About
Bird Island Nature Reserve
Western Cape
Bird Island lies about 100 metres off-shore of Lambert's Bay on the Cape west coast. The island, almost three hectares in size, is connected to the mainland via a breakwater. It is an important breeding and roosting site for seabirds, particularly Cape gannets and cormorants. African penguins used to be common on the island, and Cape fur seals still frequent the rocks on the sea side of the island. Bird Island is managed by CapeNature as a nature reserve for the protection of the wildlife which occurs there.
The island has been developed as a tourist attraction, in association with the local community. In the modern gannet lookout, visitors can get close to the birds and witness the unique mating dances and vocalising of the thousands of gannets on their nests. The signposted interpretation route provides noteworthy pieces of information about the island. The new visitor's centre houses a guano museum, coffee shop, curio shop, aquarium, auditorium and penguin pool.
The island has been developed as a tourist attraction, in association with the local community. In the modern gannet lookout, visitors can get close to the birds and witness the unique mating dances and vocalising of the thousands of gannets on their nests. The signposted interpretation route provides noteworthy pieces of information about the island. The new visitor's centre houses a guano museum, coffee shop, curio shop, aquarium, auditorium and penguin pool.