Birding with eyes tight shut!
4th October
The dread day dawned. 4am alarm, first job: down some seasickness tablets and put on the wristbands. At 5.30am we stepped aboard the Jest II with fear and trepidation of what lay ahead: a day-long pelagic in the notoriously rough waters off the Cape. Regular readers of the blog will know that boats and Alan do not mix, so this was going to be a terrifying experience. The boat slipped her moorings in the darkness and we knew there was no turning back. Alan pulled his hat down over his eyes, huddled in the most stable corner in the stern and stayed that way – for the next 10 hours! Meanwhile others on the boat enjoyed the view of Table Mountain slipping over the horizon as we headed for the trawler fleets way offshore, Cape Fur Seals and whales accompanying our voyage. Common seabirds were ignored by Alan who was saving himself for the orgy of birds promised if we could find an active trawler. About three hours of steady steaming out to sea and a trawler came into view on the horizon. Even at a distance we could see the swarm of birds behind the boat. Close up, the frenzy was mindblowing, surely one of the most spectacular seabird sights on earth. Yellow-nosed, Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses wheeled within feet of our boat as we caught up with the trawler. White-chinned Petrels and Great Shearwaters circled us as Wilson’s and Black-bellied Storm-petrels danced on the surface all around. Truly a magical sight, and one that even Alan was able to open his eyes and enjoy, if briefly. Then came a shout, ‘Wanderer!’ and we enjoyed the ultimate treat. A close up view of a Wandering Albatross sitting casually on the water dwarfing the surrounding Black-broweds. It unfolded its gigantic wings and heaved itself into the air where it reassumed an elegant gracefulness.
Many thanks to Trevor Hardaker of www.zestforbirds.co.za for arranging this special Biggest Twitch pelagic and a huge thank you to John, Barry, Alvin the guides on board, and Harry the skipper, for ensuring a truly memorable day. And amazingly, Alan was only sick once!
Bird species total: 3288
Countdown: only 375 species to break the record!
We fly to Namibia tomorow for yet another whistle-stop tour with specific target birds in mind. Travelling light, we'll be out of internet range for a few days but will update the blog as soon as we have a chance back in South Africa.