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Dinantis Beukes has reported five Blue-cheeked bee-eater at the east side of D'Arros on 20-25 April.
In 2017, SBRC reclassified this species to an annual visitor in small numbers to the granitic islands and Amirantes but retained as a vagrant further south (where Madagascar Bee-eater is a likely confusion species). SBRC continues to collect all reports. These are automatically accepted unless there is something unusual in terms of timing or numbers.
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Francois Baguette has reported Barn Swallows present at La Passe, Silhouette with a peak in numbers of six on 24 April.
Barn Swallow is an annual visitor to Seychelles in small numbers. It is the only migratory landbird recorded annually on both southbound and northbound migration. Francois Baguette has reported a Yellow Wagtail at La Passe, Silhouette on 22 April. SBRC has accepted 55 previous records of this species including three from Silhouette.
Melinda Curran has reported a female House Sparrow present at La Cour, Aride for one day only on 3 April. House Sparrows are resident in the Amirantes but regarded as an invasive species in the granitic islands. This is the first report since a male was present at Independence Avenue, Victoria for more than one year from July 2007 to July 2008.
Ariadna Fernandez has reported Red-throated Pipit at Alphonse airstrip on 4 March. This is the ninth report from Alphonse (equal first with Bird island) and the 34th for Seychelles. Scott Mitchell and Pep Nogués have reported a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron at the freshwater reservoir, Alphonse on 7 February. This species was unrecorded in Seychelles until 1992, when one turned up near the Inter-island Quay on Mahe. More records followed in the next few years and by 1996, it was breeding on Mahe, spreading to Silhouette in 1997, Cousin in 2000 and St Joseph Atoll in 2002. There have been other vagrant records including one at Desroches but this is the first record for Alphonse. It is a very rare event for Seychelles to be naturally colonised by a new species but the loss of freshwater habitat in the inner islands means that the future of Black-crowned Night Heron as a breeding species in Seychelles hangs in the balance. It is uncertain whether it has bred at any site at all during the last few years though there presence of a juvenile at Alphonse suggests it is possible that at least one site survives. Left: Male Northern Wheatear (Kyle Reed). Right: Female Northern Wheatear (Pep Nogués) Pep Nogués and Kyle Reed have reported a female Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe at Pointe Dot, Alphonse on 12-14 January and a male present near the airstrip on 13 January.
60% of all Northern Wheatear sightings have been recorded in January-February, much later in the migration season than any other land bird. CJ Havemann has reported a Western Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus at North Island on 5 January. SBRC has accepted seven previous records of this species.
Becky Hodgkiss and James McClelland have reported a Garganey at Cousine. Garganey is an annual visitor to the inner islands and Amirantes in small numbers, but this is the first report from Cousine. Unfortunately the bird was in exhausted condition and died.
SBRC has collected reports of 348 Garganey in Seychelles. This is the peak period for sightings with reports in all months but a steady decline in numbers through the migration season. Francois Baguette, Licia Calabrese and Teesha Baboorun reported a Western Marsh Harriercover the marsh at La Passe, Silhouette on 3 December 2017. It was seen again on 13 December and photographed by Said Harryba on 14 December.
SBRC has accepted four previous records of this species. |
AuthorAdrian Skerrett Categories |