AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED WETLAND WALVIS BAY
This wettland is considered the most important coastal habitat of its kind in Southern Africa and amongst the top 3 in Africa. It stands out as a birding paradise because of its vast quantities and varied species of shorebirds that congregate here in the Walvis Bay wetlands from September to April each year.
The Walvis Bay Wetlands were declared a Ramsar Site in June 1995. There are large numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, which can be readily seen throughout the year.
These wetlands cover a vast area that is fed by the rich Benguella current. Upwellings occur off the Coast around Lüderitz where the continental shelf is reasonably close inshore. These upwellings surface between Meob and Walvis Bay bringing quantities of krill, zoo and phytoplankton to the top layer of the ocean. This brings in shoals of small fish which are fed on by the terns, gulls, cormorants, gannets and many other sea birds. During our summer months there are approximately 200000 terns feeding on this bounty. The whales are returning to Walvis Bay after many years absence, perhaps due to the whaling that took place here during the last century, having ceased now many years ago.
The whales that have been entering the Bay and seen off Pelican Point over the last two or three years make quite an impressive list.
The baleen whales seen here are as follows:
Humpback Whale
Southern Right Whale
Pygmy Right Whale
The toothed and beaked whales that have been seen here are:
Sperm Whale
Orca or Killer Whale
Southern Bottlenose Whale
Cuviers Beaked Whale
Some years ago a Pygmy Killer Whale beached itself on the Pelican Point Peninsula. This is normally a deep-sea whale.
The Dolphins that may be seen close inshore are the Atlantic Bottlenose and the Heaviside Dolphins. Further out to sea the Common and Dusky Dolphins may be observed, although the Dusky Dolphins often venture close inshore. The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins used to come into the Walvis Bay Lagoon at low tide, due now to the shallowness of the lagoon they are only able to venture in during high tide. The Heaviside Dolphin is usually seen off Pelican Point and is best perceived from a boat.
The best way to mix with these cetaceans is with a non-motor driven craft such as a sea going Kayak. These craft do not seem to stress these mammals like the motorised craft can do when they surround these cetaceans in large numbers, as yet Namibia has no regulations on observing cetaceans.
There are many Cape Fur Seals at Pelican Point, between 5 to 10000. This is now a breeding population and from November to February the small pups may be seen being taken into the sea for their swimming lessons.
The water-bird life on the lagoon, along the coast and in the salt pans is prolific, both in the winter and the summer. During the winter months there are as many as 70 to 90000 birds of between 40 to 50 different species. In the Spring all the Palaearctic and Pelagic birds from the northern hemisphere arrive. We count more than 200000 birds here during our summer months, of between 50 to 70 different species. The largest number of a single species of Tern that come in from the northern hemisphere are the Common Terns. About 150000 of them congregate here during our summer months. The tern that most birders want to see and tick off their bird list, is the Black Tern. There are normally some 25000 Black Terns here from December to March inclusive. The thousands of terns that are here during our Summer months range between Meob and Swakopmund, depending on where their food source is. We only see them in their breeding colours during March and early April, when they are about to return to the Northern hemisphere to breed.
Our near-endemic tern is of course the Damara Tern, which breeds here from November to February, on the gravel plains near the shoreline. Between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are found the biggest and most important breeding areas, which have been cordoned off to prevent vehicles riding over the eggs and chicks. Pelagic birds that may be seen on the tour boat trips out to sea are Wilsons and European Storm Petrels and if you are lucky a Leachs Storm Petrel. Other birds that may be seen are the White Chinned Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Black-browed Albartross, Manx Shearwater, Southern Giant Petrel, Pintado Petrel and many others.
The "Specials" that have been seen here over the past few years are:
Franklins Gull
Black Headed Gull
Grey(Red) Phalarope.
