The Toktok

Toktok is the local name given to the Seychelles Fody, the closest species in character that we would have in the UK is probably the house sparrow. However believe it or not the toktok is even cheekier and probably one of the cheekiest species I have ever known. Endemic to the Seychelles, in 2000 there were under 3,000 birds left, particularly vulnerable to cats and rats the population has significantly declined. 65 birds were reintroduced on to Aride in February 2002, and are now doing very well, and are a very common sight around the houses and buildings. They have a loud little song, kind of like the British wren and they will give it full pelt especially if they are after something like food or in this case today a piece of the office sweeping brush.

The sweeping brushes we use here are made out of grass and the thin fibres are excellent for picking up sand, but also excellent nesting material as our friend the toktok has found out. Now as a weaver bird they are rather fussy about the nesting material they use and on an island as limited for vegetation types as Aride, the sweeping brush has an important role to play for the toktok.

Like most birds the toktoks are nesting at the moment and so they are on the cadge for anything that looks remotely good for building their intricate weaver bird type home. As a result they have staked out every location where a brush can be found. With the amount of sand about, we keep one not just at home but in the office too, to at least try and limit the amount of sand that gets close to the computers.

Well today I just had to smile as I sat at the computer I could hear a scuffling behind me – it was a toktok, it had designs of the sweeping brush. Now instead of sneaking into the office once it sees the door open and grabbing a bit of brush fibre quietly, without me seeing, oh know it had to do it toktok style. This cheeky toktok came into the middle of the office floor and gave a full blast of song, loud and clear, which echoed round the wooden building, after drawing attention to itself it then proceeded to hop over to the brush and started to tug at the bristles. Successfully managing to dislodge a beak full, it then flew out of the door. It didn't just use this tactic once either - oh no two or three times at least, you have got to admire such cheek.

It is impossible to be annoyed with them; they look so innocent as they persistently tug at the brush for several minutes to collect a beak full. The 10cm length of grass then sits like a moustache, an even length either side so it is balanced and easy to make off with. Half the brush at both the office and at home has now gone and is forming toktok nests right across the plateau – bless ‘em.