Weaver news
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In just over 3 years SESAW has reached 10000 weavers ringed and over 1000 recaptured. The top three species in terms of birds ringed are Southern Masked Weaver (4941), Southern Red Bishop (3192), and Cape Weaver (1140). The recapture rates for these species is Southern Red Bishop (16.5%), Cape Weaver (12.5%) and Southern Masked Weaver (8.6%). This result is surprising because Cape Weavers move more than Southern Masked Weavers. However, looking at recapture rates for known adult males and females, shows low recapture rates for all three species of both sexes. This could be due to these adults becoming 'net-shy' as they quickly learn to avoid the nets or traps.
About SESAW: SESAW (Survival Estimates in Southern African Weavers) is a project to study survival rates in weavers as these are often the most caught birds during general ringing. The project started in August 2009 and will run for at least three years before starting to analyse the data. A critical aspect of the project is recording if females have brrod patches or not, and recording males in full or partial breeding plumage - this will allow the analysis of definite adult males and females in addition to a general analysis. Read more about SESAW here. |
The top 10 data contributors over the last 3 years are: Margaret McCall (photo left), Grant Egen, Neil Thomson, Karen Dixon, Lee Silks, Alan Brooks, Pat Cochran, Garth Aiston, Gerrie Jansen van Rensburg, and Karen van Stuyvenberg. Thanks to all participants for your commitment!