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Midmar Dam: Reserve Section (29313011)
KwaZulu-Natal
CWAC status	REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority	Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife & Private
Management status	PROVINCIAL GAME/NATURE RESERVE
Conservation status	PARTLY PROTECTED
IBA information	SA076 - MIDMAR NATURE RESERVE
Ramsar information
Heritage information
View Cards	Click here

Information
Date_registered
1993-01-23
Brief_description
An IBA. A large water supply dam with open, rather barren and fairly steep shoreline of earth/stones with adjacent grass; marshy patch at one inlet stream, and a little foraging habitat for waders. All three crane species breed. Largest counts of cormorants and Grey Heron in winter 1994, and of Cattle Egret and Sacred Ibis in summer 1994; high biomass totals in summer 1993, and winter 1996 and 1997, due to large counts of Spurwinged and Egyptian Geese. Blacksmith Plover numbers highest in summers of 1993 and 1995; summer 1993 also had highest counts of Little Stint and Ruff. Notable decline in number of species and total counts in recent summers. Used for boating and recreation; the only recorded threat is a proposed raising of the dam wall.

Spp	Common name	Taxonomic name	Min	Avg	Max	RAMSAR
72		Scopus umbretta	1	2.11	5
256		Calidris pugnax	5	28.50	80
212	Coot, Red-knobbed	Fulica cristata	1	108.81	868
48	Cormorant, Cape	Phalacrocorax capensis	108	108.00	108
50	Cormorant, Reed	Microcarbo africanus	1	12.11	48
47	Cormorant, White-breasted	Phalacrocorax lucidus	1	7.67	54
203	Crake, Black	Zaporina flavirostra	1	1.71	4
216	Crane, Blue	Grus paradisea	1	11.25	31
214	Crane, Grey Crowned	Balearica regulorum	1	8.22	30
215	Crane, Wattled	Grus carunculata	1	3.40	5	2
52	Darter, African	Anhinga rufa	1	6.89	53
95	Duck, African Black	Anas sparsa	2	2.40	4
101	Duck, Fulvous Whistling	Dendrocygna bicolor	1	1.75	3
91	Duck, Knob-billed	Sarkidiornis melanotos	1	1.50	2
10014	Duck, Unidentified	Anas sp.	1	31.95	100
100	Duck, White-faced Whistling	Dendrocygna viduata	1	5.57	14
96	Duck, Yellow-billed	Anas undulata	1	30.02	199
58	Egret, Great	Ardea alba	1	2.50	7
60	Egret, Intermediate [x]	Ardea intermedia	1	2.13	5
59	Egret, Little	Egretta garzetta	1	2.61	17
61	Egret, Western Cattle	Bubulcus ibis	1	26.66	113
149	Fish Eagle, African	Haliaeetus vocifer	1	2.04	7
86	Flamingo, Greater	Phoenicopterus roseus	74	74.00	74
205	Flufftail, Red-chested	Sarothrura rufa	1	1.00	1
10004	Goose, Domestic	Anser anser domesticus	1	1.00	1
89	Goose, Egyptian	Alopochen aegyptiaca	4	165.45	656
88	Goose, Spur-winged	Plectropterus gambensis	1	85.06	535
5	Grebe, Black-necked	Podiceps nigricollis	1	1.00	1
6	Grebe, Little	Tachybaptus ruficollis	1	9.79	41
263	Greenshank, Common	Tringa nebularia	1	4.50	17
932	Gull, Franklin's	Leucophaeus pipixcan	71	71.00	71
289	Gull, Hartlaub's	Chroicocephalus hartlaubii	25	25.00	25
287	Gull, Kelp	Larus dominicanus	18	18.00	18
