This is a working relationship with the City of Cape Town and the Cape Bird Club.
Alan Morris started the co-ordinated bird counts in December 1974 and they still continue at Zandvlei.
Zandvlei Upper.
The weather progressively became very hot with no wind at 08h00, then a slight breeze from the SE to help cool us down at 10h00. Sky had a few coastal morning clouds around the mountain tops, which cleared to blue sky and the air temperature reached 30 degree C before mid day. The preceding days during the week were also very hot cloudless summer days.
We noticed the water level was low and like a mirror on the main waterbody at 08h30. There were very few birds on the water in our counting section or flying about in the air.
Note: No ZVNR staff were available to help with the count. The northern Marina canals and Night Heronry area were not counted.
Zandvlei Lower.
There were very few birds visible on the main waterbody or flying about. A few were on the southern side of Australia Island. We found the Cape Dwarf Chameleon in the reeds where we have found possibly the same one last year. The Water Thick knees were missing this count at the scout base, a possible explanation there was plenty of activity in the area during the school holidays. The schools started the new year this last week, so hopefully they will return.
There were a few recreational users on the water in various craft.
We found a dead fish (Spotted Grunter) on the shore near the Yacht Club basin, it had an oily substance coming from its insides (see the photo). It could have been a victim of the sewerage pollution washing in from the Keysers River. We established the estuary mouth was open as it is New Moon today. The water flowing out under Thessens pedestrian bridge was the same as measured at the railway bridge 1 metre per 6 seconds, which is considered fast.
There were large sand bars evident with very little water in shallow and narrow channels at the “Cookie Cutter” between the 1st and 2nd bends from the estuary mouth. There was also a large sand bar at the Royal Road bridge. This is where the biggest concentration of birds were recorded for the lower section. The bulldozer was on the beach at the estuary mouth as part of the estuary mouth management process. A house owner opposite the vlei has had a pink spoonbill painted on the front wall and house face, which makes a striking mural with a bird theme.
Note: No ZVNR staff were available to help with the count. The southern Marina canals, the Caravan Park and Park Island were not counted.
Zandvlei Westlake Wetlands and Rutter Road Pond.
On arriving at the railway bridge at about 08h30 there was a strong smell of sewerage in the air and then the presence of very dark turbid water flowing with some solid matter out of the Keysers River into the confluence under the bridge. This continued for as long as we were there for 30 minutes. About 8 Quemic security rangers arrived in a bakkie came to see what we were doing and made some notes on their phones. They then went to inspect the area where the illegal wood cutters were caught last week.
The water flow at the surface was measured at 1 metre per 6 seconds under the bridge.
We saw a hybrid Mallard female with 10 small chicks under the railway bridge and working their way up into the Keysers River in the reeds along the river bank (see photo). It was good to see a Black shouldered Kite hawking nearby.
Note: No ZVNR staff were available to help with the count. The Westlake Wetlands and the Rutter Road Pond were not counted.
Bird List supplied by Gigi Laidler.
Trip: 2023_01_21 CWAC
Date: 2023-01-21 to 2023-01-21
Observations: 37
Species: 37
Species (heard only): 0
Pentad: 3405_1825, Start: 2023-01-21, End: 2023-01-21, Species: 37, Observations: 37
1. Three-banded Plover, 2023-01-21 11:49
2. Red-winged Starling, 2023-01-21 11:32
3. Rock Dove, 2023-01-21 11:01
4. Pied Crow, 2023-01-21 10:26
5. Sandwich Tern, 2023-01-21 10:20
6. Hadada Ibis, 2023-01-21 10:17
7. Southern Double-collared Sunbird, 2023-01-21 10:06
8. Southern Fiscal, 2023-01-21 09:43
9. Great Crested Grebe, 2023-01-21 09:33
10. Blacksmith Lapwing, 2023-01-21 09:32
11. Little Egret, 2023-01-21 09:28
12. Black-crowned Night Heron, 2023-01-21 09:14
13. Purple Heron, 2023-01-21 09:11
14. Common Waxbill, 2023-01-21 09:06
15. Grey Heron, 2023-01-21 09:05
16. Egyptian Goose, 2023-01-21 09:05
17. Black-winged Kite, 2023-01-21 09:05
18. Caspian Tern, 2023-01-21 09:04
19. Kelp Gull, 2023-01-21 09:04
20. Hartlaub’s Gull, 2023-01-21 09:04
21. Pied Kingfisher, 2023-01-21 09:04
22. Malachite Kingfisher, 2023-01-21 09:04
23. Lesser Swamp Warbler, 2023-01-21 09:04
24. Yellow-billed Duck, 2023-01-21 09:04
25. Red-knobbed Coot, 2023-01-21 09:03
26. Common Moorhen, 2023-01-21 09:01
27. African Darter, 2023-01-21 09:01
28. Reed Cormorant, 2023-01-21 09:01
29. Yellow-billed Kite, 2023-01-21 08:18
30. Cape Weaver, 2023-01-21 08:18
31. Common Starling, 2023-01-21 08:17
32. Speckled Pigeon, 2023-01-21 08:14
33. Cape Robin-Chat, 2023-01-21 08:13
34. Cape White-eye, 2023-01-21 08:13
35. Laughing Dove, 2023-01-21 08:13
36. Red-eyed Dove, 2023-01-21 08:07
37. Cape Bulbul, 2023-01-21 08:07
photographs by Gavin Lawson.
Gavin Lawson.
Below are the count datas for 21 January 2023.
Zandvlei Westlake Wetlands and Rutter Road Pond.