My avian highlight from Mauritius

As well as for its beauty and Robinson Crusoe feel, a trip to Gabriel Island off the north coast of Mauritius held another significant attraction for me; its breeding population of White-tailed Tropicbirds. Having only ever seen a single distant tropicbird species off Bali nearly 20 years ago and with the possibility of very close views for photography on Gabriel Island, it was an opportunity too good to miss. So near the end of our honeymoon we both went on a hugely enjoyable 3 hour return boat trip to the little slice of paradise and in my hour on the island, I took full advantage and filled a memory card with nearly a thousand images of these stunning seabirds. The best images are showcased below. 

In addition, given the windy conditions that we were experiencing throughout our stay, the boat trip resulted in seeing a number of other good seabirds that comprised in excess of a thousand Wedge-tailed Shearwaters; some passing right by the boat, 25 Masked Boobies, 6 Sooty Terns, 50 Lesser Noddies, 3 Brown Noddies and 25 Red-tailed Tropicbirds. In addition, the many Flying Fish was a spectacular sight. A good day all round.