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.
It was hot today! In the mid 30’s and thank goodness for the SE breeze which came up at about 09h00. The Zandvlei waterbody is still closed for boating and recreational use, so thank you to the staff who went out in canoes to count the upper and lower Marina canals today.
There are areas along the north west shore which look like conditions when the annual avian botulism is evident. The thread weed is pink and orange at the edge of the shallow water, which indicates a lack of oxygen. There is a new sign board at the Reserve Main gate indicating this is the northern section of the Zandvlei Nature Reserve. While waiting for the volunteers to arrive this morning a Red capped Lark was seen along side the Sand River canal. This specie has not been seen for some years in the usual area, where African Pipits are also seen from time to time. The northern Marina canals including the night heron roost were counted today by the Reserve staff.
The resident Water Thick knees are still in their territory at the scout base. There were very few Coots on the main waterbody.
The estuary mouth was closed. We noted 1 dead Kelp Gull on the exposed sand bank near the 2nd bend from the estuary mouth. A guess it could be a victim of botulism?
The southern Marina canals were counted today by the Reserve staff.
There was no water flow under the railway bridge, as it has hardly rained this month and the estuary mouth was closed. We were fortunate to see a Little Bittern and a little later an African Marsh Harrier flushed many Yellow billed Ducks, Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets in the reed beds.
The Metrorail trains are running again, which is a good sign for those wishing to use this mode of transport.
Thank you to all the participants who came to help today.
Here is the Birdlaser count which Gigi Laidler compiled today.
Trip: 2022_01_22 CWAC
Date: 2022-01-22 to 2022-01-22
Observations: 48
Species: 44
Species (heard only): 2
1. Red-eyed Dove, 2022-01-22 08:12
2. Cape Sparrow, 2022-01-22 08:12
3. Common Starling, 2022-01-22 08:13
4. Laughing Dove, 2022-01-22 08:20
5. Cape Bulbul, 2022-01-22 08:21
6. Red-winged Starling, 2022-01-22 08:24
7. Speckled Pigeon, 2022-01-22 08:25
8. Rock Dove, 2022-01-22 08:25
9. Reed Cormorant, 2022-01-22 08:29
10. Southern Fiscal, 2022-01-22 08:30
11. Cape Sparrow, 2022-01-22 08:31
12. Black-headed Heron, 2022-01-22 08:33
13. Cape Spurfowl, 2022-01-22 08:34
14. Helmeted Guineafowl, 2022-01-22 08:37
15. Little Egret, 2022-01-22 08:39
16. Pied Kingfisher, 2022-01-22 08:39
17. African Darter, 2022-01-22 08:41
18. Yellow-billed Duck, 2022-01-22 08:43
19. White-throated Swallow, 2022-01-22 08:46
20. Red-knobbed Coot, 2022-01-22 08:48
21. Egyptian Goose, 2022-01-22 08:49
22. African Marsh Harrier, 2022-01-22 08:51
23. Purple Heron, 2022-01-22 08:51
24. Common Moorhen, 2022-01-22 08:52
25. Purple Swamphen, 2022-01-22 08:55
26. Lesser Swamp Warbler, 2022-01-22 08:56
27. Southern Masked Weaver, 2022-01-22 08:59
28. Little Bittern, 2022-01-22 09:01
29. Common Tern, 2022-01-22 09:02
30. Western Cattle Egret, 2022-01-22 09:12
31. Great Crested Grebe, 2022-01-22 09:15
32. Blacksmith Lapwing, 2022-01-22 09:25
33. Greater Striped Swallow, 2022-01-22 09:27
34. Sandwich Tern, 2022-01-22 09:33
35. Hartlaub’s Gull, 2022-01-22 09:37
36. Water Thick-knee, 2022-01-22 09:43
37. Southern Double-collared Sunbird, 2022-01-22 09:47
38. Cape White-eye, 2022-01-22 09:48
39. White-breasted Cormorant, 2022-01-22 09:52
40. Levaillant’s Cisticola, 2022-01-22 09:54
41. Kelp Gull, 2022-01-22 09:54
42. Caspian Tern, 2022-01-22 09:55
43. Cape Sparrow, 2022-01-22 09:56
44. Spotted Thick-knee, 2022-01-22 10:01
45. Grey-headed Gull, 2022-01-22 10:21
46. African Sacred Ibis, 2022-01-22 10:57
47. Little Swift, 2022-01-22 10:58
48. Cape Wagtail, 2022-01-22 11:09
photographs by Gill Ainsley, Gigi Laidler and Gavin Lawson.
Gavin Lawson.
Below are the count datas for 22 January 2022.
