I received an email recently from a fellow atlasser Tony Archer, # 10437, (see his SABAP2 stats here: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/data_summary_observer.php?Obs=10437), informing me of a trip he was planning into the western areas of North West.
His target was to atlas at least one pentad in each untouched Half Degree Grid Cell left in the North West, and as the Coverage map shows, ( http://sabap2.adu.org.za/coverage_map_mapped.php), he has done an amazing job.
There are now only 3 HDGC without a atlassed pentad, 2 of which overlap into neighbouring provinces (Go to the coverage map and select 'Empty Half Degrees" and refresh)
This great atlassing effort from Tony has pushed the North West's coverage to 21.7, ie 322 out of 1486 pentads atlassed.
Well Done!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Late Migrant Surprises!!
By now, as the SABAP2 LAMP challenge is proving, the majority of migratory birds have headed to greener pastures. There are naturally those birds that feel that South Africa's Winters aren't THAT bad, and choose to stay.
Nonetheless, while atlassing pentad 2520_2705 yesterday, I was quite surprised to see a single Jacobin's Cuckoo over our companies Game Farm yesterday.
This was followed up today by a single White Stork circling over the Kwena Gardens Crocodile Sanctuary.
Roll on Winter, and I'm already on the lookout for the beautiful Fairy Flycatcher that will start moving into our area soon.
Happy atlassing!!
Nonetheless, while atlassing pentad 2520_2705 yesterday, I was quite surprised to see a single Jacobin's Cuckoo over our companies Game Farm yesterday.
This was followed up today by a single White Stork circling over the Kwena Gardens Crocodile Sanctuary.
Roll on Winter, and I'm already on the lookout for the beautiful Fairy Flycatcher that will start moving into our area soon.
Happy atlassing!!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
North West reaches 20%
I was very impressed to see that the North West province has now reached 20.4% coverage. This equates to 303 of the 1486 pentads overlaying the province having been atlassed at least once.
To reach this percentage, 1008 cards have been submitted, constituting 59 507 records, with an average of 59 species per card.
To date, the highest species count on a card in the North West is still 143.
Of the 303 North West pentads:
- 6 pentads have over 25 cards submitted
- 8 pentads have 16 - 24 cards submitted
- 14 pentads have 11 - 15 cards submitted
- 13 pentads have 7 - 10 cards submitted
- 27 pentads have 4 - 6 cards submitted
- 89 pentads have 2 - 3 cards submitted
- 146 pentads have been atlassed once.
On the species diversity front, North West stands as follows:
- 35 pentads have a species count of between 106 and 140 species
- 22 pentads have a species count of between 141 and 180 species
- 14 pentads have over 181 species recorded
Well done to all atlassers who have had a hand in these stats!!!
To reach this percentage, 1008 cards have been submitted, constituting 59 507 records, with an average of 59 species per card.
To date, the highest species count on a card in the North West is still 143.
Of the 303 North West pentads:
- 6 pentads have over 25 cards submitted
- 8 pentads have 16 - 24 cards submitted
- 14 pentads have 11 - 15 cards submitted
- 13 pentads have 7 - 10 cards submitted
- 27 pentads have 4 - 6 cards submitted
- 89 pentads have 2 - 3 cards submitted
- 146 pentads have been atlassed once.
On the species diversity front, North West stands as follows:
- 35 pentads have a species count of between 106 and 140 species
- 22 pentads have a species count of between 141 and 180 species
- 14 pentads have over 181 species recorded
Well done to all atlassers who have had a hand in these stats!!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Atlassing discoveries
While out atlassing pentad 2520_2705 covering Sun City, I spent an hour or so with my parents birding in the Cascades tropical gardens, with the aim of ticking Meyer's Parrot amongst a few others.
Eventually, the shrieking call of the Parrot caught our attention, and we got some good views.
