After two long inter-continental flights, a very bouncy ferry crossing and a literally hair-raising boat trip I arrived on Cousin Island. Never heard of it? Neither had I until a few weeks ago. Look for it on any world map and you probably won’t find it. It’s a mere speck in the Indian Ocean, measuring just 27 hectares. It’s one of the 96 sprinkling of islands that make up the Seychelles Archipelago. And it’s my home for the next few months.

People who come to the Seychelles tend to be either really rich or on honeymoon, or both. I am neither. As a humble zoologist I am here to conduct field research on an endangered species of bird called the Seychelles Warbler. This rather plain yet elegant species was once on the brink of extinction. In the 1960s there were only 26 left in the world, perching on their last spindly legs in a rocky corner of Cousin. Luckily they were discovered before it was too late and through extensive conservation efforts the species has undergone a remarkable recovery. Now residing on a total of 5 islands in the Seychelles, warbler numbers have risen to roughly 3,000.

As a field assistant it’s my job to find and then observe these birds and take detailed notes on their behaviour. This normally involves lying down on the forest floor and peering up into a nest tree. Sometimes, when tourists visit the island, they stop and take photos of me, as if I were a part of their tour. I have to admit though I probably do look a little odd spread out on the ground, motionless, my hair full of twigs and skinks crawling on my legs, so I can’t blame them really.

Work on Cousin is a walk in the park compared to what I was faced with in the Gabonese jungle. There are no dangerous animals here – no charging elephants, no macho gorillas, not even a trigger-happy scorpion to watch out for. On this island, the only things I have to avoid are low flying birds or tripping over tortoises (see selfie above). Although knowing me I’ll probably fall victim to both. But it is exactly this lack of predators that makes Cousin a haven for wildlife, birds in particular. They are fearless and wouldn’t know danger if it smacked them on the beak. Some of them nest on the ground and barely ruffle a feather as you walk past.

But I’ve yet to mention the most spectacular thing about this place – it is breathtakingly beautiful. Looking out at the view from the veranda is like looking at a life-sized postcard. I can’t quite believe it’s real. Palm trees lean over a white sandy beach that wraps itself around the island, encircling the lush green forest within. The ocean glistens with every shade of blue under the sun – first a pale, almost crystal clear hue, and then darkening to a more turquoise tint until eventually settling on a navy tone out at the horizon. Seabirds glide through the cloudless sky above like kites cut from their reels. It is paradise personified.

I could stare out at it all day long. Except I can’t, there’s work to be done… On one of my first days on the job I found a nest. It was real eureka moment! When the birds flew off to forage I very carefully felt inside to see if they’d laid an egg yet. And they had. It was a delicate little thing under my fingertips, still warm from its mother’s breast.

I look forward to tracking this little one’s entry into the world, its first attempts at a song and the moment it flies the nest. Hopefully both it and I will be successful in our endeavors here on Cousin. I’ll keep you posted!