Pelagic Birding -Cape Peninsula

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Early Portuguese explorers described the Cape of Good Hope in respectful terms, affirming it as '...the most dangerous Cape of the World, never without intolerable storms and present dangers to travelers, which come near the same'. In contrast, Drake on his around-the-world voyage in 1580 is reputed to have praised the Cape as 'a most stately thing, and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth...'.

While these descriptions give an idea of the extremes of stunning scenery and natural fury regularly experienced at Cape Point, they give no indication of another form of natural richness which is rapidly acquiring for Cape Town a deserved reputation in the birding world.

A mere 30 nautical miles south-west of Cape Point, deep, cold, nutrient-rich bottom water meets the edge of the African continental shelf, promoting the growth of plankton and fish. The area supports a lucrative hake fishery, and this industry, together with the natural profusion of phyto- plankton, zooplankton, squid and fish, combine to attract vast hordes of pelagic sea- birds that constitute one of the highlights among South Africa's many ornithological treasures. Many seabirds have discovered that fishing trawlers provide an easy source of food, and they gather in their thousands behind the trawlers, squabbling and contesting for the plentiful scraps of fish and offal that either fall from the trawl nets or are dumped from the trawlers as they process their catch. The seabirds attracted to the vicinity view all boats as a potential source of food, and also approach and glide effortlessly past cruising boats as they investigate them for foraging opportunities.

These trawling grounds can easily be reached on a day-long voyage from Simon's Town or Hout Bay, during which one can normally spend two to three hours idling in the vicinity of the trawlers. This allows plenty of time to absorb the spectacle of vast numbers of albatrosses and petrels at close range, and to sift through the seemingly endless flocks in search of the less common species.

The quality of the pelagic seabird-watching is somewhat dependent on the time of year, and reaches its most spectacular in midwinter (June to August) when the more southerly species visit the waters in large numbers during their non-breeding season. During this season it is quite normal to encounter in excess of 5 000 seabirds behind a single trawler. Albatrosses abound, with Shy and Black-browed being the most common and numbering in the thousands. Species such as White-chinned Petrel, Pintado Petrel, Antarctic Prion, Sooty Shearwater and Wilson's Storm Petrel also occur in their thousands, while both species of Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Northern and Southern Giant petrels and Sub-Antarctic Skuas are also all present in relatively large numbers. Soft-plumaged Petrels are less common but are nevertheless encountered regularly. Interestingly, Kelp Gulls, which one would expect to be coastal in their habitat, are often seen in hundreds at the trawlers. Winter is also the premier season for the rarer albatrosses, with Wandering, Northern Royal and Grey-headed recorded as stragglers in most years. Other rarities recorded on recent winter pelagic trips include Southern Royal Albatross, Antarctic Fulmar, Spectacled Petrel, Grey Petrel, Little Shearwater and South Polar Skua.

Approaching a working trawler at this time of year is quite awe-inspiring. From a distance of a few miles away, a dark cloud reminiscent of a quelea swarm becomes visible astern of the boat, often drawn out over a kilometre or more. As you progress ever closer to the trawler, the amorphous cloud coalesces into discernible individual birds and you find yourself accompanied by ever-swelling escorts of albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, gulls and skuas, all being inexorably drawn to the sight and smells of the trawler and the promise of plentiful food. You cut through layers of minuscule pattering storm petrels, carefully foraging on the extremities of the trawler's influence where they are less likely to be caught up in the vicious mêlée. As you arrive within a hundred metres or so of the vessel and head into the wake, you are overwhelmed by the squawking, screeching chorus of gannets, gulls, petrels and albatrosses contesting vigorously for the scraps left in the wash of the trawler. You are surrounded by vast numbers of seabirds, wheeling and turning, gliding past literally within arm's reach as they manoeuvre into positions of greatest advantage to reach the floating morsels or dive for pickings that have escaped the surface scrum. Many birds sit engorged on the water, and only take flight lethargically as the boat threatens to run them over. The mêlée reaches its greatest intensity as the trawler pulls its nets up on to the stern ramp, when the birds descend in on the fringes of the net, pulling and tugging to get mangled hake from the net before it progresses into the trawler, and dismembering the fish left floating behind. Once the trawl net has been hauled aboard, the frenzy subsides, with many birds aggregating in large rafts to await the next trawl. Only the storm petrels and brightly patterned squadrons of Pintado Petrels remain foraging among the oils and processing scraps vented from the side of the vessel.