Of the Palaearctic birds the Curlew Sandpiper is the most profuse in numbers. We have anything between 25 to 35000 during the summer months, depending on how well they have bred in the tundra in the Arctic Circle. Should the Arctic Fox and the Snowy Owl run out of Lemmings which is their preferred food, they resort to eating the fledglings. The smallest of the shorebirds that come from the Arctic are the Little Stint, which breed in northern Siberia. These little birds weigh around 25 grams. In a straight line it is approximately 15000 kilometres from where they breed to Walvis Bay in Namibia. When they migrate they do not fly the 15000 kilometres in one go they stop off every 3 or 4000 kilometres to feed and build up their fat reserve. The lifespan of most of these small shorebirds that visit our shores is about 15 years.
We have many other shore birds that come in large quantities from the North such as the Sanderlings, Knots, Grey Plovers and Bartailed Godwits. These shore birds only start breeding in their 2nd year.
The first year birds do not return to the Northern hemisphere to breed, usually 10 to 14000 Curlew Sandpipers remain here in the Walvis Bay Ramsar site. From our winter count in July we know how well they have bred in the previous year. This we can see from our count of all the Palaearctic birds. We also observe each year a certain amount of birds that we call "Specials" which are in fact mainly rarities for our part of the world. The following "Specials" have been recorded in the Walvis Bay Ramsar site over the past 5 years:
Wilsons Phalarope, American Golden Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Pacific Golden Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Mongolian Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Sand Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint
Bairds Sandpiper, Common Redshank, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper
In Walvis Bay we have about 25 to 30000 Lesser Flamingos and the same amount of Greater Flamingos. These birds live for about 35 years in the wild and have been known to live for more than 50 years in captivity. They only mature when they are 5 to 6 years old. It is not often that they get the opportunity to breed for consecutive years, but from 1997 to 2001 inclusive there has been plenty of rain inland. They breed at Etosha Game Reserve in Namibia and Sua Pan at the Makgadikgadi pans in Botswana. Etosha had good rains for 3 of these years while Sua Pan was full for all 5 years.
The Walvis Bay wetlands are the easiest and best place to come to see both Lesser and Greater Flamingos. They can be easily observed on the Walvis Bay Lagoon just 10 minutes from the docks and 20 minutes from the Walvis Bay airport. The difference between these birds is not necessarily size, especially with the juveniles, where the colour of the beak is the way to recognise the different species. The juvenile Lesser Flamingo has a black beak and when adult this becomes a dark maroon with a black tip. The juvenile Greater Flamingo has a pale, almost white beak with a black tip. The adult has a pale pink beak with a black tip. The Greater Flamingo will always be seen nearer the mouth of the lagoon as they feed on invertebrates, while the Lesser Flamingo feeds on algae, especially the blue green algae, which when digested gives that beautiful pink colour to the feathers of the adult Lesser Flamingo.
Of our other intra African shore birds the most important is the Chestnut-banded Plover of which Walvis Bay holds 65 to 70% of the world population and the majority of the balance 30 to 35% can be found at Sandwich Harbour 40 kilometres South of Walvis Bay. These birds like the White-fronted Plover nest throughout the year. If there are good rains inland they will migrate to the inland wetlands to breed. Their nest is a small excavation in the sand in which they lay normally 2 eggs. If they have to leave the nest, they will partially cover the eggs with sand the same as the White-fronted and Kittlitz Plovers.
Another important bird, which may be seen in rafts of up to a thousand birds, is the Black-necked Grebe. We hold here in Walvis Bay approximately 40% of the African subspecies. There are 4 to 5000 Black-necked Grebes which during the winter months are only to be found in the Salt pans. There used to be plenty of Black-necked Grebes in the sewage outfall ponds, commonly known as the Bird Sanctuary, but this area has deteriorated so much, that only the odd bird is seen there now. During the summer months they may often be seen on the Lagoon and in the bay.
Walvis Bay Ramsar Site is an extremely important site for the African Black Oystercatcher. This is a significant nursery area for the 1 to 3 year old birds. The African Black Oystercatcher according to the Red Data book is "Near Threatened" as there are less than 5000 left in Africa. The African Black Oystercatcher is only found in Southern Africa. The African Black Oystercatcher lives for about 35 years and matures only when it is 5 to 6 years old. The nest is a scrape in the sand where they lay 2 eggs. About 10 to 20% of the chicks survive to become adult birds.
