Lou Battaglia from France participated in Nature Seychelles’ international volunteer program on Cousin Island Special Reserve from May to July this year. She shares her experience conserving nature, discovering the island, and making new friends.
My time on Cousin Island has been an indescribable experience; living in the wild every day, surrounded by wonderful people and stunning animals. The island is both quiet and lively at the same time, making it the perfect place to be.
Although I arrived after the turtles had stopped laying, I feel so lucky to have been able to see numerous hatchlings.
Working with the birds has been one of many highlights of my time here. There is a remarkable variety of species on the island – from endemic and endangered land birds to breeding seabirds – and learning about their behaviours has been incredible. Even though it took me a lot of time to remember all their names, observing their life cycles, from eggs, chicks to adults, their first flights, and feeding, has been an absolute delight. It has been a privilege to see the development of nature, and it has given me an even better insight into how vital it is to conserve our environment. I got the opportunity to ring some chicks, save birds from sticky Pisonia seeds, observe the evolution of an egg to a flying bird, and understand how to differentiate a brooding bird from a normal one, and a juvenile from an adult.
I hang out with the island’s Aldabra Giant Tortoises, including the famous George – the revered elder of the island. They’re some of cousin’s most peaceful guys! I even got to witness two female tortoises nesting, which was itself quite surreal. It was incredible to see these massive creatures dig holes in hardened soil using their hind legs to lay their eggs.
I also got introduced to skinks, geckos, ghost crabs, and hermit crabs, which are abundant and very fearless. They sometimes steal your food like the Seychelles Fodys, but they certainly add to your connection with nature.
The other conservation work I helped with was beach profiling. This involved measuring beach elevation and shape over time, helping to track erosion and sand accumulation. I witnessed some changes taking place on the beach during my period of stay there.
Cousin Island is a truly special place where nature flourishes without much human interference, and it’s a fantastic place to learn about sustainability. Even though the island is pretty small, there’s never a dull moment. There’s always something new waiting to be discovered – whether it’s a secret hideaway, a captivating wildlife moment, or intriguing footprints in the sand.
Life on the island was incredibly rewarding, largely due to the wonderful Seychellois team and volunteers I came to know. We constantly exchanged stories and experiences, and I’ve formed lifelong friendships. I’m incredibly thankful to the Cousin team for sharing this little slice of paradise with me. I wholeheartedly encourage you to visit Cousin Island and help protect our beautiful nature.