News from Aride Island, October to December 2004 Happy new year to all! The ‘wet’ season on Aride has brought back the green and lush vegetation during the last three months, although unfortunately the season also brought with it the mosquitoes, and a somewhat distant association with the currently non-descriptive nature of the island’s name. The island’s vegetation is luxuriant once again, with a dense forest canopy, an under story which needs a machete to plot a course. Frigate bird numbers have risen to over 4000 individuals, resulting in some incredible aerial displays. Red-tailed tropic birds, one of the most elusive residents of the island, have been seen with incredible frequency from the viewpoint and the high cliffs of Aux Cabris during October and November. When the frequency of sightings were preliminarily analysed using distance sampling methods, more often used for populations of whales, dolphins and large sharks, the results suggest that there may be as many as 8 pairs breeding on the Northern crags of Aride. During December nest-building by Lesser Noddies was very much in evidence with many individuals appearing not even to have moved nests since the main South East monsoon breeding season! Some Brown Noddies have also been seen carrying nesting material, and also feeding offshore on the still plentiful baitfish around Aride’s coast. Many Seychelles Warblers and Sunbirds have been observed feeding fledglings on the plateau, and many Seychelles Fodies have also been raising young. Following the first bout of breeding by Blue Pigeons after the first rains of September, when many successfully raised fledglings, another round of breeding started in mid December, with several pairs commencing nest building within a few days of each other. The population of the Seychelles Magpie Robin on Aride has continued to fluctuate this quarter. In November, when a pullus was ringed on the nest, the population reached 16 birds – the highest number recorded on Aride since the translocation in 2002. However, the pullus concerned had a slightly deformed wing and was underweight, probably as a result of a tick bite, and it disappeared a few days after fledgling, thus bringing the population back down to 15 birds. The death of another adult bird early the following month caused the population to drop further. However, with two eggs currently under incubation, it is hoped that we will shortly see an increase once again. The last quarter has been a very busy time for Aride in terms of tourist visits, with several cruise ships increasing the visitor numbers, which are generally high at this time of year anyway. Unfortunately the beach has not yet fully recovered from its beating during the Southeast monsoon, and the exposed rocks and sheets of glacis at the beach landing site were still a problem during some tides, making landing tourists very difficult on certain days. It is noteworthy, what the numbers of Seychellois that are visiting Aride continues to increase. During the festive season the number of turtles visiting the island decreased slightly in frequency, but was accompanied by a marked increase in the wacky choices of nest sites made by those that made it. One of our females chose to dig between two barbecue grills in the visitors centre, with another choosing to nest underneath the outboard motor on the rib in the boathouse! Both required rearranging of the immediate surroundings, as well as obvious markers, in order to minimise disturbance of the nests. The first two turtle nests also hatched at this time, and they proved to be highly successful, with a 98% hatchling survival rate (as far as making it to the sea is concerned at least!). The Tsunami on Boxing Day came with only a few minutes warning. Fortunately it hit when the tide was relatively low, and the natural beach crest along the Southern Aride coastline provided an effective barrier. Residents stood and watched in awe as the tide was sucked far out, then surged back in and up at an incredible pace, only being stopped by the tip of the well-vegetated beach crest. Only at the visitors centre did the waves manage to flood the island, and fortunately this inundation was minimal. The tide continued to surge in and out in this unpredictable manner for almost 48 hours, often being sucked down so quickly that the fish were unable to keep up with it and ended up stranded on the beach until the water returned. Although our thoughts go out to those who were not so fortunate and lost their lives or homes, all of us in Seychelles must take some solace from the fact that the wave had to cross such deep water to get to us. Had this not been the case, almost all of the energy contained within the original would have hit the Seychelles with every rise and fall. A few days after the Tsunami, there was evidence of a rich planktonic bloom around the island, probably as a result of the stirring up of the seas and the breakdown of the thermocline which normally traps the nutrient rich waters far below the surface. Many small Portuguese-Man-O-War jellyfish were washed up on the Aride beach, and a large whale-shark was seen feeding on the surface inside the marine park from the viewpoint, along with a large manta ray Manta birostris, which provides a new addition to the Aride fish species list. Calm seas earlier in December provided the opportunity for some diving and further monitoring of the Aride marine park, with many further additions to the fish species list. A large pod of bottlenose dolphins has been regularly sighted from the beach during the last two months, as well as the pod of spinner dolphins which are still seen frequently. The ruddy turnstones, which have always been common in relatively large numbers on the beach, have migrated inland and are now more often seen all around the plateau. Whimbrels and Crab Plovers, both adults and sub-adults of the latter, have been regular visitors, joined by a Lesser Sand Plover during late November. Both Brown and Red-Footed boobies were sighted on several occasions during October and November, and a Tree Pipet made an appearance close to the Wardens’ House for a week at the end of October, followed by the brief but very welcome visit by a single Cinnamon Bittern. The most surprising visitor was a Red-Billed Tropic Bird which arrived exhausted on the plateau on 30th October, stayed for just a few hours, to recover from its ordeal, and then launched itself back out to sea, presumably to continue its journey. Frankie Hobro and Dr Dylan Evans – Aride Island, 8th January 2005. The above article originally appeared in Birdwatch, a quarterly publication of NPTS.

