Those looking to do a little bird watching in Seychelles
will be rewarded with a destination that provides a myriad
of exciting opportunities. Migrants, vagrants, sea birds,
and land birds are all found inhabiting the Seychelles,
which is a sort of African Galapagos in many regards.
While you might not find the greatest variety of bird
species here, a good amount of the Seychelles birds are
quite rare, being endemic just to the Seychelles. These
are some of the planet’s rarest endemic birds, so
what Seychelles birding amounts to, more or less, is quality
over quantity. One of the best things about bird watching
in Seychelles is the fact that you don’t necessarily
have to arrange a special tour
to do so. While you enjoy such renowned reserves as the
Vallee de Mai on Praslin
Island, and the Veuve
Reserve on La Digue, you’ll
be able to casually spot some unique avian species as
you go. If Seychelles bird watching is the focus of your
Seychelles vacation,
then you can by all means plan your trip around it with
special tours and such.
Most folks who are planning Seychelles birding trips
start on the main island of Mahe,
which is the ideal springboard for island-hopping excursions
of all kinds. Mahe itself is an excellent place to do
some birdwatching, as are other granitic islands like
Praslin and La Digue. Bird Island, which is found relatively
close to the main group of granitic islands, has quite
a proper name indeed, and many Seychelles bird watching
trips based out of Mahe include it. Sooty Terns, Fairy
Terns, Saunders Terns, and Terns of other varieties are
quite abundant on Bird Island. The granitic islands of
the Seychelles are utterly breathtaking, and they are
certainly ideal for those for birdwatchers of all ranks.
For the most serious birders, trips to the coralline islands
of the Seychelles should also be considered. The coralline
islands of the Seychelles, such as Farquhar,
Aldabra Island, and the Amirantes,
are less-developed and harder to reach, though if you
can get to them, they can be excellent places to view
some of the fascinating Seychelles birds.
Some of the best Seychelles birding destinations are
the small, granitic islands of Aride and Cousin, which
are easy to reach from both Mahe and Praslin. Both of
these islands are nature reserves, and there are no overnight
accommodations on them, but that doesn’t mean you
can visit them on day trips. Some of Seychelles birds
that you will likely spot on these islands are the Magpie
Robin and Seychelles Fody. Aride Island is home to more
than a million birds from about 10 different species,
and it’s the only place in the Seychelles granitic
islands where you can spot red-tailed tropicbirds. Cousin
Island offers up the Seychelles Warbler, which for a considerable
amount of time could only be found here. Not far off on
Praslin Island, the Vallee
de Mai Reserve is home to the rare Seychelles Black
Parrot. And, should you head to the slower-paced La Digue
Island, a walk through the Veuve Reserve should reveal
at least a few Seychelles Paradise Flycatchers, which
are without question among the most rare of Seychelles
birds.
Heading further out to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, among the more interesting birds you will spot are the Frigate Birds, which give name to the country’s Fregate Island. These birds are a joy to watch, as they employ some pretty impressive, mid-air acrobatics to steal food away from other sea birds. Frigates can actually be found throughout the Seychelles, much like Grey Plovers. Many more intriguing species of birds are to be seen while bird watching in Seychelles, and though a Seychelles birding vacation will prove fun, exciting, and rewarding on its own, there are birding packages that can also include other west Indian Ocean islands, such as Madagascar, Mauritius, and Reunion. Throw in these destinations with the Seychelles, and you can start adding even more unique, and sometimes bizarre, avian species to the list. It is important to note that some of the smaller and less-developed islands in the Seychelles are only open to visitors on a reserved basis, and sometimes you must make arrangements ahead of time if you wish to visit, which is very much the case with Aldabra Island, for example.
