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.

Plovers breeding 20-11-2008

Plover and chick. These Plovers were forced into the open by sunbathers occupying their nesting area. The crows were hovering nearby. This chick will be lucky if it survives. The Blouberg Oystercatchers did not seem to find an undisturbed breeding spot on this beach this year.

Predators among the Plovers

Plover beach, between Big Bay and the Horse Trails.

Dog sniffing a Plover chick dropped by the crow. The crow possibly found the chick after it was disturbed from it's camouflaged place of hiding.