There are many resident birds that breed here, among them are the Cape Teal, Grey heron, Little Egret and the Black-winged Stilt. We are trying to work with the Municipality to restore the "Sewage Outfall ponds" as a bird friendly area and rid the ponds of our mosquito menace (no malaria mosquitoes are found here). In doing this we want to build bird hides and bring back the "tourism friendly" aspect.
The main predators here are the Black-backed Jackal and the Kelp Gull. There are approximately 20 pairs of Jackal that are breeding in the salt pans and on Pelican Point peninsula. Their favoured food appears to be the birds and the odd dead seal pup. The only birds that they manage to catch are those that are sick or wounded in some way, such as a flamingo with a broken leg. The Kelp Gull is an opportunist. He sees a Damara or small plover chick moving on the ground and that is his "grist for the mill". The Jackal is unlikely to catch these chicks unless he sees them move as they are completely without scent.
Walvis Bay Ramsar Site is an important area for both the resident and intra African bird as well as the palaearctics as a good food area. It is a reasonably safe area for the animal life that inhabit this area. It is becoming an important tour stopping off point especially for naturalists, budding scientists as well as those that just enjoy an outdoor life. We are flanked by the Atlantic on one side and the Namib desert on the other.
The Namib Desert is an outstanding area for fauna and flora. With its magnificent dunes and the Kuiseb River acting as a linear oasis, the bird life, reptiles, insects and arachnids are profuse. Amongst the birds we have the following near-endemics to Namibia and one endemic, the Dune Lark. After good rains in the Namib Naukluft Park the flora is out of this world with all conceivable types shrubs and lilies springing into bloom.
Herero Chat, Hartlaubs Francolin, Ruppells Korhan, Grays Lark, Barlows Lark, Benguela Long-billed Lark, White-tailed Shrike, Monteiros Hornbill
At Gobabeb there is the only Desert Research Station in Southern Africa. The Gobabeb Training and Research Station is 110 kilometres from Walvis Bay, they hold an open day for the public once a year. Unfortunately, as yet the public are not allowed in there, as there are no facilities for them nor the available personnel to show them round.
There are many bed and breakfasts available in Walvis Bay some of which are right on the edge of the lagoon besides the Municipal bungalows and a camping/caravan park.
The Walvis Bay Wetlands were declared a Ramsar Site in June 1995. There are large numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, which can be readily seen throughout the year.
These wetlands cover a vast area that is fed by the rich Benguella current. Upwellings occur off the Coast around Lüderitz where the continental shelf is reasonably close inshore. These upwellings surface between Meob and Walvis Bay bringing quantities of krill, zoo and phytoplankton to the top layer of the ocean. This brings in shoals of small fish which are fed on by the terns, gulls, cormorants, gannets and many other sea birds. During our summer months there are approximately 200000 terns feeding on this bounty. The whales are returning to Walvis Bay after many years absence, perhaps due to the whaling that took place here during the last century, having ceased now many years ago.
The whales that have been entering the Bay and seen off Pelican Point over the last two or three years make quite an impressive list.
The baleen whales seen here are as follows:
Humpback Whale
Southern Right Whale
Pygmy Right Whale
The toothed and beaked whales that have been seen here are:
Sperm Whale
Orca or Killer Whale
Southern Bottlenose Whale
Cuviers Beaked Whale
Some years ago a Pygmy Killer Whale beached itself on the Pelican Point Peninsula. This is normally a deep-sea whale.
The Dolphins that may be seen close inshore are the Atlantic Bottlenose and the Heaviside Dolphins. Further out to sea the Common and Dusky Dolphins may be observed, although the Dusky Dolphins often venture close inshore. The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins used to come into the Walvis Bay Lagoon at low tide, due now to the shallowness of the lagoon they are only able to venture in during high tide. The Heaviside Dolphin is usually seen off Pelican Point and is best perceived from a boat.
The best way to mix with these cetaceans is with a non-motor driven craft such as a sea going Kayak. These craft do not seem to stress these mammals like the motorised craft can do when they surround these cetaceans in large numbers, as yet Namibia has no regulations on observing cetaceans.
