My first Denis Island Experience

Sunday 21st February was a very interesting day for me- I got to visit Denis Island for the first time! I did not know what to expect as I’ve read so much the island and liking it instantaneously, without really knowing it! As the plane hovered over the island, I sat in awe as I stared down at the crystal clear waters and the array of greens, clearly visible from high above. The first sight of the island surely impressed me. Once the plane landed, I was met by a number of the island staff, from both the hotel and the estate; at that point in time, I knew that there will be lots to do and learn around the island! I was then introduced to Mr. Camille Hoareau who was going to show me around the island to provide me with a good insight of the ‘real thing’ in situ.


After the plane left, it was back to usual business for everyone. I was driven to the staff canteen to enjoy a nice Sunday lunch before checking out my accommodation and doing the island tour. Seeing the mix of staff of the island was interesting- my presence arose some curiosity but before lunch was over, I have talked to several staff and got their perspectives of the island and its biodiversity. My first impression of the island was one of absolute awe; peaceful surrounding with various bird species flying around, perfect sunny weather giving a nice aura to the grass, while the waves slowly splash on the beautiful sandy beaches. With these characters showing off to me, I knew then and there that the island has a lot to offer and its biodiversity is simply amazing, hence worth preserving!


The tour of the island was done in a golf car with Mr. Hoareau as the driver and my camera in focus, to try and capture the best shots as we drove along and stopped at the various sites of interests. Some of the most fascinating things I saw was a Seychelles warbler and a Seychelles magpie robin (Copsychus sechellarum) (photo in side bar) coming quite close to the golf car, following Mr.Hoareau’s call. Driving past and through the woodland forest, I saw the feeding stations of the SMR empty, even if food had just been placed. However, not one of the birds was in sight. The native woodland forest is evergreen and rich of life (picture in side bar); constant bird calls resonating from its every corner are simply amazing. Moving on, I got the chance to see the ongoing rehabilitation area, where young coconut seedlings are pulled out- the shoots are mashed up to provide fodder for the livestock on the estate. Papaya grows in great abundance all around the island and it is amazing to see the size of the fruits on those thin trees. Even if they are found within the woodland boundary and other prime land, the fruits are also used as food source for humans and the livestock. Nothing is wasted really- accumulated seaweeds during the monsoons are placed in a big stack to allow rinsing when it rain and decomposition into more ‘friendly’ materials to be used as compost on the vegetable garden.
Other problematic invasive species are removed from the forest in order to allow young native seedlings to proliferate. This activity is laborious but it is worth mentioning that the estate staff with the help of the management staff is determined to keep it going- well done guys! Lots of effort and investment are being put in the restoration and maintenance of near-natural habitats. This is an ongoing and never-ending venture which must be applauded and further encouraged, to allow continuity and eventually engage other islands to follow suit.


Sometimes we don’t really understand how Nature works! Driving along the coastline, I noticed that there are serious erosion issues, leading to loss of beach materials and vegetation, including beautiful but enormous casuarina trees- a real shame!! There are plans to mitigate some of the vegetation loss and beach erosion, once the ICZM project, funded by the ReCoMaP kick-start. It will not be the answer to this problem, but it will provide a certain degree of coastline protection in the long run. New and large beaches have been formed and large amounts of materials have been transported all along the coastline. This in turn leads to ‘suffocation’ and displacement of coastal vegetation as the plants are fully exposed to other natural elements and the open sea. Large trees such as casuarina that have been resident on the coast are now disappearing at very fast rate, thus raising alarm on the urgency for mitigative measures to be put in place.


Driving past, I noticed a very distinct spot at Bel Etoile beach where the coastal features have molded the reef flat into wonderful architecture; the sight was indeed mesmerizing. This site was very popular for wedding ceremonies but with time, the system has disintegrated with prolong wave erosive actions. Such loss really prompts the urgent need to act now, so as to, if possible, lessen such impact on other coastal features.

As the sun went down, I stood in total amazement as myriads of birds came to settle on their favorite branches and trees for the night. I made a new friend, a fairy tern which was curious to observe what I was doing with the camera. I tried to take its photo but it was too busy playing and in the end, I chose to admire them all! Once darkness settled in, I made my way to settle for the night.

The next morning, I decided to have an early morning walk with my camera with the idea of capturing some other good shots. Everywhere was quiet and there was not much action; I diverted to the kitchen for breakfast as it was uneventful. I encountered a brown noddy chick taking its time to get around. It was friendly as it proudly stood to pose for me (photo on side bar) and I was happy to get my first photo for the day. As the sun rose higher up, it started to get very hot and wandering around the island for photos mid-morning was becoming quite a task. By then it was also time to get my bag ready for my return trip back to Mahé, so I headed back to the house.


It had been a very interesting first trip which have impressed me a lot and giving me the feeling to return as soon as possible. It was amazing to see what lies within the trees and branches of Denis Island and to have a good insight as well as the element of surprise as to what will be waiting for me when I return soon, to get started on the coastal zone project!

Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscata) project – year 2

It’s getting round to that time of year again! I have just received a shipment of new models (see photo in sidebar) so we can increase the density of models in the trial area this year. These models are closer to the actual size of the Sooty tern and are in fact magpie models that have been re-painted to appear like Sooty terns. When Denis was first discovered in 1773 it hosted very large seabird colonies including a large population of Sooty tern. Human impact on the island over the next hundreds years was very extensive and it is likely that the ground nesting sea bird colonies were extirpated within that period.

The environmental management plan for Denis has set aside the southern portion of the island for restoration to as close as possible to how it was when first discovered. The attempt to re-establish a colony of Sooty terns on the island forms part of this initiative.
The project commenced last year (see my posts of 2nd July, 21st September and 13th October 2008 for more information) with the preparation of the habitat area and the trial of different habitat and stimuli combinations including 2D and 3D models and the broadcasting of colony noise from loud speakers.

The first year of work and its structured approach allowed us to learn a good deal about the preferences of the birds and the trial area will be set out this year to reflect those findings and we are optimistic about the potential for 2009.

We are working with Dr Chris Feare who is a leading ornithologist and has been working on Sooty terns in Seychelles for many years. Chris will be arriving at the end of this month along with a couple of volunteers who will assist with the monitoring of the scheme this year - as well as undertaking other work.

I will report regularly on the project and its progression – success is by no means guaranteed but we are again breaking new ground here on Denis Island and should we achieve our objective it would represent another world first for the island - so do keep checking back for news on the Sooty tern project over the coming weeks…