Natal dispersal in weavers on the Cape Peninsula

Introduction

A new study has been launched to see how far weaver chicks move after leaving their nests. Southern Masked and Cape Weaver chicks will be ringed in the 2009 breeding season (August to December) on the Cape Peninsula. Mistnets will be used in 2010 to try to recapture the ringed weavers. In a feasibility study during 2006-2008 a total of 278 weaver chicks (121 Cape, 157 Masked) were ringed and 20 were racptured (7 Cape, 13 Masked). In this new study, many more chicks will be ringed over a wider area, with more systematic coverage. The study area is approximately from Rietvlei south to Kommetjie, and east as far as the N7.
To become involved in this project, see email below and calendar of ringing events in cape Town.


Southern Masked Weaver chick, old enough for ringing

Monthly totals of weaver chicks ringed

In the table below the totals are shown for Southern Masked Weaver (SMW) and Cape Weaver (CW). The tables will be updated weekly. The Cape Peninsula has been divided into 10 grids to include most weaver colonies (see map below).

Updated: 23 Jan 2010

SMW Month G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 Totals
Aug     15 1     11     15 42
Sep     25 6     2   3 15 51
Oct   1 18 5 7   13 15 5 19 83
Nov   2 11 7 1   2 12 4 6 45
Dec   3 2 13 7   17 10   8 60
Jan   2         6 3 5   16
Total 0 8 71 32 15 0 51 40 17 63 297

CW Month G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 Totals
Aug     5   2   17     2 26
Sep     11       11     12 34
Oct     3   1   33 5   20 62
Nov         2   32 6 2 5 47
Dec             1       1
Total 0 0 19 0 5 0 94 11 2 39 170

Other sp Month RB CRW WthrSw RwStar Totals
Aug 2 3     5
Sep 54 2     56
Oct 34 5 3   42
Nov 22 3 8 3 33
Dec 4       4
Jan     3   3
Total 116 13 14 3 146

Other species:
CRW = Cape Reed Warbler (Lesser Swamp-Warbler)
RB = Southern Red Bishop
WthrSw = White-throated Swallow
RwStar = Redwinged Starling

Sites showing weaver colonies on the Cape Peninsula, and the ten grids (G1 to G10 top to bottom, left to right)

Photo gallery

More photos may be viewed here.


Dieter demonstrating ringing to school children visiting Intaka
photo by Alan Liebenberg
Dieter & Magazi ringing chicks in reed-bed nests
photo by Alan Liebenberg

News items relating to this project

Latest news item:

Cape Weaver chick retrapped 2 years later

2011-12-12 (171)
On 2 December 2011 Cassy Sheasby, one of the City of Cape Town's Biodiversity Area Managers, recaptured a Cape Weaver with ring CV53620, at Psoralea Village. together with some juvenile Cape Weavers and other birds. Bird CV53620 had been ringed by student Christian Escher as a chick in a nest in Admiral Way, Marina da Gama - there is no PHOWN record on 23 October 2009 when the chick was ringed, but there is an earlier PHOWN record for the same colony here. This is now the oldest retrap of all the chicks ringed in 2009 for studying natal dispersal.

The previous news item about this natal dispersal project was also a Cape Weaver chick retrap.

All news items relating to this project

The headers below refer to Weaver News items featuring this project. Click on a header to see the News item, which includes the full news item. (The number in brackets is the date that the news item appeared on Weaver Watch).


Cape Weaver chick retrapped 2 years later (2011-12-12)
Cape Weaver returns to natal colony (2011-10-24)
Mocke River ringing (2011-08-22)
Weavers and waterbirds, Jan 2010 (2010-01-22)
Western Cape ringing social, 21 Nov 2009 (2009-11-23)
Chick ringing - the first 3 months (2009-11-01)
Photo gallery of bird ringing in Cape Town 2009 (2009-10-26)
Movement of a Cape Weaver chick (2009-10-14)
Welcome to Christian Escher, University of Munich (2009-10-09)
Movements of weaver chicks (2009-10-02)
Natal dispersal in weavers on the Cape Peninsula (2009-07-08)

All Weaver Watch news items

Acknowledgements

Permission to ring chicks at Intaka was granted by Alan Liebenberg, Sue at Uitsig
Helpers: Thembanani Magazi & Skhumbuzo Mbewu(Intaka), Elmaniek (Rondevlei), KRC students, Sally Hofmeyr, Karen Sorenson, Mike Laurie, Daniel Oschadleus, Christian Escher, Pam & Alan for boat at Marina da Gama, Tandy Oschadleus, Barry & Sue Schultz, William Wyness
Dave Ashkam (tube)
New colonies: Greg Duckworth, Cassandra Sheasby

Funding has been received from the African Bird Club Conservation Fund

and the Cape Tercentenary Foundation