Bird life under pressure

For decades the wetlands of the Orange river mouth were forbidden areas to the public. The strict security measures characterizing Alexander Bay have since become less tense. The security offices and boom across the road is still there, but we do not have to sign in anymore as was still the case in January 2016.

To reach the mouth you are better of with a 4x4 or a vehicle with high ground clearance. The road to the mouth is bumpy at best and presents interesting challenges all the way.

Obviously the river mouth doesn't look like it did when the first Portuguese ships went sailing past. Unfortunately we do not have much information about the natural state of the river in the years gone by, and we could not be witness to the degradation of the river during the time of inaccessibility. The river must have been a sublime sight before mankind entered the picture...

Dams in the river, mining and farming activities have dramatically taken their pounds of flesh. The river's water-levels are low, we cannot see the different seasonal levels any more. Several sandbanks in the river mouth prevent the sea from pushing in the necessary saltwater during high water or spring tides, the wetlands do not have the estuarine characteristics from before. The system is dominated primarily by fresh water. The result is less food for the water-birds which visit our shores during the European and Asian winter months and which feed primarily on marine mollusk and invertebrates. The wetlands on which waders fed, are partly destroyed by erosion and the sediment of coarse sand during flood waters. The big floods like the one in 1988 clouded the sea at the mouth area to such an extent that many fish-eating birds were unable to locate their food in the turbid waters.

The massive pressure on the bird life in this protected Ramsar (www.ramsar.org) area, is proof enough of the quickening pace of degradation. In 1985 26 650 water birds (representing 57 species) were counted here. By 2003 the numbers decreased by more or less 74%. And during CWAC (Coordinated Waterbird Counts) count in 2012 there were only 2 316 water birds left. Luckily the average lies near 6 500. Although the numbers seemed to be decreasing, the species count these days seems to be a constant 87.

Fortunately globally threatened species like Cape Cormorant, Damara Tern, Lesser Flamingo and Chestnut-banded Plover seem to have consistent numbers in this area.

In spite of all the above, the Orange river mouth is definitely worth a visit by any birder looking for that one little bird or lifer. Maybe one of the threatened species mentioned above, or maybe a Barlows Lark or Rosyfaced Lovebird. Vagrants like Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot and many others were also seen here. During one of our earlier visits to Alexander Bay we saw Fish Eagles, Ospreys, White Pelican and a variety of ducks. Then we aren't even talking about the number of gulls and terns!

Birding at the mouth is especially spectacular because of the fact that you'll probably be the only human in a radius of two kilometers. Particularly in the mornings... then it will only be you, the river, the sea, the mist and the screams of hundreds of gulls and terns looking for food...