While the pelagic seabirds are most numerous in winter, this is also the season when the Cape best lives up to its reputation as the Cape of Storms. The weather becomes notoriously unpredictable, pelagic trips are sometimes postponed due to inclement weather, and those trips that depart the harbour as planned often find their passage dictated more by the blustery winds and tempestuous seas than by the idealized planning of the trip organizers. Ironically, trips undertaken in less-than-pleasant weather often can be very rewarding, as strong winds and squalls sometimes drive exciting pelagic birds into the area. These conditions lead one to marvel at the powers of nature, and leave birders incredulous that birds as tiny as Wilson's Storm Petrel can thrive for months in such a seemingly hostile environment. Of course, the winter weather is not always unpleasant, and calm days at sea are also experienced.

The winter months offer the greatest spectacle in terms of sheer abundance of birds and prevalence of Southern Ocean rarities, but the transitional periods of April to May and September to October each year also offer great opportunities for exciting and unusual species.

At these times, the regular pelagic species are supplemented by passage migrants that are only in these waters for brief periods of two to three weeks. The most sought-after regular passage migrant is the Black-bellied Storm Petrel, which occurs in early October and again in smaller numbers in late April. Even within these periods, it is rather patchily distributed. These are also the periods of greatest abundance of Great Shearwaters, although they are also seen in small numbers throughout the summer months. Although very rare, the records of White-faced Storm Petrel have all been during the April to May period, suggesting that it may be a passage vagrant in these waters, and recent records have indicated that the South Polar Skua may also be a deep-water migrant through this area during May.

The summer months of November through to March also do not reach the excesses of winter in terms of the numbers of seabirds present, but the total number of species is swollen by migrants from the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the winter species are present, albeit in much smaller numbers as they are mostly immature or non-breeding birds. The prions and the Pintado and Soft-plumaged petrels disappear completely, however, and giant petrels are few and far between. Cory's Shearwaters, European Storm Petrels, Arctic Skuas and the graceful Sabine's Gulls arrive in large numbers, and Arctic Terns are seen regularly in the offshore waters. Manx Shearwaters are uncommon visitors that are seen every few trips. Great-winged Petrels, winter breeders in the Southern Ocean, are present during their off-season and Leach's Storm Petrels are found in deeper oceanic waters. Pomarine Skuas are seen occasionally within 15 or so miles of the shore, while the lightly built and tern-like Long-tailed Skuas are sometimes found in deeper waters near the trawlers. In more recent years Flesh-footed Shearwaters have been seen every few summer trips, and sometimes small flocks of skittish Grey Phalaropes are found fleeing away between the swells in late summer.

The voyages from the Simon's Town harbour to the trawling waters skirt the eastern coast of the Cape Peninsula, and afford one good views of African Penguin, Cape, Bank and Crowned cormorants, Hartlaub's Gull and Swift Tern, as well as stunning scenery. Indeed, one of the high points of each voyage is the outstanding view one has of the cliffs of Cape Point and both sides of the peninsula from a mere hundred metres off its jagged tip.

In addition to the exceptional pelagic sea birding, the trips also expose one to a rich cross-section of sealife. Apart from the hake being hauled in by the trawlers and the profusion of Cape fur seals joining in the scrabble for these fish, blue sharks, sunfish, green turtles, flying fish and game fish such as tunas are encountered occasionally.

One is often privileged enough to see examples of the rich variety of whales and dolphins that occur in these waters. From July through to November, southern right whales visit False Bay and are often seen wallowing lazily near the shore. Humpback whales are sometimes present near the Point, and Bryde's whales are regular in the bay, with their characteristic tall blow generally being noticed as they arch lazily at the surface. Large schools of common and dusky dolphins are often encountered close to the shore, and thrill the passengers with sleek, high-speed swimming and spectacular bow-riding. Further out at sea, cetaceans more typical of the deep oceanic waters may be found, including the characteristic sperm whales with their lopsided blow, Risso's dolphins and large pods of long-finned pilot whales. An indelibly etched highlight of a stormy trip during 1999 was a group of seven orcas (killer whales) which accompanied the boat for half an hour, swimming underneath and at times leaping clear of the water close alongside.

Deep-sea boat trips off the Cape Peninsula allow the normally land-locked birdwatcher a rare and memorable insight into the world of pelagic seabirds normally reserved for the dedicated scientist, and must rate as one of the most remarkable birdwatching experiences one can undertake. Durban is an excellent launching point for pelagic trips. Good numbers of most Southern Ocean species reach the KwaZulu-Natal coast (17 species have been recorded so far), mainly during winter and spring when these birds congregate off our shores to escape the hostile winter conditions around their breeding islands further south. There are even a few seabirds that are more common off Durban than further out to sea. Indeed, Durban pelagic trips have boasted several mega-rarities that have never been recorded in Cape seas, for example Streaked Shearwater, Audubon's Shearwater, the newly described Mascarene Shearwater, Matsudaira's Storm Petrel and Brown Booby. Weather conditions in KwaZulu-Natal waters are also milder than those in the Cape and it is a rare event when a pelagic trip is cancelled at the last minute in the face of relentless gales and mountainous seas. (It also means that you are less likely to be crippled by seasickness!) In addition, Durban is very accessible for birders from Gauteng and the other northern parts of the country.