However, we were greatly surprised to note a second Parrot being chased around by nothing other than a Rosy-faced Lovebird. After some debate, including a trip into the aviary, the second parrot was confirmed as a Senegal Parrot.
There is no doubt that these 2 birds escaped from the aviary, as although they are listed on the aviary list, they were nowhere to be seen.
Although it is unfortunate that escapees are on the loose, we still watched the interaction with amazement. Especially the interaction between the Lovebird and the Senegal Parrot. On numerous occasions, the Lovebird was seen to be "dancing" in front of the Parrot, bobbing a few times, then turning 180* on the branch, followed by more bobbing and more turning. It seems that the Lovebird was living up to its name.
Having moved on from this activity, I was very glad to locate the pair of Little Sparrowhawk again within metres of where I had previously watched the male trying to interest the female in some nest-building. The pair seem to be content in this area, even with the hustle of visitors around the swimming pool.
Now I just have to wait for the Out of Range forms to be generated by our escapees. Even though the record will not be included in the data, it will still be interesting to see the "distribution" of the numerous escapees floating around South Africa.
Eventually, the shrieking call of the Parrot caught our attention, and we got some good views.
However, we were greatly surprised to note a second Parrot being chased around by nothing other than a Rosy-faced Lovebird. After some debate, including a trip into the aviary, the second parrot was confirmed as a Senegal Parrot.
There is no doubt that these 2 birds escaped from the aviary, as although they are listed on the aviary list, they were nowhere to be seen.
Although it is unfortunate that escapees are on the loose, we still watched the interaction with amazement. Especially the interaction between the Lovebird and the Senegal Parrot. On numerous occasions, the Lovebird was seen to be "dancing" in front of the Parrot, bobbing a few times, then turning 180* on the branch, followed by more bobbing and more turning. It seems that the Lovebird was living up to its name.
Having moved on from this activity, I was very glad to locate the pair of Little Sparrowhawk again within metres of where I had previously watched the male trying to interest the female in some nest-building. The pair seem to be content in this area, even with the hustle of visitors around the swimming pool.
Now I just have to wait for the Out of Range forms to be generated by our escapees. Even though the record will not be included in the data, it will still be interesting to see the "distribution" of the numerous escapees floating around South Africa.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Autumn Atlassing
Winter is well on the way to catching up with us, and this is very evident when spending a bit of time bird-watching. Migration has begun in earnest, and migratory species numbers are steadily declining.
In my earlier birdwatching years, I have been aware of these birds leaving and arriving, but have never really focused on this. That is where SABAP2 has changed my view, as I am now constantly looking out for the moment these species pack their bags.
Most of the Barn Swallows have moved on, but a handful were still scouring the fields near my house (2525_2700) on Friday, 13 March. Black Cuckoo has still been calling, as well as Diedericks. The Willow Warblers have already started their journey, and haven't been seen for a few weeks in my area. A Spotted Flycatcher was still frantically busy this morning catching any insect that dared move in front of his beak, preparing for the long journey. Lesser Striped and Red-breasted Swallows have still been relatively common till this weekend, maybe the cold mornings made them make up their mind to move.
The Woodland Kingfisher's striking call was common in my garden up till mid January, and has been silent since then. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the call on 5th March while out with guests at the Predator Park not far from Sun City (2520_2710).
In an attempt to "map" the departure of birds, SABAP2 is running a project called LAMP, the Long Autumn Migration Project, running from 1 March 2009 to 31 May 2009. The idea is o go deep in pentads, as this will clearly show the departure of the migratory species. For more detailed info, visit the SABAP2 website and have a look.
Happy atlassing!
In my earlier birdwatching years, I have been aware of these birds leaving and arriving, but have never really focused on this. That is where SABAP2 has changed my view, as I am now constantly looking out for the moment these species pack their bags.
