Beez Neez now Chy Whella - Mainland Bimble

Mainland Bimble - Russian Bay

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Mon 5 Aug 2019 23:57

Mainland Bimble in Russian Bay

We headed to the beach opposite Beez Neez.

Very rugged and then we saw a place to land Baby Beez.

A huge beach.

The first time our feet have touched on mainland Madagascar........ Balls of sand but we didn’t see any of the crabs responsible at work. beyond the beach a waterhole.

A once carefully owned hut.

The little bed area, ventilation above.

We bimbled along the beach.

A dog appeared but every so often lay down in submission before jumping up, running a little way and repeating the drop. So hope he is looked after.

Wind-shaped rocks.

The tide was coming in and as Baby Beez was just beginning to float, we bimbled back. I looked up at a barren tree and nearly missed the huge bird standing in the lower, slightly right of centre part of the picture.

Not so clear with the point-and-shoot but very pleased to see this chap as he was so very camouflaged. Must get the big camera out as there are so many creatures here that live nowhere else. Well, as it happens, I looked him up when we had the internet off Sakatia Island. He only happens to be one of the world’s rarest birds........The Madagascar Sea Eagle, a pair is known to live in Russian Bay.

Edge of Existence says:This species is part of the genus Haliaeetus is thought to be one of the oldest living, avian genera, with some fossil evidence suggesting it was present in the Oligocene, 33.9 million to 23 million years. The closest relative of the Madagascar Fish-eagle is the African fish-eagle, Haliaeetus vocifer, and together they form a pair lineage distinct from other members of the genus. This pair diverged soon after the separation of the genus from the rest of the Accipitridae family. Research has shown that reproductive output in this species is low as typically, one or two eggs are laid and only one offspring is raised, as the strongest chick tends to kill the weakest (siblicide). This species mainly feeds on fish, therefore putting it into direct competition with the Malagasy fishermen. This has led to the persecution of this species through the taking of nests, shooting of adults but also the accidental entanglement in fishing-nests. Deforestation, soil erosion and the development of wetland areas for rice-paddies is causing the on-going loss of nesting and foraging habitat. There is an ongoing conservation programme with the aim to increase the known breeding population to at least 250 pairs. Activities include the enforcement of existing traditional laws at the local community level and also the release of captive-reared birds rescued from siblicide. Their range has now become part of a protected area.

Wiki says in its review of Status: Total population estimates from the United Nations and from Grambo place the world population of this species at about 40 breeding pairs; according to Grambo this bird may be one of the rarest birds on Earth. Other surveys between 1991 and 1995 recorded at least 222 adults from 105 sites, with an estimated 98 breeding pairs.

The main threats to its breeding habitat are deforestation, soil erosion and the development of wetland areas for rice paddies. It is also in direct competition with humans for fish stocks. Because of its decline in numbers and the threats it faces, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the bird's conservation status as being “critically endangered”. (On the IUCN Red List)

So wow, how lucky we were to see this chap at all.

Off he went to patrol his patch.

Back across the sand........

Copied from our East Africa Pilot: “There are may stories about how the bay got its name, but this is the one we like most. It concerns the crew of the Vlotny, a Russian warship that in 1905 had been sent to fight the Russo-Japanese war. The mostly Uralian crew only needed one sight of life in Madagascar to realise they they did not want to go back to Uralia, even if they did win the war. They had barely organised a mutiny before their officers gave in, having seen more than the crew of the attractive Madagascan girls.

The ship was hidden in the reaches of Russian Bay, and twice emerged to pirate trading vessels in the Mozambique Channel before they ran out of coke for the boilers. The Russians were quickly decimated by malaria and other diseases, but those who survived settled in Andassy Be, building a large Uralian-style dormitory, the ruins of which remain today. They quickly adapted to their surroundings, living by fishing and trading parts of the ship, but were never accepted by the local Malagasy, and stayed fairly isolated in their little community. The last of the crew died in 1936, and it is said that parts of the ship can still, be seen at low tide. Must ask the locals where........