BIRDS AND PEOPLE BirdLife Botswana’s Bird Conservation Newsletter December, 2012 No. 36
December, 2012 No. 36
BIRDS AND PEOPLE B I R D L I F E B O T S W A N A ’ S B I R D C O NS E R V A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R
E D I TO R I A L
IN THIS ISSUE: Viewpoint
3
Pelican die-off at Savuti
4
Who eats falcons?
6
When is a bird locally extinct?
7
Monitoring Bateleurs
7
Bird Population Monitoring
10
Vulture tracking project
11
Waterbird counts
11
Botswana National List
12
Breeding birds on flickr
12
Cranes and more cranes
13
This issue of Birds and People is dedicated to Zee Mpofu, former Wildlife Biologist in the Department of Wildlife and National Parks who passed away recently. Zee will be sorely missed as she was one of the most active Biologists in the Department, with a special interest in birds. Zee worked on the Slaty Egret project when she was based in Maun; thereafter she worked with Steve Boyes on the ‘parrot’ project in the Delta; she also spent time in the Central Kalahari with Kabelo Senyatso researching the Kori Bustard. Zee was essentially a field person who was always ready to assist with bird ringing at Lake Ngami or waterbird counts along the Boteti River, or any field-related research. She will always be remembered for her ongoing contribution to bird research and conservation in Botswana.
Front cover:
Project extended Pink-backed Pelican (Pete Hancock)
Little Brown Jobs—LBJs
13 14
This page: Front cover: Pied Kingfisher A quizzical Pearl-spotted Owlet gets a new angle on the world (Miles Kamakama) (Pete Hancock) This page: Pearl-spotted Owlet (Ian White)
Pete Hancock (Editor)
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VIEWPOINT
The poisoning of vultures is inextricably linked to the poisoning of ‘problem’ mammals
It has become apparent over the past few months, that the poisoning of vultures is inextricably linked to the poisoning of ’problem’ predators. This is because, in many instances, vultures are the innocent, unintended victims of poison put out for lions, hyaenas, wild dogs or cheetahs which have killed someone’s livestock. Farmers are usually justifiably upset - in some cases outraged – when they lose an animal to predation, and if they don’t receive due recompense, often take the law into their own hands. This means covertly putting poison in the remains of the carcass without thinking that it will be consumed by vultures long before the ‘problem’ predator
returns. This is an extremely harmful and irresponsible action which must be condemned in the strongest terms. However, if ’problem’ animals could be dealt with in a more efficient manner, this would go a long way towards alleviating pressure on our globally threatened vultures. Sound landuse planning, where livestock and wildlife areas are separated by buffer zones e.g. game ranches, where predator numbers are reduced, would make a significant contribution to eliminating the conflict. It makes absolutely no sense to keep livestock adjacent to protected areas where predators abound; nor does it seem intelligent to have lions roaming in livestock areas.
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In many instances, judicious fencing could support land-use planning to keep predators and livestock apart, although it is an expensive option. However, given the current value of wildlife, it may be pragmatic for wildlife utilization to finance the establishment of such infrastructure. For example, a one-off quota for hunting lions (which have a high reproductive rate) on a game ranch could secure the long-term future for this species in the area. In this case, the end would more than justify the means. Addressing the issue of ‘problem’ mammal predators will go a long way towards eliminating poisoning, and thereby secure a future for our beleaguered vultures.
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P E L I C A N D I E - O F F AT S AV U T I Many people reported the large number of dead pelicans at Savuti Marsh during October, and BirdLife Botswana is grateful to them for being our ‘eyes and ears’ out in the field. A thorough investigation was carried out by Dr John Mhongovoyo, DWNP Vet based in Maun. Here is his report. A report of an unusual pelican die-off was attended at Savuti Marsh on 19-22 October, 2012. It was ascertained that the mortalities were first observed on the 10th of October when more than a hundred dead birds were seen. Initial assessment of the area showed that mostly immature Great White Pelicans were
affected. The dead birds were scattered around the marsh over a radius of close to 2 km. Because the report was received late after the actual mortality, only mostly-dry, scavenged carcasses were seen. These could not provide useful samples for diagnosis of the possible cause of mortality. Two relatively fresh carcasses were seen and post-mortems performed. Results showed that the birds were dying in good body condition, were severely infested with internal parasites (identified by the National Veterinary Laboratory (NVL) as Ascaridia galli and
Heterakis gallinarum, and had subcutaneous hemorrhages (bleeding under the skin) on the lower breasts and sides. The liver was swollen and had patches of necrosis (discolored). The intestines also had mucosal hemorrhages. Two leopards in the area were seen to feed on dead pelicans over this period. It could not be established whether these were leopard kills or just cases of the leopards scavenging on the dead carcasses. In light of the above, the following three are the available possible causes of the mortality): 1. Severe worm
One of the dead pelicans (Photo: John Mhongovoyo)
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Almost 200 pelicans died at Savuti during October 2012, and the Vet from DWNP investigated the mortality.