Most of the Barn Swallows have moved on, but a handful were still scouring the fields near my house (2525_2700) on Friday, 13 March. Black Cuckoo has still been calling, as well as Diedericks. The Willow Warblers have already started their journey, and haven't been seen for a few weeks in my area. A Spotted Flycatcher was still frantically busy this morning catching any insect that dared move in front of his beak, preparing for the long journey. Lesser Striped and Red-breasted Swallows have still been relatively common till this weekend, maybe the cold mornings made them make up their mind to move.
The Woodland Kingfisher's striking call was common in my garden up till mid January, and has been silent since then. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the call on 5th March while out with guests at the Predator Park not far from Sun City (2520_2710).
In an attempt to "map" the departure of birds, SABAP2 is running a project called LAMP, the Long Autumn Migration Project, running from 1 March 2009 to 31 May 2009. The idea is o go deep in pentads, as this will clearly show the departure of the migratory species. For more detailed info, visit the SABAP2 website and have a look.
Happy atlassing!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Pilanesberg Atlassing
Atlassing over Pilanesberg has been a bit slow in recent times, not surprising as everyone went back to work during January. Not to worry, weekends are still available to benefit from the great birding that is on offer as the seasons start changing.
For those following the coverage map, pentad 2510_2705 has finally turned BLUE, while 2515_2705 has joined the Sun City pentad (2520_2705) as RED. This now leaves only 3 pentads just short of turning BLUE.
For those visiting Pilanesberg soon, why not target some of the lesser known pentads, and lets see if we can get Pilanesberg thoroughly atlassed. If you are interested in the Pilanesberg map with the pentads overlaid, please contact me on stuartgroom@xsinet.co.za for a copy.
For those following the coverage map, pentad 2510_2705 has finally turned BLUE, while 2515_2705 has joined the Sun City pentad (2520_2705) as RED. This now leaves only 3 pentads just short of turning BLUE.
For those visiting Pilanesberg soon, why not target some of the lesser known pentads, and lets see if we can get Pilanesberg thoroughly atlassed. If you are interested in the Pilanesberg map with the pentads overlaid, please contact me on stuartgroom@xsinet.co.za for a copy.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
North West Atlassing
North West Province has a total of 1486 pentads covering the area, and to date 241 pentads have already been atlassed at least once. This equates to a coverage of 16.2%, not far behind the overall SABAP2 coverage of just over 20%.
In reaching the 16.2% mark, a total of 755 card were submitted, constituting 44 625 records. This is an average of 59.1 species per card. The highest species for a North West card is 143, not an easy target. Next target 200???
Thanks to all the observers who contributed to these stats, this is a job well done.
In reaching the 16.2% mark, a total of 755 card were submitted, constituting 44 625 records. This is an average of 59.1 species per card. The highest species for a North West card is 143, not an easy target. Next target 200???
Thanks to all the observers who contributed to these stats, this is a job well done.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Pilanesberg Atlassing
With all the fun of watching the BASH statistics being reached, I have only now got to update the Pilanesberg map.
As reported earlier, 2520_2705 has hit RED, with 2515_2705 only one list away!!
Sadly, the 4 green pentads have gone unnoticed for some time. Pursuing my challenge to TURN PILANESBERG BLUE (and RED ;-) I urge all atlassers visiting Pilanesberg in the next short while to target these areas, as there is some good birding to be had in these pentads.
2510_2700 is just 4 lists away from hitting BLUE
2510_2705 and 2510_2710 are just 1 list away from BLUE
2515_2710 needs 2 more for BLUE
Help is on the way for some of the North-Western Pentads with the new Black Rhino Lodge situated in close proximity to these, so I hope to see these reach BLUE soon.
Happy atlassing!!
As reported earlier, 2520_2705 has hit RED, with 2515_2705 only one list away!!
Sadly, the 4 green pentads have gone unnoticed for some time. Pursuing my challenge to TURN PILANESBERG BLUE (and RED ;-) I urge all atlassers visiting Pilanesberg in the next short while to target these areas, as there is some good birding to be had in these pentads.
