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    Zandvlei: Upper Estuary (34061828)

    Western Cape
    Card 507030
    Compiler 10691
    Location code 34061828Zandvlei: Upper Estuary (Western Cape)
    Start date 2018-04-21
    Season OOther
    Start time 08:15
    End time 09:45
    Shoreline covered 90
    Openwater covered 95
    Total Species 33
    Total Count 4020
    Wetland Condition 2Partially full (mid tide for estuaries)
    Wetland Threats
    Count Condition 4Good
    Count Type 5Mixed
    Nil Count (No birds present) 0There were CWAC species present
    Notes "On the west shore the weather was sunny with a clear sky and absolutely no wind, unusual for the area. To the north east a thick fog was approaching from the direction of Table Bay. The air temperature was cool to cold. There were dozens of Barn Swallows flying around us. They are the late leavers for the northern hemisphere if they are going that far. We could see there were very many Coots to count on the main waterbody. There was a major sewerage spill into the Sand River occurring, which was to last almost 4 days. A major sewerage line for the southern suburbs to the Strandfontein Sewerage Works had collapsed in the Vryground Seawinds informal area, the contents then continued to flow via the stormwater system into the Sand River canal north of the Nature Reserve and into Zandvlei. The mouth of the estuary was opened so that the rain expected on Monday night could help wash it out into False Bay. Something else obvious was there were few gulls in the air. We saw many schools of small fish breaching which one would associate with cormorants or leervis chasing the fish. There were very few Cape Cormorants seen during the count. At about 09h30 the fog had lifted and it was a bright sunny day with many Coots to count. As an incidental observation - Simon related that the Main Reserve group had witnessed an encounter with a Red breasted Sparrowhawk and a juvenile African Marsh Harrier chasing each other about near the jetty area and a Reed Cormorant joined in the fray as well. "
    Survey notes


    Add additional observers
    Observer NumberNameOptions
    0Anita Rock
     
    0Barry and Val Cleveland
     
    0Barry Parker
     
    0David, Joan and Beth Walker
     
    0Eric Rautenbach
     
    0Felicity Ellmore
     
    0Lepile Lepile
     
    0Linda Hibbin
     
    0Simon Fogarty
     

    Current data
    Ref #SpeciesCountBreeding
    Pairs    		Breeding
    indicator
    4Grebe, Great Crested
    (Podiceps cristatus)    		140Possibly Breeding
    6Grebe, Little
    (Tachybaptus ruficollis)    		170
    47Cormorant, White-breasted
    (Phalacrocorax lucidus)    		90
    50Cormorant, Reed
    (Microcarbo africanus)    		1450
    52Darter, African
    (Anhinga rufa)    		250
    54Heron, Grey
    (Ardea cinerea)    		30
    57Heron, Purple
    (Ardea purpurea)    		30
    59Egret, Little
    (Egretta garzetta)    		220
    69Heron, Black-crowned Night
    (Nycticorax nycticorax)    		120
    81Ibis, African Sacred
    (Threskiornis aethiopicus)    		130
    84Ibis, Hadada
    (Bostrychia hagedash)    		80
    88Goose, Spur-winged
    (Plectropterus gambensis)    		110
    89Goose, Egyptian
    (Alopochen aegyptiaca)    		470
    90Shelduck, South African
    (Tadorna cana)    		20
    96Duck, Yellow-billed
    (Anas undulata)    		450
    98Teal, Cape
    (Anas capensis)    		140
    167Harrier, African Marsh
    (Circus ranivorus)    		10
    208Swamphen, African
    (Porphyrio madagascariensis)    		20
    210Moorhen, Common
    (Gallinula chloropus)    		820
    212Coot, Red-knobbed
    (Fulica cristata)    		32620Possibly Breeding
    238Plover, Three-banded
    (Charadrius tricollaris)    		40
    245Lapwing, Blacksmith
    (Vanellus armatus)    		20
    287Gull, Kelp
    (Larus dominicanus)    		70
    288Gull, Grey-headed
    (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)    		140
    289Gull, Hartlaub's
    (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)    		600
    290Tern, Caspian
    (Hydroprogne caspia)    		50
    291Tern, Common
    (Sterna hirundo)    		10
    394Kingfisher, Pied
    (Ceryle rudis)    		100
    395Kingfisher, Giant
    (Megaceryle maxima)    		10
    397Kingfisher, Malachite
    (Corythornis cristatus)    		20
    1016, Mallard
    (Anas platyrhynchos)    		40
    10006Duck, Domestic
    (Anas platyrhynchos)    		40
    10015, Hybrid Mallard
    (Anas hybrid)    		1690


    FITZ logo Ramsar Wetlands International http://www.sanbi.org/

    Saturday 27 April 2024 10:38
    FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
    Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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