Page 222 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

White- Beach. As the vegetation became more favourable gulls
Kelp African Black began to breed there; the first breeding year is uncertain.
Year fronted Source
Gull Oystercatcher The most recent count was over the 2021/2022 breeding
Plover
1976/77– 0 1 season, when c. 500 nests were counted. Lookout Beach
is a blue flag beach (Blue Flag 2021) popular for tourists,
1980/81 especially during the December holidays; this causes some
2000/01– disturbance to breeding birds.
2004/05 0 1 Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) did not breed on
2013 50 9 √ 2,3,4 Lookout Beach until 2019, prior to which they only bred
2014 √ √ 4 on Keurbooms Peninsula; on 18 November 2021, c. 150
2015 √ √ 4 Sacred Ibis nests were recorded at Lookout Beach (DFFE
2016 √ √ 4 unpubl.).
2017 √ 9 11 4,5
2018 √ 8 11 4,5 Keurbooms Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay
Author: M Witteveen
2019 √ 9 10 4,5 Coordinates: 34.03266 S; 23.39276 E
2020 √ 6 10 4,5 Description: A coastal peninsula with one border on the
2021 c. 500 5 8 4,5
Keurbooms River and the other on the Indian Ocean; it
Sources: 1 Whittington et al. (2016); 2 Van de Voorde et al. forms part of the Keurbooms River mouth.
(2015); 3 Witteveen (2015); 4 Witteveen M (unpubl.); 5 Arendse Conservation status: It is administered by CapeNature
B (unpubl.); 6 Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, as part of the Keurbooms River Nature Reserve Complex,
South Africa (DFFE) (unpubl.) but the Kelp Gull breeding colony has not been gazetted
Notes: Historically, Lookout Beach was heavily vegetated, (Schutte-Vlok et al. 2011).
including sections of dense trees and bush, but in 2007 the Species breeding: Kelp Gull, Caspian Tern, African Black
Keurbooms River flooded and the entirety of Lookout beach Oystercatcher
was washed away (Meyer 2014). Since then, Lookout Numbers breeding: The maximum numbers (pairs)
beach has been built back into a sandbank by the tides, and of seabirds and oystercatchers breeding annually at
has been colonised by coastal vegetation. Prior to the 2007 Keurbooms Peninsula, 1971-2021
flood, Kelp Gulls were not recorded breeding on Lookout
Kelp Caspian African Black
Year Source
Gull Tern Oystercatcher
1971 2 1
1972 2 1
1973 2 1
1974 1 1
1978 250 2 1, 2
1982 1 1
1984 2 1
2000 7-11 3
2001 7-11 3
2002 7-11 3
2003 1453 1 4,5
2006 931 3 5,6
2009 14 7
2010 13 7
2011 13 7
2012 1373 1 13 8,9
2013 1217 1 8,9
2014 √ 1 9, 10
2015 √ 1 9,10
2016 √ 1 9,10
2017 √ 1 9,10
2018 √ 1 9,10
2019 √ 1 9,10
2020 √ 1 9,10
c.
2021 1 6 10,11
400
Sources: 1 Cooper et al. (1992); 2 Crawford et al. (1982);
3 Loewenthal (2007); 4 Whittington et al. (2016); 5 Whittington PA
(in litt.); 6 AEWA (2015); 7 Barnardo M, Joseph P, Kohler S, Lamini
Kelp Gulls (top) and African Black Oystercatchers (bottom), pic- PJ, Lourens EJ, Whitting R, Wildeman D (unpubl.); 8 Witteveen
tured at their nesting grounds on The Island (Die Eiland) (photos (2015); 9 Witteveen M (unpubl.); 10 Lourens EJ (unpubl.);
CG Hauvette) 11 DFFE (unpubl.)

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