Earthwatch 2004 Project: South African Penguins
Diary of Team 1
Day 1: March 22
Met the scientists over lunch at the Clock Tower at V & A Waterfront. Their penguin obsessions will probably rub off on us, maybe turning "like" into "love". We've wanted to return Robben Island since we first visited as tourists in 2002 and the Earthwatch project gives us a great opportunity to do that. We are given background and basics with much to learn. We asked about non avian wildlife and can expect mole snakes (big but placid and non-venomous) which scare tourists – before being dealt with by Bruce's "relocation" service; feral cats and rabbits (boo!), nasty sounding ostriches and all sorts of "boks".
Provisions are loaded on to the staff ferry which leaves just after 4pm. Pleased to see that the boat isn't listing in spite of the ton of butternut squash we loaded on board. Arrive at our little house – No 12 - which is very comfortable. We then unpack and eat having been delighted to find that the PI is an enthusiastic and excellent cook.
Our team is small, but perfectly formed: Peter (PI), Us - Steve & Lorraine (volunteers from England). Sandra (an MSc student from Netherlands) is also staying for the two weeks.
Day 2: March 23
Team walk the colony with Mario, who's infectious laugh begins right down in his boots, beginning to identify nests for study. Lovely sunny day, Table Mountain clear most of the afternoon, with the sea a gorgeous deep blue. Looking for nesting, unbanded birds to begin with. Will need approx 100 in the next two weeks – locate and tag 25 today. Lots of eggs and chicks of all sizes. Find one bird "Mr Cool" nesting in a fridge, on the foreshore. Catch two birds to rework turned rings which have damaged feathers.
Late afternoon spend two hours on the penguin highway watching birds in transit from sea to nests. Seem to lose their way as they hit the sun's rays. A hard day's fishing takes its toll and many linger for an hour or more with eye's closed – preening, snoozing and warming up.
Day 3: March 24
Another beautiful day – blue, cloudless sky. Of yesterday's nests, 9 have pairs of unbanded birds, 4 are mixed, and 12 no result. Marked 35 more nests today. There's a small matter of minor burglary at the house to be dealt with by Table Bay Harbour police.
Late afternoon game drive – census on antelopes and ostriches. Highlight was male eland with three of his ladies. Total in excess of 130 individuals in 90 minute slow tour of the island. Interesting to see decaying WWII gun implacements lurking in the trees – never fired in anger and Steve remembers his Grandad spent a few happy weeks in Cape Town in the War en route to North Africa.
Opera is in town this week – hoping for tickets to dress rehearsal of "Fidelio on Robben Island" which is being televised. Arsenal – Chelsea on TV, but too tired to watch whole match.
Day 4: March 25
We are lucky. Another fantastic morning - spoilt only by gulls smashing penguin eggs for breakfast on the foreshore. Checking the nests shows 19 with unbanded pairs 11 mixed, 2 abandoned, rest yet to be confirmed. Highlight is the first Team hatchling "Adam" seen today in EW13 – lucky for some. Super Mario reckons Bobby Charlton is the best Man Utd player ever – lots more football talk! Don't get him started on Tottenham – it's a sad and sorry business!
Afternoon patrol on the Penguin Highway – lots of preening and snoozing (them not us) in the late afternoon sun. Loud splats of guano add to the Highway.
Evening - blagg our way into the Opera dress rehearsal with very little problem. Set looks smashing – the story of modern South Africa played out to Fidelio as it's 10 years since the first free elections in the new republic. Lovely setting – the sky is awash with stars that have long since disappeared behind pollution in Europe! Will be shown on SABC on April 27th – Freedom Day.
Day 5: March 26
Cooler, hazy day. Marked nests go over the hundred mark. Lots of new eggs appearing in the nests we've marked thus far. Now have 40 nests with unbanded pairs, 26 with mixed, 2 abandoned. Off to Cape Town for the weekend on the afternoon staff ferry.
Day 6 and 7: March 27-28
Days off – did the usual touristy things in Cape Town which were great fun... Table Mountain, Signal Hill, Kirstenbosch. Dinners at the V&A Waterfront – great!
Day 8: March 29
Meet Mario on the staff ferry over to the Island at 07.30. Wind picking up, but great views of both Cape Town and the Island. Newi (PhD student) joins us for the week. Sandra greets us with a "pet " chameleon, Puk, that she rescued from being the plaything of a local dog – amazing little creature, which we eventually put in the bushes behind the house. Then off with Mario to find new nests – now looking for banded pairs. Ostriches appear to be excavating nests behind the Kramat – we fill the holes to try to persuade them to go elsewhere. Mario is not keen on meeting nesting Ostriches every day!
Bruce over on the 3pm ferry to train a couple of students – Dumsie and Liz - in taking diet samples. Involves high-jacking 10 unsuspecting penguins on the Penguin Highway, pumping them full of water and then turning them upside down to pump out the contents of their stomachs. Analysis gives data on dietary habits, which feed (ha, ha) into SA fishery protection policies – valuable work. Both of us get to handle penguins for the first time!! Bruce also finds another dwarf chameleon, Clint. Very cute!! Afternoon ends very windy.
Walk up to the lighthouse – wonderful stars. Miserable lighthouse keeper looks like a Dickensian ghost, carrying a torch out in front of him. No takers for a graveyard our tonight!
Day 9: March 30
Calm start to the day, but wind picks up by lunchtime. Nest checking first thing today, followed by a moult count. Need to do this regularly through the year in order to compare two methods of sizing the colony – moult counting (favoured in S America) versus nest counting (favoured in SA). Nice walk from the Penguin Highway round to the wrecks.
Afternoon crossing census – compare crossing points with lots of traffic against those with little, to determine appropriate policy with respect to roads on the Island. Blowing a gale again, all get very cold once the sun goes down!. Phone for Bakkie rescue.
Day 10: March 31
Completed at home & Emailed to Sue!!
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