The False Bay, here in Cape Town is a fascinating area, and we like to think it is the most beautiful bay in the world. It is a wide body of water with many different eco-systems, including the Kelp Forests that the Sevengill Cow Sharks love, Seal Island hunting ground of our beloved Great White Sharks, and the secluded rocky coves a favorite birthing spot for the Southern Right Whales. At African Shark Eco-Charters we get to experience it all, but once in a while we head out to sea past Cape Point with a group of Twitchers to see the magnificent Pelagic Seabirds that glide past our coast, circling the globe in their hunt for fish.
Our trip starts early in the morning, as we have a lot of sailing to in our ever reliable boat the Blue Pointer 2, we head out past Cape Point into the Atlantic looking for the Tuna Grounds, and hoping to find a Trawler or Fishing Boat. The great Pelagic Sea-Birds are often found circling these boats hoping to make a few catches of their own. Close up views and photographic opportunity’s abound as a wide variety of Pelagic Bird species fight for scraps of fish within a few meters of the boat. Some regular sightings range from Storm Petrels skittering around the wave peaks, to scattered rafts of petrals, gannets, and shearwaters roosting on the water surface. It is always popular to follow the majestic Albatrosses in flight, they truly are the greatest seabird, and it is so sad that they are threatened with extinction. The Atlantic Ocean around Cape Point never fails to produce surprise viewings and often a complementary array of whale, dolphin, sea lion, sun fish and other lucky sightings complete the day.
Pelagic Birds often spotted include, Sooty, Cory’s, Great, Manx Shearwaters, White-chinned, Spectacled, Pintado, Soft-plumaged, Great-winged, Northern and Southern Giant Petrels, Shy (White-capped), Atlantic and Indian Yellow-nosed and Black-browed Albatrosses, Wilson’s and Euro Storm Petrels*, Arctic*, Pomerine* and Sub-Antarctic Skuas plus the opportunity of a Royal or Wandering Albatross or other infrequent rarities off the SA coast.
These Pelagic Birding trips are specially arranged by some local Pelagic birding experts, but if you are interested in doing one, please give us a call and we would be happy to put you in touch with the right people.
