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    Zandvlei: Lower Estuary (34071828)

    Western Cape
    Card 508725
    Compiler 10691
    Location code 34071828Zandvlei: Lower Estuary (Western Cape)
    Start date 2020-10-17
    Season OOther
    Start time 09:45
    End time 11:15
    Shoreline covered 100
    Openwater covered 100
    Total Species 21
    Total Count 292
    Wetland Condition 2Partially full (mid tide for estuaries)
    Wetland Threats
    Count Condition 5Ideal
    Count Type 1On foot
    Nil Count (No birds present) 0There were CWAC species present
    Notes The sun broke threw the clearing cloud cover at about 10h00. The Naval Cadet and Sea Scout bases were active today. The main water body had very little bird activity on the water and in the air. There was no apparent reason for this as the estuary mouth was open, the water level was high (new moon) and presumed to be mostly saline water as October has a 2 metre high sea level tide and this introduces migrating small fish species into the vlei and larger fish leave for the open sea. It is the annual opportunity to introduce as much sea water into the estuary as possible before quickly closing the mouth to trap the seawater from washing out. This helps to reduce the freshwater which predominated during the winter rainfall period. The estuary management activity of dredging the canal open has finished with the removal of many tons of silt washed in with the opening and closing of the estuary mouth. This is a long term project which was delayed for budjet reasons for the last 4 years. There is a good defined canal now and there was a strong outflow at the Thesens foot bridge, with water weed being washed out of the vlei. In the "Shallows" there were a group of Greater Flamingos 2 adults and 5 juveniles together with a Sandwich and Caspian Terns and numerous gulls. There is a new educational garden being developed on the south side of the Zandvlei Nature Reseve offices (old Redevous site). This is to demonstrate local indigenous plants
    Survey notes


    Add additional observers
    Observer NumberNameOptions
    0Amber Ing
     
    0Dennis and Gigi Laidler
     
    0Linda Hibbin
     
    0Rodney Yates
     
    0Solulele Mjandana
     
    0Suzanne Hofmeyer
     

    Current data
    Ref #SpeciesCountBreeding
    Pairs    		Breeding
    indicator
    4Grebe, Great Crested
    (Podiceps cristatus)    		10
    48Cormorant, Cape
    (Phalacrocorax capensis)    		50
    50Cormorant, Reed
    (Microcarbo africanus)    		310
    55Heron, Black-headed
    (Ardea melanocephala)    		20
    57Heron, Purple
    (Ardea purpurea)    		10
    81Ibis, African Sacred
    (Threskiornis aethiopicus)    		100
    84Ibis, Hadada
    (Bostrychia hagedash)    		30
    86Flamingo, Greater
    (Phoenicopterus roseus)    		70
    89Goose, Egyptian
    (Alopochen aegyptiaca)    		820
    96Duck, Yellow-billed
    (Anas undulata)    		90
    98Teal, Cape
    (Anas capensis)    		40
    212Coot, Red-knobbed
    (Fulica cristata)    		170
    245Lapwing, Blacksmith
    (Vanellus armatus)    		110
    287Gull, Kelp
    (Larus dominicanus)    		310
    288Gull, Grey-headed
    (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)    		60
    289Gull, Hartlaub's
    (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)    		540
    290Tern, Caspian
    (Hydroprogne caspia)    		40
    296Tern, Sandwich
    (Thalasseus sandvicensis)    		10
    394Kingfisher, Pied
    (Ceryle rudis)    		50
    686Wagtail, Cape
    (Motacilla capensis)    		40
    1016, Mallard
    (Anas platyrhynchos)    		40


    FITZ logo Ramsar Wetlands International http://www.sanbi.org/

    Thursday 30 October 2025 04:35
    FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
    Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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