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Project coordinator: Marius Wheeler

ADU travels, expeditions and events

SASOL Vaal Dam Big Bird (CWAC) Count
15-16 January 2005

Doug Harebottle and Marius Wheeler

We were invited by BirdLife Vaal Dam to attend the third waterbird count at the dam from 15-16 January 2005. The count is the biggest in terms of manpower with up to 30 boats and 100 volunteers taking part. Through BirdLife SA, SASOL has come on board as a sponsor and has provided funding for this event for the past two counts. This has greatly assisted BirdLife Vaal Dam in coordinating the count, with funds being allocated to boat fuel and oil, the social braai held the evening prior to the count and specially invited gusets.

At present, coverage is restricted to the eastern, western and southern sections and covers an estimated 300 km of shoreline. The club is hoping to expand the counts into the eastern section particularly where the Vaal and Wilge rivers enter the dam as past reports and vists to these areas have suggested massive numbers of birds at these sites.


Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Soon after take-off from Cape Town International airport we banked left and flew over this wetland. Further investigation found that this site is not CWACed and plans are underway to do a recee count at this site.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  We spent the Thursday night in Johannesburg and met up with Craig Whittington-Jones on the Friday morning. Craig is the CWAC regional organiser for Gauteng and he showed us a few of the CWAC wetlands on the East Rand (Ekhuruleni). Here we are looking at some Greater Flamingos from the hide at Korsman Bird Sanctuary in Benoni.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M Harebottle 		  We arrived at Deneysville, headquarters of BirdLife Vaal Dam, on Friday afternoon and spent the late afternoon doing some birding around the dam. This photo is looking south-west. The weather was perfect with not a breeze blowing. Apparently there are more boats on Vaal Dam than at all the major harbours around the South African coastine!

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  We flushed three Spotted Eagle Owls just before heading home and one was kind enough to oblige for a photograph or two!

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  We stayed at Rose Cottage, the home of Rosemary and Julien Girard. Rosemary is the chairman of BirdLife Vaal Dam while Julien is the club's newsletter editor. A heavy thundershower earlier in the evening provided some welcome relief from the early afternoon heat and also resulted in the emergence of some termites causing a small bird party to form in Rosemary's back-garden.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  That evening we had supper with two other couples from the bird club. Tony Jones (on the left) initiated the counts in 2002 and has been involved ever since. We enjoyed the way in which Rosemary spoils her dog with bowls of red wine and Mars bars!

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Early on Saturday morning we went out with Rosemary to some of Deneysville's birding spots. At the old low-water bridge just below the dam wall we found this Goliath Heron waiting to catch his breakfast.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Under the new bridge, hundreds of Cliff Swallows and White-rumped Swifts were busy breeding. Here two Cliff Swallows wait at the entrance to their nests.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  View of the dam wall from the low-water bridge. The dam has 59 sluice gates and when in flood up to 35 can be open simultaneously! The wall is just over 50m high and holds back 2,536,000,000 cubic metres of water when the dam is 100% full. The surface area of the dam is 32 060 hectares at full capacity, and is fed by the Vaal and Wilge Rivers.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Red Bishops are common in the area and many were aggresively defending their territories.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Deneysville Aquatic Club, locally referred to as DAC. This is where registration for the count took place as well as the social braai and post-count debriefing session.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Finalising the routes and boats! Tony heads up the coordination of which boats count which sections as some sections may not be navigable by either speed-boats or yachts. Each boat or yacht is given a map of each section to count, which has been individually drawn up by Tony.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Orange-throated Longclaws were common grassland birds and we saw many while driving around Deneysville.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  To our surprise we also found Meerkats in the area, but apparently they are quite common in the region. Motorists are even asked to drive carefully in town as they frequent the roadside verges.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  On the Saturday evening a braai was held where participants could relax and meet fellow counters. Here Rosemary welcomes everybody to the count and briefs everyone about the weekends's activities.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Marius gave a short presentation explaining the role of the ADU and the objectives of CWAC. He highlighted the importance of the Vaal Dam count and thanked everybody for their participation.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  The count started at about 06h00 on the Sunday morning. Overnight the weather had changed and the morning brought a fairly gusty wind with cool, overcast conditions. This made the water very choppy and conditions were not all that favourable for counting. Doug's boat was skippered by Peter Wood which covered a patch of shoreline on the eastern section.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Doug's party found some young Goliath Herons and located the nest site in some trees just back from the shoreline (indicated by the arrow). This confirms breeding at the dam for this species and which elevates the conservation status of the site overall.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  With the dam only 30% full, much of the shoreline was exposed and most species were seen within 20m of the shore. Common species included African Spoonbill with a few Yellow-billed Storks also present. Very few birds (e.g. ducks, coots) utilise the open water areas.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Many private landowners are sub-dividing their land and selling these portions to private buyers or developers. Large houses and other developments are a common feature as one travels around the dam.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Marius, unfortunatley, had a nasty experience with his boat nearly running aground soon after leaving the harbour. They managed to get to the shore but everyone's bags and equipment got soaking wet. For nearly the whole of Sunday, Marius had to let most of his stuff dry out including his cellphone, bird book and notebook. Luckily he managed to keep his binoculars above water!

