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Conservation >
Birds
Ongoing Projects:
Sooty Terns
White-tailed Tropic Bird
List of birds recorded on Bird Island
Migrant
waders
Sunbirds
(Nectarina
dussumieri) on Bird Island
The Seychelles Sunbird is one of 11 endemic bird species in the
granitic Seychelles. It is not endangered and is perhaps the most
widespread and abundant of the endemic bird species. It is an attractive
small passerine. As it is believed that it may have been present in the
past on the island and plans are currently in action to reintroduce it to Bird Island.
This is both for its
ecotourism value and for its value as a pollinator, thus increasing
ecosystem diversity and complexity. Nature Seychelles have studied the
habitat and is convinced that the bird will thrive on the island.
Bird Island is suitable for the Sunbirds because there
are considerable areas of papaya and Pisonia grandis, as well as many
introduced ornamental flowering trees such as Cordia Sebestena which
flowers profusely all year and is very prolific across the island.
The plan is to
eventually bring about 40 birds from different parts of Mahé to dilute
the gene pool and
release them here on the island. The Mahé population is very large and the
capture of this quantity of birds will only affect the population by a
fraction of 1% therefore having no effect on the existing population.
The plan was to introduce them to the island in
February 2006 at the end of the breeding season which would help to reduce
stress levels.
The first
6 Sunbirds were caught on Mahé on Sunday 19th February. We
have to thank Rachel Bristol of Nature Seychelles for catching, ringing
and weighing and delivering them to the airport.
We
only relocated 6 to see how they would travel. This is because they have to be caught
early morning and kept in an individual box in the shade and then
transferred to the airport and flown to Bird making a total of around 6
- 7 hours in captivity.
This could have caused a lot of stress to a tiny
bird which doesn't weigh more than 10 grammes. We were very happy when
they all survived the period of captivity and flight. They flew
happily out of their boxes and immediately started feeding on the nectar
of the flowers in the Geiger Tree (cordia sebestena).
They were released near chalets 12 and 14. Two weeks
later a 7th bird was caught on Mahé and released on the island.
On being captured
each bird was ringed with a metal numbered ring on the right leg and
two coloured rings on the left. Each bird was weighed and sexed. We
have 3 adult males, 1 adult female, two juvenile females and a
juvenile of unknown sex.
Careful
monitoring is taking place to ensure that they are thriving. They have dispersed over the island and have been seen even at
Hirondelle on the north-east coast of the island. One has been seen feeding
on the plants next to the bar.
We are required by the Department of the
Environment to submit a regular report on the progress of the Birds for the
next two years.
Geiger Tree - Cordia Sebestena
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