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PELICAN DIE-OFF infestation coupled with high temperature stress around the 10th could have easily caused the deaths.
Continued surveillance is needed in case there are any further, similar mortalities.
2. Botulism is also possible because of the temperature and pH, as well as the high quantity of rotting biological matter in the marshes. The literature says “In general, the risk of botulism outbreaks increases when pH is between 7.5 and 9.0, redox potential is negative, and water temperature is over 20°C (Rocke 2006).” These conditions all pertained at the site. 3. Avian Cholera is
CONTD.
another possibility. “Always suspect avian cholera when large numbers of dead waterfowl are found in a short time, few sick birds are seen, and the dead birds appear to be in good flesh. Birds throw their heads back between their wings and die. These signs are similar to those seen in duck plague and in some types of pesticide poisoning. (Milton Friend, 1989)”. Although the investigation was not totally conclusive, it appeared that the mortality was ‘natural’ i.e. not humaninduced. Burning of all carcasses was
The remains of all 190 pelicans being burnt (Photo: John Mhongovoyo)
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recommended to clear the area of any possible multiplier effect of disease transmission from the dead animals. A total of 190 dead birds were burnt. Continued surveillance of the area was also recommended. Dr J Mhongovoyo Editor’s comment: It would be interesting to know where these young birds came from. During 2012, Great White Pelicans did not breed successfully at Lake Ngami or Lake Xau, or in the Nata Sanctuary. It is speculated that they came from Etosha or Hardap Dam in Namibia, a long way for an immature pelican to fly.
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W H O E AT S FA L C O N S ? Some acts committed against wildlife just seem so bizarre and so wrong that one wonders that they are committed at all. Eating falcons is just such a case. Every year, large flocks of Amur Falcons (previously called Eastern Red-footed Falcons) enter into southern Africa to overwinter away from their breeding grounds in south-east Siberia and northern China. Here they spend our summer wheeling around hawking insects out of the air. Sadly, this sight may not last for too many more years. On their 22,000 km round trip between Africa and Asia, the birds roost in huge flocks where they are vulnerable to that most devious of hunters — humans. As the birds come in to roost for the evening, vast nets close over them and they are trapped. So good are we at catching (and eating) Amur Falcons, that about 120,000 are killed in about a 10 day period as the birds pass through Nagaland in northern India on their way to their breeding grounds. According to Conservation India, “We estimate that during the peak migration 12,000 to 14,000 birds are being hunted for consumption and commercial sale every day. We further estimate that a mindboggling 120,000 to 140,000 birds are being slaughtered in Nagaland every year during their passage through the state”.
India is a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and is supposed to provide passage to migratory birds like the Amur Falcon, but the trade in ‘bushmeat’ is a difficult one to stop. The area where the birds are hunted is quite remote and there is nowhere near the human population there required to eat so many of these birds, so there must be some sort of commercial motivation behind the slaughter. Amur Falcons are elliptical migrants, meaning that they take two different routes on their way to and from their breeding grounds. On the way to southern Africa, they fly off the west coast of India and make the longest ocean crossing of any raptor— an unbroken 4,000 km trip to the coast of east Africa. On the way back, they make use of land corridors and don’t risk the ocean crossing again. Reprinted from Enviroscope #79 November 2012
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Shall we say goodbye to the Amur Falcon?
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W H E N I S A B I R D L O C A L LY E X T I N C T ?
Some of our birds have not been seen for decades—should we admit that they are locally extinct?
The Blue Crane is a ‘Bird of Conservation Concern’ in Botswana and BirdLife Botswana has been calling for sightings of this species since the 1980s. The last substantiated record in Botswana was a sighting in 2004 by J Mellenthin at Phokoje Pan in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. This species was frequently seen in the South-eastern grasslands and the Makgadikgadi Pans before this, where the birds were recorded breeding. However, it is clear that Blue Cranes are no longer breeding residents in Botswana (there has been a parallel decline in numbers of this species in Namibia too). Should the Blue Crane be declared
Blue Crane (Photo: Warwick Tarboton)
locally extinct? This would be a huge indictment on our conservation efforts! Why has this species declined in recent times? It is a South African near-endemic, and the populations in Botswana and Namibia may have been outliers in marginal habitat in the first place. Does suitable habitat still exist? An
important first step in the conservation of this species would be to answer this question. If there is suitable habitat (a significant portion of the Makgadikgadi is protected), then it could be feasible and necessary to re-introduce the birds. It would be interesting to hear other’s views on this issue.
