030 Nowhere to hide.

The safety of the dunes or high-water mark does not exist on this beach.
There is nowhere for the Oystercatchers who have been visiting this beach long before people became interested in it.
Long before the decision was made to change the face of Big Bay 'The people's beach'

If these birds are to breed here in the future, we will need volunteers who will protect them during the summer months of November - February.
We need someone, over the weekends and public holidays, which will make sure the public does not disturb them while they are breeding.

Perhaps a fund can be created for this.

We should be proud of our last two Big Bay Oystercatchers.
There are no other breeding Oystercatchers between BCA and Blouberg strand.

029 The birds leave their hiding place

The birds are on the move with their chicks.   This must make the bird watchers happy when the Oystercatchers leave their place of safety, and their natural habitat and dash for the only clear road, the bush but how long before they are disturbed there too.

What happens when that person with the five dogs comes along now hat their scent is easily to follow?

Last year the birds did not manage to rear any chicks and the year before they only managed to rear one of their two chicks.

029 Then all hell breaks loose

 

 

All hell breaks loose when everyone seem to jump onto the bandwaggon and want to view the birds.

028 Fluched out by bird-watcher

A bird lover watcher comes over the dunes.  He knows about birds.

He knows how to flush them out so he can have a better look.

The birds have to find another hiding place, but they are sandwiched between the approaching perceived danger and the filming couple on the big dune.

027 Leaving hiding place.

It is time to go and the female urges her chicks to leave the cover as a new threat approaching.

A family decided to settle nearby, unaware of the birds.

026 Feeling uneasy

The female is on alert. She senses danger ahead.
 

It is a lovely warm beach day. And with the (foreign film company?) taking up the main dune, the people are choosing the smaller dunes where the birds hide.

 

She decided that she no longer feels safe where she has been hiding her chicks.

o25 took flight

February 20, 2010

The people are totally unaware of the Oystercatchers and started running over the dunes where the birds were sitting.

The birds  took to the air.

I went to ask them to please not go any closer, but they were already heading back towards Big Bay.

The Oystercatcher landed again and faced towards the bush, indicating that it was interested, not in the beach but in what it is protecting something  in the bushes.