Cowles Dam (26132828) | |
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Gauteng | |
CWAC status | REGISTERED-COUNTS SUSPENDED |
Authority | Private |
Management status | PRIVATE LAND |
Conservation status | UNPROTECTED |
IBA information | SA021 - BLESBOKSPRUIT |
Ramsar information | |
Heritage information | |
View Cards | Click here |
Information |
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Date_registered |
1993-01-17 |
Brief_description |
Part of the Blesbokspruit Ramsar site; a dam, reedbeds, and marsh. With the exception of Southern Pochard and Fulvous Duck (high counts in summer 1994), waterfowl are more numerous in winter. In summer 1993 there were exceptional numbers of Ruff, Greyheaded Gull and White- winged Tern; the winter 1993 count shows large numbers of Dabchick, Sacred Ibis, Yellowbilled Duck, Redbilled Teal and Cape Shoveller; Moorhen were especially numerous in summer 1995, when the high summer biomass reflects the presence of 325 Greater Flamingo; flamingos are otherwise commoner in winter. Formerly an excellent site, but total counts and number of species are declining. In 1997 a large informal settlement was established on the eastern boundary; hunting and fishing are a severe threat; domestic dogs and cats an important threat. Reed encroachment is another big problem. In 2009 counts were suspended due to Sappi closing the area to the public for security reasons. |
Spp | Common name | Taxonomic name | Min | Avg | Max | IBA | Subregional IBA | RAMSAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
72 | , Hamerkop | Scopus umbretta | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
256 | , Ruff | Calidris pugnax | 1 | 66.00 | 707 | |||
269 | Avocet, Pied | Recurvirostra avosetta | 2 | 7.00 | 18 | |||
67 | Bittern, Little | Ixobrychus minutus | 1 | 3.67 | 7 | |||
212 | Coot, Red-knobbed | Fulica cristata | 7 | 98.71 | 280 | |||
50 | Cormorant, Reed | Microcarbo africanus | 1 | 7.90 | 37 | |||
47 | Cormorant, White-breasted | Phalacrocorax lucidus | 1 | 7.18 | 45 | |||
202 | Crake, Baillon's | Zaporina pusilla | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
203 | Crake, Black | Zaporina flavirostra | 1 | 4.88 | 17 | |||
52 | Darter, African | Anhinga rufa | 1 | 1.55 | 3 | |||
95 | Duck, African Black | Anas sparsa | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
101 | Duck, Fulvous Whistling | Dendrocygna bicolor | 2 | 36.25 | 222 | |||
91 | Duck, Knob-billed | Sarkidiornis melanotos | 2 | 2.50 | 3 | |||
103 | Duck, Maccoa | Oxyura maccoa | 1 | 6.00 | 18 | |||
104 | Duck, White-backed | Thalassornis leuconotus | 1 | 7.33 | 19 | |||
100 | Duck, White-faced Whistling | Dendrocygna viduata | 1 | 18.38 | 79 | |||
96 | Duck, Yellow-billed | Anas undulata | 2 | 28.76 | 259 | |||
60 | Egret, Intermediate | Ardea intermedia | 2 | 5.67 | 11 | |||
59 | Egret, Little | Egretta garzetta | 1 | 1.71 | 3 | |||
61 | Egret, Western Cattle | Bubulcus ibis | 1 | 11.79 | 38 | |||
86 | Flamingo, Greater | Phoenicopterus roseus | 1 | 71.58 | 325 | |||
87 | Flamingo, Lesser | Phoeniconaias minor | 12 | 56.00 | 127 | |||
89 | Goose, Egyptian | Alopochen aegyptiaca | 1 | 14.75 | 156 | |||
88 | Goose, Spur-winged | Plectropterus gambensis | 1 | 11.50 | 45 | |||
