During the austral spring and summer of 1985/86 Cape cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis deserted nests at each of the six major breeding colonies off South Africa and at the two most populous island colonies off South West Africa. Off South Africa the large-scale desertions were for the fourth successive breeding season. Prior to moulting, jackass penguins Spheniscus demersus deserted chicks at Dyer Island, and unusually heavy rainfall off the Namib coast caused mortality of chicks of jackass penguins and Cape gannets Morus capensis at Ichaboe Island.