Beach Cleaning

Blouberg beach received ‘blue-flag’ status.

That means that the beach will need to be kept clean.

Every year workers are sent to clear the beach from debris and litter;
In order to do this they walk over the nesting area of the Plovers and Oystercatchers.

Bad weather is good weather for plovers

It is rainy and cold. The Horse-trails (Ploverbeach) plovers were frolicking undisturbed on the waters edge.

footprints remain as silent witnesses

Photograph: Footprints of plover and dog crossing paths.




25-07-2009

We only saw one pair of Plovers on the beach today.
I could hear some alarm calls from the nearby vegetation.
Their footprints remain as silent witnesses of the confrontation between these little birds and other beach goers.

Plovers under foot

This is the information board at the entrance of "Horse Trails" which is the main entrance to Ploverbeach.

There is no mention of the Plovers and Oystercatchers that lives on this beach.

Where to go?

I am tired of running away from these humans and their dogs!

Ploverbeach (Horsr trails) 1-7-2009

One could nearly say that this little Plover looks sad.
Within the next few years it will be impossible for them to breed, on this beach, without our help to educate the public regarding their breeding terrain.

Plovers breeding on Ploverbeach

The Plovers managed to hatch chicks in spite of people and dogs trampling over their nesting area.

No time for the Oystercatchers

09 56am Oystercatchers try to outrun the oncoming traffic.

09 58am The beach belongs to people and dogs.

17-05-2009 Oystercatchers at Blouberg Strand (Plover beach by Horsetrails)

Click on the slide show in the side widget to view the five minutes attempt of the Oystercatchers to feed at BigBay.

12 May 2009 Plover Beach (Horse trails)

I spotted six Plovers today. On my last visit I counted nine between the Horse trails and the drum.

This pair was to be disturbed by pedestrians with a dog.



This plover managed to feed briefly before being chased by passers-by.

Dead Plover

This bird may have been caught by a dog.

This is how the birds will disappear when they can no loner breed without interruption.

One of the last nails in the coffin

The Big Bay building complex has been completed and is waiting for occupancy and final touches.
This is one of many similar complexes shooting up in the area.
These little birds will not be able to breed and feed on this beach much longer.
See more photographs of Big Bay development

Feeding problems

It is a cloudy day. The beach is particularly quiet. The plovers are very active feeding on the incoming-tide.









Passers-by force the plovers back to the dunes.










They return as soon as the coast is clear.

On busy days the plovers do not get an opportunity to feed in the surf.

I have watched for hours how a pair of Oystercatchers unsuccessfully try to feed on the high tide mark.
On warm summer days the beach traffic is uninterrupted.

KelpGull catching a crab

These photographs of a Kelp Gull catching a crab was taken near the Horse Trail entrance on Ploverbeach.

homeless man

22-01-2009

I observed the stress of the Plover who had a nest just below where this man slept.
I have often seen people settling to sunbathe on top of a Plover breeding site.

Oystercatcher 22-01-2009

The Oystercatchers abandoned their first nest. Was this their second attempt?
Here too they were vulnerable to people climbing the dunes.


This kind of protection would have saved their brood. - click here -

Oystercatcher 01-01-2009

The Oystercatchers did not succeed to breed at Horse Trails (Big Bay, Cape Town) this year.
I saw dogs chasing them and people walking over their nests. The beach cleanup team seemed unaware of the birds breeding also.

The photograph of an African black Oystercatcher was taken between Big Bay and the Horse Trails.