Weaver ringing on the Cape Peninsula, 2011

This year the aim of the ringing was to continue recapturing as many weavers as possible, including those that had been ringed as weaver chicks). At the same time much ongoing data was obtained for survival and movements of weavers and other species on the Cape Peninsula. The ringing effort was less than in 2010. 38 species were caught, with a total of 1276 ringed and 308 recaptured (these totals do not include ringing by Sally, Felicity and others). A full species list of captures on the Cape Peninsula is given in Table 2 below (see also totals for 2008, 2009 and 2010. A photo gallery showing bird ringing events in the Cape Town area may be viewed here. To join bird ringing events in Cape Town, check dates on this calendar.

Ringing highlights


Left: adult African Darter (photo: Elsa Bussiere); Right: Pied Crow juvenile (photo: Gabriel Jamie)

Weaver summary

The weavers caught were lower than 2010 due to less effort. The recapture rate for Southern Masked Weavers was up (also that of Yellow Bishops but in this case the reason is due to lower new birds being caught).

Table 12009 2010 2011
Species Ringed % Retrap Ringed % Retrap Ringed % Retrap
Cape Weaver 625 20.6% 626 17.1% 209 18.2%
Southern Masked Weaver 564 19.0% 473 22.2% 302 30.5%
Southern Red Bishop 168 12.5% 301 17.6% 164 14.6%
Yellow Bishop 18 22.2% 79 17.7% 15 73.3%

Table 2: Species list of captures on the Cape Peninsula, 2011

The top four species ringed were Southern Masked Weaver, Cape Weaver, Southern Red Bishop and Common Waxbill. The highest recapture rate (where at least 10 birds were ringed) was for African Sedge Warbler, and then Yellow Bishop.

Species English Latin Ring Retr %
52 Darter Anhinga melanogaster 1 0.0
67 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus 1 0.0
238 Threebanded Plover Charadrius tricollaris 1 1 100.0
275 Spotted Dikkop Burhinus capensis 1 1 100.0
289 Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii 0 n/a
314 Redeyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata 5 0.0
316 Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola 2 0.0
317 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis 1 0.0
394 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis 1 0.0
397 Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata 14 6 42.9
493 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 2 0.0
495 Whitethroated Swallow Hirundo albigularis 4 0.0
509 Brownthroated Martin Riparia paludicola 6 0.0
522 Pied Crow Corvus albus 1 0.0
543 Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis 24 3 12.5
581 Cape Robin Cossypha caffra 4 3 75.0
604 Cape Reed Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris 81 35 43.2
606 African Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus 23 1 4.3
609 African Sedge Warbler Bradypterus baboecala 15 11 73.3
646 Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens 86 42 48.8
686 Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis 3 0.0
692 Grassveld Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus 3 1 33.3
703 Orangethroated Longclaw Macronyx capensis 3 0.0
707 Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris 3 2 66.7
722 Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus 2 0.0
733 European Starling Sturnus vulgaris 2 0.0
760 Lesser Doublecollared Sunbird Nectarinia chalybea 16 3 18.8
786 Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus 31 0.0
799 Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis 209 38 18.2
803 Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus 302 92 30.5
808 Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix 164 24 14.6
810 Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis 15 11 73.3
843 Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 148 23 15.5
846 Pintailed Whydah Vidua macroura 6 0.0
857 Cape Canary Serinus canicollis 2 0.0
1172 Cape White-eye (split) Zosterops capensis 82 4 4.9
4139 Karoo Prinia (split) Prinia maculosa 12 7 58.3
  Totals   1276 308 24.1

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following for helping with ringing during 2011: Alan Lee, Alex Antrobus, Barry & Sue Schultz, Calvin & Damian Gibbs, Carol Milan, Colin Jackson, Craig Nattrass, Dane, Dalton Gibbs, Elsa & Matthew, Felicity Ellmore, Flo, Gabriel, Hashradah R, Joel Avni, Kate England, Kate England, Kate Goodale, Kate Robinson, Kirsten, Lisa Nupen, Loutjie, Lynne Roscoe, Maya Stauch & Kenilworth Race Course staff & students, Petra, Robyn & Adel Kadis, Rondevlei staff/students, Shane, Sally Hofmeyr, Sharon Okanga, Susie Cunningham, Tandy Oschadleus

Funding was previously gratefully received from the African Bird Club Conservation Fund and the Cape Tercentenary Foundation to study natal dispersal in weavers.