2510_2700 is just 4 lists away from hitting BLUE
2510_2705 and 2510_2710 are just 1 list away from BLUE
2515_2710 needs 2 more for BLUE
Help is on the way for some of the North-Western Pentads with the new Black Rhino Lodge situated in close proximity to these, so I hope to see these reach BLUE soon.
Happy atlassing!!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
BASH STATS SMASHED
Monday, February 9, 2009
Pilanesberg atlassing
Pentad 2520_2705 covering Sun City has turned RED! This is the first pentad out of 1486 pentads that cover the North West Province to have been atlassed 25 times or more.
Thank you to the observers who assisted me in reaching this target.
And unless an observer out there would like to prove me wrong, the next RED pentad is likely to be 2515_2705 covering the central area of Pilanesberg Nat Park (directly North of the Sun City Pentad), as it is currently standing on 24 full protocol cards.
Who will submit the 25th???
Thank you to the observers who assisted me in reaching this target.
And unless an observer out there would like to prove me wrong, the next RED pentad is likely to be 2515_2705 covering the central area of Pilanesberg Nat Park (directly North of the Sun City Pentad), as it is currently standing on 24 full protocol cards.
Who will submit the 25th???
Monday, February 2, 2009
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse
The scenic route home today took me past the ploughed lands favoured by the Sandgrouse, but I was not fully expecting to find them, with it being 10:30.
I was therefore pleased to find a group of 9 birds feeding about 30m off the road. I approached on foot slowly, and at 20m, they took off, followed by another 11 birds that I hadn't noticed. I was happy to note that after flying a stretch, they circled and landed together about 80m away, having expected them to move off completely.
Now I can see why the jizz of a bird is so important to identification, because in flight the Speckled Pigeons and Yellow-throated Sandgrouse look very similar. This is till you notice the more pointed wings and more rapid flight of the Sandgrouse. With Pigeons and Sandgrouse sharing the fields, it makes identification quite tricky at first!!
And then there's the sandgrouse call to make life so much easier.
I was therefore pleased to find a group of 9 birds feeding about 30m off the road. I approached on foot slowly, and at 20m, they took off, followed by another 11 birds that I hadn't noticed. I was happy to note that after flying a stretch, they circled and landed together about 80m away, having expected them to move off completely.
Now I can see why the jizz of a bird is so important to identification, because in flight the Speckled Pigeons and Yellow-throated Sandgrouse look very similar. This is till you notice the more pointed wings and more rapid flight of the Sandgrouse. With Pigeons and Sandgrouse sharing the fields, it makes identification quite tricky at first!!
And then there's the sandgrouse call to make life so much easier.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
YT Sandgrouse update
With the thought of adding another pentad to the BASH statistics (see the SABAP2 webpage), we headed off to atlas pentad 2525_2705 yesterday. Sadly, after one thing and another, we only managed 1.5 hours before calling it quits.
The list started off well, with species like Yellow Canary, Abdim's Stork, Yellow-crowned Bishop, Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark and Yellow-throated Sandgrouse showing well. I'll know the full total when I get around to submitting the list.Using atlassing as the excuse, my main target was to located the YT Sandgrouse again, and I was not disappointed. This site is proving very reliable.
To start, 1 male and 2 females were noted feeding in the ploughed lands, and the next hour saw us noting over 40 sandgrouse along the 3km of road.
This area has the benefit of easier access than the site just south of Sun City, although you have to work for the sighting. No such thing as sitting around waiting for them to land in front of you. With all the rain we have had recently (close on 300mm in January), I haven't ventured down to the Sun City site as getting stuck in black-cotton clay doesn't appeal to me. If we experience a few days of dry weather I will pop past this site and see what arrives. An update will follow if I don't get bogged down.Thursday, January 29, 2009
Rain, rain and more rain
40mm+ today, and its still dripping. The mornings rain very quickly put paid to what was supposed to be some good birding time. Oh, I did see a few birds, most resembling drowned rats, but the rest were doing the only sensible thing and staying under cover, like me.
