The Rich Bird Life of Betty's Bay: A Birder's Paradise

There still exists small enclaves of abundance in this world of ours - a world saturated with human beings and our concrete nightmare landscapes. We come in and destroy everything green in the pathway to build yet more housings for humans who will never stay there.

Yet there exists small enclaves where the birds who cannot find refuge elsewhere come together to form super colonies.

Yesterday, I wrote about one of these colonies, the penguin colony.

Today, I want to share with you the true scale of the colonies that call this enclave their home. But I also want to show the diversity of bird life, as there are at least a couple of other species that find their ways to these shores.

The above photograph just indicates how many birds there are on these shores. These are various species of cormorants that pack the shoreline. The numbers are truly baffling, as everywhere where you look, there are just birds. The video below also illustrates this really baffling scale. It truly is a birder's paradise!

Along with the many other species, the penguins call this their home. The amount of diversity and animal life in this small enclave is incredible.

It is sad that we do not have many more such spaces. Property has become so expensive these days that it truly becomes impossible to create big enough sanctuaries. For at once people will develop these areas and try to make money from it, but people will also sell to these companies.

But it is also eye opening, so that we might begin to really see how beautiful life is so that we take seriously the plight of these animals.

For the future without an abundance of life is seriously poorer and a little less colorful.

There are at least some positive and success stories that we might point to. The African Black Oystercatcher was critically endangered, and with the collective help of the communities around the coast, their numbers have steadily been climbing. Below, you can see a breeding pair with their small babies almost hidden in the sand. This is the first time that I have seen some of them so close and so young!

For many years, I have had a strange relationship with the Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca). At first, I thought that the bird was invasive and not endemic to South Africa. A lot of golf courses want to get rid of them because in their large numbers they can cause some damage to the grass. Every time I hear their call, I am instantly taken back to 6am mornings on the golf course. In my youth, we played a lot of golf early in the morning, and just when the sun begins to get up from the horizon, these birds begin their calls. So, there is also nostalgia linked to them.

Since my youth, I found out that these birds are in fact endemic and local. Their natural habitat stretches almost the entire African continent. So, with a lot of ups and downs, I have come to like these birds as well. They have found their way to this enclave as well, not that they need it though. Throughout the concrete jungle, we find them on roof tops and between houses. Even in the Kruger National Park, I saw a bunch of them!

The bird species that really took over this enclave is the cormorant. I think there are three different subspecies call things their home, with one also critically endangered if I am not mistaken.

One can almost not believe this with the amount of cormorant birds flying around. In the evenings, these birds fly back to this enclave from all over the area. As you sit and watch the sunset, you will see massive black spots on the ocean, then you know it is the cormorant flock returning to Betty's Bay.

But between all of the other more rare birds, you will find the usual suspects as well. Many gulls make this their home as well, and for obvious reason. Where there is abundance, there is life. But strangely enough, the other birds outnumber the usual suspects by a long shot.

But I also found a lonely African sacred ibis searching for food between all of the scraps. This was a rather strange find for me, as I did not think that they will wander the shores! But everyday, you learn something new.

This was just a small sample size of all of the birds that call this their home. I really hope that you enjoyed these bird sightings, as there is still some beauty out there in the world.

For now, happy birding, and keep well.