Page 103 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

2.2.3.7 Breeding sites of seabirds between Wolf Bay and Chameis Pan

Authors: DB Tom, PA Bartlett, J Braby, RJM Crawford, J-A Delport, BM Dyer, AB Makhado, and R Jones

Abstract:
Eleven species of seabird have bred at 17 localities between Wolf Bay and Chameis Pan in the south of Namibia: African Penguin
(Spheniscus demersus), Cape Gannet (Morus capensis), Cape Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), Bank Cormorant (P. neglectus),
White-breasted Cormorant (P. lucidus), Crowned Cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Hartlaub’s Gull
(Chroicocephalus hartlaubii), Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii), Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) and Damara Tern (Sternula
balaenarum). There were large decreases of African Penguin, Cape Gannet, Cape and Bank cormorants at some islands in this region
in the second half of the 20th century attributable inter alia to food scarcity and competition with Cape Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus
pusillus) for breeding space.

Introduction:
South of Grosse Bucht, breeding has been recorded at 17 localities along the Namibian coastline between Wolf Bay and Chameis Pan, of
which nine are islands or islets and eight are on the mainland. Eleven seabird species have nested in this region: African Penguin (Sphe-
niscus demersus), Cape Gannet (Morus capensis), Cape Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), Bank Cormorant (P. neglectus), White-
breasted Cormorant (P. lucidus), Crowned Cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Hartlaub’s Gull (Chroico-
cephalus hartlaubii), Greater Crested (Swift) Tern (Thalasseus bergii), Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) and Damara Tern (Sternula
balaenarum). They all also nested between Hottentots Bay and Grosse Bucht farther north, as did Grey-headed Gull (C. cirrocephalus).
The positions of the 17 breeding localities are shown on Figure 1. Records of breeding are collated below with brief descriptions of
localities, first for the nine islands or islets and then for the other sites. In both instances the localities are ordered from north to south. ‘√’
signifies breeding occurred but the numbers were not ascertained; ‘?’ that breeding may have taken place. A brief summary of methods
used to obtain counts is given in the chapter ‘Introduction to Seabird Breeding Localities’.
The region falls within the Tsau //Khaeb (formerly Sperrgebiet) National Park (TKNP), which was recognised by Simmons et al. (1998)
as a Globally Important Bird Area (IBA). The IBA was bordered in the north by latitude 26°S, in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south
by the Orange River and in the east by a line parallel to the coast and about 100 km inland. It is an arid area, the only permanent water in
the region being the Orange River. The northern coast is rocky with sandy bays; the southern coast is predominately sandy (Simmons et
al. 1998). The coastal section of the Sperrgebiet (TKNP) IBA holds substantial numbers of seabirds, African Black Oystercatcher (Haema-
topus moquini) and both Greater (Phoenicopterus ruber) and Lesser (Phoeniconaias minor) flamingos, the flamingos mostly occurring
at the Orange River’s estuary (Simmons et al. 1998). The islands and islets in the region are protected by the Namibian Islands’ Marine
Protected Area (NIMPA, Currie et al. 2009, Ludynia et al. 2012) and the mainland sites fall within TKNP. A marine extension to the
TKNP IBA has been proposed.
1. Islands North Long Island
Coordinates: 26.821 S; 15.126 E
Sources of information for species and numbers Description: Long Islands are a group of contiguous rocks
breeding: All eleven seabird species that breed in the south of Grosse Bucht lying close inshore (c. 400 m from
region have nested at one or more of its islands. Estimates the coast) between Wolf and Atlas bays (Rand 1963). They
of numbers breeding in different years from 1828–2022 are divided by narrow straits into three northern islands that
are shown below on the tables applicable to each island. are well separated from a small southern island. Crowned
The estimates were from the following sources, which were Cormorants bred on the middle island of the northern group
updated by unpublished records of Namibia’s Ministry of (Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy 1978).
Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) and South Africa’s Cape Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) bred at
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Long Islands in the early 20th century but, following inten-
(DFFE): African Penguin (Crawford et al. 2013, Kemper sive sealing, had largely left them by 1948 to form colonies
2015a); Cape Gannet (Crawford et al. 2007a; Kemper on the adjacent mainland at Wolf and Atlas bays (Kruger
2015b, Sherley et al. 2019); Cape Cormorant (Crawford et 1949). However, by 1972 large numbers of seals again
al. 2007b, Kemper and Simmons 2015); Bank Cormorant bred at Long Islands (Shaughnessy 1987) and they have
(Crawford et al. 1999, Kemper et al. 2007, Roux and continued to do so (Kirkman et al. 2007, Currie et al. 2009).
Kemper 2015); White-breasted Cormorant (Brooke et al. In 1919, 58 metric tons of seabird guano were collected
1982; Kemper et al. 2007); Crowned Cormorant (Crawford at Long Islands. This was the only recorded harvest of
et al. 1982b; Kemper et al. 2007, Kemper 2015c); Kelp Gull guano at Long Islands since 1896 (Tom et al. 2024).
(Crawford et al. 1982a, Kemper et al. 2007); Hartlaub’s Gull Conservation status: Long Islands fall within NIMPA
(Williams et al. 1990, Kemper et al. 2007); Greater Crested and have restricted access (Currie et al. 2009).
Tern (Cooper et al. 1990, Kemper et al. 2007), Caspian Species and numbers breeding: Species known to have
Tern (Simmons 2015) and Damara Tern (Braby 2011, bred at North Long Island and estimates of numbers breed-
Simmons et al. 2015). ing are shown on the following table.

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