Another landmark in the restoration of Denis Island.

Ground nesting birds are of course the first to fall victim to alien predators such as cats and rats. In my post of August 18th I wrote about the re-colonisation of Denis by the wedge-tailed shearwater and its significance in terms of the rehabilitation of the island ecosystem post rat-eradication 2002. I am now delighted to be able to report another equivalent breakthrough and one that has real ramifications for the island’s ecotourism product.

The White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) does breed on Denis but in very low numbers, maybe as few as 5 pairs in 2007, and I have been aware of only two nesting sites – one in a coconut tree and one in the lighthouse! Over the last 3 years I have been on the lookout for birds nesting on the ground as they typically do in other colonies but with no success. I have received one report from island workers of a tropicbird on the ground deep in the island’s interior (not the most likely location) and I had been unable to confirm this.

Imagine my delight therefore to find not one but two Tropicbirds nesting on the ground within 40 metres of each other on the east coast on Friday morning! It was a thrill to see these stunning birds nestled in amongst the buttresses at the base of Casuarina trees and marks another real landmark in the restoration of Denis.

To top this on Saturday morning I found a third bird nesting on the ground, again at the base of a Casuarina tree, at the southern point of the island. Having seen none over the last three years it is remarkable that I should find three in 2 days and one hopes that this marks a real turning point in the population of this species on the island.

I will monitor these sites closely over the coming weeks to see how these breeding attempts progress and report developments on the blog along with those of the fairy tern chicks I am following (see post of September 7th: “Fairy Tern progress”) – so keep checking back regularly!