25 Feb, 2010

Cameraman Barry Skinstad films African black oystercatchers as they tend to their chicks on a remote Western Cape beach. These rare coastal birds are in danger of extinction.

Two days ago I spent some time with a pair of African black oystercatchers (Haematopus moquini). These birds are pretty rare and normally very difficult to get close to. For some strange reason these particular birds were different; it was possible for me to approach them and get fairly close.

Today I headed out to the same area and had a look around to see what was going on. I quickly spotted the same oystercatchers picking away at the debris lying all over the beach. I was careful to approach very quietly from behind a dune, and after watching them for a while I began to wonder why the two birds were making such a fuss. Suddenly, I noticed two tiny heads pop up from behind a big clump of kelp and I realised that the birds were caring for chicks. I'm not too sure how old these chicks were, but they seemed fairly big and were probably 3-4 weeks old.

The parents did not venture too far from their brood: one bird would always remain near the chicks while the other foraged for food. At one stage another pair of oystercatchers came fairly close and there was a real scrap as the protective parents put on a big display and charged the intruders.

It turned out to be a really interesting morning out on the West Coast.

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