Dyer Island Visit

I’ve dreamed of visiting Dyer Island for almost 20 years, since returning to Hermanus back in 1994.  Even so, nothing could have prepared me for my experience on Thursday 22 July.  It surpassed all expectations and is certainly one of the highlights of my life.

The moment I arrived in Kleinbaai, I was welcomed by the crew at Dyer Island Cruises.  After a brief introduction and signing in, I was clad in orange life jacket and oil skin and ushered down to the harbour and on board.  Albert was our captain and Michele the marine biologist monitoring whales.  Both proved to be gold mines of information.

 

 

Albert had barely nosed the bow of the boat out of the harbour when the sea came alive with Southern Right blows. Everywhere! “Blow! Blow! 11 o’clock... another at 9 o’clock....” .  A beautiful big seabird hovered overhead, his white underwings luminous - a Subantartic Skua.  Suddenly the VHF radio crackled to life: a school of dolphins had been spotted moving fast beyond Dyer Island.  The crew scrambled to batten down the hatches.  We would have to go full throttle.  The mirror surface of the harbour sea was quickly replaced by a tricky wind chop and a bit of swell, which Albert easily navigated - all the while elaborating on the acrobatic aerial displays of swift terns (sadly, the terns weren’t performing in the wind), identifying a Whitechinned Petrel and spotting my first Albatross!  With its majestic 2-and-a-half-meter wingspan, the Shy Albatross glided effortlessly over the waves.  Breathtaking.  On the horizon, the sea churned with spouts and splashes.  Albert accelerated and we rollercoasted through the waves..... suddenly we were in the epicentre of what appeared to be over a thousand dolphins, as far as the eye could see.  What a privilege!  Dorsal fins, flanks and flukes glittered in the sun as the dolphins sped alongside the boat.  The characteristic ochre and grey belly and distinct dark eye stripe indicated Delphinus delphis the Common Dolphin (which has been celebrated in art since ancient times and is still inspiring artists...... certainly me!).  We would never have been able to tear ourselves away from this spectacle were it not for the Call of the Humpback....not 100 meters from our boat, thirty-odd tonnes of whale arced into the sky as the Humpback breached.  By the time i’d clicked my camera shutter, all that remained visible was the underside of its fluke.  Although disappointed, this is a valuable ‘fingerprint’ helping marine biologists identify individuals.  Another pair of Humpbacks blew in unison and an African Penguin emerged from the oceans depths with a beakful of anchovies.  Albert turned the boat back towards the Island.  We passed the shark boat, witnessing a four-and-half-meter Great White from our safe bird’s-eye-view!  And then it was through the famous ‘Shark Alley’, Cape Fur seals frolicking in the shallows, clapping their flippers like an appreciative audience.

You could have left me stranded there forever.  Bliss! 3 hours never flew by so fast.  After a bit of homework, discovered that our Shy Albatross, also known as the Bloubekmalmok by locals, breeds on islands around Tasmania and New Zealand and visits our shores in winter.

It’s opened up a whole new world for me to explore.... an albatross on the wing, a shark hunting, penguins ‘porpoising’ on the crest of a wave and dolphins surfing through turquoise seas.  Our marine environment is so magnificent, and so few people are privileged to experience it. Paintings might just broaden the net, helping to raise awareness and make people more determined to protect this precious resource.

Endangered African Penguin Faces Extinction

African Penguins have been sliding towards extinction since industrial fishing started around the Cape. In the past 30 years, the population has crashed by more than 50%. The IUCNs Red List of threatened species was revised on 26 May 2010 and the status of the African Penguin was changed from Vulnerable to Endangered. In 1956 the first full census of the species was conducted. 150,000 pairs were counted mostly on islands off the South African and Namibian coasts. These birds had survived a century of persecution. Guano was the new-found gold, and prospectors plundered the colonies, destroying nests and eggs. In 2009 there were only 26,000 pairs. That is a decline of over 80% in just 50 years.

Dr Ross Wanless, Seabird Division Manager for BirdLife South Africa, warns that these shrinking populations make colonies particularly vulnerable. Bad weather, seal predation and even seagulls taking eggs, are potentially disastrous. “In large, healthy populations, these events were trivial. Now a fierce gale can have serious consequences. We’re almost at the point of managing individual birds.”

Dr Rob Crawford, chief scientist for Marine and Coastal Management, said while it’s difficult to pinpoint one cause, “all the indications are that the penguins are struggling to find enough sardines and anchovies”. Dr Lorien Pichegru from the Percy FitzPatrick Institute at UCT, has been studying the impact of closing fishing areas around key penguin breeding islands. Preliminary results suggest that this might well benefit the birds. Marine and Coastal Management has commissioned a team to consider how best to implement restrictions while minimising the impacts on the fishing industry. But competing with commercial fisheries is just one hurdle penguins face. The effects of climate change on sea temperatures, oil pollution and new constructions, like the proposed PetroSA refinery at Algoa Bay could have a devastating impact on the breeding colonies at Bird Island and St Croix, home to the largest number of African Penguins globally.

BirdLife, in partnership with SANCCOB, the Dyer Island Trust other dedicated organisations, is continuously monitoring African Penguins to determine what action needs to be taken to ensure the survival of the African Penguin.