News from Aride Island - April to June 2005 It’s been a hectic quarter on Aride Island, with many changes, resulting from the development and construction of two new buildings on the island. During April approximately 45 tonnes of materials were landed on Aride’s Southern beach to enable the construction of the Seybrew sponsored Aride Island Conservation Centre. The construction work, conducted by Laxhambai, was impressively efficient. As a result we now boast a fine new Conservation Centre, in which all the island’s records and work will be centralised and from which all visitors will be able to see this work in action, and a small, neat housing for the generators and desalinator which will be put in place after the South East Monsoon season has passed. Our thanks go to all the Aride staff and other individuals who helped oversee this process during our absence for a month of annual leave. The arrival of the South East Monsoon was less evident than last year, with many fluctuations in the wind direction and due to the relatively calm seas, we were able to land visitors until the end of May – much later than last year. By this time the seabird breeding season was really kicking in, with sooty terns settling all over the island and many laying by the end of the month. This year there was an unusual lack of synchrony shown by Aride’s Sooty Terns, with some on eggs at the end of May and other still displaying to one another and just starting to settle on nest sites. Fortunately the calm seas allowed regular anti-poaching patrols around the island by boat. These, in addition to the supply of seabird eggs collected legally from Desnoeufs this season, contributed to an incredible and almost complete lack of seabird and egg poaching from Aride this year – so far at least. The first Roseate Tern was spotted in late April, and by the end of May, due to careful and considerate management of the small colony, there were almost 800 pairs, up by over 12% on last year. Brown Noddies were nest-building in droves by June, with Lesser Noddies nest-building and incubating all over the island, and even the weekly roost counts of Bridled Terns suggested that their population was peaking to breeding numbers by the end of the month. On the last two days of May, the winds changed suddenly, with South East winds blowing strongly and the sea becoming very rough. During the first two weeks in June, Aride suffered constant torrential rain for 10 days, along with the rest of the Seychelles. Incredible for this time in the ‘dry season’, approximately 370mm of rain fell within a week, with over 125mm in one 24 hour period alone! Aride residents were wading around the plateau up to their thighs in overflowing marsh water until the rains stopped and the floods finally subsided, safe at least in the knowledge that we would probably not face a drinking water shortage as we did during the dry season last year. The floods unfortunately postponed our annual seabird census for over a week, but it was still completed successfully before the majority of Sooty Tern chicks hatched, at the end of June, thanks to hard work and collaboration by all Aride staff and volunteers. In contrast to the increasing numbers of other seabirds for the South East Monsoon period, the Frigate bird numbers dropped to between two and three hundred individuals, as is usual for this time of the year, when these birds migrate elsewhere to breed. One sub-adult male Frigate bird was found dead at the edge of the Roseate Tern colony on 26th June, where it quite literally appeared to have just fallen out of the sky. There were no marks or injuries on the individual at all, although it appeared to be underweight. Wedgetailed Shearwaters were evident throughout the quarter, at various stages of breeding activity all over the island, along with the usual number of Audubon Shearwater chicks at different ages. One Audubon Shearwater provided much entertainment! Finding itself inside the visitors long-drop hut overnight, presumably by entering between the wall and the roof, it then tried to climb back up the wall to exit before dawn. Unfortunately, the most convenient article to climb up on was the toilet roll holder half way up the wall, which proceeded to unravel toilet roll onto the floor at the same pace at which the bird was running, which no doubt was both exhausting and highly frustrating for the individual involved. Presumably when the paper on the roll ran out, the bird also ran out of steam, as it was found early in the morning on the toilet floor, looking exhausted and mortified, surrounded by voluminous mounds of toilet paper! Another amusing bird observation was the interaction between three juvenile Seychelles Magpie Robins and a large male Blue Pigeon, which was twigging close to the ground. The young Robins were evidently transfixed by this strange new bird, and took it in turns to get as close to it as possible to have a look, edging up towards the pigeon and holding their head to the side to observe it closely. The Blue Pigeon remained indifferent to the attention, concentrating on finding a suitable twig, until finally it had enough, with 3 Robins edging up closer and closer towards it, and it ran towards them along the branch at great pace, causing them all to squeal and flee. Fruit Bats became much more common than usual and were seen almost daily during May and June migrating from Praslin, with loud squabbles and copulation attempts often apparent throughout the day and night. Wolf snakes were often seen in April and May, both green and brown, and a male and female diadem were observed on the same day in April. Marine observations were plentiful, with a whale shark sighting on 8th May, the spectacle of a humpback whale breaching on 6th