Norfolk Birders

Mauritius Trip Report by Sue Bryan

January 5th – January 12th 2019

Sue Bryan

John Geeson

Introduction

 

 

This trip was designed as a mid-winter break for us both to enjoy a bit of sun. We wanted to have a relaxing time with a bit of swimming and snorkelling thrown in, rather than a bird-watching holiday. However as we both enjoy birding we had information from friends who have enjoyed birding on the island as to where we could find the endemic birds. As Mauritius is set in the middle of the Indian Ocean the bird list is very small because it is so far from a major landmass.

 

Guide We did not use a guide

 

Itinerary

 

Jan 5th   Heathrow - Amsterdam - Mahebourg

 

Jan 6th   Mahebourg – Ferney Valley – Grand River Sud Est

 

Jan 7th  Black River Gorges

 

Jan 8th   Ile aux Aigrettes – Bras D’Eau

 

Jan 9th  Rivulet Terre Rouge – Grand Baie

 

Jan 10th  Bras D’Eau

 

Jan 11th Grand Baie - Ile Plate – Gabriel Island

 

Jan 12th    Grand basin – Black River Gorges – Mahebourg – Paris

Jan 13th Paris - Heathrow

 

Flights/Costs

 

International flights (return) Heathrow to Mahebourg and Laguna Beach Hotel booked with Expedia www.expedia.co.uk cost £1050 each.

 

Hire car booked with www.economycarrentals.com cost around £250

 

Visa

 

No visa required for UK citizens

 

Money

 

We obtained about £100 each from an ATM just outside the Mahebourg airport in exchange for Mauritius Rupees. However many places accepted credit cards for payment but not all!

 

Climate

 

Very hot, sunny and humid every day in the lowlands. We had a little mizzle on two mornings in the highlands.

 

Habitat

 

Much of the island’s lowland forests have been cleared for sugar cane production. The remnant forests are mainly to be found on higher ground, deeply dissected by river gorges on this volcanic island. Underfoot lava is the main substrate.

 

Daily Log

 

5th January

 

We flew from Heathrow to Amsterdam and onto Mahebourg, Mauritius.

 

6th January

 

After a protracted wait in immigration we collected our car from just outside the airport in Mahebourg and using the sat nav facility on my iphone with Google maps that I had downloaded in the UK, drove to Ferney Valley where we visited the Mauritius Kestrel recovery programme. We watched two White-tailed Tropicbirds fly over our heads as we drove down the driveway. The population of Mauritius Kestrels had been down to the last four birds (one female + three males) before the recovery programme started. The conservation programme had been a huge success and there are now over 300 birds living in the wild on Mauritius. We booked a place on the bus at reception and joined the guided tour. The bus trundled us up a track and we sat and waited at the end of the track. The guide had a mouse in her hand and called the kestrels in. We were treated to a quick flight view of a kestrel swooping in taking the mouse before a pair of Mauritius Kestrels alighted in a nearby tree where they mated next to a nest box.

Just before we got back on the bus we saw two Aldabra Giant Tortoises, an introduction programme for the recovery of the tortoises from the Aldabra Island as Mauritius had lost all its giant tortoises due to exploitation.

7th January

 

After stopping for a few photos of the harbour and Greater Mascarene Fruit Bat we drove to Black River Gorges. Along the coastline we admired Striated Heron, Whimbrel and Zebra Dove. At Petrin we had a false start as we could not find the entrance that we needed due to poor signage. After locating the Visitor Centre we enquired about sightings of the endemic birds that we wanted to see. We were told about Pink Pigeons at the back of the VC but we would have to find the rest of the birds ourselves. It was a huge forest but armed with information kindly supplied by Rob Wilton, Steve Smith and Dot Machin and David Wood we decided to walk the Macchabee Trail a loop of about 11km.

 

The Pink Pigeons were easy to find at the back of the Visitor Centre and we saw Madagascar Red Fody and Village Weavers here too.

I found a Mauritius Grey White-eye not far from the car as we set off for the Macchabee Trail but it did not want its photo taken! Mascarene Swiflets were flying around overhead but my photography skills are just not up to taking photos of these either! We walked a couple of kilometres to the start of the trail but saw very little for our efforts except for a few Red Fody. At the start of the trail we were full of expectation and after another kilometre discussions were had as to which parakeets we were seeing. Luckily we soon had our quarry in the form of an Echo Parakeet which was soon followed by a few more calling from trees above us.

A Mauritius Bulbul caught my eye deep in the vegetation and I struggled to get John onto it as it flew away before he saw it. Aghh!!! Always a nightmare when one sees a wanted bird and can’t get the partner onto it! Luckily for me a few minutes later the bird returned as I had a feeling that it had not gone far! Phew! After visiting the lookout post we retraced our steps as neither of us could face the descent and consequent uphill struggle that would almost inevitably follow in the humidity and heat. We had also failed to estimate correctly how much water we would consume in the heat. On the return journey John spotted a Magalasy Turtle Dove which I failed to see until much later on when another appeared.

