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Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:26 am
by Toko
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 9:44 pm
by nan
it's where I saw lot and lot Gannets... few days ago
a very nice place
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:27 pm
by Dindingwe
Bird Island (about 200 km north of Cape Town) is one of the best place to observe Cape Gannets as it is easily accessible from the mainland via a breakwater. But the place is not a year-round colony for these birds as I thought, so I was a bit disappointed when I saw only 3 Gannets in the distance earlier this month.
All the adults leave the island in May, when the young can fly and begin to be autonomous and they come back only in August for the beginning of the next mating season. Between May and August, the island is only used as a resting place from time to time and one has to be lucky to see the birds.
Here are the pictures I took of the Gannets, the first one from the hide, which is very near the nesting ground ; the other ones from the northern breakwater (with Cape Cormorant).
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:32 pm
by Dindingwe
The Island is also home of a Cape Fur Seal colony (which feed on young Gannets when they leave the nest and go fishing for the first time).
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:37 pm
by Dindingwe
When there is no Gannet, there are always other birds for the birders, especially Cormorants :
Cape Cormorant (
Phalacrocorax capensis)
Crowned Cormorant (
Microcarbo coronatus)
Bird Island at sunset with Cormorant silhouettes
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:43 pm
by Dindingwe
Swift Tern (
Thalasseus bergii) in non breeding plumage
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), also in non breeding plumage
Hartlaub Gulls (
Chroicocephalus hartlaubiii) and Swit Terns (
Thalasseus bergii) with one Grey-headed Gull (
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:56 pm
by Lisbeth
Great sea wildlife that one does not see so often.
At least there were a couple of gannets, but if you expect the island covered with them, it is not much
Luckily there were other things
I have never understood why seals, sea-lions etc. have to sit on top of each other, but it makes for a great photo
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2019 9:19 am
by Flutterby
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:29 pm
by Dindingwe
Thanks, I will go back during the mating season when the male Gannetts perform a nice courtship ritual.
Re: Lambert's Bay: Birds Island
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 10:16 pm
by nan
like these ones
2.10.2014