There are many Cape Fur Seals at Pelican Point, between 5 to 10000. This is now a breeding population and from November to February the small pups may be seen being taken into the sea for their swimming lessons.
The water-bird life on the lagoon, along the coast and in the salt pans is prolific, both in the winter and the summer. During the winter months there are as many as 70 to 90000 birds of between 40 to 50 different species. In the Spring all the Palaearctic and Pelagic birds from the northern hemisphere arrive. We count more than 200000 birds here during our summer months, of between 50 to 70 different species. The largest number of a single species of Tern that come in from the northern hemisphere are the Common Terns. About 150000 of them congregate here during our summer months. The tern that most birders want to see and tick off their bird list, is the Black Tern. There are normally some 25000 Black Terns here from December to March inclusive. The thousands of terns that are here during our Summer months range between Meob and Swakopmund, depending on where their food source is. We only see them in their breeding colours during March and early April, when they are about to return to the Northern hemisphere to breed.
Our near-endemic tern is of course the Damara Tern, which breeds here from November to February, on the gravel plains near the shoreline. Between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are found the biggest and most important breeding areas, which have been cordoned off to prevent vehicles riding over the eggs and chicks. Pelagic birds that may be seen on the tour boat trips out to sea are Wilsons and European Storm Petrels and if you are lucky a Leachs Storm Petrel. Other birds that may be seen are the White Chinned Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Black-browed Albartross, Manx Shearwater, Southern Giant Petrel, Pintado Petrel and many others.
The "Specials" that have been seen here over the past few years are:
Franklins Gull
Black Headed Gull
Grey(Red) Phalarope.
Of the Palaearctic birds the Curlew Sandpiper is the most profuse in numbers. We have anything between 25 to 35000 during the summer months, depending on how well they have bred in the tundra in the Arctic Circle. Should the Arctic Fox and the Snowy Owl run out of Lemmings which is their preferred food, they resort to eating the fledglings. The smallest of the shorebirds that come from the Arctic are the Little Stint, which breed in northern Siberia. These little birds weigh around 25 grams. In a straight line it is approximately 15000 kilometres from where they breed to Walvis Bay in Namibia. When they migrate they do not fly the 15000 kilometres in one go they stop off every 3 or 4000 kilometres to feed and build up their fat reserve. The lifespan of most of these small shorebirds that visit our shores is about 15 years.
We have many other shore birds that come in large quantities from the North such as the Sanderlings, Knots, Grey Plovers and Bartailed Godwits. These shore birds only start breeding in their 2nd year.
The first year birds do not return to the Northern hemisphere to breed, usually 10 to 14000 Curlew Sandpipers remain here in the Walvis Bay Ramsar site. From our winter count in July we know how well they have bred in the previous year. This we can see from our count of all the Palaearctic birds. We also observe each year a certain amount of birds that we call "Specials" which are in fact mainly rarities for our part of the world. The following "Specials" have been recorded in the Walvis Bay Ramsar site over the past 5 years:
Wilsons Phalarope, American Golden Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Pacific Golden Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Mongolian Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Sand Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint
Bairds Sandpiper, Common Redshank, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper
In Walvis Bay we have about 25 to 30000 Lesser Flamingos and the same amount of Greater Flamingos. These birds live for about 35 years in the wild and have been known to live for more than 50 years in captivity. They only mature when they are 5 to 6 years old. It is not often that they get the opportunity to breed for consecutive years, but from 1997 to 2001 inclusive there has been plenty of rain inland. They breed at Etosha Game Reserve in Namibia and Sua Pan at the Makgadikgadi pans in Botswana. Etosha had good rains for 3 of these years while Sua Pan was full for all 5 years.
The Walvis Bay wetlands are the easiest and best place to come to see both Lesser and Greater Flamingos. They can be easily observed on the Walvis Bay Lagoon just 10 minutes from the docks and 20 minutes from the Walvis Bay airport. The difference between these birds is not necessarily size, especially with the juveniles, where the colour of the beak is the way to recognise the different species. The juvenile Lesser Flamingo has a black beak and when adult this becomes a dark maroon with a black tip. The juvenile Greater Flamingo has a pale, almost white beak with a black tip. The adult has a pale pink beak with a black tip. The Greater Flamingo will always be seen nearer the mouth of the lagoon as they feed on invertebrates, while the Lesser Flamingo feeds on algae, especially the blue green algae, which when digested gives that beautiful pink colour to the feathers of the adult Lesser Flamingo.
