Projects of the Avian Demography Unit

CWAC - Coordinated Waterbirds Counts

Report on Summer 2002 CWAC at Blesbokspruit

Stan Madden

The following is a report on the CWAC summer count for the Blesbokspruit sites which includes Marievale Bird Sanctuary. This count took place on 27 January 2002.

Most of the people who took part in the count met in the picnic area at the Marievale Bird Sanctuary at 06.00, the count started at 06.30 and finished at 10.00. All the participants returned to the picnic area after the the count and joined in the customary social braai brunch. There were over 50 people who took part in the count. Bird clubs were once again well represented,a contingent of members from the Cuckoo Bird Club, President Ridge Club, Witwatersrand Bird Club, East Rand Bird Club as well as the Springs - Nigel Branch of WESSA all gave their invaluable service.

A few highlights of the count: The total count for all sites was 5365 birds which is a little less than last summer's record count of 5701. There were no Flamingoes recorded. Yellowbilled Stork were present again this summer, 15 in total of which 11 were at Marievale. The Slaty Egret which has become Marievale's resident special was again present, a few days after the count two birds were recorded together. 5 African Marsh Harriers were recorded at Marievale and a single Montagu's Harrier. The following are totals for some species counted at all the sites compared with the numbers counted at Marievale shown in brackets:Great Crested Grebe 45 (15), Reed Cormorant 257 (116), Darter 22 (12), Goliath Heron 9 (2), Purple Heron 20 (7), Black Egret 55 (32), Squacco Heron 69 (39), Little Bittern 2 (2), Glossy Ibis 293 (108), African Spoonbills 39 (29), Yellowbilled Stork 15 (11), Yellowbilled Duck 216 (137), Redknobbed Coot 1981 (727) and Ethiopian Snipe 27 (19).

I would like to thank all those who made the count possible and all those who have assisted me during these past 10 years of "Cwacing". The next count will be the winter count on 21 July 2002. I will give details closer to the date.

I would also like to end this report with a special appeal to bird clubs to make CWAC a definite long term project and not to treat it as a bi annual outing fitted in to the calender of events for members. Co ordinators and compilers come and go, some are getting a bit long in the tooth - with special reference to the author, not to mention my friends Ken and Woden ! If CWAC is to continue to be successful in the next 10 years and more that I hope it will be, it must in my opinion be driven by the bird clubs and not just by individuals. Continuity is essentual and this is more likely possible if clubs are committed to the project longterm. A project as important as CWAC should not depend on the efforts of a few individuals.

Stan Madden

18 Rudd Road , Dunnottar, 1496

Tel/fax 011 734 3661