More than 80 birding enthusiasts from across the country set out in 17 boats for the 12th Sasol BirdLife Vaaldam Coordinated Waterbird Count (CWAC) last weekend on the Vaal Dam.

The Animal Demography Unit (ADU) launched the CWAC project in 1992 as part South Africa’s commitment to international waterbird conservation. This is conducted through a programme of regular mid-summer and mid-winter censuses of waterbirds at a large number of South African wetlands. The Sasol Vaaldam CWAC last Sunday was the climax event of the ADU’s Citizen Science Week, dubbed the Summer Storm.

This Bird Count is arranged by BirdLife Vaaldam and sponsored by Sasol. A total of 13,098 waterbirds were counted, compared to last year’s total of 15,051. The most abundant species this year were the Blacksmith Lapwing with 3165 birds (1873 last year), followed by the Egyptian Goose with 1662 (2349 last year). The Vaal Dam is the stronghold in the interior of South Africa for two important waterbird species: the largest tern and the largest heron. 631 Caspian Terns were counted, a big increase on the 268 recorded last year. 103 Goliath Herons were spotted this year, close to last year’s total of 114.

Birdlife Vaaldam Chairman, Jerome Ainsley said, “With 12 years of data available, it starts to make sense to do a trend analysis, and establish which species are on increasing trajectories and which are decreasing. The Animal Demography Unit of the University of Cape Town will complete this analysis, and have it ready for presentation at the 2016 Sasol Vaaldam CWAC.”

Professor Les Underhill of the ADU adds that regular six-monthly counts are regarded as a minimum standard. “However, we do encourage counters to survey their wetlands on a more regular basis as this provides more accurate data. All the counts are conducted by volunteers; people and organisations with a passion for waterbird conservation. Currently, the project regularly monitors over 400 wetlands around the country, and curates waterbird data for over 600 sites.”

Sasol’s Group Sponsorship Manager, Richard Hughes said, “Sasol’s involvement in bird wildlife is focussed on environmental conservation and education, whilst also promoting birding as a pastime. The Sasol Vaaldam Bird Count is one of the largest and most successful citizen science programmes in South Africa, providing much needed data for waterbird conservation around the world.”

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