NikonGear'23
Travelogues => Travel Diaries => Topic started by: elsa hoffmann on December 29, 2015, 06:38:47
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I was privileged to be invited to join the Pelican Watch on Malgas Island earlier this month.
25% of the world’s Cape Gannet population is found on Malgas Island, just off Langebaan in the Western Cape. Malgas Island is home to approximately 20 000 breeding pairs of Gannets. Besides Gannets - Cape Cormorants (thousands of them), Penguins, Oyster Catchers, Kelp Gulls, White Breasted Cormorants, Seals, Crowned Cormorants (endangered), Sacred Ibis and the common Tern can be found on the Island. The Penguins are quite vulnerable, as they are molting, and can not go to water during this time.
Pelicans only visit to raid the nests. It was our job to look out for Pelicans, and discourage them from landing on the island. If the Pelicans are left to feed on the island, practically no babies will survive. Predations were plentiful – the Seals feed on the Cape Cormorants –picking them off - sometimes a predation every 2 minutes.
The island is uninhabited, but there is a fairly big house, which is about 80 years old. Guano collectors probably stayed on the island some years ago. There is no fresh water, so rainwater is collected for bathing and dishes, drinking water brought from the land by boat. No electricity – but a good solar panel system.
There is nothing else to do on the island besides watching out for Pelicans and taking photos. All in all there is about 140 000 Gannets on the island. I think I photographed every single one of them.
Here is a link to a video – about 2 minutes long I think – so show what I looked at all day long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KB09OXYTro&feature=youtu.be
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a couple more
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Well Elsa, it sure ain't Svalbard ;) . Great series. Some are just too much fun. Number 5 has some halos I'd get rid of . Number 7 and the penultimate are so cool . I just expect to hear a voice coming out of number 7, ala a Disney film ;D . Some of the others are much more artistic and better images but I do like some fun ;).
The image of the buildings is excellent.
Thanks for sharing these,
Tom
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Wow, Elsa, what a great opportunity! #7 is indeed phenomenal, what lens did you use if you don't mind me asking?
Also, I am quite curious. Why the human intervention in the animal predation? For human predation or for invasive species predation I can certainly understand. Prohibition of natural predation seems quite destructive to me.
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Superb stuff Elsa!
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Lovely!
So how long did you stay?
cheers
afx
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Super. Very impressive and great series. I love their eyes with the blue Mascara ;)
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Like the others have said, Elsa
did you wear some ear protection?
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Wow, great pictures, Elsa. Can you tell more about the project? Intervention against predation is rather unusual, except to protect a strongly endangered species.
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Thank you for the kind comments.
Tommie - thank you - I didnt even see the halo :)
Tristan - 14-24 at 18mm - i just held the camera below the gannets - not looking thru the view finder.
AFX - I stayed for 5 days - that's how often the boat comes to the island for your ride in/out.
Fons - the sound isn't bad at all. I actually miss it now.
Re the reason for the Pelican Watch:
for many years - a local chicken farm used to throw out their left over bits - and the Pelicans feasted on this. With the result that they just about stopped
fishing. Pelican numbers increased dramatically - until the government cottoned on and forced the chicken farm to dispose of their bits in another way.
Now the Pelicans are too lazy to fish - they started wiping out the Gannet and Cape Cormorant colonies. The damage was extensive.
One particular year - the island was divided and Pelicans chased only from one side. 2 chicks survived - because their parents were breeding just about under a rock. Extensive research is done, and birds, eggs and fatalities are counted 2 x every day during breeding season. So they know exactly what is happening.
The Pelicans are encouraged to fish - but they will inevitably still take babies/eggs - but the impact will be far less. The gannets will not survive if the Pelicans are not chased away. Another colony in Namibia is in a very poor state as no measures were taken to protect the gannet colony.
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Very needed project indeed. How do you prevent pelicans from landing? I see the islands is rather small but nevertheless, it does mean quite a group of volunteers to cover the surface of the colony and the whole nesting season. A long term project too, I guess, till the pelicans forget ...
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Welcome back, Elsa!
The very first one and the first one of the added three stand out to me. Both are truly impressive. Thanks for sharing!
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Just to add to Elsa's explanation..... as mankind's footprint expands, his influence on the ecosystem becomes more pronounced.
