Situated along South Africa’s celebrated Garden Route, the town of Knysna is flanked by forested hills, pristine nature reserves and the expansive waters of Knysna Estuary. Snaking from the Outeniqua Mountains, the waters eventually spread into a broad basin before meeting the Indian Ocean at a narrow gap between the Knysna Heads. It is one of the largest estuaries in South Africa and has been ranked as the most important in terms of conservation value, taking size, type, rarity and biodiversity into account. Ranked 13th out of 258 estuaries in the country relevant to its importance for waterbirds, this jewel of the Garden Route is also a popular tourist destination and a prime location for holiday homes.
Despite its significance, its birdlife is relatively poorly studied in comparison to several large South African estuaries; the first thorough waterbird count was made in January 1979 by the erstwhile Western Cape Study Group. The most comprehensive information comes from the Coordinated Waterbird Counts Project (CWAC) which, since January 1993, has conducted counts at low tide in summer and winter over an impressive 30 years.
The typical community of large waterbirds comprises just over 60 species, dominated by ducks, resident and migratory waders, gulls, terns, cormorants, ibises, spoonbills and herons. The list of vagrants boasts southern Africa’s first claimed Spotted Sandpiper in the mid1800s (although this specimen can no longer be traced) and the sixth Lesser Yellowlegs, seen in November 2010.
By the numbers
Esta historia es de la edición May/June 2023 de African Birdlife.
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Esta historia es de la edición May/June 2023 de African Birdlife.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
FULL skies
High summer brings high entertainment to Botswana's Mababe Community Concession and Kazuma Pan.
specials IN THE MIST
With a distinct habitat and climate, Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands are a must-visit destination for any birder wanting to see a bevy of special birds.
IN TOO DEEP...again
The annual sardine run along South Africa's east coast is a thrill and a challenge for underwater photographers, especially if you throw birds and inclement weather into the mix.
Southern SIGHTINGS
The midsummer period lived up to its reputation as the busiest time for rarities in southern Africa and produced a host of really good records, including several that got twitchers racing all over the subregion to try and add these mega ticks to their lists. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
power-napping penguins
Periodic reduction in neural activity (sleep) is found in all animals with brains and seems to be essential to restore effective brain function. There is plenty of evidence of the adverse effects of not getting enough sleep, and recent research in humans has identified getting sufficient sleep as one of the four core pillars of living a long and healthy life.
