The CWAC Count

The Animal Demography Unit (ADU) at University of Cape Town, launched the Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC) project in 1992 as part South Africa’s commitment to International waterbird conservation. This programme of regular censuses at many South African wetlands is one of the largest and most successful citizen science programmes in Africa, providing much needed data for waterbird conservation around the world. The project curates waterbird data for over 600 sites.

The ecological viability of the estuary depends primarily on tidal flushing and the biologists together with the volunteers and interns monitor the Uilenkraal system on a weekly basis with the data on salinity, oxygen and temperature feeding into the overall management of the estuary. At the same time, bird counts are also done weekly.

We record: Species / Amount / Location / Any notable behavior (ex: breeding behavior)

Why do we monitor birds in the area?

• Identify biodiversity
• Identify species, sites, and threats of greatest concern
• Assess extent of human impact
• Monitor progress of conservation/protection efforts
• Study migration patterns
• Assess overall estuary health

Together with the quarterly counts, this weekly data will contribute to our understanding of the birds that are reliant on the health of the estuary. The volunteers at the Marine Dynamics Academy joined the most recent count. Over the last three CWAC counts, there have been 18 bird species counted with some variation of species.

Birds seen on the estuary include (but not limited to) gulls, terns, waders, cormorants, herons, egrets, storks, flamingos, ibises, ducks and geese, coots, oystercatchers, plovers, stilts, lapwings, sandpipers, curlews, wagtails and stints.

In all, it’s not a bad way to spend a few hours enjoying the calmness of the estuary.