167	Harrier, African Marsh	Circus ranivorus	1	1.97	6
170	Harrier, Montagu's	Circus pygargus	2	2.00	2
166	Harrier, Western Marsh	Circus aeruginosus	1	2.00	3
55	Heron, Black-headed	Ardea melanocephala	1	4.73	30
56	Heron, Goliath	Ardea goliath	1	1.39	2
54	Heron, Grey	Ardea cinerea	1	3.20	10
57	Heron, Purple	Ardea purpurea	1	1.69	4
62	Heron, Squacco	Ardeola ralloides	1	1.00	1
81	Ibis, African Sacred	Threskiornis aethiopicus	1	12.22	68
84	Ibis, Hadada	Bostrychia hagedash	1	13.56	116
228	Jacana, African	Actophilornis africanus	1	4.83	17
395	Kingfisher, Giant	Megaceryle maxima	1	1.00	1
397	Kingfisher, Malachite	Corythornis cristatus	1	1.71	5
394	Kingfisher, Pied	Ceryle rudis	1	2.06	6
247	Lapwing, African Wattled	Vanellus senegallus	1	5.45	21
243	Lapwing, Black-winged	Vanellus melanopterus	23	23.00	23
245	Lapwing, Blacksmith	Vanellus armatus	2	23.63	139
10015	Mallard, Hybrid	Anas hybrid	6	6.00	6
509	Martin, Brown-throated	Riparia paludicola	1	1.00	1
210	Moorhen, Common	Gallinula chloropus	1	2.40	7
172	Osprey, Western	Pandion haliaetus	1	1.36	3
361	Owl, Marsh	Asio capensis	1	1.00	1
231	Oystercatcher, African	Haematopus moquini	11	11.00	11
236	Plover, Chestnut-banded	Charadrius pallidus	1	1.00	1
241	Plover, Grey	Pluvialis squatarola	6	6.00	6
237	Plover, Kittlitz's	Charadrius pecuarius	1	8.62	34
238	Plover, Three-banded	Charadrius tricollaris	1	3.48	14
235	Plover, White-fronted	Charadrius marginatus	1	6.00	11
102	Pochard, Southern	Netta erythrophthalma	4	6.00	8
197	Rail, African	Rallus caerulescens	1	1.00	1	-1
258	Sandpiper, Common	Actitis hypoleucos	1	2.50	12
251	Sandpiper, Curlew	Calidris ferruginea	4	95.50	187
262	Sandpiper, Marsh	Tringa stagnatilis	5	5.00	5
264	Sandpiper, Wood	Tringa glareola	1	5.00	17
90	Shelduck, South African	Tadorna cana	1	6.67	27
1342	Shelduck, Common	Tadorna tadorna	4	4.00	4
94	Shoveler, Cape	Anas smithii	1	3.88	12
250	Snipe, African	Gallinago nigripennis	1	5.00	9
85	Spoonbill, African	Platalea alba	1	4.13	13
270	Stilt, Black-winged	Himantopus himantopus	1	3.60	6
253	Stint, Little	Calidris minuta	4	90.60	333
76	Stork, Yellow-billed	Mycteria ibis	30	30.00	30
208	Swamphen, African	Porphyrio madagascariensis	1	1.75	3
10007	Swan, Black	Cygnus atratus	1	1.00	1
884	Swan, Mute	Cygnus olor	1	1.00	1
99	Teal, Blue-billed	Anas hottentota	3	3.00	3
97	Teal, Red-billed	Anas erythrorhyncha	1	7.78	46
290	Tern, Caspian	Hydroprogne caspia	1	1.00	1
291	Tern, Common	Sterna hirundo	84	84.00	84
298	Tern, Greater Crested	Thalasseus bergii	1	1.00	1
232	Turnstone, Ruddy	Arenaria interpres	1	1.00	1
10008	Wader, Unidentified	N/A N/A	1	29.00	50
685	Wagtail, African Pied	Motacilla aguimp	1	2.50	4
686	Wagtail, Cape	Motacilla capensis	1	7.51	45
268	Whimbrel, Eurasian	Numenius phaeopus	13	13.00	13

Tuesday 23 December 2025 01:41
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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Midmar Dam: Reserve Section (29313011)

KwaZulu-Natal

Information