ADU travels, expeditions and events

Photo Duncan Bolton Bank Cormorant with chick

On the 23 May 2002, the Robben Island utility vessel "Blauwberg" made her way across the troubled waters of Table Bay bound for Cape Town. Duncan, Lisa, Jim, Paul, Phil and Annie, members of Earthwatch Team Three, watched as the water funnelled across her bows. None of the passenger ferries were operating, the island staff had been unable get to work and all tours had been cancelled for the day. There are always a few days in the year when the north-westerly wind blows and whips up a swell that prevents the ferries from safely operating. They rarely stop for more than a day at a time: but then there is always the exception that proves the rule.

We did not see the weather forecast that evening, so were unaware of what was still to come. A team of Swift Tern ringers was scheduled to come across to the island on the 07.30 boat on 24 May, and Phil was to leave the island with them on the 16.00 boat. He was beginning to wish that he could stay longer; as it happened, events were taken out of his hands.

We awoke on Friday 24 May to the sound of the wind hammering against the windows. Our first thought was whether or not the ferries would run. By 7.25, the expected phone call from the tern ringing team had not materialised, so we telephoned Mario Leshoro, one of Robben Island's environmental officers, to find out what was happening. "No ferries, far too rough" was the response. The harbour master confirmed that 7-metre swells were predicted and that there would be no ferries at all that day. We were "prisoners" on the island for the weekend: what a pleasure!

Photo Duncan Bolton Swift Tern chick and egg

Undeterred by the wind, Earthwatch Team Three made its way into the field to monitor their penguin nest sites. The sky was grey and menacing but the rain was on hold, so we worked the area around the Perimeter Road in the north-east section of the island. We split into a "coastal team" and an "inland team" (inland meaning on the landward side of the road). By 13.00, the wind was strengthening. The "coastal team" was beginning to experience a few problems. The high sea and crashing waves were beginning to get a bit too close for comfort and the team members were having trouble hearing each other above the pounding of the surf and the howling wind. They decided to call it a day. The relatively sheltered "inland team" continued for a little longer but stumps were drawn by 13.30 and the players left the field for lunch in the comfort of the "MCM pavilion".

Photo Duncan Bolton Stormy weather, Murray's Bay

The wind continued to grow in strength and the waves were now crashing over the harbour breakwater, where the Bank Cormorants nest. By mid-afternoon, a few spots of rain appeared, followed by a light drizzle. It wasn't much, but driven by the wind it made life in the field a bit unpleasant, made writing and holding on to the recording sheets difficult and besides, we needed to catch up on some data input and sort out some of the data cards. So we declared an afternoon of office work. And the wind got stronger still.

Photo Duncan Bolton Penguins in the surf

Saturday morning dawned brighter and less windy. We heard that there would be a staff ferry arriving from Cape Town at 08.00 so rushed down to meet it. Very few of the staff had ventured across and those that did implied that it "was hell out there". But Mario enjoyed it so much that he got straight back on board for another helping! As we started our work in the field, the full force of the storm began to unfold. The strip of coast along which the penguins nest had been severely battered. Bushes were uprooted, the road was covered in Kelp and debris and pieces of driftwood were scattered liberally on the shore, across the road and embedded in some of the bushes. The beach was covered with a thick layer of dirt-laden foam. We had trouble locating some of our nest markers. A few were lying in the road, several metres from the nests they once marked. Some had lodged unceremoniously in nearby bushes, others were half buried by debris and several were missing without trace.

Photo Duncan Bolton Adult African Penguin with 2 chicks in nest that got washed out

Many penguin nests had been washed out. There was standing water alongside one of the main penguin routes into the interior, flooding any nests in that section. But in spite of the devastation, several penguins still sat stubbornly upon their nests, many with bedraggled but surviving chicks. Others, that had been less fortunate, wasted no time in starting to rebuild their nests. Like people who insist on living below active volcanoes or on flood plains, the penguins continued to rebuild on the very site of their recently destroyed nests. The Bank Cormorants had also suffered and few of the nests on the breakwater remained intact.

Photo Duncan Bolton Lisa, Paul, Annie, Jim, Phil, Duncan

After lunch, Jim, Paul and Phil went to check through the gull and tern colony for colour-ringed Swift Terns and Hartlaub's Gulls. Having seen the devastation on the east side of the island, they decided to see what things looked like on the west side. They didn't get very far. The South Perimeter Road was completely blocked by Kelp, large rocks and pieces of debris. The wall of waves looked impressive, set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, and the surf continued to pound against the shore. An alternative route was sought through the centre of the island, via the airfield. As they reached the Stone Quarry, near the gull and tern colony, Phil realised that something looked different. The quarry was now open to the sea. The sea wall, which once allowed you to walk right around the quarry, had a gaping hole in it! Fortunately, the gulls and terns had not been flooded out and a few ringed birds were found, including a Swift Tern chick that had been ringed at Koeberg Power Station on 13 May 2002.

Photo Duncan Bolton Road blocked by Kelp and storm debris

We can only assume that we had slept through the worst of the storm, as it hadn't seemed as bad to us as the damage suggested. There is a fair bit of clearing up to be done on the island and the project suffered a setback with the loss of several nests, some of which had been monitored for a number of years by staff of Marine and Coastal Management. As for the penguins, well they seem to take it all in their stride and just carry on where they left off as best they can. It has been an eventful project so far this year. Earthwatch Team Two witnessed a shipwreck at Dassen Island and Earthwatch Team Three had to contend with the storm at Robben Island. We wonder what lies in store for the next team ……

Photo Duncan Bolton The Stone Quarry with breached sea wall after the storm

Phil Whittington, Avian Demography Unit, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.

Duncan Bolton, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, U.K.