Bird ringing course, Lamberts Bay, 19-26 October 2002
In October 2001 a seabird ringing course was held in Lamberts Bay and the potential for a normal ringing course was immediately recognised. One year later this training course was held with 18 attendees (ringers and trainees), ringing over 800 birds in one week. Selected photos below illustrate some highlights.
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
Trainees and ringers arrived on Saturday 19 Oct and settled in. A social supper was enjoyed at Trawlers Restaurant. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
On 20 Oct we held our first ringing session at Dassiepoort farm, 5 km east of Lamberts Bay. A variety of weavers and other birds were captured. As last year, several Rock Martins were captured as well as some Brownthroated Martins as shown here. A total of 136 birds of 24 species were ringed. The most interesting catch was 2 Southern Greyheaded Sparrows, a species some hundred kms away. The identification was confirmed by several ringers but unfortunately no photos were taken. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
An unusual catch in a mistnet - a Cape Francolin, Dassiepoort. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
In the evening we walked along the beach with handnets and torches. We caught 4 Crowned Plovers, 2 juveniles and 2 adults. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
On 21 Oct we ringed at Jakkalsvlei, on the northern side of Lamberts Bay. This was a new site and we excitedly put up mistnets along the shore to catch waders. The water level was fairly low so there were large tracts of mudflats. We also put nets in the surrounding strandveld to catch fynbos species. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
We ringed 128 birds of 29 species. Waders caught included Curlew Sandpiper (shown here), Little Stints and Kittlitz's Plover. 6 Hartlaub's Gulls flew into one net, but 2 escaped while the others were being taken out. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
Fynbos birds ringed included Barthroated Apalis, Greybacked Cisticola, Levaillant's Cisticola and Karoo Prinia. A most surprising catch was this Ground Woodpecker, with no obvious suitable habitat nearby. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
The program for 22 Oct was to ring on Bird Island, but since that only needed to happen from 9 am some attendees wanted to get up early and ring at Jakkalsvlei again. 24 birds were ringed, including this juvenile Kittlitz's Plover. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
104 birds were ringed, mostly Cape Gannets, but also some Kelp Gulls and cormorants. Many previously ringed Cape Gannets were also retrapped. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
In the evening we had a social meal at Muisbosskerm, 5 kms south of Lamberts Bay. Here the group posed outside the lapa for a group photo. It was a treat to taste a variety of fish and other dishes. Most intriguing was the cutlery - mussel shells served as spoons! |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
On 23 Oct we ringed at Panorama Park, the farm next to Dassiepoort. This was another new site, although similar to Dassiepoort. A brief shower forced us to close our nets for half an hour, but the overcast weather must have aided the capture of this adult Cattle Egret in a mistnet! |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
95 birds of 27 species were ringed, including a recapture Red Bishop from Dassiepoort. Most ringed species were Cape Weavers and Red Bishops, but a varity of fynbos birds and this female Hoopoe were also ringed. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
On 24 Oct we ringed at Verlorenvlei and this site produced our highest catch: 254 birds of 28 species. Most ringed species were Cape White-eyes, followed by Cape Weavers which were breeding in the gums around the reserve house. Here a pole length of birds wait to be ringed by Kobie and Ursula. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
A Spotted Dikkop was found to be incubating 2 eggs near one of the nets. Whenever ringers checked the net, the bird flew off indicating that it returned to the nest quickly after being flushed. It didn't take long for Peter to walk around the long way to flush the bird into the net! |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
That evening we had an informal braai at one of the guest houses. Mike Ford (on the right) and George Viljoen (not pictured here) were awarded with ringer's status after the braai. Both started ringing at Wakkerstroom in Dec 2001 and worked very hard over the past 11 months to become competent in all aspects of bird ringing. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
The ringing site for the last day was going to be a repeat of the ringers' choice. Jakkalsvlei was decided on as the ringing site for 25 oct. This time 90 birds of 23 species were captured, the species being similar to the previous sessions here. A new wader, however, was this Whitefronted Plover. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
We were surprised by a flock of some 50 Larklike Buntings that fluttered back and forth for at least one hour. The birds flew across the wetland and surrounding vegetation several times and often stopped at the water's edge to drink. One group of ringers captured 3 birds on one side of the vlei, and 8 were captured on the opposite side. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
Next to the vlei was a patch of reeds with 3 active Cape Weaver nests. The nests were at head height and the ground was dry, making it easy to check the nests. Nest 1 had 3 chicks with pin feathers making them just large enough to be ringed. Nest 2 had two feathered chicks and Nest 3 had one feathered chick. ALl the chicks eagerly returned to their nests, not being old enough yet to 'explode' into the reeds. |
 Photo H.D. Oschadleus |
Cape Gannets returning to their nests at dusk on Bird Island. A large flock of Common Terns was present, roosting at Jakkalsvlei during the day and on the beach or on the island in the evenings. Evenings were too windy, unfortunately, to try and net the terns. But hopefully we'll be back next year! |
The most ringed bird for the week was Cape Weaver with 155 ringed at 4 sites. Next in line for totals ringed was Red Bishop with 99 birds, then Cape Gannet with 77 ringed. Click here to see Ringing totals per site
Extra photos from Ursula Franke:
Photo Ursula Franke
Photo Ursula Franke
Waders trapped at Jakkalsvlei in a normal mistnet (wader nets were also successful).