June on the Western side of the island, and the usual regular sightings of Grey Reef Sharks and pods of Bottle Nosed Dolphins. A Mobula Ray was seen from the beach on 25th June, jumping in the outer edge of the marine park boundary, and earlier in the month two large male Hawksbill Turtles were caught munching upon a large jellyfish on the North side of the island. The Magpie Robin population on Aride increased to 15 birds this quarter, with the welcome addition of two new fledglings, in Territories 1 and 2. The Territory 1 bird managed to find its way into La Cour when it left the nest box, and sat between two of the houses for its first 3 days of freedom, being regularly relayed food items by its apparently tireless parents and siblings. The same fledgling then attempted to roost in one of the ranger’s houses overnight and appeared most upset when the ranger entered and put the light on – the bird had to be gently removed before it became distressed. This quarter provided some impressive records of more unusual bird sightings, with Sanderlings seen regularly on Aride’s beach, with 4 together on one occasion, joined by a Lesser Sandplover on 11th May. The island’s elusive Red-tailed Tropic Birds were seen frequently throughout the quarter, particularly at the end of April, and four were seen together on 14th May from the viewpoint. Brown Boobies were evident during every month, and a single Red-footed Booby was seen during both May and June. A solitary Tree Pipit was observed on the plateau on 11th May and 13th June, possibly the same individual, and an unidentified Storm Petrel was sighted on 5th June. Most impressive in June however, were 4 Antarctic Skuas seen on 9th, followed by another on 11th, and what’s thought to be a Southern Giant Petrel which was seen soaring off Aride’s Western rocks on 9th. Frankie Hobro & Dr Dylan Evans – Aride Island, 3rd July 2005. The above atricle originally appeared in Birdwatch, a quarterly publication of NPTS.

News from Aride Island - January to March 2005 The first quarter of 2005 seems to have flown past on Aride, particularly as a result of the large number of tourists, many of whom were brought on large cruise ships. By the end of March, when the counting was over the annual visitor total was the highest for several years. The island’s vegetation continued to flourish and vegetation and canopy cover was lush during this time, despite the relative aridity of the so called ‘wet’ season. Mostly, the seas were very calm, with the exception of occasional storms which blew up for a few days at a time then passed again. As a result we had enough rain to maintain the island’s plants, and also the often voracious population of mosquitoes! The last of the cruise ship visitors were privileged to witness the amazing sight of turtle hatchlings emerging from their sandy cocoons and making for the sea. The few remaining nests on the island were all gone by mid March. The turtle season has been quite strange for Aride, particularly when considered against the background of some of our neighbours. Although Aride has had fewer nests than Cousine or Cousin, as is normal given the size of our beach, the success of each nest has been astounding at around 95%. Several nests were 100% successful with every egg hatching and every hatchling, with a little help, at least tasting the ocean. The nests laid between the barbeques in the visitors shelter and the one laid in the boatshed were among those that, try as we might to avoid it, were subject to pretty high levels of disturbance, but still over 90% of the hatchlings made it. It has been a busy few months for the birds too, with Seychelles Warblers and Seychelles Fodies breeding avidly and resulting in many fledglings evident around the island. Indeed, the Seychelles Fody is now, at least to the eye without a count, far more common than its Madagascan counterpart. The blue pigeon population has also continued to flourish with several successful nests monitored during the quarter, and yet more in progress. The Northwest monsoon breeding contingent of Lesser and Brown Noddies have also been much in evidence, with chicks at various stages of development by the end of March. By this time, many of the Southeast breeding season seabirds were also present, and starting to carry nesting material. The first Sooty Terns of the year arrived on the 19th of February, from rough counts there were perhaps a thousand birds. However, by the 20th of February, literally overnight, they were circling and calling in their masses and by the end of March they numbered tens of thousands and their calls became the temporary and seasonal music of Aride. As yet none have settled, and regular walks along the ridge path have failed to reveal any eggs. The Roseate Tern colony has been experimentally cleared and new fly-ways into the canopy created, it is hoped that this will encourage more birds to settle on Aride. We’re not just being greedy! Were just trying to learn the lessons taught last year when the population fragmented and the birds which chose to nest on Booby Rock, were met with total failure due to the callous and unwelcome attentions of poachers. The first individual is yet to be spotted. Frigate bird numbers rose incredibly to over 5000 individuals during January, but by the end of March had dropped considerably, as is usual for the Southeast monsoon season, to just under 2000 individuals. Hilltop sightings of Red-tailed tropic birds, one of the most elusive residents of the island, were also much less frequent this quarter. The Aride Seychelles Magpie Robin population had a quieter period over the last quarter, with two of the three dominant females slowing down breeding activity due to moulting, and the total population remaining