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Heyshope Dam: Combined (27013029)
Mpumalanga
CWAC status	NEWLY REGISTERED
Authority	Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency
Management status	STATE IMPOUNDMENT
Conservation status	UNKNOWN
IBA information	SA020 - GRASSLAND BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Ramsar information
Heritage information
View Cards	No

Information
Date_registered
2008-02-26
Brief_description
A large, state-owned storage dam in the Assegaai River catchment, surrounded by agricultural land (beef and maize production). Shoreline gently sloping; either heavily grazed or with rank grass and weeds. A proposed Ramsar site which holds extremely large numbers of at least 52 waterbird species, concentrated in the 17 bays where rivers enter the dam. Small areas which are regularly counted hold up to 45 000 waterbirds; the entire system may hold 100 000. In drought years the dam provides a refuge for birds from surrounding pans, including Lake Chrissie. Nationally significant numbers of Yellowbilled Duck and Cape Shoveller were recorded, plus high counts of Dabchick, cormorants, ducks, geese, and shorebirds (including some Palaearctic species). Eutrophication, resulting from inflow of agricultural fertilisers, is a potential problem. Other problems could be posed by opencast coal mining and afforostation in the catchment areas. This important site should be monitored on a regular basis. Efforts should be made to enhance the conservation status of this site.

Spp	Common name	Taxonomic name	Min	Avg	Max	Subregional IBA	RAMSAR
72		Scopus umbretta	1	1.50	2
256		Calidris pugnax	3	9.67	22
269	Avocet, Pied	Recurvirostra avosetta	1	1.00	1
212	Coot, Red-knobbed	Fulica cristata	6	94.60	257
50	Cormorant, Reed	Microcarbo africanus	13	36.00	83
47	Cormorant, White-breasted	Phalacrocorax lucidus	9	12.75	19
214	Crane, Grey Crowned	Balearica regulorum	30	53.75	79
52	Darter, African	Anhinga rufa	3	12.60	31
95	Duck, African Black	Anas sparsa	1	4.00	7
91	Duck, Knob-billed	Sarkidiornis melanotos	2	13.00	24
103	Duck, Maccoa	Oxyura maccoa	2	2.00	2
10014	Duck, Unidentified	N/A N/A	2	3.00	4
100	Duck, White-faced Whistling	Dendrocygna viduata	6	30.25	80
96	Duck, Yellow-billed	Anas undulata	285	856.60	1652	850	1000
149	Eagle, African Fish	Haliaeetus vocifer	1	1.60	3
58	Egret, Great	Ardea alba	3	5.25	8
60	Egret, Intermediate	Ardea intermedia	1	1.00	1
59	Egret, Little	Egretta garzetta	2	5.40	14
61	Egret, Western Cattle	Bubulcus ibis	21	148.60	337
86	Flamingo, Greater	Phoenicopterus roseus	6	6.00	6
92	Goose, African Pygmy	Nettapus auritus	2	2.00	2
10004	Goose, Domestic	Anser anser	9	10.00	11
89	Goose, Egyptian	Alopochen aegyptiaca	507	1138.00	2539	1750
88	Goose, Spur-winged	Plectropterus gambensis	10	711.80	2085	1875	710
6	Grebe, Little	Tachybaptus ruficollis	2	45.50	138
263	Greenshank, Common	Tringa nebularia	2	2.00	2
288	Gull, Grey-headed	Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus	2	39.33	68
167	Harrier, African Marsh	Circus ranivorus	1	1.00	1
55	Heron, Black-headed	Ardea melanocephala	4	11.60	23
56	Heron, Goliath	Ardea goliath	13	15.80	18
54	Heron, Grey	Ardea cinerea	3	7.60	14
57	Heron, Purple	Ardea purpurea	1	2.33	4
81	Ibis, African Sacred	Threskiornis aethiopicus	5	7.75	12
83	Ibis, Glossy	Plegadis falcinellus	7	7.00	7
84	Ibis, Hadada	Bostrychia hagedash	10	43.80	72
228	Jacana, African	Actophilornis africanus	1	4.60	8
395	Kingfisher, Giant	Megaceryle maxima	1	1.33	2
397	Kingfisher, Malachite	Corythornis cristatus	1	4.80	9
394	Kingfisher, Pied	Ceryle rudis	2	5.00	8
247	Lapwing, African Wattled	Vanellus senegallus	6	17.75	46
245	Lapwing, Blacksmith	Vanellus armatus	119	187.00	246
210	Moorhen, Common	Gallinula chloropus	2	2.50	3
172	Osprey, Western	Pandion haliaetus	1	1.00	1
361	Owl, Marsh	Asio capensis	1	1.00	1
230	Painted-snipe, Greater	Rostratula benghalensis	6	6.00	6
233	Plover, Common Ringed	Charadrius hiaticula	1	1.00	1
237	Plover, Kittlitz's	Charadrius pecuarius	1	6.60	18
238	Plover, Three-banded	Charadrius tricollaris	5	15.40	39
102	Pochard, Southern	Netta erythrophthalma	2	2.00	2
258	Sandpiper, Common	Actitis hypoleucos	1	11.00	25
259	Sandpiper, Green	Tringa ochropus	2	2.00	2
264	Sandpiper, Wood	Tringa glareola	3	7.50	12
94	Shoveler, Cape	Spatula smithii	1	43.60	114
250	Snipe, African	Gallinago nigripennis	1	7.33	17
85	Spoonbill, African	Platalea alba	3	12.40	25
270	Stilt, Black-winged	Himantopus himantopus	1	1.00	1
253	Stint, Little	Calidris minuta	3	8.00	13
208	Swamphen, African	Porphyrio madagascariensis	2	2.00	2
98	Teal, Cape	Anas capensis	6	6.00	6
97	Teal, Red-billed	Anas erythrorhyncha	1	51.40	142
305	Tern, Whiskered	Chlidonias hybrida	20	20.00	20
274	Thick-knee, Water	Burhinus vermiculatus	1	1.00	1
10008	Wader, Unidentified	N/A N/A	1	26.33	66
685	Wagtail, African Pied	Motacilla aguimp	4	4.00	4
686	Wagtail, Cape	Motacilla capensis	50	106.80	229

Friday 19 April 2024 03:39
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

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Heyshope Dam: Combined (27013029)

Mpumalanga

Information