Seychelles Bird Records Committee Logs Record Number of Sightings in 2024
VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Seychelles Bird Records Committee (SBRC) received 155 reports of rare migratory birds in 2024, the highest number of reports received in any year since the committee was founded in 1992. The figure is almost exactly the same as the total number of reports received in the three previous years, 2021-2023, combined, which was 156.
According to the SBRC report, the rise in reports has been driven in part by the proliferation of mobile phone cameras, which has made it easier than ever for casual observers to document unusual sightings. “You don’t need to have a deep knowledge of the birds of the world, a camera is sufficient,” the report notes, adding that support to SBRC has also been excellent from the Island Conservation Society, Islands Development Company, Seychelles Islands Foundation, Save Our Seas, Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, Denis Island and individual birders, notably Steve Agricole.
The vast majority of reports were accepted by SBRC, some of them authenticated as a different species to the one reported, but still of interest. A few were rejected as misidentified or unproven. Four Golden Oriole reports are being investigated by SBRC, and would be first records for the Malagasy region. Three species were recorded in Seychelles for the first time: two duck species, Cotton Pygmy Goose and Gadwall, plus a Banded Martin, all of which are also first authenticated records for the western Indian Ocean. The full report is available for free download from the SBRC website.
