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| << August15, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 181 dated 14.8.2006 |
August28, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 183 dated 28.8.2006 >> |
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Turtle Essays Edition no 182 dated 21st August 2006 ** Do you enjoy this weekly ezine? Please tell your friends about it and send them to http://www.zinester.com/mpb/ml_fs.cgi?topic=50058 to become regular readers ** In this edition: Editors Blurb The Gannets have returned to Lambert's Bay ** Editor's Blurb Hi there folks. Welcome to all my new and regular readers. This week we are visiting the West Coast again as a number of attractions have returned to the area. Firstly its nearly Spring in Cape Town (normally 1st September) but you would have to tell the flowers that. They are out in full force at places such as the Postberg and all the way up the West Coast. All that is needed is for you to drive a couple of kilometres to go and see them. In Lambert's Bay the gannets have also made their return so you have a double reason to visit the area. In fact there are two more reasons, the first is that the whales are back in town and should be close in shore all along the Atlantic coastline and southern coastline of South Africa right now. Lambert's Bay being the home of the crayfish industry on the west coast is the place to visit if you love seafood. So there are your four reasons to visit the West Coast! Do so now while you can get top value for your money. Let's see you there soon. Geoff Fairman. ps. Check out TurtleSA tours for tours of the west coast and all around Cape Town. With the whales back Hermanus is another option. Contact us at tourinfo@turtlesa.com now ** Gannets return to Lamberts Bay. A recent visit to Lambert's Bay to see the gannets on Bird Island was a big disappointment as all the birds (all 14000 of them) had left. The locals were extremely worried about the gannets as they had attracted many tourists which boosted the economy of the little west coast town. The cause of the birds leaving was the colony of seals that live nearby, At night one or two bull seals raided the breeding grounds where the birds have their nests and killed more than 200 adults and chicks for no apparent reason. Gannets are normally prey for the seals but they usually hunt them in the day while the chicks are learning to fly and are following their parents out to sea. The gannets which are caught are eaten by the seals but in the case of the night raids they just killed the gannets for the pleasure of doing it. These attacks caused great consternation in the gannet colony and eventually lead to an en masse exit of the birds from the island. Where the gannets went to no one really knows. Some people think that they migrated to Bird Island near Port Elizabeth where there is another gannet colony. Bird Island at Lambert's Bay is about a 100 metres offshore and is connected to the mainland by a causeway which was built in 1959. Unfortunately the causeway allows cats to enter the colony and prey on the gannets at night which might be another reason for their departure. With the exodus of the gannets the island is deserted but for a few penguins, terns and seagulls. Before the departure of the gannets Cape Nature Conservation who manage the island, built pathways through the colony and a viewing centre on the island, which includes a small museum and a pool where crippled penguins that could not make it at sea are kept and fed. These facilities are open daily for visitors. On my recent visit (about 5 months ago) the pathways and island were deserted and there was an air of gloom in the town. Thankfully for Lambert's Bay all that has changed. After an absence of about eight months the gannets started returning to the island in June 2006. They arrived in ones and twos and stayed for short periods before flying away again. In hindsight as to what has happened at the island in recent months these birds must have been scouts sent ahead to test the safety of the island for the rest of the birds. There must have been a favourable report by the spies as towards the end of July the gannets returned en masse to the island. Estimates by Cape Nature Conservation put the new population of birds at 11000 where it was about 14000 before the birds left. Who cares about the numbers as the people of Lambert's Bay are overjoyed at the return of the gannets. The tourist resource that was suddenly taken away has returned and the townsfolk of Lambert's Bay have learnt a lesson NOT to take nature for granted again. In future the birds are going to be protected from all threats and to do so a caretaker has been appointed who with the help of a couple of monitors will keep a 24 hour a day vigil over the birds. This type of protection obviously costs money and between Cape Nature Conservation and the locals ways and means are being explored to finance the salaries of the people employed to protect the gannets. If anyone can help financially I am sure the people of Lambert's Bay will be most appreciative. What really interests me is how the gannets decided to leave the island and where they went to in the time they were away. It is difficult to imagine that the gannets have some intelligent way of communicating with each other and the ability to make a conscious decision based on conditions prevailing to leave the island. Be that as it may the birds decided to leave and did so en masse. Even more interesting is the fact that after six or seven months absence a few gannets returned for short periods to check out conditions on the island. Their report back to the main colony must have been satisfactory as 11000 of the original 14000 gannets returned to the island en masse. Was this just instinct or are the birds communicating like intelligent beings? I don't suppose we will ever know! For a while after their return the birds were skittish when approached by people but as there have been no attacks by seals the birds have started to settle down . Soon there should be a new generation of chicks on the island. The colony of gannets at Lambert's Bay is special as very few sea birds actually breed as close to the mainland as this colony do. While they are back visitors should take the opportunity to visit Lambert's Bay and see the gannets for themselves. For the next month or two visitors can drive to Lambert's Bay and kill two birds with one stone. Not only are the gannets back but so are the wild flowers and this presents a double opportunity for visitors. The rains that have been experienced here in the Cape have brought on a wild flower show fit for a king and the gannets have obliged by returning to Lambert's Bay. What more do visitors need to get them to visit the area? Of course the seafood at Lambert's Bay is another attraction! You don't even need to drive yourself as TurtleSa tours is able to arrange guided tours to see the birds and the flowers at reaonable rates. To book your tour send an email to mailto:Tourinfo@turtlesa.com with your details and dates required, Flowers only last for a short period so contact us as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you. Geoff Fairman. ** For my personal details, contact address,warnings and details pertianing to products and tours advertised in this ezine please read the disclaimers which can be found at: http://www.turtlesa.com/Disclaimer.html |
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| << August15, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 181 dated 14.8.2006 |
August28, 2006 - Turtle Essays edition no 183 dated 28.8.2006 >> |
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