Feathers and beacons of hope
Monday, 2nd September 2024
written by Marguerite Smit
What do African penguins and Greater flamingos have in common? Obviously feathers, and all the other important bird bits, but did you know they’re also beacons of hope, markers of what’s possible, of how nature can be restored, and thrive in the heart of a metropole? And all of that is taking place in Nelson Mandela Bay, home to both species, and home to hope.
In December 2014, Nelson Mandela Bay was graced by the presence of Dr Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, who was here to declare Algoa Bay an international Hope Spot (see here https://missionblue.org/2015/01/south-africans-unite-around-hope-spots/). Mission Blue had and is working with locally based Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) (see here https://sst.org.za) and others like SANCCOB and Birdlife South Africa to protect and restore the local populations of African penguins on St Croix and Bird Islands. By 2023 the population of penguins on St Croix, once South Africa’s largest colony of African penguins, had declined to approximately 700 breeding pairs. This year (2024) those numbers have almost doubled to 1350 breeding pairs, thanks in the main to dedicated work of the likes of adjunct-Professor Lorien Pichegru at Nelson Mandela University, and the likes of SANCCOB and Birdlife SA. It’s fantastic news.
But the hope story doesn’t end there. Within a hop, skip and jump of St Croix Island, lies the Swartkops Estuary, one of South Africa’s key estuaries, a potential RAMSAR site, and a birders paradise. But, being in the heart of an industrial metropole, has meant it’s become a dump site for plastic, industrial waste, and sewage. For over 50 years, a local NGO, the Zwartkops Conservancy (https://www.zwartkopsconservancy.org/index.html) has been leading the fight to have it restored. They have waste pickers, alien (plant) clearers, and boats working in the estuary to restore its water ways and hiking trails. Most recently, they diverted a storm-water canal into an abandoned salt mine flats with astounding results. The storm water system has a permanent run-off, most often sewage and plastic laden, and it was dumping all of that into the estuary. Some time back, the municipality and others had built an artificial wetland at the end of the canal, but it had become overwhelmed by the deluge of waste. Enter ZC and a backhoe, who by means of a simple earth ditch, connected the artificial wetland to the abandoned salt works, and restored a key salt pan and feeding ground for the flamingos and others. According to ZC, their bird counts suggest that the estuary is now home again to thousands of flamingos, both the Greater and lesser, possibly the highest number in decades. Again, another beacon of hope shining brightly.
And that’s why the metropole carries the name of Nelson Mandela with pride. In the midst of adversity, against odds, local heroes like Prof Pichegru, SST, ZC, SANCCOB, have stayed the course and created something wonderful. The metro abounds with other such examples, but its best experienced in person, get yourselves here to see it.
You can visit the St Croix and Bird Islands through world-renowned operators such as Raggy Charters (see https://www.raggycharters.co.za) and Stampede Cruises (see https://www.stampedecruises.co.za) to see African penguins in the wild. Or you can visit the SANCCOB marine bird rehabilitation center at Cape Recife and get up close and personal with the little tuxedo clad fisher folk yourself (see https://www.nmbt.co.za/listing/samrec_sa_marine_rehabilitation__education_centre.html)
For birders, these are the likely species to see in the Swartkops Estuary (courtesy of Birdlife Eastern Cape https://www.birdlife-ec.co.za/swartkops-estuary-saltpans-tip):
“The Aloe Reserve has revealed sightings of Southern Tchagra, Grey Tit, Grey-winged Francolin, White-throated and Brimstone Canary, Goliath Heron and Great Egret.
The tidal banks in the river have yielded White-breasted Cormorant, African Sacred Ibis, Grey Plover, Sandwich, Common & Little Terns while on the saltpans Black-necked Grebe, lesser & Greater Flamingo, Common Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper Ruff & Common Whimbrel have been seen.
Numerous rare waders can be seen at low tide if you walk up the middle of the estuary up the mudbanks to the end. A very muddy walk but waders include all the rare ones. A variety of very rare waders have pitched up over the years as well, like Common Redshank, Pacific Golden Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper and Broad-billed Sandpiper.
Between Swartkops Village and Redhouse you drive past the Chatty Saltpans. Good for both flamingos as well as Hartlaub's Gull, Pied Avocet, Black-necked Grebe and White-winged Tern. Once a Red-necked Phalarope was also spotted. Painted Snipe have been seen at a vlei near the old power station.”
