We were in an area on the south west corner of the island, under the shade of the trees counting the 5 species of seabird within our 300m² plot, when our two magpie robins that have started to frequent the hill joined us to capitalise on the disturbed ground which we were creating with our feet. We stopped for a moment to enjoy their presence and as we did there was the sound of a third bird higher up in the glade. Now there had been 3 birds at one time that we aware of, using the hill, but this sound was different, we knew it was the sound of a youngster. Quickly we made our way up the hill towards the noise and there sure enough to our amazement was a healthy young magpie robin, still with a bright yellow gape, squawking!
A huge smile came across my face this was such a discovery; on two fronts, it was the first time in the history of the magpie robin on Aride that these birds had ever proven to have bred on the hill and secondly it was the first pair of Aride born magpie robins that had ever successfully produced a fledgling.
I have always felt it to be such a privilege to work with birds such as the magpie robins, and previous to coming to Aride it was only something I would ever dream of, or read about in the RSPB’s Birds magazine. Still an endangered species with just approximately 190 birds on 5 islands in the Seychelles these birds are still up against it. But now here I was witnessing this species pushing out the boundaries, and succeeding against all odds. When I first arrived sky-blue blue was a young female still with her juvenile feathers and now here she was, a mother.
But the best part of this story has to be that there has been no need to provide nest boxes or feeding and watering stations for this pair, they have done it alone and the only assistance required from the Aride team is to be but witnesses – wonderful.
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