We drove back to the hotel via Point Esny to try and find out about boats to an offshore island but it was closed by the time we got there at 3.45pm. House Crows were perched in nearby trees. On our journey back to the hotel a Grey Francolin ran across the road in front of our car.

8th January

After a quick breakfast we dove to Point d’Esny and booked a trip to Ile aux Aigrettes. We had an hour or so before the boat sailed and so we wandered along the sea front admiring a Striated Heron trying to catch fish. We melted in the sun and heat and soon had to seek out some shelter. We boarded the little boat and it didn’t take long to reach the offshore island of Ile aux Aigrettes, where we made it plain to the guide why we had booked, as there were two endemic birds that we wanted to see that are sadly now very rare on the main island of Mauritius. Our guide promised that we would see one of them but said the other was extremely difficult and it was likely that we would not have enough time and would need to book an all day expensive private tour with a guide (it is not allowed to wander at will without a guide on the island). We soon saw a Mauritius Fody but trying to take photos in the dense scrub with little light with other tourists always in the way, was not easy. John and I stumbled across a feeder and I stood back from the rest of the group and guide. After a wait, John gave me a shout as a Mauritius Olive White-eye flew in but my camera was not happy and I only managed a couple of photos as the white-eye flew into the feeder before being disturbed out of it again.

The trip only lasted a few hours and all too soon we were back on the mainland and watching Zebra Doves in the car park.

 

We pondered over what to do next and after a quick break back at our hotel we drove to Bras D’Eau National Park where after an exasperating time at the Visitor Centre, which was not manned or had any maps, wandered around the orchard area at the back, where we watched Yellow-fronted Canary and more Madagascar Red Fody but failed to find the endemic flycatcher. A couple of security guards told us to return early in the morning as there would be a ranger available to help us with information about the trails.

9th January

 

We had made investigations as to where we could watch some waders and it had been suggested that a small reserve near Port Louis would fit the bill, so we set off to Rivulet Terre Rouge. We were greeted by a warden who unlocked a hide that overlooked a river estuary. Here we watched Greater Sand Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Turnstone, Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Greenshank and an unexpected Saunders’s Tern that the warden had tipped us off about, a real bonus for me. We also added Feral Pigeon!!

10th  January

 

Having booked our island trip for tomorrow we wanted to have a go at seeing Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher. We drove back to Bras D’Eau where the promised ranger at the National Park did not materialise at the Visitor Centre. Instead the lady at reception took us back out into the road and asked the policeman on duty there to help us!!! They pointed to the start of a trail and left us to it! It was just as well that I had a map that Rob Wilton had kindly sent with me but the only trouble was it bore no resemblance to the map on a board by the roadside and we could not make it the two maps correspond at all! However Rob’s map proved most useful!

We set off along the volcanic trail-markers but were soon left to our own devices and with a bit of guess work followed the trail. We saw very little but stopped to take photos of Mauritius Grey White-eye, Madagascar Red Fody and Scaly-breasted Munia. After two hours and a stop for John to explore a side track we had seen very little for our efforts except for a few Zebra Doves. We walked on to the picnic spot and rested to also have a drink as it was now very hot with heat-absorbing volcanic lava beneath our feet. We were both quite despondent in our hopes of seeing the bird. Many birders that visit the island miss the flycatcher and the cuckooshrike.

 

We set off on the return trail but just as we had finished climbing the slope back up from the picnic spot and had crossed a track way, two birds flew in front of John that he had not noticed. I got onto one of the birds and realised it was a male Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher displaying to a female. I shouted to John and had some difficulty relocating it to show him. Luckily we both saw the bird and I managed a few quick photos before the birds flew away. A celebratory hug was taken as we both felt that we deserved the tick! It was another hour in searing heat before we made it back to the car park!

We spent the rest of the day in the laziest fashion possible back at the hotel!

 

11th January

We sailed onto Ile Plate where we disembarked and went for a swim. Whilst the barbeque was being prepared, John and I wandered around the island watching all the White-tailed and Red-tailed Tropicbirds overhead and nesting on the ground. What a magical place! We found a few chicks hidden in the undergrowth.

 

Lunch was spent with tropicbirds cruising over our heads, their streamers flowing out behind them glistening in the sunlight. What a place!

After lunch John and I were asked if we wanted to transfer across to the other island which was much quieter. We were delighted and so were taken across in a rubber zodiac to Gabriel Island where we wandered around and then I left John to seek out some snorkelling gear from one of the boats. I could see a turtle in water as well as some multi-coloured fish. The water was so warm it was heaven itself!

12th January

 

It was our last day and we were still two birds short of our wish-list. We had most of the day before we needed to be at the airport for 6pm. After a lazy start we packed up our belongings, thanked the staff at the hotel took some photos of Spotted Doves in the car park and headed for Grand Bassin passing several tea plantations on our way, for a second attempt to see Mascarene Martin. As we parked up there were two birds sitting on the wires soon to be joined by seven others. They were certainly not there on our first visit!

