Page 597 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

Fria and Cape Fria (Braby et al. 1992). Only eight of Mile 4 Saltworks
14 South African colonies remained extant in 2021, with Caution Reef and Horses Graves
four of those having just 1–3 pairs. The major colonies Bird Rock Platform
were at Alexandria Dunefields (17 pairs) and Schelmhoek Walvis Bay Saltworks
(14 pairs). The four key Namibian sites, along with Mercury Island
Alexandria Dunefields and Schelmhoek, are considered Ichaboe Island and Hottentot Bay Pan
central to perpetuate the somewhat disparate larger Lüderitz islands (Seal and Penguin)
northern and smaller South African sub-populations of this Halifax Island
species. Possession Island
South Africa
The Top Thirty Bird Island (Lambert’s Bay)
St Helena Bay saltworks (Velddrif and Lower Berg
Based on the foregoing, we identified the ‘Top Thirty’ River)
seabird ‘Super Sites’ of the BUS and the adjacent coasts Groot Paternoster Rocks
of Angola and South Africa. In doing so, we grouped a) West Coast National Park (including Malgas,
Caution Reef with adjoining Horses Graves, b) Ichaboe Marcus, Jutten, Schaapen, and Caspian islands,
Island and the adjacent mainland site of Hottentot Bay Klein Vondeling, and 16-mile Beach)
Pan, c) Seal and Penguin islands in Namibia as Lüderitz Meeuw Island
islands; d) the Velddrif and Lower Berg River saltworks Dassen Island
as St Helena Bay saltworks; e) Malgas, Marcus, Jutten, Robben Island
Schaapen, and Caspian islands, Klein Vondeling, and 16- Boulders/Simon’s Town
mile Beach, which all occur in West Coast National Park Stony Point
(WCNP), into a single WCNP site; f) the St Croix group of Dyer Island
islands (Jahleel, Brenton, and St Croix); and g) the Bird Keurbooms Lookout Beach and Peninsula
(Algoa Bay) group of islands (Seal, Stag, and Bird). It Algoa Bay estuaries (Swartkops, Sundays, Coega)
should also be noted that several sites are grouped under St Croix group of islands (Jahleel, Brenton, and
the Lake St Lucia section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park St Croix)
(Fox et al. 2024). Bearing these groupings in mind, the Schelmhoek
region’s Top 30 Seabird Super Sites, ordered from north to Alexandria Dunefields
south and east around the coast, were: Bird (Algoa Bay) group of islands (Seal, Stag, and
Angola Bird)
Ilha Sao João da Cazanga Lake St Lucia
Ilha dos Tigres
Namibia Adequate protection and effective management of these
Angra Fria to Cape Fria 30 sites will be of utmost importance in securing the future
Durissa Bay Pans of the seabird community of the BUS and adjacent regions.

Footnote:
In 2024, two pairs of Damara Terns were recorded breeding at Uubvlei (28.405 S, 16.245 E), a previously un-surveyed site
in Namibia approximately 31 km north of the Orange River’s mouth (Jenkins A and van Zyl A in litt. to PAW). This increases
the number of sites at which seabirds have bred in the region to 370.

Stony Point, Betty’s Bay, is an important breeding locality for three of the Benguela’s endemic seabirds including African Penguins. It is on
the mainland and readily accessible to visitors (photo RJM Crawford)

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