Surf Report - BirdLife South Africa Raffle

Splash Out and Save the African Penguin

Designer Swimsuit

Ask any Olympic swimmer: if you’re going for gold, you need a serious swimsuit. The African Penguin Spheniscus demersus might look comical in that formal black-and-white suit, but in open water it rivals Ryk Neethling!

African penguins can stay underwater for up to 5 minutes and dive to depths of 130 metres. An adult penguin in fresh plumage can whiz after a sardine at 20km/h and cruise along quite happily at 10km/h. If that doesn’t sound impressive, try it next time you’re paddling in 4-degree Celsius sea at a depth of 25 metres!

Not only is that striped tuxedo designed to reduce drag for maximum velocity, but the distinctive pattern of the suit plays an equally important role in snagging the catch of the day. African Penguins feed primarily on schooling fish like anchovies and sardines. To fish, a flock of circling penguins is a whirlpool of white-and-black pandemonium: the school panics and packs together to form a ‘bait ball’. Individual penguins take turns to peel off from the circling group and shoot up through the school to snatch any stray fish.

Fancy Dress comes at a Cost

Most birds preen themselves regularly, replacing their feathers gradually to maintain condition. But because penguins must be well insulated against icy-cold water, they cannot afford any gaps in their plumage. They need a complete coat of feathers. Solution? Replace all feathers at once. Sounds good, but it takes three weeks to moult and get a new set of feathers. That’s 3 weeks staying ashore, 3 weeks without food! The rather odd-looking plump penguin you see waddling about in that old well-worn coat is a pre-moult penguin. At the end of the ordeal, a slim new penguin emerges, resplendent in its new suit.

Turning the Tide

Unfortunately, the penguin must compete with commercial fisheries who also target sardines and anchovies. The greatest threats facing the African Penguin are a shortage of food and oil pollution. Fortunately, organisations like BirdLife, SANCCOB and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust are committed to the conservation of African Penguins. You can help to support these organisations by purchasing a raffle ticket for Angela Key's painting Surf Report. All proceeds raised from ticket sales will support these organisations in advancing our understanding of penguins and finding innovative solutions to the problems they face.

Article: Whale Talk - November 2009

 

Propped on an easel at the far end of a spacious, light-filled loft, is a painting of a leopard- so meticulously executed, so lifelike in its rendering that the effect is powerfully hypnotic. "Leopards are beautiful, but elusive - you need to be out your sleeping bag very, very early..." smiles artist Angela Key. I've come to meet Angela at her studio in Vermont. Since returning from London in 1994, this dedicated artist and conservationist has established a solid reputation for her highly detailed studies of birds and wildlife.

Born in Malawi in 1969, Angela has spent over 30 years camping in Africa's remote wilderness areas, and countless hours in the company of herds of elephant, buffalo, zebras, springbok, wildebeest and the great predators that stalk them. Her enthusiasm, energy and immense knowledge is evident in each of her works. "Animals have always inspired man - from our hunter-gatherer forefathers to living legends like Credo Mutwa. We can learn so much - they're so tuned in to their senses. Look into an animals eyes... try to imagine how it perceives the world. It's very compelling."

I notice an impressive collection of reference books; ethnology, entomology, ornithology... a dog-eared copy of Darwin's Galapagos diary sits quite comfortably alongside a volume of ‘Degas's Pastels'.

What came first, animals or art? "Ah... the spring daisies in Namaqualand! I was armed with chalk, Crayola crayons and a sketchpad. Somehow that won the Santam Exhibition Youth Art Award. I'd just turned 7, and I've been putting pastel to paper ever since."

Her exposure to the great painters came later, while she was studying Fine Arts. Apart from developing a lifelong passion for the 17th century masters, Angela also fine-tuned her sculptural skills and impeccable draughtsmanship.

"I experimented with so many mediums... clay, wire, woodcuts, etching, oil, gouache. But I always seem to come back to pastel. It is such a pure form of pigment, and I love the immediacy of the medium."

It shows. She's honed her pastel technique to perfectly imitate feathers and fur. Her handling of tone and contrast accentuates the 3-dimensional quality that characterises her paintings. They are almost tactile. "Many people do touch them" she laughs, "please DON'T!" It takes Angela anything from 60 hours to weeks of work to complete a painting. How does she stay motivated? "I regularly make trips up to the Kgalagadi, the Karoo and Kruger, but I also draw great inspiration from the unique fauna and flora right on our doorstep. Sunbirds in pincushions are still one of my favourite subjects."

And what tips would she give to aspiring artists who are beginning to sketch birds or animals? "Find a co-operative subject, for example a cat curled up on a window sill, or seagulls roosting on the railing at Gearing's Point. Begin by making quick, impressionistic sketches just to get the basic form... then you can focus on one part, a detail of the head or the fold of a wing. Concentrating on details and correctly drawing them helps you gain insight into your subject matter."

The focus, drive and discipline of this artist have earned her international admiration and her paintings are represented in many private collections throughout South Africa as well as the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Holland all the way to Singapore. I could spend hours looking around the loft at all the 'works-in-progress', but deadlines are looming.

As I turn to leave, I can feel the eyes of that leopard penetrating right through me. I feel a deep tugging.... Africa's calling.

Leigh Bouwer