I live about 20 km from Elsa and have noticed a huge change in birdlife in our region during the last 30 to 40 years. Back in the 1970s we had a more natural range of avian predators which included individual birds such as buzzards, kites & kestrels. These have virtually disappeared now with their habitats having been bulldozed for housing and industry.
They have now been "replaced" by increasing numbers of crows, ibis (sacred & hadeda) and Egyptian geese. Being more generalists in their eating habits they have flourished, with a resultant detrimental effect on all of the smaller animals such as tortoises, lizards, insects, small birds, and any young birds.
This has a knock-on effect in terms of the indigenous mammals found in the area, etc, etc. Unfortunately we have to accept that if we are going to influence a natural ecosystem through our presence, then we need to manage the effects as well, and this is what the Pelican Watch program (and similar programs) is trying to do.
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Thanks, Elsa, great photos of gannets (among my favourite birds) and a very interesting story. Initially I was concerned that the Pelican Watch might have been interfering with nature, but it is clear that it is in fact trying to undo the effects of human activity, in the same way that some remote islands are getting rid of human introduced species which are destroying the natives.
It must have been a great experience.
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Elsa, just to go off topic slightly, I really hope your health has improved and maybe not threatened by a HA!
I too now have a serious condition(Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma) which is undergoing treatment as we speak, hey ho, but mine is curable I'm told!
God bless and good health
Regards
Mike
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bruno - only 2 - 3 people are allowed on the island at a time - no more needed really - as the small boat that transport people has a limit.
Just being present and visible to the Pelicans stops them from landing at the breeding colony. They wont come sit if you are there - as they have to land to start feeding. The island is small - so one can walk around it easily in 20 minutes. 2 - 3 people move around the island constantly and there is a look out tower.
Most helpful is the fact that the Pelicans first goes to Jutten island - where they are "chased" When they leave there - in the direction of Malgas island - the volunteers from Jutter use a radio to alert us they are on their way. We can track them coming in from a distance. Jutten island (where the cormorants breed) is much larger and they have a challenge on their hands to keep walking around the island constantly.
Hilton and I have had the same experience with birds / animals in our area.
Mike - I am sorry to hear about your health problems, and I hope treatment goes well. I am fine. if I die - I die. I probably won't even know I am dead :)
My biggest concern is what happens to my gear!
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Elsa, Elsa, Elsa <3
What a bunch of images!
That photo up close and personal has National Geographic written all over it :)
Astonishing!
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Thanks for the explanation, Elsa.
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Hi Elsa, looks like you had some fun as well as coming back with some superb images.
I think I saw some of them on FB a week or so ago and am glad you've posted a fuller set here. There are so many to like, but the bright blue rings round their eyes in #4 was quite special for me.
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Excellent shots!.. what an opportunity! i just saw this post.
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Jakov - thank you. Please send it to National Geographic :)
Thanks Colin and Bob!
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Seen so many bird photos, but never a series like this. It has so much emotions, joy and intimate moments between between the birds. I really like the ones with tight crop (first and third one are my favourite). Beautiful colors and top of the class work! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the detailed write-up, Elsa.
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Thank you Anirban for your kind comments, and for looking at my images.
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Simply wonderful, gorgeous,beautiful, fantastic. But if I have to pick one, it would be #1. It really communicates the "love" between the birds. Composition, bokeh, colors, tones look all perfect to me.
Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Peter. Your comment is much appreciated. I am glad you guys think I captured something different.
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Thank you for the beautiful photos and great information Elsa
And thank you for our morning at Strandfontein as well, I really had fun.
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Terrific series Elsa!
I assume the island smells but you get used to it after a few hours?
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Wow, wow, wow Elsa. Stellar, absolutely stellar.
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Peter - it was really really nice to meet - and thank you for taking the time to pick me up!
Armando - yes there is a smell of guano - but you notice it for 10 seconds and thats about it
Thanks Gary - much appreciated you also taking the time to look.
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A really nice series, thanks for sharing Elsa.
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Well made and really interesting photos Elsa. Please recover quickly so you continue this beautiful effort. Know that many others appreciate you and your work. Take care and best wishes.
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Thanks Bob and Oivind :)
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Cool shoot, Elsa.
I love birds and really liked seeing these guys.
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Thank you Andrea.
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Wow Elsa, those are excellent shots and quite interesting background.