Page 86 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

In 1987, White-breasted Cormorants had ‘for several
seasons’ bred on the Gamsberg shipwreck in the bay be-
tween the sandbar that then closed off Sandwich Harbour
and Ilhea Point (Williams 1987).
In 1977, Kelp Gulls and Caspian Terns bred on a small
sand island in the southern mud-flat area. In 1978, Caspian
Terns were reported breeding on an island in the mouth of
Sandwich Harbour that later became joined to the southern
sand spit (Clinning 1978). The mean number of Caspian
Terns observed on 62 counts at Sandwich Harbour was 36
± 34 individuals, with a maximum of 181 birds (Simmons
2015a). Hence breeding may have occurred more fre-
quently and been by larger numbers than reported below.
Damara Terns bred on a saltpan just south of the fence
that separates Walvis Bay district/Dorob National Park
from NNNP (23.2180 S; 14.4791 E, Braby 2011) as well as
in Sandwich Harbour (Simmons et al. 2015).
Conservation status: Fully protected in NNNP and, as
An aerial view of Sandwich Harbour, 2011 (photo RJ Braby)
Namibia’s only marine reserve, it is one of Namibia’s four
Notes: African Penguins and Cape Gannets were present Ramsar sites (Simmons et al. 1998).
at Mercury Island in the 1800s (Crawford et al. 1983, Shel- Species and numbers breeding:
ton et al. 1984).
Four Australasian Gannets (M. serrator) were banded Great White Pelican
at Mercury Island in December 2005, December 2008,
December 2009, and November 2014 (MFMR unpublished Many Great White Pelicans bred on sand islands in Sand-
records). The latter was seen at the island in November wich Harbour until 1947 (Berry and Berry 1975), after which
2018 (MFMR unpublished record). the sand islands on which they nested became joined to
In 2012, four pairs of African Black Oystercatchers the mainland (Berry and Berry 1975). A pelican egg was
(Haematopus moquini) bred at Mercury Island (MFMR collected at Sandwich Harbour in November 1933 and a
unpublished data). 1937 map of Sandwich Harbour showed a Pelican Island
there (Crawford et al. 1981). Between 2000 and 2004
2. Mainland localities pelicans again bred in small numbers at Sandwich
Harbour on islands inaccessible to predators, but breeding
ceased when the islands disappeared (Simmons 2015b).
Sandwich Harbour
Coordinates: 23.30 S; 14.47 E Cape Cormorant
Description: Sandwich Harbour is a natural lagoon on the Year No. of pairs
Namib Desert coast about 55 km south of Walvis Bay. It
was once a natural harbour for whalers and fish proces- 1971 a 15
sors, who could gain access to its freshwater (Simmons et 2002 b 6092
al. 1998). The harbour was abandoned in the early 1990s.
There are two parts to Sandwich Harbour. In the north 2005 c 250
there is a thin freshwater wetland that is protected from a
Atlantic Ocean swells by a barrier beach, which has moved b Cooper et al. (1982)
from 1 km away from inland dunes to within c. 150 m of c Kemper et al. (2007)
the dunes. The freshwater supports Phragmites australis MFMR (unpublished data)
reeds. Further from the freshwater, sedges and coarse White-breasted Cormorant
grasses cover large areas. The wetland is much reduced
in size since the 1970s, when it covered several square Year No. of pairs
kilometres. It is fed by a large aquifer that exists under the 1933 a ?
high dunes of the Namib Desert (Simmons et al. 1998).
In the south, a shallow lagoon bordered on its west by a 1959 a ?
sandspit, leads into an area of about 20 km of mudflats 1970 a 98
2
and sand that is inundated daily by ocean tides (Simmons
et al. 1998). 1971 a 80
The structure of Sandwich Harbour changed over 1987 b 10
time and continues to do so (Simmons et al. 1998). Sand
islands that provided breeding habitat for birds, and were a Brooke et al. (1982)
inaccessible to mainland predators such as Black-backed b Williams (1987)
Jackal (Canis mesomelas), were present from 1890 and
guano was collected at them from 1927, but after 1947 they Kelp Gull
became joined to the mainland (Rand 1952b, Berry and Year No. of pairs
Berry 1975). Islands reformed in the early 2000s and then
disappeared again (Simmons 2015b). 1970 a 90

80