at 14 individuals. One successful fledgling was produced in territory one, however, and this continues to flourish, being fed and nurtured not only by its parents but also it siblings. An interesting observation during this time was a young male seen pushing a fairy tern egg from its resting place in a tree and then feeding upon it on the ground. Whimbrels were often seen this quarter, as were Ruddy Turnstones in often large numbers around the plateau and the beach. Crab Plovers were seen occasionally during January and February, and surprisingly a group of 16 were seen together on the beach one day in mid March! Sanderlings were also fairly common during this quarter, and a group of up to six individuals was seen on more than one occasion. Lesser Sandplovers were seen twice during January, and a solitary Brown Booby made an appearance for two days at the end of the same month. Other avian visitors of note during this period were solitary a solitary Crested Tern, a Gull Billed Tern and once again a Red Billed Tropic Bird, which was observed flying directly towards the island from Praslin. Unfortunately it could not be found on land. Non–avian encounters included many wolf snakes, particularly during March, and also several green day geckos, which are not often seen on Aride. The Lepidopteran, Striped Policeman were seen several times during February, as were Crimson-speckled Footman. The calmer seas this quarter allowed some exploratory diving on the Aride reef, when time and air supply allowed. The demarcation buoys for the island marine park, funded by a grant from the US Embassy in Mauritius, are currently awaiting supply from the USA and it should be possible to get on with their installation immediately after the Southeast monsoon. Whale Sharks were seen four times during January and twice during February, including one occasion where two individuals were seen together. It was not apparent whether one was a juvenile, but certainly one was large and the other much smaller. An adult Manta Ray was seen feeding off the north coast of the island during January also. Grey reef sharks continue to be seen often, as do Bottle-nosed dolphins often with calves, including two distinct pods of at least 30 observed on the north western side of Booby Island on the 21st of January. Aride, it transpires is where most cetacean sightings are made within the granitic Seychelles, while the reason for this is unclear, the island continues to amaze myself, and almost everyone lucky enough to set foot on its shore. Frankie Hobro – Anglesey Island, Wales, UK, 7th April 2005. The above article originally appeatred in Birdwatch, a quarterly publicaiton of NPTS

On Friday 27th August Guy Esparon, a Denis Island staff member, had a surprise. When recording bird observations, he was amazed to see a Seychelles Magpie-Robin, a species never before seen on Denis. The bird then eluded him, and he had problems convincing anyone that this was what he’d seen!. However, later in the day, another staff member confirmed the sighting, and the colour rings on the bird’s legs showed that it was originally from Aride Island. On Aride, I received a call from Denis Island early on Saturday 28th August with news of the sighting, and the colour combination of rings suggested that the bird was a young female. Seychelles Magpie-Robins are sociable birds, renowned for their tameness and readiness to approach people; as a result the staff on Denis were able to get close enough to read the number on the bird’s identification ring. As suspected, it was confirmed to be the female from Aride, who is almost exactly a year old. This is a truly amazing achievement! The distance from Aride Island to Denis Island is approximately 57km, by far the farthest distance recorded for a Seychelles Magpie Robin to fly. Furthermore, from the Northern cliffs of Aride, Denis Island is a tiny, flat dot on the horizon, only visible in the clearest of conditions. For a small bird to successfully, and purposefully navigate such a distance is quite incredible. The Aride population of Seychelles Magpie-Robins is relatively young, having been established for just over two years. The birds are still complementarily fed, and closely monitored daily. I personally fed the nomadic female on Thursday 26th August at 3pm at a feeding hopper on the Aride plateau, and by the following day she was on Denis Island! Seychelles Magpie-Robins feed on invertebrates and forage primarily on the ground, they are not known as strong flyers. The most common dispersers for the species are females between the age of 1 and 2 years, and previously birds have flown between Cousin, Cousine and Praslin, but never such a distance as this record-breaking female! This event may provide some important insight into the original distribution of this species, suggesting for example that it may once have occurred on all the islands of the Seychelles Bank, rather than just the granitic islands as previously thought. The female on Denis Island is being closely observed, and has been seen foraging on invertebrates. Denis Island is free of rats and cats, and has commenced some habitat restoration work. It is also proposed as the next potential site for Seychelles Magpie-Robin translocation, however, the necessary survey work, a process which could take over a year, has yet to be conducted. In the meantime, if the island is able to provide sufficient invertebrate food for this bird, it may be possible in the more immediate future to introduce a lone male from another island to provide her with a partner. This just goes to show, it doesn’t matter what we think we know about a species, there will always be one or two individuals which, by their completely unexpected behavior, force us to think again!