Of our other intra African shore birds the most important is the Chestnut-banded Plover of which Walvis Bay holds 65 to 70% of the world population and the majority of the balance 30 to 35% can be found at Sandwich Harbour 40 kilometres South of Walvis Bay. These birds like the White-fronted Plover nest throughout the year. If there are good rains inland they will migrate to the inland wetlands to breed. Their nest is a small excavation in the sand in which they lay normally 2 eggs. If they have to leave the nest, they will partially cover the eggs with sand the same as the White-fronted and Kittlitz Plovers.
Another important bird, which may be seen in rafts of up to a thousand birds, is the Black-necked Grebe. We hold here in Walvis Bay approximately 40% of the African subspecies. There are 4 to 5000 Black-necked Grebes which during the winter months are only to be found in the Salt pans. There used to be plenty of Black-necked Grebes in the sewage outfall ponds, commonly known as the Bird Sanctuary, but this area has deteriorated so much, that only the odd bird is seen there now. During the summer months they may often be seen on the Lagoon and in the bay.
Walvis Bay Ramsar Site is an extremely important site for the African Black Oystercatcher. This is a significant nursery area for the 1 to 3 year old birds. The African Black Oystercatcher according to the Red Data book is "Near Threatened" as there are less than 5000 left in Africa. The African Black Oystercatcher is only found in Southern Africa. The African Black Oystercatcher lives for about 35 years and matures only when it is 5 to 6 years old. The nest is a scrape in the sand where they lay 2 eggs. About 10 to 20% of the chicks survive to become adult birds.
There are many resident birds that breed here, among them are the Cape Teal, Grey heron, Little Egret and the Black-winged Stilt. We are trying to work with the Municipality to restore the "Sewage Outfall ponds" as a bird friendly area and rid the ponds of our mosquito menace (no malaria mosquitoes are found here). In doing this we want to build bird hides and bring back the "tourism friendly" aspect.
The main predators here are the Black-backed Jackal and the Kelp Gull. There are approximately 20 pairs of Jackal that are breeding in the salt pans and on Pelican Point peninsula. Their favoured food appears to be the birds and the odd dead seal pup. The only birds that they manage to catch are those that are sick or wounded in some way, such as a flamingo with a broken leg. The Kelp Gull is an opportunist. He sees a Damara or small plover chick moving on the ground and that is his "grist for the mill". The Jackal is unlikely to catch these chicks unless he sees them move as they are completely without scent.
Walvis Bay Ramsar Site is an important area for both the resident and intra African bird as well as the palaearctics as a good food area. It is a reasonably safe area for the animal life that inhabit this area. It is becoming an important tour stopping off point especially for naturalists, budding scientists as well as those that just enjoy an outdoor life. We are flanked by the Atlantic on one side and the Namib desert on the other.
The Namib Desert is an outstanding area for fauna and flora. With its magnificent dunes and the Kuiseb River acting as a linear oasis, the bird life, reptiles, insects and arachnids are profuse. Amongst the birds we have the following near-endemics to Namibia and one endemic, the Dune Lark. After good rains in the Namib Naukluft Park the flora is out of this world with all conceivable types shrubs and lilies springing into bloom.
Herero Chat, Hartlaubs Francolin, Ruppells Korhan, Grays Lark, Barlows Lark, Benguela Long-billed Lark, White-tailed Shrike, Monteiros Hornbill
At Gobabeb there is the only Desert Research Station in Southern Africa. The Gobabeb Training and Research Station is 110 kilometres from Walvis Bay, they hold an open day for the public once a year. Unfortunately, as yet the public are not allowed in there, as there are no facilities for them nor the available personnel to show them round.
There are many bed and breakfasts available in Walvis Bay some of which are right on the edge of the lagoon besides the Municipal bungalows and a camping/caravan park.
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