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Dyer Island Blog #6 - 04 June 2009
Dyer Island. The infamous winter cold fronts are hitting us with
the usual regularity and intensity. I'm here on Dyer Island conducting
an African Penguin Breeding census with the Island's Conservation
Manager, doing nest checks and chick weighing and a few other bits
and pieces. Unlike the summer monitoring period, this season calls
for multiple layers of clothes, scarves and beanies. We've had a
few guests on the island too this week, but more about that later.
Much has happened in things African Penguin since my last blog,
so I have much to tell you over the next few weeks. The African
Penguin Conference was a big success, with delegates being able
to share information and ideas and network amongst each other. Sadly,
the conference continued to highlight the ever continued population
decline of the African Penguin. For some feedback on the conference,
click here. The programme was varied, and covered most of the current
research, management and rehabilitation issues related to the African
Penguin. I'll gradually share some info from all the talks with
you in the next while. We're busy working on the proceedings of
the conference that will be made available online. In the meantime,
if you would like to have a look at the conference programme, click
here.
It's all about oil this week. Every winter, the Dyer Island management
staff are on the lookout for oiled seabirds. This is not because
we have an oil spill every winter. In the rough seas of the winter
storms, containers containing oil that lie on the sea bed get shifted,
releasing oil. During the penguin's feeding trips, they swim through
this oil. Not only this, but passing ships clean their hulls out
at sea. This is an illegal practise, but continues nonetheless.
When we spot penguins coming ashore, the ships are long gone, and
we are left none the wiser as to who they were.
Oiling effects seabirds in a number of ways. It is toxic, so once
the birds come ashore to attempt to preen and clean themselves,
they swallow the oil. Ingested in sufficient quantities, this oil
will impact on the birds internal organs, including their reproductive
system. If they are caught, rehabilitated and released, there is
no way of knowing if they suffered too much internal damage that
they are not able to breed again. Added to the internal damage,
the birds suffer externally as well. Oiling effects the structure
of the feathers, such that they loose their waterproofing capabilities.
In doing so, the birds become cold and are not able to stay out
in the cold Atlantic waters to feed. They either die at sea from
hypothermia, or from starvation once they come ashore. Not only
is it just the individual bird that is effected. We have seen mates
lying next to each other, where the mate of the oiled bird picks
up the oil from its partner, particularly if it is fresh oil. But
the equally distressing factor is that winter is the main breeding
season for African Penguins on Dyer Island. Penguins that are seen
oiled on the coastline are captured and sent to SANCCOB
for rehabilitation and release and there is no way of knowing if
this adult was part of a pair incubating eggs or feeding chicks.
Without the adult being rehabilitated, it will definitely die a
slow and horrible death, so it is important that they be captured.
The sad reality is though, that it is likely that the whole nest
will fail. If the oiled adult is part of a pair that are feeding
one chick, it's partner may be able to keep the chick alive (as
long as the chick is big enough to be left alone when the lone partner
goes out to feed). However, it the oiled adult is part of a pair
that are incubating eggs or guarding small chicks, when the remaining
partner goes to feed, these will get swallowed up by Kelp Gulls
or succumb to the cold.
You can imagine our distress then when during our African Penguin
breeding census, we found our third oiled bird for the week. The
first oiled bird we found 'loafing' (the term we use when they are
just hanging around, not doing much) in the colony. We'd nicknamed
him 'stumpie' over the years as one of his legs had been (we'd thought)
amputated. We've never seen him (or her actually) with a partner
or with chicks, but every year we'd see him in the same part of
the colony. He has a band (R4008) and the records show that he was
admitted to SANCCOB in June 2005 (because of his stump) at 3.08Kg.
SANCCOB didn't amputate then however as he was already a 'stumpie,'
so how he came into that condition is a mystery. He was released
7 days later at 3.8Kg at Robben. He's now been re-admitted in 2009
as an oily at 3Kg! The second penguin we saw from the kitchen window
of the hose on the island, so grabbed him quickly. We were fortunate
to have Venessa Strauss (CEO of SANCCOB) visiting us on the island,
so the birds were able to be transported straight away to SANCCOB.
A picture of Stumpie in the Dyer Island holding pen can be seen
(Photo 1on the right). He was washed this Saturday, so will let
you know when he returns.
The third bird as I mentioned, we saw while doing the breeding census.
What makes this really sad is that it was incubating eggs. We had
to remove the adult, as without treatment, it would surly die. It's
mate though will return to the nest with it's partner, and most
likely the eggs too, gone, and ultimately result in a failed breeding
attempt. Photos 2 & 3 to the right show the adult incubating
its eggs, and just how badly oiled it really was once it had been
caught.
The threat to seabirds is an ongoing problem. Although the most
ideal situation would be to have these events never occur, all is
not doom and gloom. One of the sessions at this year's conference
involved feedback from the delegates in terms of their oil spill
response plans. This issue had been discussed at the previous African
penguin conference in 2008. Two of the Namibian delegates were unable
to attend this year's conference…the reason - an oil spill!!
Ironically during this year's African Penguin conference, the Namibian
authorities were dealing with one of their worst oil spills (in
numbers of birds oiled). 129 oiled African Penguins made their way
to SANCCOB after a 19 hour road trip from Luderitz in southern Namibia
in. A Namibian rescue team, led by Jessica Kemper, managed to save
them when they rounded them up in boats and got them to the mainland
where they were stabilized and washed. They were then transported
to Cape Town for the essential rehabilitation process.
SANCCOB has been steadily releasing these penguins as they come
through the rehabilitation process, and I've included a few pictures
of the release of 84 of these birds last week (Photos 4, 5, 6, 7
to the right). Good to know our birds are in the same safe hands.
I haven't forgotten about the nests that we have been following.
Next time, I'll update some photos of the growth of some of the
chicks of the nests we have been watching, with some more African
Penguin news.
Bye for now :-)
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'Stumpie' in the Dyer Island holding pen |
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The adult African Penguin incubating its eggs
Picture showing just how badly oiled it really was once it
had been caught
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The release of 84 African Penguins after successfully coming
throug the rehabilitation process
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