Birds
Under
warm weather conditions, arising from 23oC water
just offshore, just over 76 000 birds of 42 species were
recorded - an average number for this time of year. The
majority of the total comprised 14 000 Cape Cormorant - mainly on the islands and beginning to breed - 28
900 Common Terns
- lower than normal relative to recent counts. More
surprisingly we found very large numbers of Bar-tailed
Godwits (7 800 birds), 5.5 fold higher than the next
highest count recorded in March 2000 of 1 400 birds.
Flamingo
numbers were low and some birds have already been reported
from Etosha NP (Ekuma River area). They were reported flying
over coastal Wlotzkasbakken on 6 Jan 2003 in the late
evening. Greater
Flamingos at Sandwich numbered 4812; Lesser
Flamingos numbered a mere 980 birds.
Only
3 Black
Oystercatchers were seen but one of those was ringed (it
was seen flying past at close quarters - in moult) and had
blue? over metal ring on the right. Less possible was that
it was green. Blue-ringed birds are from the western Cape
coast (mainland breeding birds).
Eight
Great-crested Grebes
which are rarely seen were picked up in the calm seas on the
westside of the main lagoon. None occur any more in the
Northern wetland.
Breeding
birds comprised 9+ nests just starting of Grey
Herons and 3+ nests of Little
Egrets. They have moved nesting sites from the small
lagoon by the old research hut to a new site at the Eagle
Wreck in a large green patch of Phragmites reed. Birds
sitting on nests have bright red bills and legs as opposed
to the typical yellow colour. A small colony of Damara
Tern were found breeding at the southern end of the
mudflats, with eggs (3 c/1), small chicks (2 b/1) and 2 with
large or flighted chicks. Both parents brooding the smallest
chicks were induced onto the hand to check them for rings.
GPS: S 23o 32.097', E 14o 28.993'
Currently
there is an epidemic of avian cholera hitting South Africa
seabird colonies, with Cape Cormorants hit especially hard.
About 17 000 birds have died since May 2002 (Williams and
Ward 2002), and some deaths of Gannets, Swift Terns and
Hartlaub’s and Kelp Gulls were also recorded. We looked
for mortality around Sandwich and found 15 freshly dead
Kelp Gulls (unconsumed carcasses). RS also watched one
Cape Cormorant swimming in circles close to shore that
eventually came ashore and died c.
2 h later. A Kelp Gull was perched next to it ready to dine.
These are much higher figures than typically found but no
carcasses were analysed for cholera. Four dead and recently
eaten common terns were
also found and it was suspected that the patrolling Peregrine
was responsible for their deaths.
Mammals
Three
Bottle-nosed Dolphin were present during the entire visit,
fishing in the lagoon and causing pandemonium in the shoals
of fish there.
Only
9 Jackals were
seen with 6 young animals grouped together on the southern
flats and another mangy-tailed individual scavenging seals
parts. Two animals were observed in the lagoon-side
wetlands. Only 1 set of Brown
Hyaena tracks were seen well south of their usual
placement. Seals
were in their usual large numbers and in one group of 3-4000
animals about 70 black pups were evident. Thus this colony
is slowly turning into a breeding colony.
The
dead whale found about 20 km south of the mudflats was a
small Hump-backed
Whale 9 m long. The jaws were collected for and
identified by Mike Griffin, to be donated to the Museum (the
jaws!).No Oryx or Springbok were seen.
Fish
The intact skull of a bill-fish, probably a sword
fish, was recovered close by the whale carcass and
awaits further identification by experts..
Hundreds of thousands of fish were present all around the
shoreline of the eastern side of the main lagoon, ranging in
size from a few centimetres to about 30 cm long. Unknown
identity. They were hunted by all the terns, dolphins and
1m-long black sharks in the shallows.
Williams AJ & Ward, VL 2002. Catastrophic Cholera:
coverage, causes, context, conservation and concern. Bird
Numbers 11: 2-6.
RE
Simmons
Ornithologist,
Biodiversity Programme