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  On Sunday evening we went to visit a heronry/roost site that we had seen on our way in, located about a kilomtre downstream from the dam wall. The island which consists of Willow trees is in the middle of the river and supported Cattle Egrets, White-breasted Cormorants, Little Egrets, Hadeda Ibis, African Sacred Ibis, African Darter and three pairs of Great White Egrets, one of which was sitting on a nest.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Monday morning saw us go out to a farm about 5 km downstream from the wall. Here Rosemary and Mary Littlewood (BirdLife Vaal Dam member) search the river for African Finfoot and Half-collared Kingfisher!!

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Back at Rose Lodge, we did some birding in and around the gardens. Here a White-browed Sparrow-weaver continues building a nest.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Rosemary's back-garden. The garden supports a large number of birds including Red-headed Finch, Olive Thrush, Red-eyed Bulbul, Speckled Mousebird and a pair of Crested Barbets breeding in a sisal nest box.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  Being peak breeding season in the summer rainfall region of the country, evidence of breeding was noticeable. This is a young Red-eyed Bulbul which gets fed dog pellets by the the parents which fetch them out of the dog bowl situated just inside the house.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  On return to Cape Town we were greeted with some exquisite cumulus cloud formations.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  The Vaal River from 30 000 feet. Notice the extensive centre-pivot irrigation systems along the margins.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  A large, dry pan located in the Kimberley area of the Northern Cape.

Vaal Dam CWAC Jan 2005
Photo D.M. Harebottle 		  On approach to Cape Town International, nice views were had of Paarl Bird Sanctuary (left) and Noord-Agter Paarl Irrigation Dam (right).


A CWAC poem...

Below is a poem written by Jamie Smith about the Vaal Dam count in January 2004. Jamie is a member of BirdLife Vaal Dam.

Waterbird count on Vaal Dam - January 2004

High harbour walls, the water is low,
Dark early hours with a soft morning glow;
Chugging motor we're not yet undersail
Early gulls give unearthly wail.

The motor's stopped, unrolled canvas flaps,
A light morning breeze is somehow trapped;
Martins and swallows above us fly,
Terns and others give mournful cry.

The water's shallow we are far from land,
But Goliath is wading on a bank of sand;
A lightning strike and there is one fish less,
It struggles now in the heron's caress.

Ducks and geese graze on stubbled grass,
The water's still like polished glass;
Somehow we glide along our designated route,
Flamingos six, then one hundred coot.

Rare in these parts the Horus Swift,
The wind just drops so now we drift;
Rarer still the light grey harrier
Happy birders seem somehow happier.

We eat and drink and the days just gone,
It's gently back, then one gives song
Of new birds seen, new experiences gained
A job well done and the new friends made!

Any other CWACers out there who are aspiring poets - this definitely gives CWAC a whole new flavour!

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Rosemary Girard, Chairman of BirdLife Vaal Dam, for the invitation to attend the count and to SASOL for sponsoring our air tickets to get us there. We are also grateful to Rosemary and her husband, Julien, for providing accommodation at their home and for their wonderful hospitality.

On behalf of CWAC and the ADU, we would also like to thank all those counters and boat skippers who participated in this count. Please know that your efforts are much appreciated and your contributions to the project highly valued. These counts are assisting us to see how the Vaal Dam fits into the CWAC puzzle in South Africa. Keep up the enthusiasm and commitment!