5 | Grebe, Black-necked | Podiceps nigricollis | 1 | 8.38 | 20 | |||
4 | Grebe, Great Crested | Podiceps cristatus | 1 | 5.82 | 15 | |||
6 | Grebe, Little | Tachybaptus ruficollis | 2 | 22.64 | 203 | |||
263 | Greenshank, Common | Tringa nebularia | 1 | 1.25 | 2 | |||
288 | Gull, Grey-headed | Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus | 1 | 17.57 | 168 | |||
167 | Harrier, African Marsh | Circus ranivorus | 1 | 1.17 | 2 | |||
64 | Heron, Black | Egretta ardesiaca | 1 | 1.50 | 3 | |||
55 | Heron, Black-headed | Ardea melanocephala | 1 | 5.11 | 25 | |||
56 | Heron, Goliath | Ardea goliath | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
54 | Heron, Grey | Ardea cinerea | 1 | 2.25 | 7 | |||
57 | Heron, Purple | Ardea purpurea | 1 | 1.89 | 5 | |||
62 | Heron, Squacco | Ardeola ralloides | 1 | 3.09 | 8 | |||
63 | Heron, Striated | Butorides striata | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
81 | Ibis, African Sacred | Threskiornis aethiopicus | 1 | 18.31 | 132 | |||
83 | Ibis, Glossy | Plegadis falcinellus | 1 | 17.17 | 62 | |||
84 | Ibis, Hadada | Bostrychia hagedash | 2 | 4.95 | 19 | |||
397 | Kingfisher, Malachite | Corythornis cristatus | 1 | 1.40 | 2 | |||
394 | Kingfisher, Pied | Ceryle rudis | 1 | 1.14 | 2 | |||
247 | Lapwing, African Wattled | Vanellus senegallus | 1 | 3.33 | 7 | |||
245 | Lapwing, Blacksmith | Vanellus armatus | 1 | 16.09 | 66 | |||
509 | Martin, Brown-throated | Riparia paludicola | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
210 | Moorhen, Common | Gallinula chloropus | 2 | 20.71 | 169 | |||
69 | Night Heron, Black-crowned | Nycticorax nycticorax | 1 | 4.33 | 12 | |||
361 | Owl, Marsh | Asio capensis | 1 | 1.33 | 2 | |||
233 | Plover, Common Ringed | Charadrius hiaticula | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
237 | Plover, Kittlitz's | Charadrius pecuarius | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
238 | Plover, Three-banded | Charadrius tricollaris | 1 | 3.43 | 10 | |||
102 | Pochard, Southern | Netta erythrophthalma | 2 | 58.00 | 441 | 250 | ||
197 | Rail, African | Rallus caerulescens | 1 | 4.00 | 9 | -1 | ||
258 | Sandpiper, Common | Actitis hypoleucos | 1 | 2.00 | 3 | |||
251 | Sandpiper, Curlew | Calidris ferruginea | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
262 | Sandpiper, Marsh | Tringa stagnatilis | 1 | 4.83 | 10 | |||
264 | Sandpiper, Wood | Tringa glareola | 1 | 6.18 | 20 | |||
94 | Shoveler, Cape | Anas smithii | 2 | 26.00 | 122 | |||
250 | Snipe, African | Gallinago nigripennis | 1 | 12.25 | 31 | |||
85 | Spoonbill, African | Platalea alba | 1 | 1.50 | 2 | |||
270 | Stilt, Black-winged | Himantopus himantopus | 1 | 10.76 | 39 | |||
253 | Stint, Little | Calidris minuta | 1 | 6.50 | 10 | |||
208 | Swamphen, African | Porphyrio madagascariensis | 1 | 5.52 | 36 | |||
99 | Teal, Blue-billed | Anas hottentota | 1 | 28.68 | 86 | |||
98 | Teal, Cape | Anas capensis | 1 | 9.77 | 55 | |||
97 | Teal, Red-billed | Anas erythrorhyncha | 1 | 27.33 | 150 | |||
305 | Tern, Whiskered | Chlidonias hybrida | 1 | 2.88 | 10 | |||
304 | Tern, White-winged | Chlidonias leucopterus | 1 | 35.38 | 240 | |||
10008 | Wader, Unidentified | N/A N/A | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
686 | Wagtail, Cape | Motacilla capensis | 1 | 6.17 | 20 |