New Residents at the Durban Marina

Several things have changed in the marina since I left in early December and returned three weeks later. There are fewer international boats for one thing. Many folks have moved on to Cape Town and points beyond. There are only 4-5 visiting boats besides us here and most of them will be gone when we return from our inland travel. As always, we're on the slow side of moving on. There are some new residents, however.

As I was walking to the clubhouse the other morning, I heard an odd bird sound that surprised me with its raspy hoarseness. I saw what I thought was a pair of odd colored brown ducks with a flotilla of three ducklings behind them. They climbed out of the water with their little entourage and exposed bright pink legs and webbed feet. I wasn't familiar with this species at all and looked them up in my South Africa bird book as soon as I returned to the boat. Well, they weren't ducks at all … they were Egyptian Geese and goslings. How exotic does that sound?

According to Wiki, the Egyptian goose is endemic to Africa south of the Sahara and Nile Valley. The ancient Eygptians considered them sacred, as evidenced by their frequent presence in ancient Egyptian artwork. At the Pyramid of Meidum, near the great tomb of Nefer-Maat, some paintings were found that are considered to be the best and the oldest ever found in a tomb.  The most famous is called the "Scene of the Geese of Meidum", a beautiful representation of Egyptian geese painted on a mud brick wall.

The Egyptians domesticated them and subsequently they've been raised for food. Apparently, they mate for life and are very territorial. The raspy sound is typical for the male; the female is louder and more vocal. (hmm!) I'm not sure why I'd never seen them before, perhaps they were nesting in early December?  They're around each day now, gracefully swimming in the filthy canal between the docks and the clubhouse, artfully maneuvering around the floating trash. Obviously they're neighbors who don't complain.

Mauritius...Land of the Dodo

We were certainly cognizant of dodo birds (Raphus cucullatus) before we arrived in Mauritius. Dodos are probably the most well-known extinct bird there is … bringing the phrase “dead as a dodo” to mind. I guess we didn't realize, however, that they were endemic here to the island of Mauritius. A large, flightless bird, the dodo had no natural predators on Mauritius, so the species flourished. Once the Europeans arrived with rats, dogs, pigs and other predators which attacked the dodo as well as its ground nests and eggs, the poor bird was doomed. The dodo became extinct sometime in the late 17th century.  

Dodos were huge birds … about 3 feet (1m) tall and weighing in around 30 lbs (14kg).That's a big bird...about the size of a big tom turkey. The Mauritius Natural History Museum was a good place to learn more about them. They have dedicated a room (albeit a small one) entitled “The World of the Dodo”. They have some bones and a fabricated dodo under glass, based upon sketches by early Dutch visitors (1598). They named them as “walghvogel” meaning wallow bird or loathsome bird, referring to their taste. It only took about 60 years of man's presence to totally eradicate a bird that, in the whole world, only existed here.

On the fenced lawn in front of the museum, they have a “flock” of dodos reminiscent of the famous decorated Chicago cows, the mermaids of Norfolk, the boots of Cheyenne and the lobsters of Rockland, Maine.

The dodo bird might be extinct, but there's lots of evidence that it once existed here. It's a major theme throughout the island. From souvenirs and tchotchkes, to postage stamps, to matchboxes, to the Flying Dodo Brewing Company, and even the Mauritius Coat of Arms, there are iconic reminders everywhere of what once was. Still looking for a dodo on velvet to bring back as a souvenir.

Whales, Whales, Whales!

It's the season for the whale migration here in Western Australia. This time of year, thousands of humpback and southern right whales in the southern hemisphere migrate south with their young to feed on the shrimp-like krill of the cold waters of Antarctica. The humpbacks, especially, tend to stay fairly close to shore, following the continental shelf. They seek out protected bays in order to more easily protect the calves and allow them a rest. As they pilot their way through the warm Indian Ocean waters, they seemingly enjoy themselves along the way with all sorts of acrobatic behavior. Hence the reason we've seen so many in our travels lately.  

I was interested in learning a bit more about these majestic cetaceans (yup, they're in the order Cetacea which also includes dolphins and porpoises), so I did a little research that I'd like to share. First of all, there are two types of whales … baleen (~13 species) and toothed (~70 species). About 40 different species have been recorded in Australian waters. Among other distinct differences, baleen whales use a filtering system called baleen to ingest their food (humpbacks and right whales fall into this category) and they have two blowholes. Toothed whales? Well, they have teeth for starters ... and a single blowhole. Think Moby Dick. The Blue Whale, a baleen, is the largest mammal on earth and the Sperm Whale (like Moby) is the largest toothed whale.

Humpbacks usually begin their 7,800 mile (13,000km) swim from the Antarctic in May/June. They mate and give birth from June to November in Western Australia's northern tropical waters. They begin their southern journey to return to the Antarctic in August. Our timing is perfect though I've yet to be able to photograph one nearby. Humpback whales are generally curious creatures and will often approach and interact with boats. It's not uncommon, we're told, for whales to come up alongside the boat, or even swim beneath it. These events are sometimes called "whale muggings" because legally you're not supposed to move the boat until the whale moves away. A FB friend of mine got some wonderful pics and has allowed me to share one with you. (Photo credits and thanks to Jenn Payne)

The whaling industry nearly depleted the whale population during its heyday. In the late 1930s, more than 50,000 whales were killed annually. In 1986, the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling, so that stocks might recover. Most notably, Japan, Norway and Iceland were opposed to the ban and have continued whaling. In general, however, the whale populations seem to be recovering at a rate of about 10% per year. In 2012, Western Australia's Environment Minister said there there were about 28,800 migrating humpbacks off the WA coast.

Though we've seen humpbacks, we don't think we've seen any Southern Right Whales yet. Southern Rights were always a favorite target of hunters because they are rather bulky and slow-moving and they don't sink when dead, thus producing huge quantities of oil and bone. Thus, they were considered the “right” whale to hunt.

I was most interested in whale behavior because it's so fascinating to watch these gargantuan creatures shoot out of the sea and sometimes nearly clear the surface when breaching...

or see them spyhop to get a good look around.

We've seen them do pectoral slaps (fins slaps) and, of course, tail slaps or lobtailing. They're amazingly acrobatic and graceful for their huge size.

Though I've used the internet extensively to do my research, our on-board reference continues to be Guide to Marine Mammals of the World by Randall Reeves et al. It's brilliant!

Lastly, I want to leave you with these hauntingly beautiful humpback whale songs.