Bird Island – A special place for research
Bird Island offers a window into the past, a unique opportunity for scientific study, and a refuge for biodiversity, requiring maximum protection.
To venture onto Bird Island is to endure an assault on your senses. Located off the Algoa Bay coast, this ‘mini Marion’ is home to one of the last populations of African penguins, as well as the world’s largest Cape gannet colony. A few hardy scientists set off from Gqeberha before dawn one early March morning and braved the three hour, cold, wet, bone-jarring boat ride (without back braces) to the island to undertake research. As we drew near, an impressively striking lighthouse in sight, our senses were overwhelmed by the pungent odour wafting from the communal residence of 200 000 gannets, the cacophony of their incessant cackling, and the visual spectacle of a sky buzzing with thousands of arriving and departing birds. The boat landing was tricky and our skilful captain carefully navigated the rubber duck to align with the rusty little jetty, perfectly timing the high tide. We disembarked quickly, hauling our gear onto the landing off the bobbing vessel before transporting it all via wheelbarrow along a dedicated path to our humble abode for the next few days.
Bird Island forms part of SANParks’ Addo Elephant National Park Marine Protected Area (MPA) and has been protected since 2005. It is arguably the most heavily populated piece of National Parks’ estate – housing some 202 000 seabirds, and a few humans, on a mere 19 hectares. The absence of terrestrial predators on the island enables successful breeding of gannets, penguins and other ground-nesting seabirds. Furthermore, its remoteness and inaccessibility affords protection to the thriving marine life surrounding the island, constantly fed by nutritious offerings from the bird colony.
Penguins on Bird Island
All that remains of a once booming, hugely environmentally destructive guano mining industry are derelict sheds, crumbling infrastructure, and a few basic living quarters used by staff and researchers. Despite the ecosystem changes from mining guano, including severe impacts on seabird numbers and breeding success, and impeding nutrient runoff into the marine environment, we observe abundant and diverse populations of seaweeds and invertebrates in the unexploited intertidal areas. This is reassuring. It confirms the importance of protecting marine spaces from unscrupulous human activities, to enable recovery from past exploitation, and allow species to mature and reproduce, reseeding adjacent unprotected areas where marine resources are dwindling.
Jessica Hayes, Ian Russell and Cloverley Lawrence on Bird Island in March 2022.
Our rudimentary dwellings with no electricity or running water, with well-worn beds shared with bugs, bird lice and mice, made us feel in some ways like Shackleton and the early pioneers who similarly crossed oceans to explore remote island places. Did they also need earplugs at night to dampen the sound of braying penguins, or rush to close the door to prevent these curious birds from wandering into their quarters? If only these birds could remain within the sanctuary of the island and surrounding MPA – sadly they must fly (in the case of gannets) or swim (in the case of penguins) long distances to find ever dwindling shoals of sardine and anchovy, their preferred prey, to feed themselves and their chicks. These fish stocks have been declining around our coastline, prompting humans and wildlife to compete for what’s left of a once abundant resource.
While the island has attracted much exploitation in the past, focus has now shifted to marine research. Scientists from several institutions collaborate to study the feeding habits and movement patterns of the seabirds, fervently trying to unravel the causes of their ongoing decline. This includes an emerging field of study of the impact of noise, particularly from shipping. In addition, investigations of ocean currents, temperatures, nutrients, and pollutants, alongside observations on species diversity, are also carried out.
Bird Island offers a benchmark, a window into the past allowing us a glimpse of what the Algoa Bay coastline may have once looked like. Its significance not only as one of the last remaining refuges for biodiversity, but also as a unique opportunity for scientific study, stresses the importance of its conservation value and the need for maximum protection.
This article was originally published in the 2021/2022 Research Report.