On 31st October, a baby Magpie Robin on Aride Island was removed from its nest box, fitted with colour and identification rings, then safely returned to the nest. This procedure has been carried out on many Magpie Robins, on several islands, but this young Robin is particularly special as it is the 16th member of its species on Aride Island, and thus it brings the total population on the island to the highest number since their successful reintroduction just over two years ago. The Seychelles Magpie Robin population on Aride is the youngest population in the world today. After two previously unsuccessful attempts at re-introducing the species to Aride, 15 birds were successfully translocated in early 2002. Since then, the population on Aride has remained relatively stable, but until now, has never increased beyond the original number. Today, of the 15 Magpie Robins which were originally translocated from Fregate Island to Aride in 2002, only 5 remain on Aride, the other 11 birds all have all been born on Aride Island. A young Robin born in September, the offspring of two birds born on Aride, became the first in a hopefully long line of second generation Aride born Magpie Robins. This is an amazing achievement for a population just over 2 years old. In the past, the number of Magpie Robins on Aride was probably much higher than it is now. Historical records maintain that in 1868 there was a population of around 40 on Aride, and a German collector claims to have collected 24 birds in one visit, although the numbers were never officially recorded. Since then, populations have severely declined on all Seychelles islands where they were found, and by 1965 the Magpie Robin was restricted just to Fregate Island. Shortly afterwards, the population was estimated to be as low as just 25 birds, which led to an international conservation effort swinging into action to save the species from extinction. Today the total global population of Seychelles Magpie Robins is estimated at around 130 -140 birds, a great improvement and the result of years of determined conservation effort by a handful of individuals and organisations. Aride is one of four islands where Magpie Robins are thriving, the others being Fregate, Cousin and Cousine. The species is still incredibly rare and is not yet fully out of danger so every single individual counts. With 5 breeding pairs established in territories on Aride, and another egg currently under incubation, it is hoped that ‘number 16’ will be the first of many more new additions to the increasing Aride Seychelles Magpie Robin population.

Aride has recently been granted almost $5000.00 USD by the US Consulate in Mauritius. Aside from the direct ecological benefit to the clearly marked protected zone, there is a large body of evidence to suggest that sheltering an area of reef from the ecological pressure conferred upon it by fishing, greatly increases the abundance of larger fish in the areas immediately adjacent to the protected zone. This influx of both pelagic, and reef associated, large predatory fish, themselves attracted by the relative abundance of food within the protected area, will invoke both direct and indirect socio-economic benefits upon all parties using the regions constrained by, and immediately adjacent to, the protected area. In the case of divers, the presence of larger fish around the island will form an attraction, thereby indirectly benefiting those Seychellois running dive centres from Praslin and the neighbouring islands. While in the case of local fisherman, the benefits will be tangible as a direct increase in catch, and therefore revenue over time.

Aride's new helipad is now officially open for business. Russell Mittermeier, head of Conservation International, and his family accompanied by Justin Gerlach of Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles were the inaugral visitors, flying in for a guided tour of the nature reserve. Aride Warden, Ben Sampson says "This marks a new era for tourists wishing to visit Aride. The months of June to September had been a difficult time to visit, with rough seas and landing by boat often impossible but is a spectacular time of year on the island, with hundreds of thousands of seabirds nesting. Rather than three quarters of an hour by boat, the helicopter ride takes a mere 4 minutes from Praslin with Helicopter Seychelles and is unaffected by the seasonal trade winds". For more information about visiting Aride by helicopter please visit the Helicopter Seychelles website below.