Ornithological Observations
An electronic journal published
Ornithological Observations accepts papers containing faunistic information about birds. This includes descriptions of distribution, behaviour, breeding, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and plumage. It will also consider for publication a variety of oth
relevant ornithological material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist other interesting or relevant material.
FI
Recommended citation format:
Sherley RB, Robinson KJ 2012. First observation: Pied Avocet at Robben Island.
- ISSN 2219-0341 -
Ornithological Observations
An electronic journal published by BirdLife South Africa and the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town
accepts papers containing faunistic information about birds. This includes descriptions of distribution, behaviour, breeding, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and plumage. It will also consider for publication a variety of oth
relevant ornithological material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist other interesting or relevant material.
Editor: Arnold van der Westhuizen
FIRST OBSERVATION: PIED AVOCET AT ROBBEN ISLAN
RB Sherley and KJ Robinson
First observation: Pied Avocet at Robben Island. Ornithological Observations
URL: http://oo.adu.org.za/content.php?id=48 Published online: 22 August 2012
-
Ornithological Observations
the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town
accepts papers containing faunistic information about birds. This includes descriptions of distribution, behaviour, breeding, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and plumage. It will also consider for publication a variety of other interesting relevant ornithological material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist bibliographies, and any
Editor: Arnold van der Westhuizen
OCET AT ROBBEN ISLAND
RB Sherley and KJ Robinson
Ornithological Observations, Vol 3: 100-101 http://oo.adu.org.za/content.php?id=48
: 22 August 2012
the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town
accepts papers containing faunistic information about birds. This includes descriptions of distribution, behaviour, er interesting or bibliographies, and any
Ornithological Observations, Vol 3:100
FIRST OBSERVATION: PIED AVOCET ISLAND
*RB Sherley and KJ Robinson
Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Robben Island (33°48'S, 18°22'E) is an Important Bird Area (Barnes 1998) located approximately 11 km north of Cape Town and 7 km west of the nearest mainland at Bloubergstrand (de Villiers 1971).
The island has approximately 12 km of shoreline, providing breeding and foraging habitat for a number of marine and coastal species (Crawford and Dyer 2000, Sherley
consists of slate, but a small beach, known as Sandy Beach, occurs on the east coast.
The Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
resident in southern Africa, typically found at coastal saltworks, sewage pans and coastal lagoons (Tree 1997). In South Africa, one of the critical sites for the species in the Western Cape is the Rietvlei Wetland Reserve (33°50'S, 18°29'E
about 10 km from Robben Island. The maximum sighting of 669 birds at that locality represents more than 2% of the southern African population, last estimated to be between 15
individuals (Delany et al. 2009). Dat African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2, the Bird in Reserves Project (BIRP,
that Pied Avocet are routinely encountered at the Rietvlei reserve.
However, despite the presence of several Charadriiform species on the island and bird observations spanning at least the last two decades, Pied Avocet have not apparently been recorded on Robben Island (Crawford and Dyer 2000, Sherley
, Vol 3:100-101
- ISSN 2219-0341 -
IED AVOCET AT ROBBEN ISLAND
RB Sherley and KJ Robinson
Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
) is an Important Bird Area (Barnes m north of Cape Town and 7 km west of the nearest mainland at Bloubergstrand (de Villiers 1971).
The island has approximately 12 km of shoreline, providing breeding and foraging habitat for a number of marine and coastal species erley et al. 2011). The coastline mainly consists of slate, but a small beach, known as Sandy Beach, occurs
Recurvirostra avosetta is a common breeding resident in southern Africa, typically found at coastal saltworks, ewage pans and coastal lagoons (Tree 1997). In South Africa, one of the critical sites for the species in the Western Cape is the Rietvlei 33°50'S, 18°29'E) on the mainland adjacent and about 10 km from Robben Island. The maximum sighting of 669 birds at that locality represents more than 2% of the southern African last estimated to be between 15 000 and 25 000 . 2009). Data from the second Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2, http://sabap2.adu.org.za) and the Bird in Reserves Project (BIRP, http://birp.adu.org.za) indicate are routinely encountered at the Rietvlei reserve.
However, despite the presence of several Charadriiform species on the island and bird observations spanning at least the last two decades, Pied Avocet have not apparently been recorded on Robben
rawford and Dyer 2000, Sherley et al. 2011).
At 10:30 on 11 June 2012, one adult Pied Avocet was observed and photographed foraging alone at the water's edge on Sandy Beach (Figure 1). The bird was watched for c. 5 minutes, after which a close approach by
then adjacent to
location. Whilst in flight, the Avocet was repeatedly mobbed by a Hartlaub's Gull
kleptoparasitic interactions were noted and the reasons for this antagonistic
This observation takes the number of bird species recorded at Robben Island to 165 (Sherley et al. 2011).
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the logistic support provided to their research activities by Robben Island Museum and the financial support from the Marine Research Institute,
Town, the B
the Leiden Conservation Foundation (KJR).
-
At 10:30 on 11 June 2012, one adult Pied Avocet was observed and photographed foraging alone at the water's edge on Sandy Beach (Figure 1). The bird was watched for c. 5 minutes, after which a close approach by the observers caused it to fly out to sea (c. 50
then adjacent to the shoreline to a point c. 50 m north of its original location. Whilst in flight, the Avocet was repeatedly mobbed by a Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii. No apparent aggressive or leptoparasitic interactions were noted and the reasons for this antagonistic behaviour were not clear.
This observation takes the number of bird species recorded at Robben Island to 165 (Sherley et al. 2011).
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the logistic support provided to their research activities by Robben Island Museum and the financial support from the Marine Research Institute, the University of Cape Town, the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation
the Leiden Conservation Foundation (KJR).
100
At 10:30 on 11 June 2012, one adult Pied Avocet was observed and photographed foraging alone at the water's edge on Sandy Beach (Figure 1). The bird was watched for c. 5 minutes, after which a close sed it to fly out to sea (c. 50 m) and m north of its original location. Whilst in flight, the Avocet was repeatedly mobbed by a No apparent aggressive or leptoparasitic interactions were noted and the reasons for this
This observation takes the number of bird species recorded at
The authors acknowledge the logistic support provided to their research activities by Robben Island Museum and the financial University of Cape Science Foundation (RBS) and
Ornithological Observations, Vol 3:100
Fig 1 –
References
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