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Heyshope Dam: Bay 7 (27033029)

Mpumalanga

CWAC status REGISTERED-COUNTS SUSPENDED
Authority Private
Management status STATE IMPOUNDMENT
Conservation status UNKNOWN
IBA information SA020 - GRASSLAND BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
1992-05-29
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. Only one CWAC count available, for winter 1992, when only small sections of the dam were visited but 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.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
256, RuffCalidris pugnax2929.0029  
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata13463380.60727250002500 
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus135.60120   
47Cormorant, White-breastedPhalacrocorax lucidus33.003   
52Darter, AfricanAnhinga rufa66.006   
103Duck, MaccoaOxyura maccoa11.001   
10014Duck, UnidentifiedAnas sp.200200.00200
104Duck, White-backedThalassornis leuconotus120.0062   
100Duck, White-faced WhistlingDendrocygna viduata118.2030   
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata25157.40503   
58Egret, GreatArdea alba68.5011   
60Egret, IntermediateArdea intermedia11.001   
59Egret, LittleEgretta garzetta11.001   
89Goose, EgyptianAlopochen aegyptiaca233.2584   
88Goose, Spur-wingedPlectropterus gambensis24.006   
4Grebe, Great CrestedPodiceps cristatus211.6024   
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis140.40117   
288Gull, Grey-headedChroicocephalus cirrocephalus17.2517   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea12.504   
81Ibis, African SacredThreskiornis aethiopicus11.001   
83Ibis, GlossyPlegadis falcinellus33.003   
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus221.0059   
237Plover, Kittlitz'sCharadrius pecuarius27.3310   
238Plover, Three-bandedCharadrius tricollaris23.675   
102Pochard, SouthernNetta erythrophthalma251.40145   
264Sandpiper, WoodTringa glareola33.504   
94Shoveler, CapeAnas smithii444.67149   
250Snipe, AfricanGallinago nigripennis1011.0012   
85Spoonbill, AfricanPlatalea alba56.5010   
270Stilt, Black-wingedHimantopus himantopus23.256   
253Stint, LittleCalidris minuta2626.0026   
99Teal, Blue-billedAnas hottentota11.001   
98Teal, CapeAnas capensis11.001   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha234.33128   
305Tern, WhiskeredChlidonias hybrida22.002   
304Tern, White-wingedChlidonias leucopterus11.001   
FITZ logo Ramsar Wetlands International http://www.sanbi.org/

Sunday 08 December 2024 11:30
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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