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Tree Pipit at Fregate (Stef Houben) Stef Houben has reported a Tree Pipit at Fregate on 7 November. Tree Pipit is an annual visitor in small numbers. SBRC has collected 352 sighting of this species to date, of which 91% occurred on southbound migration during the period October-December, with little evidence of a northbound migration apart from a slight blip in March (3.4% of sightings).
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Stef Houben has reported a European Roller present at the airstrip, Fregate on 4 November. The bird was also seen by Naomi Lambrikx, Marcus Dubel, Janske van de Crommenacker and Sam Kendray. SBRC considered European Roller as a vagrant to Seychelles until 2014, when it was changed to annual visitor. The criteria for a species to be considered as annual is that it has been recorded in at least 8 of the previous 10 years with an average of at least 2 records per annum. European Roller now meets the criteria with 25 records 2007-2016 to date and present in every year.
Stef Houben also reports that a Pacific Golden Plover was present on Fregate on 2 October. This is another annual visitor in very small numbers to the granitics and Amirantes but a vagrant beyond and SBRC collects all reports from throughout Seychelles. On 5 October, Lilly Soerensen and Niels Bomholt reported a Grey-tailed Tattler at Providence, Mahe (see earlier in this blog). The sent a record form to SBRC, mentioning an African Spoonbill also present. Unfortunately at the time, they did not realise that this was first record for Seychelles and did not photograph it. Then on 28 October, Martijn van Dinther reported a spoonbill just outside Victoria. Finally on 31 October Catherina tracked the bird down and photographed it. The red face and base of the bill clearly identifies this bird as African and not Eurasian Spoonbill.
Remarkably it is less than 12 months since the first Eurasian Spoonbill for Seychelles was photographed at Aride Island. Clare Keating Daly has reported a Black-winged Pratincole at the D'Arros airstrip on 3 October and 1 November. Pratincoles can be difficult to identify in Seychelles as they are usually in immature or non-breeding plumage. However fortunately, Clare managed to capture a picture of the bird taking off with wings held aloft, revealing the all-black underwing, whereas the other three pratincole species recorded in Seychelles (Collared, Oriental and Madagascar all have chestnut underwing-coverts. Also at D'Arros, Clare reports a Pacific Golden Plover on 1 November foraging with two Grey Plovers on the airstrip and on 28 October. Clare also reports a Wood Sandpiper at the pond on Fouquet Island of neighbouring St Joseph Atoll, present on 28 October. Wood Sandpiper is annual visitor to granitic Seychelles and the Amirantes, but a vagrant to the Farquhar and Aldabra groups. SBRC has collected 178 reports to date, showing the number of sightings peaks in November, steadily declining through the season thereafter.
Ari Fernández and Chris Narty have reported a Barn Swallow on 30 October seen flying in front of the fishing centre and perching in the branches of a Barringtonia.
Barn Swallow is an annual visitor to Seychelles in small numbers and the only land bird to pass through the islands on both southbound and northbound migration. Ann and Paul Bailey have reported a Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps at Bird Island. This is nothing short of sensational. If accepted by SBRC this will be not only a first record for Seychelles but a first for the entire African region and the entire southern hemisphere.
Red-headed Bunting breeds from the Volga–Ural region east through Kazakhstan to western Mongolia and northwest China and south to Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is migratory, wintering in India. It is a nocturnal migrant and most having left breeding grounds by August, southern migration continuing to October. It has been previously recorded as far south as Sri Lanka and has also been recorded throughout much of western Europe as far as Iceland. Pep Nogués, Ari Fernández and Chris Narty have reported a Common Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis at the village and airstrip, Alphonse on 28 October. SBRC has accepted only four previous records for Seychelles, two from Bird, on Farquhar and one Frégate. The bird is believed to be a female. All previous records were also female or immature.
Sam Balderson has reported a Eurasian Curlew present at the Cosmic Lagoon, St Francois on 21 an 23 October. This species is an annual visitor in small numbers to Seychelles as a while but has not been seen at St Francois for some years. This is only the second sighting known to SBRC from anywhere in Seychelles in 2016.
Curlews have been reported present in Seychelles during every month of the year but with a peak in January and a low in June as per the graph below. Lilly Soerensen and Niels Bomholt have reported a Grey-tailed Tattler at Providence, Mahe on 4 October. SBRC has accepted 4 previous records for Seychelles of this species:
Stef Houben has reported two Black-winged Pratincoles at the airstrip, Frégate on 9 October. SBRC has accepted 14 previous records of this species including three from the same island, one on 23 April 1988 (P Gregory), one on 12 June 2009 (M Wilkens, B Whittington) and one 25-27 March 2010 (G Canning). The date of this latest observation is the earliest in the post-breeding season migration season, the previous earliest date being one at Bird Island 15-16 October 1987. All accepted sightings to date except one have been of one individual. The exception was four at Alphonse 4-16 May 2009. |
AuthorAdrian Skerrett Categories |