M O N I TO R I N G B AT E L E U R S For a few years now, the Bateleur has been on the Red List of Globally Threatened Birds. However, we don’t know much about the status of this species in Botswana. We have been trying to get a full-time study going, but so far this has not materialised. In the meantime, a lot of information can be gathered incidentally by people in the field
as long as they collect data in the same standardised way. At present, many people are sending in sightings of Bateleurs, but the information would be even more valuable if the birds could be placed into one of the five age classes depicted overleaf. The age classes were developed by Rick Watson from the Peregrine Fund during his study of the
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Bateleur in the Kruger National Park. We also have very little information on nesting by the Bateleur (at present, there are only 15 breeding records for the whole of Botswana). Please send your information to Pete Hancock (see address on the last page of this newsletter)
B AT E L E U R A G E C L A S S E S
Juvenile — nestling to one year
Immature — two to three years
Subadult female — four to five years
Subadult male — four to five years
Reference: Flight identification of Bateleur Age Classes. Watson, RT. 1987. Bokmakierie 39 (2): 37-39.
Pre-adult female — six to seven years
Pre-adult male — six to seven years
Adult female — eight years and older
Adult male — eight years and older
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B P M G O E S F R O M S T R E N G T H TO STRENGTH During November, bird counts took place throughout the whole country and results are still coming in! It looks as though participation continues to grow, and a report will be provided soon to all counters. Bird Population Monitoring is taking place in several African countries where the BirdLife partnership is active (this is one of the strengths of the partnership — imagine the understanding of bird numbers and trends that will exist when all these data are pooled and analysed together). A recent comparison of all the ongoing BPM projects showed that Botswana is leading the way! This is due to the
unstinting involvement of people from all walks of life in Botswana in the project. We have participants from safari companies, staff of DWNP, BirdLife Botswana members, students and lecturers from UB and other institutions, teachers and leaders of Environmental Clubs, people from DEA and DCEC, young and old alike … you name it! Keep up the good work — at BirdLife Botswana we are very proud of you! Of course this work would not have been possible without some financial assistance from our funders — to the Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds (RSPB) a very big thank you! It is common knowledge now that the counts take place during November and February every year, and February is just around the corner! Participants should get in touch with their local coordinators in order to prepare for the upcoming session. We still have a few Common Bird posters available for participants, so if you want to brush up on your identification of common birds before the February count, contact Keddy Mooketsa at the BLB office in Gaborone (3133813).
The Kalahari Scrub-Robin turned up in many counts in the dry parts of the country (Photo: Ian White)
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BirdLife Botswana thanks all Bird Population Monitoring participants once again!
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V U LT U R E T R A C K I N G P R O J E C T The first phase of the vulture tracking project is coming to an end. This project aims to determine the movements of Lappetfaced Vultures using satellite tracking. An essential first step is to be able to catch the birds so that the transmitters can be fitted, and this forms
the first preliminary stage! To date, five Lappetfaced Vultures have been captured and are ‘on the air’, with their positions being recorded every two hours during the day. Exciting results are coming in (more of this in future issues of
Rufford Small Grants has been supporting the vulture satellite tracking project
Lappet-faced Vulture with transmitter prior to release (Photo: R Reading)
WAT E R B I R D C O U N T S Just a reminder that January is waterbird count month. We are always looking for volunteers who can count waterfowl on any waterbody or wetland in the country. If you can help contact Stephanie Tyler. E-mail:
steph_tyler2001@hotmail.com Birds and People No. 36
this newsletter)! BirdLife Botswana’s participation in this project has been made possible by Rufford Small Grants and this is gratefully acknowledged.
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B O T S WA N A N AT I O N A L L I S T BirdLife Botswana is responsible for maintaining the national list of birds found in Botswana, and this currently stands at 591 species! Recent additions to the list
include Lesser Yellowlegs (Moremi, 12.04.09), Rosy Starling (Kasane, 08.09.07), Shelley's Sunbird (Mohembo Kwando border track, 11-12.02.08) and Long-
tailed Pipit (East of Tsetseng, 21.04.08). Of the 591 species, six are Endangered, nine are Vulnerable and 16 are Near Threatened.
