Africa

[Visited: January 2018]

As my plane approaches Rodrigues island and I can see the turquoise waters between the reef and the island, Ile aux Cocos appears as a long strip of green with a white line around it. It is at this very moment that I decide to visit the islet. A few days later, we sail off a quay in Port Mathurin, follow the coastline, passing several traditional fishing boats with their triangular sails, until we see two islets appear ahead of us: Ile aux Cocos to our left (south) and Ile aux Sables to our right. The latter is off-limits to visitors; we head towards the strip of green to our left. We jump ashore on the west coast, and I directly walk back to the northern point. Here, the beach stretches out into the sea, and when I turn around, I see the white strip of sand rising from the turquoise waters, with casuarina trees on top of the islet, and a group of brown noddies flying around the tip of their island.
When I walk back, I am in time for a guided tour over the islet. While I had seen many birds already on my short walk on the beach, it is only now that I realize that this islet houses thousands of birds. Noddies and lesser noddies, and the elegant white tern are the most common ones, and we see many, both in the air, on the branches, and on the ground. Some have chicks, others are sitting on nests, guarding their eggs. While the birds show little fear for us, which means we can approach them very closely before they fly away, they are very protective of their habitat and especially, their nests. The brown noddies seem to be the most aggressive, and perform fake attacks on us to scare us away. How can we explain that we intend to do no harm? When we reach the western beach again and the group turns right to go back to the centre of the islet, I decide to cut through the islet and walk the eastern beach instead, on a trail following the fence that keeps the southern third of the islet off limits to visitors
Now that I am alone, the mock attacks scare me, especially when several birds dive at me at once. Some have their nests on the ground, protecting their eggs with their beaks, or just by sitting on them. I make sure not to touch any nest, arrive at the eastern shore with a fence full of noddies. Towards the east, the island of Rodrigues rises from the sea, towards the south, the rest of Ile aux Cocos. I head north: the tide is rising and there is almost no beach left to walk on. Birds everywhere, especially on the northern point where I have been before. A big group of noddies are sitting on the sand, but when I approach, they all take off at once, a spectacular sight. When I am finally back at the only building of the islet, it is time for lunch, while continuing to listen to and watch the birds all around. It is time for some relax time on the beach and in the quiet waters that have been trying to lure me in ever since I arrived. A little later, we have to leave: time for visitors on ile aux Cocos is restricted to a couple of hours. It is time to give the islet back to its real owners: the birds.

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Ile aux Cocos (Mauritius)

Ile aux Cocos > Mauritius > Africa

[Visited: January 2018]

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