Martine Viljoen, a marine wildlife conservationist, has been sharing the journey of the Cape Gannet colony living in Lambert’s Bay – There will be chicks any day now!
Lambert’s Bay, South Africa (07 November 2023) – Marine conservationist Martine Viljoen has been on-site at Lambert’s Bay’s stunning Cape Gannet colony, working with the team from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, to monitor and report. While on the ground, she has been sharing vital information about the birds, helping us all learn something new with each post!
The Cape Gannet is a large sea bird with black and white plumage, a distinctive yellow crown and hindneck, and a pale blue bill. The bird is currently listed as vulnerable, this is due mainly to a decrease in population – which is because of several factors which overfishing and human pollution.
The species calls ‘Bird Island’ home in Lambert’s Bay and a few other islands along the South African coastline, up towards Namibia. They build their nests out of guano and each mating pair lays one egg and raise it together.
The pairs have been busy nesting and laying eggs. They will incubate those eggs for 40 days. So chicks can be expected by the end of November.
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Lambert’s Bay is the only place the public can glimpse these birds. So if this is something you want to do this weekend, add it to your adventure list!
Will you be heading to Lambert’s Bay to see the birds? If you would like to learn more facts about the birds, check out Martine’s Instagram, she shares loads of details about marine animals.
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