Page 231 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

Cape St Francis dunes east of the Gamtoos prior to 2000 (Tree 2001) and
Coordinates: 34.20 S; 24.87 E a colony has existed on the east side of the river from at
Description: A headland on the coast of the Eastern Cape least 2012 (AP Martin unpubl.). The west side of the river
Province that has a village and Seal Point Lighthouse. was not visited in 2018 so the count of 48 pairs may be an
Conservation status: Not protected. underestimate.
Species and numbers breeding: The coastline between the Gamtoos River and the Maitland
Kelp Gull River was surveyed by AP Martin on 25 November 2018
and there was no sign of breeding by Damara Terns.
Year No. of pairs
1966 a 1 Van Stadens River mouth
Coordinates: 33.97 S; 25.22 E
a Crawford et al. (1982) Description: The Van Stadens River Mouth enters the sea
in the middle of the Gamtoos-Maitland coastal dunefield,
Gamtoos River mouth vicinity a Global Important Bird Area (Marnewick et al. 2015). The
Coordinates: 33.97 S; 25.04 E mouth is usually closed by a large sandbar that is breached
Description: The coastal dunefield between the Gamtoos during high rainfall conditions. Kelp Gull nests are concen-
and Maitland River mouths is approximately 23 km long trated in two loose colonies in the sand dunes 500 m west
and is located within the Maitland – Gamtoos Coast Impor- and 1 km east of the Van Stadens River mouth. Scattered
tant Bird Area that supports 5–10% of the overall African individual pairs nest in the dune system between Gamtoos
Black Oystercatcher population (Marnewick et al. 2015). and Van Stadens River mouths.
Conservation status: The Gamtoos Local Nature Reserve Conservation status: The Van Stadens River Mouth is
between the Gamtoos and Van Stadens River mouths falls at the eastern end of the Gamtoos Local Nature Reserve
within the Kouga Local Municipality. However, there is cur- (Kouga Local Municipality). However, there is currently
rently no management of the reserve and the reserve no no management of the reserve and the reserve no longer
longer appears in the National Protected Areas database. appears in the National Protected Areas database.
Species and numbers breeding: Species and numbers breeding:
Kelp Gull Kelp Gull

Year No. of pairs Year No. of pairs
1968 a 1 2018 a 43
1978 a 25
a Martin AP (unpublished information)
1981 b 24
2000 c 71 Note: Kelp Gulls have bred at the colony west of the Van
Stadens mouth for at least the past decade (AP Martin
2003 d 139 unpublished information).
2018 e 48
Maitland River mouth
a Crawford et al. (1982) Coordinates: 33.99 S; 25.29 E
b RM Randall (in litt. to PAW) Description: The Maitland River mouth is at the east end
c Whittington PA (unpublished information) of a 23-km long coastal dunefield that falls within the Mait-
d Whittington et al. (2006) land – Gamtoos Coast Global Important Bird Area (Marne-
e AP Martin (unpublished information) wick et al. 2015).
Notes: A Kelp Gull nest was located 5 km east of the Conservation status: There is no coastal conservation
Gamtoos River mouth in 1968; in 1979 one was found in area between the Van Stadens and Maitland River mouths.
the Gamtoos River estuary (Crawford et al. 1982). A Kelp Inland of the Maitland River mouth, the Maitland Local
Gull colony was located on the west side of the river mouth Nature Reserve is actively managed by the Nelson Mandela
from 2000 until at least 2006 (Tree 2001, Whittington et al. Bay Municipality.
2006, Whittington et al. 2009). Scattered pairs bred in the Species and numbers breeding: In 2018 there was a
small colony of six Kelp Gull pairs 1 km east of Blue Horizon
Bay.
Kelp Gull
Year No. of pairs
1979 a 32
2003 b 2
2007 c 4
2013 d 2
2018 e 6
a Crawford et al. (1982)
b Whittington et al (2006)
c Crawford et al (2009)
Caracal may feed on seabirds breeding along the shores of the d Whittington et al. (2016)
Eastern Cape (photo RJM Crawford) e Martin AP (unpublished information)

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