Burghers’ Walk . . . Like a Penguin!?
The cache is hidden just off the freely accessible, short and scenic, Burghers’ Walk public footpath which starts just beyond the car park at the south-eastern end of Boulders.
It is a long overdue replacement for GC1N8C0 Willis Walk - Like a Penguin? hidden on 2/3/09 and archived (due to repeated removal) on 26/7/16 after some 456 finds and 18 FPs. The route to the cache passes by a suburb of the world-famous African Penguin colony headquartered at nearby Boulders Beach and you can closely observe these entertaining creatures (at no cost) as they go about their daily activities in water and on land.
Directions to the Cache
To reach the cache location, either park at or near S 34 11.905 E 18 27.233 in the cark park at the eastern entrance to Boulders Penguin Colony or, if this is full, you may be able to
find space along Links Crescent starting at S 34 11.932 E 18 27.209. Then make your way to S 34 11.910 E 18 27.239 the access gate at the northern end of Burgher’s Walk and follow the boardwalk (past the location of GC7K2B0 DSS#3: Photographers Reef? then the sandy/rocky trail to the cache location.
Alternatively, park at the end of Links Crescent @ S 34 12.032 E 18 27.324, pass through the access gate and then head up left (north) over the dunes and a short way along the trail to the cache location.
From here this scenic trail continues past the lovely secluded and sheltered Windmill Beach (location of GC1VED0 Windmill Beach) and further south across the rocks, skirting the Golf Course past GC6YJBK Froggy Pond - What's in a Name? to Froggy Pond exiting to Main Road through a small gate at @ S 34 12.191 E 18 27.372
En route check out the coastal fynbos vegetation, wonderful rock formations (huge granite boulders) and abundant birdlife . . . penguins, cormorants, black oystercatchers, Egyptian geese and more!
Don't forget these birds are strictly look and don't touch – they have a strong and sharp beak and you may get nasty nip or painful peck if you get too close! Rolling of the head from side to side is a clear warning and pre-attack sign.
The African Penguin: Key Facts
Species:Spheniscus demersusalso known as the jackass penguin (because of its noisy braying call) or black-foot penguin
Weight: 2.2-3.5 kg Height: 60-70 cm Males are larger than females & have bigger beaks
Average life-span: 10-27 years in the wild (up to 30 years in captivity)
Pink glands above the eyes help them keep cool
It is a pursuit diver and feeds mainly on fish (eg. anchovies & pilchards) & marine invertebrates like squid and small crustaceans
Once numerous, it is now declining due to a combination of threats (including global warming making seas warmer and reducing its food sources) and is considered endangered.
The populations has declined by 95% from 4 million in thee early 1800s to about 55,000. If this continues they will be extinct by 2026
Their distinctive black and white colouring is vital countershading camouflage – white for underwater predators looking up and black for predators looking down into the dark water
It is the only penguin which breeds in Africa and occurs in only 2 mainland colonies here at Boulders Beach and at Stony Point in Bettys Bay - the rest live on 24 islands off the Namibian and South African
coasts
They normally swim within 20km of the shore and eat up to 540g a day (up to 1kg when feeding large chicks)
They are monogamous & breed in large colonies, pairs returning to the same site each year
2 eggs are laid in burrows or scrapes in the sand under bushes or rocks
Incubation is by both parents and takes ~40 days. Chicks fledge at 60-130 days
Moulting into adult plumage occurs after 12-22 months. They cannot forage at this time as the feathers are not waterproof – so they fast for 20 days until moulting is complete
Predators: in the ocean include sharks, Cape fur seals and sometimes, orcas. Land-based enemies include mongooses, genets, caracals (see below*), leopards, domestic cats, black-backed jackal, and the kelp gull which steals their eggs and new-born chicks.
Seeherefor comprehensive & detailed information.
See here for information on the establishment of the Boulders Penguin Colony.
See here and here for short videos of penguins at Boulders and here for a video of swimming with the penguins.
See here for African penguin stamps
*Caracals are the largest remaining predator in the Cape Peninsula and are known to pass through this area. A caracal which had killed 20 penguins along the Burghers Walk path during a prior 2-week period 8 July 2016 was caught in a trap at the south end of Froggy Pond, sedated and relocated into Table Mountain National Park (see Gallery photo). The walk was closed briefly during the night for several days in December 2016 and January 2017 due to another caracal plaguing the penguins. It is not known whether this cat was also captured. See here for fascinating information on the Urban Caracal Project which through studying caracals seeks to understand how urbanisation is affecting local wild-life.
‘Walk Like a Penguin!’
This is the advice given by experts to avoid slipping and injury walking on slippery or icy surfaces – such as in the conditions produced in late Feb/early March in northern Europe by the combination of the ‘Beat from the East’ and Storm Emma. It involves using good footwear, lookig ahead, pointing the feet outwards a little, bending the knees, holding the arms out for balance and walking flat-footed taking short shuffling steps – see videos here and here.