To get onto flickr, visit the BirdLife Botswana website and then click on the flickr icon
FLICKR — CELEBRATING BOTSWANA’S BEAUTIFUL BIRDS (Photo: P Jones)
BREEDING BIRDS ON FLICKR A special request to all photographers who are putting their great images on the Birds of Botswana photostream on flickr; if you post a pic of a breeding bird, please include a short sentence below it with a few more details, such as locality and (if possible) the quarter degree square where the photo was taken. Each photo already
shows the species of bird, the observer’s name, and the date of the photo — and best of all, depicts the exact stage of breeding from which the all-important egglaying date can be deduced. The images on flickr are of more than aesthetic, artistic value — they also have a scientific worth
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which we’d like to maximize. Apart from useful breeding information, the photos also show plumage variations of subspecies which, when coupled with their localities, will help us better to understand the distribution of each. Please go the extra 100 metres — it is really worth it.
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CRANES AND MORE CRANES
Mechanical cranes support globally threatened cranes
Hoisting Solutions, under the direction of Mr Ian Nuttal-Smith, has generously agreed to establish a CRANE Fund as part of their Corporate Social Investment. As founders of this CRANE Fund, Hoisting Solutions has embarked on a long-term strategy to contribute to the saving of crane species, whose numbers continue to dwindle. As part of their policy they wish to create awareness on
the value of saving cranes through the contribution of funds, knowledge and outsourced skills if necessary, to rehabilitate these attractive species. To this end, they have resolved to donate a percentage of their crane hire revenue to this fund and to encourage others in the industry to do likewise. A BirdLife Botswana bank account has been opened specially for this purpose. Initially all the money
generated by this fund will be used to conserve the three species of cranes found in Botswana, namely Wattled, Blue and Grey Crowned. After that funds will also be used to Conserve Rarities And the Natural Environment (CRANE). BirdLife Botswana thanks Hoisting Solutions for this very generous offer, and hopes that other companies will soon follow their example.
The real crane, in flight (Photo: P Hancock)
PROJECT EXTENDED The project “Strategic Partnerships to Improve the Financial and Operational Sustainability of Protected Areas” has been granted a one year extension. The project, funded by GEF-UNDP, is being co-ordinated by Virat Kootsositse and is BirdLife Botswana’s
largest and most ambitious project to date. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Departments of Wildlife and National Parks, and Environmental Affairs. The project will now end in November, 2013.
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LBJS — ‘LITTLE BROWN JOBS’
If you can’t identify the two LBJs below, get yourself a copy of Faansie Peacock’s new book on LBJs
All of us struggle with the identification of those Little Brown Jobs (LBJs) which make up about a quarter of Botswana’s birds. Some of them, like the Melodious Lark and Basra Reed Warbler are globally threatened, and we need to be able to identify them to conserve them properly; others like Levaillant’s, Croaking and Cloud cisticolas are Category A Rarities and are probably overlooked by most birders. Some like the Mountain Pipit have interesting migratory behavior about which little is known due to the paucity of people who can positively identify them. LBJs are not only a headache for most of us — they are a challenge to our conservation efforts! Serious birders all have a copy of Faansie Peacock’s book on “Pipits of southern Africa”, and have been eagerly awaiting the publication of his new book on LBJs which covers a wider range of birds. Happily it is now available, and has the following features: • Includes more than 230 species of LBJs; • Over 1,200 superb original
Two LBJs enjoying the winter sun (Photo: Ian White)
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paintings by the author; • Innovative design and layout
to facilitate identification; • Lifelike thumbnail
• • •
•
•
illustrations show the bird in its typical habitat and as it really looks in the field; Juveniles and important subspecies depicted throughout; In-flight illustrations from above and below; Detailed, multi-colour maps showing distribution, based on the latest atlas data, and including subspecies and abundance; Fascinating insights into LBJ biology, classification and names; Useful tips and techniques to help you find and identify LBJs.
For more information on the book, visit www.LBJs.co.za. Copies can be ordered direct from Faansie Peacock at faansie@lbjs.co.za
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P H O TO O F T H E M O N T H
The relationship between the Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk and the Honey Badger is quite well-known, but not often captured in a photograph. Ian White watched this wily bird trailing the foraging badger during the early morning in Khutse Game Reserve. Before 8 o’ clock both the badger and the bird had had their breakfast!
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