The pentad covering Sun City (2520_2705) has finally turned RED, with the 25th list submitted recently. I was intending to make it 26, with a quick dash to pentad 2525_2705 in search of Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and the Temminck's Coursers I noted a few days back, but that was not to be.
However, without the distraction of birding, I could sit back and appreciate the beautiful rain and what it is doing to the veld in the area. Pilanesberg and surrounds is looking very lush, and the dams are nice and full. In my home pentad (2525_2700) I have recorded the following rainfall this season:
October 2008 - 80mm
November 2008 - 71mm
December 2008 - 26mm
January 2009 - 255mm and counting
This is still about 200mm short of our average, so still some catching up to do. When will there be time to atlas??
Here's hoping for a dry day shortly to get some fresh air and tackle some pentads.
The pentad covering Sun City (2520_2705) has finally turned RED, with the 25th list submitted recently. I was intending to make it 26, with a quick dash to pentad 2525_2705 in search of Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and the Temminck's Coursers I noted a few days back, but that was not to be.
However, without the distraction of birding, I could sit back and appreciate the beautiful rain and what it is doing to the veld in the area. Pilanesberg and surrounds is looking very lush, and the dams are nice and full. In my home pentad (2525_2700) I have recorded the following rainfall this season:
October 2008 - 80mm
November 2008 - 71mm
December 2008 - 26mm
January 2009 - 255mm and counting
This is still about 200mm short of our average, so still some catching up to do. When will there be time to atlas??
Here's hoping for a dry day shortly to get some fresh air and tackle some pentads.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Well Done!!!
Huge congratulations to the atlassers who pushed Gauteng's coverage to the magical 100% mark!
Awesome work!!
Next stop North West ????!!!!
Awesome work!!
Next stop North West ????!!!!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Atlassing Pilanesberg National Park
I am fortunate that my workplace is Pilanesberg National Park, a stunning reserve with great birding. Inevitably, Pilanesberg receives most of my attention when it comes to atlassing, simply because of the ease of access.
Pilanesberg covers 55o square kilometres, and is pretty well situated to allow for easy atlassing. The park has a road network of over 200km, allowing fairly good coverage of the 9 pentads accessible by the roads. 4 additional pentads cover some part of Pilanesberg, however, no public access roads are available. These I will tackle as I can with the assistance of other guides in the park.
Below is a map of Pilanesberg with the pentads overlaid (A printable version is available, email me for a copy)
Pilanesberg covers 55o square kilometres, and is pretty well situated to allow for easy atlassing. The park has a road network of over 200km, allowing fairly good coverage of the 9 pentads accessible by the roads. 4 additional pentads cover some part of Pilanesberg, however, no public access roads are available. These I will tackle as I can with the assistance of other guides in the park.
Below is a map of Pilanesberg with the pentads overlaid (A printable version is available, email me for a copy)
I recently posed a challenge to other atlasers in an article I submitted to Pilanesberg News, a quarterly newspaper. This challenge was to turn Pilanesberg BLUE!!
11 cards in a pentad turn it Light Blue, 16 for Dark Blue, 25 for Red. 3 Pentads currently are Dark Blue, with one pentad (2520_2705 Sun City) needing only one more card to turn RED!!
Below is the latest coverage (number of cards per pentad) of Pilanesberg as at 25.01.2009
I challenge atlasers to focus on the pentads still needing some attention, and lets see how quickly we can TURN PILANESBERG BLUE!!
In search of Yellow-throated Sandgrouse
I was contacted recently by a birder interested in locating the Yellow-throated Sandgrouse (YTSG), and we arranged to head out today.
My first target was to search the mielie fields between Boshoek and Robega, with a back-up spot being the Sun City site.