In winter the first pelagic seabird encountered as you leave Durban Bay is the Sub-Antarctic Skua. A dozen or so lie in wait just offshore to ambush incoming gulls and terns which they then harass and rob of food. The most abundant seabird is the Cape Gannet, which follows the sardine runs north from the Cape. Thousands to tens of thousands of gannets are encountered, often spiraling in white clouds over the ocean, offering breathtaking close-ups of their suicidal plunge-dives. The Indian Ocean Yellow-nosed Albatross is the common albatross in KwaZulu-Natal waters, both at and away from trawlers. The larger Shy and Black-browed albatrosses are present in smaller numbers and have to be carefully searched for among the hundreds of Yellow-nosed present at trawlers. This situation is quite the reverse from Cape waters, where the last two species are common and the Yellow-nosed is the one to search for. The albatross-sized Southern Giant Petrel is rather rare, with only singletons being irregularly recorded. Like elsewhere in South African waters, the White-chinned Petrel is the most abundant of the procellariform seabirds, being present in many hundreds at trawlers and ubiquitous in the open ocean. The distinctively patterned Pintado Petrel is fairly common and Sooty Shearwater is usually seen. Wilson's Storm Petrel, a diminutive bird essentially identical in size, shape and plumage pattern to the Little Swift, is best chanced upon when rough seas get the birds moving around.

One of the best pelagic ticks available is the Flesh-footed Shearwater, singletons of which can be found at trawlers. This species is fairly regularly recorded off KwaZulu-Natal but is a decided rarity further south. Almost as exciting is the Great-winged Petrel (easily overlooked as being a White-chinned Petrel) which, being a winter-breeding species, often remains late into the summer when most of the other pelagic seabirds have already departed southwards. Another two uncommon species that offer a fair chance are Soft-plumaged Petrel and Antarctic Prion. All in all, about half of the regularly recorded pelagic seabirds present in South African waters are routinely seen off Durban.

If you take some bait fish along and throw scraps overboard you are likely to attract most of these species to your boat under the right conditions. Last year, by doing this, we had mind blowing arm's-length views of these ocean wanderers, and Sub-Antarctic Skuas, Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Sooty Shearwaters and White-chinned Petrels even took food directly from our outstretched hands.

There is great scope for further developing a 'pelagic seabird-watching industry' based in Durban, along the lines of the whale-watching ecotourism business so popular in many parts of the world.

Scheduled monthly (or ad hoc) daytrips out of Simon's Town on Zest II (capacity approximately 20), or dedicated charter trips out of Hout Bay on tunny boats (capacity approximately eight).

Seasickness: Most people suffer from seasickness at some time on a pelagic trip, so it is wise to take a prophylactic medication until you have found your sea-legs. Contact your chemist for advice.

Clothing:
Pelagic trips are invariably cold and usually wet, even when it is sunny onshore, so wear warm clothes with a waterproof outer layer. A layering system allows you to make adjustments as the conditions change.

Sun:
When the sun is shining, the glare off the water can be extreme at times, so remember to take your sunglasses and apply sunscreen.

Names of bird species mentioned in the text:
African Penguin Spheniscus demersus
Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans
Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora sanfordi
Southern Royal Albatross Diomedea e. epomophora
Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melanophris
Grey-headed Albatross Diomedea chrysostoma
Yellow-nosed Albatross Diomedea c. chlororhynchos & Diomedea c. bassi
Shy Albatross Diomedea c. cauta
Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli
Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus
Pintado Petrel Daption capense
Antarctic Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides
Antarctic Prion Pachyptila (vittata) desolata
Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera
Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis
Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea
White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis
Spectacled Petrel Procellaria conspicillata
Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea
Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes
sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus
Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus
Wilson's Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
European Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus
Leach's Storm Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa
White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina
Black-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta tropica
Cape Gannet Morus capensis
Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus
Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus
Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis
Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus
Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus
Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus
South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki
Sub-Antarctic Skua Catharacta antarctica
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
Sabine's Gull Larus sabini
Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
Swift Tern Sterna bergii

PELAGIC TRIPS

The seabirds seen on these outings are a good cross-section of what can be expected in these waters. As with all such trips, the primary goal is to locate trawlers, where the seabirds congregate to scavenge. Most trips are successful in these rather hit-and-miss trawler searches.

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