Oystercatcher Monitoring 2009-2010


Thu, 02/11/2010 - 17:01 — ilona

LATEST:

2 Southern Right Whales arrived in Dana Bay on 7 April 2010.  Seen heading Mossel Bay direction.... 

 Words to Live by:
Conservationist Ian McCullum said  "I believe the loss of any species comes with a psychological price.  It is something akin to a loss of soul and the suffering emotion that goes with it - shame... the same shame that will come with the chilling realisation that their extinction had something to do with our species.  There is only one state of poverty greater than that linked to hunger and basic human needs.  It is the poverty of human indifference".

Please help our Conservancy by informing the public of the Oystercatcher Program

       

 date

nests 

eggs 

 chicks

 03/11/09

   9 

   7

    -

 17/11/09

  10

   8

    -

 02/12/09

  11

  10

    3

 15/12/09

  11

   9

    3

 29/12/09

  11

   4

    2

 15/01/10

   11 

  7

    2

 29/01/10

  11

  8

    7

 01/03/10

 12

 2

 6

 16/03/10

 11

 2

 6

The African Black Oystercatcher Monitoring at Dana Bay Conservancy

• The African Black Oystercatcher is our Logo.
• IUCN listing:  endangered
• Breeding season: December to March
• The nests are a scrape in the sand, containing one or two eggs.
• Chicks hatch after an incubation period of 28-30 days.
• Only 4 out of 36 chicks reach adulthood.
• These birds only feed at low tide.  If they are disturbed the chicks starve.
• Low tide exposes low reefs which support a small brown mussel population.
• The monitoring is conducted every four weeks at a spring low tide
• Monitoring trips start at Dana Bay Second Beach and are concluded at Brakwaterkloof. 
• The duration of the monitoring is 3 to 3,5 hours
• The area is approximately 6km in length and consists of extensive dunes
• DON'T take chicks home.  They will die.  They only eat rock and sand mussels.  These have to be fresh!
• Oystercatchers CANNOT swim
• Information gathered in these monitoring exercises is forwarded to the Oystercatcher Conservation Programme, Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town.
• Animals and children need to be under control to ensure a successful season.

Our hearfelt thank you to Deline & Andrew Henderson, Natalie Baker & Allistair Pietersen and Carlo for their hard work in walking our dunes during the breeding season.