secheylles travel froum in Germany.
Information for birding I got from
http://www.seychellesbirdrecordscommittee.com/where-to-watch.html
Price level for main island ( Mahe, Praslin, La Digue ) is quite high.
Good appartment or bungalow is possible from 80 Euro per day.
There also islands which excellent for birding, but much higher price level, like Bird Island ( >300 Euro per day ) or Fregatte and Cousine ( >>1.000 euro per day ).
Small shops widespread on all main islands.
Main language is creole, but english and french is spoken almost everywhere.
Mahe and Praslin is more than 50 % covered with forest. I said Mahe about 70 %.
There are other islands with protected areas like Cousin and Aride.
Cousin is only 2 km from Praslin away.
It said Cousin has about 300.000 breeding birds.
Because Cousine is not far from Cousin, it is possible to see clouds of birds around both island from beach of Praslin ( near airport ).
Unfurtunetely most corals died caused by coral bleech.
Snorkelling is possible at rock areas at Anse Lazio ( Praslin), Ptetit Anse and Anse Soleil ( Mahe ) as well as Anse Servere ( La Digue ).
My viewpoints
At first I was in Villa Aya at Grand Anse near Grand Anse Beach.
I had an convinient, very clean bungalow and also swimmung pool was available ( 80 Euro per day for bungalow ).
This nice beach has many seagras in austral winter.
My viewpoint was near airport at beach.
At sunrise starts day bird migration.
At first look for viewpoint which is not disturbed by sun.
Bird passed mostly farer out. Scope 30 - 50 zoom is urgendly needed.
Mostly Leeser Noddy, but also Brown Noddy, Common White Tern and Wedge tailed Shearwater in high numbers.
Lower numbers are Tropical Shearwater, Bridled Tern and also Frigatebirds, White tailed Tropicbirds, Great crested Tern. But three last, came close over the beach.
Rare was Saunders Tern, Red footed and Masked Booby.
One count was 102 Lesser Noddy in 56 seconds.
The distance of passed birds was different each day.
Around 8 am the migration dropped down.
In the evening ( I started watching around 5 pm ) the number of birds was much higher.
Next viewport on Praslin was at east site at Cote Dor.
The morning migration brought a very high number of Noodis and Wedge tailed Shearwater. I count groups between 138 and estimate some groups has more than 500 birds. So it must be tentousends of birds.
Identifiction is not possible all time, because the birds farer away from coast.
In the evening was almost no migration at this beach.
Only some waders like Wimbrel and Turnstone sleep at the rocks near the coastline.
Viewpoint on La Digue was south of Anse Severe.
The turned street, which goes a little bit up, was an ideal viewpoit, where first sun don't disturb.
View from street is no problem, because most traffic on La Digue is via bicycle.
The birds, mostly Lesser Noddys and Wedge tailed Shearwater, came close until 50 meter to viewpoint.
I counted 110 Shearwaters in 42 seconds.
Tropical Shearwater only until 38.
The migration dropped down around 7 am.
The was almost no evening migration on this point.
Farer away was a rock island with many terns like Common White and Bridled terns.
Viewpoint on Mahe was Anse Aux Pins.
The day migration dropped not so down like on Praslin and Mahe.
But also not so much birds and mostly Lesser Noddy and Wedge tailed Shearwater. Mostly the birds passed farer away, so often 50 x zoom was even not helpful.
There was also viewpoints for waders.
Best was Providence with daily view of Crab Plovers, Terek, Lesser and Greater Sandpiper Plover. Even twice Oriental Plover.
Also 1 Osprey was there.
Further I saw 11 endemic birds.
Some are very common like Seychelles Sunbird and Bulbul.
Seychelles Blue pigeon was also seen different time on Mahe.
Other like Seychelles Black Flycatcher ( La Digue, Frigatte ), Seychelles Warbler and Seychelles Fody ( both on Cousin and Aride ) exists only on small islands.
Cousin can be visited often with combined day tours with Curieuse.
But this is guiding big non birder groups of more than 100 persons.
There should also small birding groups ( see advice in the link ).
Aride is more difficult to reach. I could not manage a tour for myself in this time.
People an all 3 islands was very relaxed, helpful, reliable and crimerate seems also very low.
Best regards
Dieter
this year middle September I travelled 3 weeks to Seychelles.
