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Pongolapoort Dam (27253158)

KwaZulu-Natal

CWAC status REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
Management status PROVINCIAL GAME/NATURE RESERVE
Conservation status PARTLY PROTECTED
IBA information SA055 - PONGOLAPOORT NATURE RESERVE
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
1992-02-01
Brief_description
In Pongolapoort Nature Reserve IBA. Large dam on Pongola River; deep water; steep shoreline. When water level was low, had a muddy/rocky shore, so more shorebird habitat; dam now full and shoreline flooded grass and trees, making visibility poor for counts - this may be responsible for recent decline in count totals (D. Johnson). Wide winter and/or summer fluctuations in numbers of some species; no consistent pattern. Whitebreasted Cormorant and Yellowbilled Stork have bred. Numbers of cormorant, ibis and most waterfowl peak in winter; most egrets, Fulvous Duck and Egyptian Goose commoner in summer. Good numbers of Blackheaded Heron and Blackwinged Stilt in winter. High biomass in winter 1995 due to Spurwinged Goose numbers. Threats are eutrophication from fertilizer runoff, and periodic dense growths of blue-green algae.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
256Calidris pugnax113.1762  
72Scopus umbretta11.453   
269Avocet, PiedRecurvirostra avosetta210.5019   
66Bittern, DwarfIxobrychus sturmii11.001   
71Bittern, EurasianBotaurus stellaris11.001   
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata116.22133   
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus197.43540   
47Cormorant, White-breasted Phalacrocorax lucidus159.64292  130
203Crake, BlackZapornia flavirostra15.5825
52Darter, AfricanAnhinga rufa126.65186   
95Duck, African BlackAnas sparsa11.672   
101Duck, Fulvous WhistlingDendrocygna bicolor263.67278   
91Duck, Knob-billedSarkidiornis melanotos11.502   
10014Duck, UnidentifiedN/A N/A22.503
104Duck, White-backedThalassornis leuconotus44.004   
100Duck, White-faced WhistlingDendrocygna viduata1751.273526   
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata211.3038   
149Eagle, African FishHaliaeetus vocifer26.5314
58Egret, GreatArdea alba121.6393   
60Egret, IntermediateArdea intermedia123.75172   
59Egret, LittleEgretta garzetta111.0836   
61Egret, Western CattleBubulcus ibis2279.511582   
86Flamingo, Greater Phoenicopterus roseus464.00153   
87Flamingo, LesserPhoeniconaias minor12.003   
209Gallinule, Allen'sPorphyrio alleni55.005 
10004Goose, DomesticAnser anser11.001
89Goose, EgyptianAlopochen aegyptiaca4251.121273   
88Goose, Spur-wingedPlectropterus gambensis1164.221424  710
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis15.0016   
263Greenshank, CommonTringa nebularia110.8732   
288Gull, Grey-headedChroicocephalus cirrocephalus11.502   
167Harrier, African MarshCircus ranivorus12.135
64Heron, BlackEgretta ardesiaca11.202   
69Heron, Black-crowned NightNycticorax nycticorax11.502   
55Heron, Black-headedArdea melanocephala125.20155   
56Heron, GoliathArdea goliath16.7018   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea117.3158   
57Heron, PurpleArdea purpurea16.4329   
62Heron, SquaccoArdeola ralloides12.6713   
63Heron, StriatedButorides striata13.5032   
81Ibis, African SacredThreskiornis aethiopicus143.12308   
83Ibis, GlossyPlegadis falcinellus149.45512 500 
84Ibis, Hadada Bostrychia hagedash117.7457   
228Jacana, AfricanActophilornis africanus148.81349   
229Jacana, LesserMicroparra capensis14.508   
395Kingfisher, GiantMegaceryle maxima11.272
397Kingfisher, MalachiteCorythornis cristatus13.3310
394Kingfisher, PiedCeryle rudis17.3235
247Lapwing, African WattledVanellus senegallus112.7464   
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus176.48214   
246Lapwing, White-crownedVanellus albiceps33.003   
509Martin, Brown-throatedRiparia paludicola11.001
210Moorhen, CommonGallinula chloropus12.434   
211Moorhen, LesserParagallinula angulata11.001
74Openbill, AfricanAnastomus lamelligerus1206.0010981000500 
172Osprey, WesternPandion haliaetus12.047
41Pelican, Pink-backedPelecanus rufescens15.5010   
240Plover, CaspianCharadrius asiaticus11.001   
233Plover, Common RingedCharadrius hiaticula113.8652   
237Plover, Kittlitz'sCharadrius pecuarius215.2154   
238Plover, Three-bandedCharadrius tricollaris14.8315   
102Pochard, SouthernNetta erythrophthalma14.508   
281Pratincole, CollaredGlareola pratincola14.2914   
258Sandpiper, CommonActitis hypoleucos17.9137  
251Sandpiper, CurlewCalidris ferruginea11.001  
262Sandpiper, MarshTringa stagnatilis14.0014   
264Sandpiper, WoodTringa glareola110.6146   
94Shoveler, CapeSpatula smithii116.8640   
250Snipe, AfricanGallinago nigripennis22.002   
249Snipe, GreatGallinago media11.001   
85Spoonbill, AfricanPlatalea alba119.0093 75 
270Stilt, Black-wingedHimantopus himantopus166.59375   
253Stint, LittleCalidris minuta218.8042   
79Stork, BlackCiconia nigra11.001   
73Stork, MarabouLeptoptilos crumenifer119.5060   
75Stork, Saddle-billedEphippiorhynchus senegalensis11.001   
80Stork, WhiteCiconia ciconia132.4064  1
77Stork, Woolly-neckedCiconia episcopus14.3825   
76Stork, Yellow-billedMycteria ibis18.8142   
208Swamphen, AfricanPorphyrio madagascariensis11.001  
99Teal, Blue-billedSpatula hottentota212.2025   
98Teal, CapeAnas capensis45.006   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha366.87349   
290Tern, CaspianHydroprogne caspia11.753   
305Tern, WhiskeredChlidonias hybrida11.001   
304Tern, White-wingedChlidonias leucopterus11.001   
274Thick-knee, WaterBurhinus vermiculatus110.4736   
10008Wader, UnidentifiedN/A N/A19.5870
685Wagtail, African PiedMotacilla aguimp14.2612
686Wagtail, CapeMotacilla capensis13.9218
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Thursday 28 March 2024 07:48
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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