“Birds are an ecological litmus paper.”

Roger Tory Peterson

Bird Research Projects

The LBRCT staff assist other organisations in their research projects by helping out with the monitoring of certain species.

 

Coordinated Water Avifaunal Counts (CWAC Counts)

These counts are run by the Animal Demography Unit. They at the number of waterfowl and the different species for designated research sites.

The LBRCT assist by partaking in four counts twice a year. There is a count done on the lower part of the estuary, then another on the upper part of the estuary and then two done on two different pans on the Malgas/Infanta side of the river.

The data is recorded and sent to the ADU.

Once again this research picks up on trends in presence and absence, as well as fluctuating bird numbers and species numbers.

 

Fish Eagle Monitoring Project

The LBRCT collects data for the project run by Adam Weltz. We also assist in breeding success research and ringing of chicks. The fish eagles are considered an indicator species meaning their presence indicates a healthy system and we have more than one breeding pair on the lower river.

 

Bird ring/tag reports for SAFRING

Often rings are brought in or reported to the LBRCT. The LBRCT collects this data and makes sure that SAFRING gets the most accurate data possible. This is a huge project and looks at a myriad of bird species from sugarbirds to penguins to vultures and blue cranes. This data is highly valuable in determining animal movement.