I did my bit for Citizen Science Week away from my normal stomping ground in the Mpumalanga Lowveld and instead atlassed two pentads in Gauteng, it was also my first attempt at using Lynx Birdticks (and as of now my pen and notebook have been relegated to the backpack for use when the batteries die). I did pentad 2555_2800 (Beaulieu, Midrand) for the first time. In the 90’s, when I still lived in Joburg, I visited the Beaulieu Bird Sanctuary regularly and used to enjoy the tranquillity of the place and the diverse species I found there. 20 years on and things have changed significantly, the dam is surrounded by houses, the hides (there only used to be one when I last visited) have been vandalised and are covered in graffiti, fortunately it seems that Joburg Parks are trying to clean things up a bit. In total I counted 52 species in just over two hours, the highlights being both Greater and Lesser Honeyguide at the Bird Sanctuary, the disappointment (other than the exploding encroachment of human activity) was the large number of Mallard / Yellow-billed hybrids present on the dam at the sanctuary. Pentad 2545_2800 (Elandsfontein) is situated west of Pretoria and straddles the N4 Magalies Highway and part of the Hennops River. The area I atlassed stradded a small stream just north of the N4 and is on the farm I grew up on. I had atlassed this pentad once previously in 2007 and have not been back to the farm for about two years. The first thing that struck me was the pollution in the stream, basically raw sewage, effluent and garbage – Hartbeespoort Dam, this stuff ends up in your backyard! In the 1980’s I saw my first African Finfoot on this same stretch of water, but given the state of the river I wasn’t holding out much hope of a repeat of that sighting. Notwithstanding the smelly grey, green water and floating plastic bags I surprised a Black-crowned Night-Heron foraging at the waters edge and also stumbled upon a Purple Swamphen skulking in the reeds. Neither species had been recorded in the pentad to date (47 FP cards). I also discovered that the Grey Heron I saw was a first time record for the pentad. In all I counted 47 species in the pentad in two hours, including an ORF for Olive Thrush which I now need to prove the sighting of. I heard my first Red-chested Cuckoo of the season and was entertained by the aerial acrobatics of a flock of African Grey Hornbills. The pollution of the river was shocking and its clear that the authorities have turned a blind eye to this problem for a long time, however it is surprising that the birdlife has managed to survive and sustain itself in this environment.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:36:32 +0000
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