Sooty tern project

Previously, sooty terns Onychoprion fuscatus(formerly Sterna fuscata) nested on several island in the Seychelles group but on most islands, especially the smaller ones, colonies became extinct as a result of excessive egg and adult harvesting by people, introduction of exotic predators, and alteration of the habitat Following the successful eradication of rodents and felines early in 2000, Denis island proved to be an ideal site for such re-introduction as these characteristics coupled with food availability and proximity to the supplies proved key aspects that will cater for possible settlement. In addition, an area of ~2ha of open ground with attractant stimuli is available to encourage sooty terns to nest.

As part of Denis Island’s conservation effort, a sooty tern re-colonization programme was initiated in 2008, under the supervision of Professor Chris Feare. Sooties started to arrive on Denis early in June. The ‘wide-awake’ calls could be heard from the lighthouse area, all the way to the dive centre and the sooty tern area. For the month of June, every day was exciting as the situation with the sooty terns was unpredictable. There were days when hundreds of sooties flew over the island, to and fro in search of the ideal landing site and times when several birds landed for minutes and even hours. In the week of June, the island was a marvel to look at; high above in the sky as the colony moved from one end of the island to the next. There was one occasion where hundreds of sooties landed for hours, while some flew around trying to locate the perfect spot on the ground (see photo in side bar).


Friday 2nd July was particularly special to a lot of us who were present on the island. Though it was a rainy morning, there was excitement on the beach in front of the dive centre. More than 300 sooty terns landed on that beach, from the tip in front of the restaurant, right to the high water mark in front of the dive centre. It was unbelievable; having volunteers constantly monitoring their behaviour and movement at the designated area when the birds chose a different spot was quite disheartening for them. Helena and I were very lucky to be at the right place at the right time (See videos below and photos in side bar). It was amazing just to stand and admire those birds which not much is known of their migratory routes and behaviour post nesting season. Since then, the numbers have reduced considerably, with a handful being observed flying around every now and then.

Click on links below for footage of the sooty terns on the beach:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDJ90OLw1HI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrm0yepNK6U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TH6Gy8En4