The Seychelles Magpie Robin (Pi Santez in Creole) is a popular and captivating endemic bird of Seychelles. A rare species that was nearly extinct and only found on Fregate Island, it has rebounded thanks to conservation efforts, and it now has populations on Cousin, Denis, Cousine, and Aride.
In spite of the bird’s recovery, it continues to be highly managed on all islands to ensure its survival.
The Cousin Island Special Reserve’s population has been monitored since its introduction in the mid-1990s.
The monitoring includes searching for nests in all its known territories, and boxes and cavities checked for signs of use.
Finding a new nest is undoubtedly the highlight of this monitoring. It signals a brand-new addition to the island’s population.
This was the case early this month when a nest was discovered in a most unusual spot.
“Seychelles Magpie Robin monitoring has been challenging this year with many mosquitos, trees used for nests being blown down or damaged, and a few dominant birds being usurped. But after a lot of patience, tracking and waiting, we located this nest and its chick!” says Chris Tagg, the island’s conservation officer.
“What made this discovery even more noteworthy was the nest’s location outside of any known territory. Typically, these birds occupy specific territories across the island, which are regularly visited.”
“Unusually for Cousin, it was also on a rock face amongst vegetation, instead of a cavity in a tree or a nest box. The nest was quite high up on the hill and required a treacherous climb to reach. However, this suggests that the territories have expanded and the boundaries have changed.”
“We regularly checked it for progress and after nearly two weeks, it was time to ring the chick.”
Every Magpie on Cousin is rung. The rings help identify individuals quickly. A metal ring with a unique numerical code – provided by the South African Ringing Association (SAFRING) – and a red ring indicating that the birds come from Cousin, are attached to the right leg of the bird. On the left, they get two rings in a unique combination of colours, used to visually identify the bird. The rings are designed to have no adverse effects on the birds.
“The SAFRING is unique and can be used to identify a specific bird,” he explains. “However, this requires binoculars or a camera with a zoom, and more importantly, that the bird remains still and the ring visible. To make monitoring easier, the colour rings are commonly used instead. When a bird loses its island or colour rings, it is caught and the rings are replaced.”
Ringing is best done when the chick is still in the nest. “However, the timing is crucial,” Tagg expounds. “Too early and the ring can fall off and snag on the foot, too late and the bird can panic and you have what’s known as a nest explosion where the chick fledges through panic or disturbance even if they are not ready to leave the nest. Once fledged, the newly-rung chick can be found to confirm a successful nest.”
In addition to ringing, measurements and a blood sample are taken. Once this is done the chick is put back in the nest. The soil is disturbed for the parents to find insects they can feed their chick afterwards.