Information about Seychelles I got from secheylles travel froum in Germany.
Information for birding I got from
http://www.seychellesbirdrecordscommittee.com/where-to-watch.html
Price level for main island ( Mahe, Praslin, La Digue ) is quite high.
Good appartment or bungalow is possible from 80 Euro per day.
There also islands which excellent for birding, but much higher price level, like Bird Island ( >300 Euro per day ) or Fregatte and Cousine ( >>1.000 euro per day ).
Small shops widespread on all main islands.
Main language is creole, but english and french is spoken almost everywhere.
Mahe and Praslin is more than 50 % covered with forest. I said Mahe about 70 %.
There are other islands with protected areas like Cousin and Aride.
Cousin is only 2 km from Praslin away.
It said Cousin has about 300.000 breeding birds.
Because Cousine is not far from Cousin, it is possible to see clouds of birds around both island from beach of Praslin ( near airport ).
Unfurtunetely most corals died caused by coral bleech.
Snorkelling is possible at rock areas at Anse Lazio ( Praslin), Ptetit Anse and Anse Soleil ( Mahe ) as well as Anse Servere ( La Digue ).
My viewpoints
At first I was in Villa Aya at Grand Anse near Grand Anse Beach.
I had an convinient, very clean bungalow and also swimmung pool was available ( 80 Euro per day for bungalow ).
This nice beach has many seagras in austral winter.
My viewpoint was near airport at beach.
At sunrise starts day bird migration.
At first look for viewpoint which is not disturbed by sun.
Bird passed mostly farer out. Scope 30 - 50 zoom is urgendly needed.
Mostly Leeser Noddy, but also Brown Noddy, Common White Tern and Wedge tailed Shearwater in high numbers.
Lower numbers are Tropical Shearwater, Bridled Tern and also Frigatebirds, White tailed Tropicbirds, Great crested Tern. But three last, came close over the beach.
Rare was Saunders Tern, Red footed and Masked Booby.
One count was 102 Lesser Noddy in 56 seconds.
The distance of passed birds was different each day.
Around 8 am the migration dropped down.
In the evening ( I started watching around 5 pm ) the number of birds was much higher.
Next viewport on Praslin was at east site at Cote Dor.
The morning migration brought a very high number of Noodis and Wedge tailed Shearwater. I count groups between 138 and estimate some groups has more than 500 birds. So it must be tentousends of birds.
Identifiction is not possible all time, because the birds farer away from coast.
In the evening was almost no migration at this beach.
Only some waders like Wimbrel and Turnstone sleep at the rocks near the coastline.
Viewpoint on La Digue was south of Anse Severe.
The turned street, which goes a little bit up, was an ideal viewpoit, where first sun don't disturb.
View from street is no problem, because most traffic on La Digue is via bicycle.
The birds, mostly Lesser Noddys and Wedge tailed Shearwater, came close until 50 meter to viewpoint.
I counted 110 Shearwaters in 42 seconds.
Tropical Shearwater only until 38.
The migration dropped down around 7 am.
The was almost no evening migration on this point.
Farer away was a rock island with many terns like Common White and Bridled terns.
Viewpoint on Mahe was Anse Aux Pins.
The day migration dropped not so down like on Praslin and Mahe.
But also not so much birds and mostly Lesser Noddy and Wedge tailed Shearwater. Mostly the birds passed farer away, so often 50 x zoom was even not helpful.
There was also viewpoints for waders.
Best was Providence with daily view of Crab Plovers, Terek, Lesser and Greater Sandpiper Plover. Even twice Oriental Plover.
Also 1 Osprey was there.
Further I saw 11 endemic birds.
Some are very common like Seychelles Sunbird and Bulbul.
Seychelles Blue pigeon was also seen different time on Mahe.
Other like Seychelles Black Flycatcher ( La Digue, Frigatte ), Seychelles Warbler and Seychelles Fody ( both on Cousin and Aride ) exists only on small islands.
Cousin can be visited often with combined day tours with Curieuse.
But this is guiding big non birder groups of more than 100 persons.
There should also small birding groups ( see advice in the link ).
Aride is more difficult to reach. I could not manage a tour for myself in this time.
People an all 3 islands was very relaxed, helpful, reliable and crimerate seems also very low.
Best regards
Dieter
