Thursday, July 29, 2004
Birds Be Breeding
Good news and bad news for the pink guys and gals from the just released winter bird count in Namibia.
A total of 103,900 birds were recorded in the annual winter bird count at the Walvis Bay lagoon recently. Keith Wearne, who organised the count, said it was decided to divide the wetland into three areas to ensure more efficient monitoring. The three areas and the number of birds counted were: Walvis Bay lagoon 25,300, mud flats and Pelican Point 9,400 and the salt pans 69,200.
Wearne said the mud flats and Pelican Point area carried at least three times the number of birds as during summer. The salt pans are home to most of the resident and intra-African birds. In winter they are in the majority as the adult palaearctic birds head off to breed in the Northern Hemisphere. They will only return in September.
Wearne attributed the good count to the large number of Greater Flamingos and Black-necked Grebe, which totalled 56,800 birds or about 54 per cent of the count.
"The Greater Flamingos seem to have bred well in Etosha with 540 juveniles observed," said Wearne.
The species with the largest numbers counted are: Greater Flamingos (43,700, including the 540 juveniles), Lesser Flamingos (26,500), Black-necked Grebe (13,000), Chestnut-banded Plover (5500) and Pied Avocet (3700).
The record number of Lesser Flamingos counted last year was not matched this time as they have not yet returned. Apparently thousands of adult birds are still in the pans in Botswana.
The next count will be on January 22 and 23 2005
A total of 103,900 birds were recorded in the annual winter bird count at the Walvis Bay lagoon recently. Keith Wearne, who organised the count, said it was decided to divide the wetland into three areas to ensure more efficient monitoring. The three areas and the number of birds counted were: Walvis Bay lagoon 25,300, mud flats and Pelican Point 9,400 and the salt pans 69,200.
Wearne said the mud flats and Pelican Point area carried at least three times the number of birds as during summer. The salt pans are home to most of the resident and intra-African birds. In winter they are in the majority as the adult palaearctic birds head off to breed in the Northern Hemisphere. They will only return in September.
Wearne attributed the good count to the large number of Greater Flamingos and Black-necked Grebe, which totalled 56,800 birds or about 54 per cent of the count.
"The Greater Flamingos seem to have bred well in Etosha with 540 juveniles observed," said Wearne.
The species with the largest numbers counted are: Greater Flamingos (43,700, including the 540 juveniles), Lesser Flamingos (26,500), Black-necked Grebe (13,000), Chestnut-banded Plover (5500) and Pied Avocet (3700).
The record number of Lesser Flamingos counted last year was not matched this time as they have not yet returned. Apparently thousands of adult birds are still in the pans in Botswana.
The next count will be on January 22 and 23 2005
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