Bird Island

Bird Island is an artificial wooden platform built in the waters near Walvis Bay that provides nesting space for seabirds. The structure sits several meters above the ocean and covers a substantial area where thousands of birds gather to breed and rest.

A German settler started building the platform in 1930 as a small structure and gradually expanded it over several years until the late 1930s. The project was inspired by observing how birds naturally gathered on a nearby rocky formation.

The platform serves as a primary nesting site for Cape cormorants, generating substantial quantities of guano for agricultural purposes.

Access to the platform is limited and boat access is typically required to reach it from the coast. The nesting season offers the best opportunity to observe the birds gathering in large numbers throughout the area.

The platform generates significant quantities of guano as a byproduct of the large bird colonies that inhabit it throughout the year. This material was the original inspiration behind its creation and remains an important resource that is periodically harvested.