As winter approaches the cold fronts usually start to roll into the 'Mother City' bringing with them colder temperatures and lots of rain! This had not been the case in autumn as we experienced some amazing weather with bright and sunny days. Winter has definitely arrived now though, albeit a little later than usual.
I am amazed still to have the privilege of going out to sea and watching seabirds as part of my job. As winter approaches we enter into the peak bird season in terms of bird numbers, especially around the trawlers fishing in our waters. The Pintado or ‘Cape’ Petrels will be back en force, usually in their thousands and I may just be fortunate enough to see some of the ‘Giant’ Albatrosses.
Below: Pintado (Cape) Petrel in flight, South Atlantic Ocean
In the waters around the Western Coast of South Africa one has the chance of possibly seeing one of four species of these great ocean wanderers. The Northern and Southern Royal Albatrosses are both considered very rare in our waters but every year a few birds are seen. The largest albatross in the world, the Wandering, is a more regular visitor but certain life stages can be almost impossible to identify at sea from the very similar Tristan Albatross which is considered critically endangered and breeds some 2800 km away on Gough Island. There is no doubt in my mind that observing one of these amazing creatures at sea is certainly special and something not to be taken lightly.
As we know too well, their low breeding rate and long time before reaching maturity means that the current mortality of these birds in the world’s fisheries is unsustainable. Unfortunately for these birds the threats are not only at sea but on their breeding islands where the introduction, accidental or otherwise, of alien mammals such as mice is severely impacting breeding success. These impacts are so severe on islands such as Gough in the South Atlantic region that mice eradication programs are in the process of being implemented.
Below: Tristan Albatross following the MSV Edinburgh in the South Atlantic Ocean.
As part of the Albatross Task Force our work at sea forms an integral part in the long term conservation and survival of these iconic species. At the same time the research carried out on Marion, Gough and other islands where these magnificent birds breed are equally important and need to continue so that we can ensure these birds have safe passage across the ‘big blue’ for many generations to come. I hope that my next trip will be one where I get to experience that moment, where words fail to adequately describe seeing one of these amazing birds.