As we approached the spot where Dot had indicated I told John that the bird would be there as ‘I could feel it in my waters’! He laughed as I dived off into the vegetation! All of a sudden John was shouting at me as a Mauritius Cuckooshrike had just flown in but I could not see it. Panic ensued!! Luckily the bird relocated to another tree and I managed a couple of poor record shots on my camera before it flew off. RESULT !! We had cleaned up the endemics by the skin of our teeth. Celebratory hugs were taken as we scampered back to the Visitor Centre where the wardens kindly offered us cold drinks!

Species List

Birds

1. Grey Francolin   Francolinus pondicerianus 07/01/2019    Mahebourg
2. Wedge-tailed Shearwater  Ardenna pacifica  08/01/2019               Palmar
3. Red-tailed Tropicbird  Phaethon rubricauda 11/01/2019 Gunner's Quoin
4. White-tailed Tropicbird                 Phaethon lepturus  06/01/2019 Ferney Valley
5. Striated Heron Butorides striata  06/01/2019 Laguna Beach Hotel
6. Grey Plover   Pluvialis squatarola   08/01/2019 Bois des Amourettes
7. Lesser Sand Plover  Charadrius mongolus 09/01/2019  Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
8. Greater Sand Plover  Charadrius leschenaultia  09/01/2019  Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
9. Whimbrel  Numenius phaeopus   07/01/2019  Bambous Virieux
10. Ruddy Turnstone  Arenaria interpres  09/01/2019 Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
11. Curlew Sandpiper  Calidris ferruginea     09/01/2019  Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
12. Sanderling  Calidris alba                 09/01/2019 Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
13. Terek Sandpiper  Xenus cinereus  09/01/2019     Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
14. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos  09/01/2019         Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
15. Common Greenshank   Tringa nebularia  09/01/2019 Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
16. Brown Noddy    Anous stolidus  11/01/2019  Gunner's Quoin
17. Lesser Noddy    Anous tenuirostris  11/01/2019  Gunner's Quoin
18. Saunders's Tern                   Sternula saundersi 09/01/2019 Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
19. Sooty Tern  Onychoprion fuscatus  11/01/2019   Gunner's Quoin
20. Rock Dove  Columba livia  09/01/2019     Rivulet Terre Rouge (Port Louis)
21. Malagasy Turtle Dove    Nesoenas picturatus      07/01/2019         Black River Gorges
22. Pink Pigeon   Nesoenas mayeri  07/01/2019  Black River Gorges
23. Spotted Dove    Spilopelia chinensis  06/01/2019   Ferney Valley
24. Zebra Dove Geopelia striata        07/01/2019         Bambous Virieux
25. Mascarene Swiftlet  Aerodramus francicus  07/01/2019  Black River Gorges
26. Mauritius Kestrel  Falco punctatus  06/01/2019   Ferney Valley
27. Echo Parakeet   Psittacula eques  07/01/2019 Black River Gorges
28. Mauritius Cuckooshrike  Lalage typica     12/01/2019 Black River Gorges
29. Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher                 Terpsiphone bourbonnensis  10/01/2019 Bras d'Eau
30. House Crow       Corvus lendens 07/01/2019  Mahebourg
31. Red-whiskered Bulbul   Pycnonotus jocosus  06/01/2019  Ferney Valley
32. Mauritius Bulbul  Hypsipetes olivaceus  07/01/2019  Black River Gorges
33. Mascarene Martin   Phedina borbonica  12/01/2019 Grand Bassin
34. Mauritius Grey White-eye  Zosterops mauritianus 07/01/2019    Black River Gorges
35. Mauritius Olive White-eye   Zosterops chloronothos 08/01/2019                  Ile aux Aigrettes
36. Common Myna                 Acridotheres tristis  06/01/2019                 Ferney Valley
37. House Sparrow                 Passer domesticus  06/01/2019 Ferney Valley
38. Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus 07/01/2019    Black River Gorges
39. Madagascar Red Fody  Foudia madagascariensis  06/01/2019         Ferney Valley
40. Mauritius Fody  Foudia rubra      08/01/2019  Ile aux Aigrettes
41. Common Waxbill   Estrilda astrild  06/01/2019      Ferney Valley
42. Scaly-breasted Munia    Lonchura punctulata  10/01/2019  Bras d'Eau
43. Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica  08/01/2019   Grand River Sud Est

 

Mammals

1. Small  Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus  06/01/19 cane fields near Mahebourg
2. Asian House Shrew (Indian Musk Shrew) Suncus murinus  08/01/19  Ile aux Aigrettes
3. Greater Mascarene Fruit Bat  Pteropus niger  06/01/19 large roost near Grand River Sud Est
4. Long-tailed Macaque  Macaca fascicularis  06/01/19 Ferney Valley
5. Rusa or Javan Deer Rusa timorensis  06/01/19  Ferney Valley