Birds shun coast after good rains

TWENTY-EIGHT keen bird watchers from the coast recently completed the 24th annual bird count in the Walvis Bay wetlands.

This area is considered the most important coastal wetland in southern Africa and amongst the top three coastal wetlands of Africa. Keith Wearne of the Coastal Environmental Trust said with the good rains in Botswana and the Sua Pan flooded, lesser flamingos and other species have flown inland to nest.Reasonable numbers of greater flamingos were still around but many others, such as the black-necked grebes, have left for the interior regions.”Along the peninsula of Pelican Point we found that we were sadly lacking in the number of birds we usually find feeding and roosting here.Between 1974 and 1997 there was very little success with birds breeding inland due to the lack of rain.Since 1997 we have had some five or six successful breeding years.”It looks as though we are into a great breeding year in 2006 for pied avocets, lesser flamingos, black-necked grebes, black-winged stilts and chestnut-banded plovers,” said Wearne.Since the warm Angolan sea current recently pushed in, about 90 per cent of the 200 000 to 250 000 terns have moved south to feed in the cold upwellings at Luederitz.”Our usual count of 100 000 plus terns is down to around 10 000 for this summer count,” Wearne said.The grebes and avocets have also reduced their numbers in Walvis Bay by about 90 per cent by flying inland to breed.Greenshank numbers, however, were the highest that have ever been recorded in the area, at 700 birds.According to Wearne, the previous highest number was 360 in January 1999.”Our total count was 117 650 birds.Our summer counts for the past two years have been over 200 000 birds for Walvis,” remarked Wearne.”We had three rarities; the black-tailed godwit, red-necked phalarope and our perennial Eurasian oystercatcher.Turnstones are mainly along the shoreline between Walvis and Swakop and they will be counted soon.”Wearne thanked companies and individuals who contributed to the summer bird count.They include Walvis Bay Salt Refiners, Radio Electronic, Namib Marine Services, Namibia Breweries and Probst Willi Baeckerei und Restaurant.The winter bird count will take place on July 22 and 23.Keith Wearne of the Coastal Environmental Trust said with the good rains in Botswana and the Sua Pan flooded, lesser flamingos and other species have flown inland to nest.Reasonable numbers of greater flamingos were still around but many others, such as the black-necked grebes, have left for the interior regions.”Along the peninsula of Pelican Point we found that we were sadly lacking in the number of birds we usually find feeding and roosting here.Between 1974 and 1997 there was very little success with birds breeding inland due to the lack of rain.Since 1997 we have had some five or six successful breeding years.”It looks as though we are into a great breeding year in 2006 for pied avocets, lesser flamingos, black-necked grebes, black-winged stilts and chestnut-banded plovers,” said Wearne.Since the warm Angolan sea current recently pushed in, about 90 per cent of the 200 000 to 250 000 terns have moved south to feed in the cold upwellings at Luederitz.”Our usual count of 100 000 plus terns is down to around 10 000 for this summer count,” Wearne said.The grebes and avocets have also reduced their numbers in Walvis Bay by about 90 per cent by flying inland to breed.Greenshank numbers, however, were the highest that have ever been recorded in the area, at 700 birds.According to Wearne, the previous highest number was 360 in January 1999.”Our total count was 117 650 birds.Our summer counts for the past two years have been over 200 000 birds for Walvis,” remarked Wearne.”We had three rarities; the black-tailed godwit, red-necked phalarope and our perennial Eurasian oystercatcher.Turnstones are mainly along the shoreline between Walvis and Swakop and they will be counted soon.”Wearne thanked companies and individuals who contributed to the summer bird count.They include Walvis Bay Salt Refiners, Radio Electronic, Namib Marine Services, Namibia Breweries and Probst Willi Baeckerei und Restaurant.The winter bird count will take place on July 22 and 23.