Bird Island, Seychelles

King Myna

Our trip to Bird Island had been booked for nearly two years, so as the departure date approached excitement was building. It's not an easy trip to undertake, involving three flights each way. We flew Emirates via Dubai and suffered their limit of 'one piece of hand luggage no more than 7kg'. Alternatively we could have flown Etihad via Abu Dhabi, but the same restrictions apply. Kenya Airways gets you a 12kg allowance, but involves a 6 hour stop in Nairobi.

After 26 hours travelling we landed on Bird Island and immediately the heat hits you. It shouldn't be a surprise being in the Indian Ocean and it was approaching midday, but the heat was to be a big factor in our stay.

Settling in to our chalet the tranquility is immediately apparent, punctuated only by the sound of the sea and of course, the birds. What ultimately surprises you is how the noise increases at night and earplugs are a definite aid to restful sleep.

Once into bird photography mode, there is much to see as you might expect. Noddys are abundant, but if you can pick your way past them there are many delights on offer. While we are used to seeing Turnstone in the UK, the sheer numbers on Bird take you by surprise. Plenty of Whimbrel too, but as with here you can't get close. Other highlights are Tropicbird, Frigatebird, Red-footed Booby, Greater Crested Tern, Fairy Tern, Pratincole, Blue Pigeon, Great White Egret; the list goes on.

Perhaps of even more interest are the short-stay callers and vagrants. While we were there we had Amur Falcon, Hobby, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, European Roller amongst many others. The image above was one such bird and confirmed by a well-known Seychelles ornithologist as a King Myna. Myna birds are quite common on the island and relatively tame, but this one was a complete surprise.

Summing up, Bird Island is a great destination for a bird photography holiday, but it is important to get the timing right. We seem to have been near to the end of the optimum time. You also need to be able to withstand 30+degC temperatures for long periods and often in places where there is no shade from the sun. We spent 14 nights there, but my suggestion would be that 10 nights is about enough.