We arrived at the fields just after 13:30, as I was hoping to discover a bit more about the schedule these birds follow; I had seen them previously between 16:00 and 18:00. We scanned the 4km of road bordered by fields back and forth a few times, and although we couldn't find the YTSG, I managed to pick out at least 6 Temminck's Courser's in a fallow field. Stunning birds these. All this while we were constantly watching an approaching storm, and hoping that it would miss us. We weren't that lucky, and the storm arrived in all its glory just before 16:00. Timing couldn't have been worse, as we collectively noticed a flock of 5 YTSG fly in and land just as visibility was being lost by raindrops covering the windows. A patient 10 minute wait ensued, and we were graced with a 5 minute reprieve from the storm, just enough time to locate the birds and have a quick look.
That was all we were given, the storm closed in again and we made our way home, "paddling" our way through flooded roads (at least the roads are tarred ;-).
Hopefully this spot will prove to be a very reliable stakeout as time goes.
See you there?????
My first target was to search the mielie fields between Boshoek and Robega, with a back-up spot being the Sun City site.
We arrived at the fields just after 13:30, as I was hoping to discover a bit more about the schedule these birds follow; I had seen them previously between 16:00 and 18:00. We scanned the 4km of road bordered by fields back and forth a few times, and although we couldn't find the YTSG, I managed to pick out at least 6 Temminck's Courser's in a fallow field. Stunning birds these. All this while we were constantly watching an approaching storm, and hoping that it would miss us. We weren't that lucky, and the storm arrived in all its glory just before 16:00. Timing couldn't have been worse, as we collectively noticed a flock of 5 YTSG fly in and land just as visibility was being lost by raindrops covering the windows. A patient 10 minute wait ensued, and we were graced with a 5 minute reprieve from the storm, just enough time to locate the birds and have a quick look.
That was all we were given, the storm closed in again and we made our way home, "paddling" our way through flooded roads (at least the roads are tarred ;-).
Hopefully this spot will prove to be a very reliable stakeout as time goes.
See you there?????
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Birding with a reason
When I first learnt of the Second South African Bird Atlassing Project (SABAP2), I must admit I found myself amongst many others that felt they could get more benefit spending their time differently. Although my father had been actively atlassing since the beginning of the project, the bug still didn't bite.
That was until I led a Wits Bird Club outing in search of the beautiful Yellowthroated Sandgrouse on the 23rd August 2008. The group leader, Mrs Gisela Ortner, delegated me to keep her birdlist as she atlassed the area surrounding the muddy little patch of water we were patiently waiting alongside. Thankfully, the Sandgrouse put in a great display, and everyone left happy.
That was until I led a Wits Bird Club outing in search of the beautiful Yellowthroated Sandgrouse on the 23rd August 2008. The group leader, Mrs Gisela Ortner, delegated me to keep her birdlist as she atlassed the area surrounding the muddy little patch of water we were patiently waiting alongside. Thankfully, the Sandgrouse put in a great display, and everyone left happy.
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse pair
The following morning saw the group spending the morning birding on the Kedar Country Hotel property outside Rustenburg. My birdlist after 6 hours stood on 60 species, and this was to be my first list submitted towards SABAP2.
To date, I have submitted over 45 full protocol lists as well as over 20 adhoc lists. I have listed over 2800 records covering 327 different species.
You may ask the simple question: Why?
The answer is just as simple: Birding with a reason.
Gone are the days of visiting an area just to birdwatch. Now lists are kept, GPS co-ordinates noted, and plenty of birding is had!! These lists are submitted into the SABAP2 database, along with over 400 other observers' contributions, in a project aimed at improving our knowledge of bird distribution across the whole of South Africa.
Now an individual can contribute meaningfully towards an amazing project, and this gives me a reason to go out birding, knowing that I am making a difference.
For those looking for more information, visit http://sabap2.adu.org.za/, or hit the link on the righthand column.
Happy birding and atlassing!!!
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