The Cape Bird Club

SABAP2 update March 2010.

A good reason to get involved.

Hi to All,

I believe I would be correct to state that Orange-breasted Waxbill was at one point in time a species regularly recorded throughout its range in South Africa. However during the last two to three years I have personally only recorded this species a few times. During discussions with other birders it became clear that they also have not recorded this species as regularly as before. Being a sedentary species I could not explain the lack of sightings and I had a lingering worry that this species might be declining dramatically.

So when Prof Les Underhill mentioned to me that they have now created maps that can compare reporting rates per Quarter Degree Square between SABAP1 (data from the late 1980s) and the SABAP2 project, I immediately asked for a map of Orange-breasted Waxbill. You can now view the map at the SABAP2 home page: www.sabap2.org

The theory underlining the maps is that a lower reporting rate is an indication of the decline of the population of a species. The red and orange blocks show were the species have been reported less in SABAP2 than SABAP1. I think you will agree, if you look at the map, that it does not look good for this beautiful little waxbill. We also studied maps of other common species and many of them show a similar decline (and naturally some show an increase as for example African Palm-Swift). Over the next few weeks similar maps of other species will be published on a regular basis on the SABAP2 website.

However we need more data in order to make sure that the maps are a true reflection of the state of a species. We can only do that if we have lots of lists submitted for an area. During the last few years and while presenting SABAP2 workshops I have heard all sort of excuses for not participating in this project. Some of the reasons are valid and I respect that. But if you are in any way worried about the conservation of our countries beautiful bird diversity, I want to plead with you to consider participating. These maps are a clear initial indication that many of our common species are declining and we need the data in order to make management decisions or to conduct further investigations to determine the reason for a decline in a species and to decide on what steps to take in order to correct the situation. We can only do that if all birders make a contribution.

For those 700 birders who have already submitted lists, these maps could only be created due to your hard work. Hopefully this will motivate you to continue submitting your lists!

Ernst Retief