The Cape Bird Club

Western Cape Raptor Research Programme

KZN –  BLACK HARRIER SURVEY REPORT

December 2008  (Malcom Rivett, Pat Lowry) no further activity from Mt Currie or Kokstad

30/07/2008 – Athol Marchant sent this report and is replied by Rob -  Thanks for your very detailed reply. I would also get depressed if harriers bred there and you guys missed them!
The fire regime is very interesting and very important for harriers. I know from the old work of Dave Rowe-Rowe and ? Meester in the Drakensberg that small mammals are affected by burning and while frequent burning keeps diversity high the abundance is low. I also know from some work in KZN (Tony Bowland? Mike Perrin?) that small mammals take refuge in the wetland areas in the dire times - this is why I think the harriers prefer such areas.

Here in the W Cape there is also good data to show that veld that is 5 - 10 years old is very high in abundance of small mammals and they are in lower numbers before and after that date. Finally work that Odette and I did in Bontebok showed that breeding male harriers spent a lot of time over fynbos/renosterveld that was 2 - 3 years post burn. When we trapped there we found that the small mammals were not as high in abundance as the older higher vegetation but there was a greater proportion of young (dispersing?) Striped Mice that were presumably highly vulnerable (because they young and because they were in low cover). The harriers were very happy.

So taking all those together I think a patch work of different fire scars with some (preferably in wetland areas) older and higher than elsewhere, for nesting and small mammal refuge. With areas of lower, younger grass/fynbos ideal for harrier foraging. Fynbos will differ from your grasslands presumably but I think keeping 3-year old vegetation will increase raptor and small mammal diversity.

The proof will be in the pudding - and it should make a for an interesting exercise to see if you can induce birds to breed in future years.

Please continue to send all reports of harriers to me and especially those nest-building or carrying food. The main egg-laying months are August and by September there will be lots if chick-feeding activity.

27/07/2008 – Malcolm Rivett reports – I did not report this sighting of Black Harriers to you as I had spoken to Patrick Lowry whom I was with on that day and he had already done so. However I did see a Black Harrier again on Sunday 27th July at 17h00 in the Kokstad area. It was a very interesting sighting because the bird flew past and then a few seconds later my dog chased up a Redwinged Francolin which then flew down the valley. The harrier immediately changed direction and hightailed it after the francolin. Unfortunately both birds disappeared from view over a ridge and I could not see if the harrier got its prey.

I have never seen black harriers in the Kokstad area until this year although I have seen them previously in the Matatiele areas. So this is our year for Black Harriers! I will let you know directly if I have any more sightings.

12/02/2008 – Trish Strachan reported Harrier sightings and Rob replies.   My interest lies in the square (pentads) that you cover in the Ixopo area.
This is the farthest west that we have ever had a Black Harrier nest record. I would be most grateful if you and your birders would keep an eye-out for this bird.

It breeds from about July through October in low and open shrub and grassland and is often found near streams and other marshy areas. They are at home in the mountains and in the valleys (often on south-facing slopes in hotter areas). If you do find any breeding could you please let me know? I have added you to my data base of potential Black Harrier observers South Africa-wide.

 Contact;

Rob Simmons  tel  021 650 3310  or  fax  021 650 3295   harrier@botzoo.uct.ac.za