What was that you say? A Tsunami warning?

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Another week has passed and seen as last week was a long weekend the time has seemed to go very quickly these past few days! I’m increasingly brown (for me!) but it’s difficult to tell if this is tan, sunburn of just grime that won’t be scrubbed off. I was told earlier today that mosquitoes are attracted to sweat. All I can say that is if this is true, I have no hope during the working week.

This week I was working with the Olive White Eyes, which are similar to the Fodys but have a slightly more intensive feeding routine and fewer birds on the island. On the whole they have quite defined territories that they maintain to an extent throughout the year, so this week was some territory searches and nest watching. We also had a session on GPS which was abruptly brought to a halt mid week – but that’s another story! I was also introduced to the joy that is transect lines, and setting traps to catch invertebrates. The hours spent examining bugs under a microscope in first year ecology flashed before my eyes, but luckily we are spared the identification and only faced the heat of crawling through the undergrowth.

But on the highlight of the week: Tsunami scare! As you might have gathered this was all a bit of a false alarm, but when you live on a small offshore island and your boss stops mid sentence to take a phonecall with the news that an 8 metre wave is expected to hit in the next few hours, it’s a bit nerve wracking! Evidently though we were not so much at risk that we didn’t have to go back to make sure the birds got fed. So we all trooped up to Bay View Point on the island, donned with snorkels, binoculars and survival celebration cake to watch the saga unfold. After about half an hour it became apparent that nothing was going to happen though and we ate the cake content at the fact we have lived past 6pm.

Beyond that though there is not a lot to report, life ticks on! I got my first experience at ringing a bird. Although it was actually a Madagascan Fody so doesn’t really count. I definitely felt a bit too big handed and clumsy to be holding such a delicate, little bird.

Mauritian lifestyle has its quirky charms. Lazy afternoons are spent on the beaches, albeit smothered in my factor 50 – loudly interrupted by an ice cream van, heavily decorated with ‘Happy New Year’ signs and playing Jingle Bells for all our fellow beach goers to hear and enjoy. I’m not sure it’s the atmosphere the newly married couple having their wedding photos taken on the resort behind us quite had in mind when they pictured the atmosphere. A more recent trip to the supermarket ended in the discovery of fireworks being sold. On the shelf with no regulations… right next to the children’s toys. In the evenings we went to a nice bar and enjoyed cocktails, I discovered after ordering quite how much oil the barman seemed to put in my drink but all over here is well and happy (despite the photos of a gorgeous new puppy making me jealous of those still at home) ! Lots of love -until next time J

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