News

Raptors Namibia newsletters are produced monthly and contain topical articles and information on sightings, events, meetings and other news about Namibia's raptors and the activities of Raptors Namibia.

They are available for download as pdf files. On this page you can view samples of some of the articles and/or download the whole newsletters.

Information on upcoming events is also provided on this site; please keep us informed of any news or events which would be of interest or which you would like posted on this site.

Newsletters

Newsletters prior to November 2006 can be obtained by emailing the coordinators.

June 2008

• Vultures of Etosha [Expand]

Vultures of Etosha Vultures are known to have long distance movements, ranging up to few hundreds of kms for dispersing juveniles (see report from MD and JA in Raptors Namibia #2, 2005) and up to several tens of kms daily while foraging. Yet, finding a carcass, which tends to be unpredictable in time and space, poses a significant challenge for a searching vulture. To cope with this challenge, vultures cover large areas and perform social interaction while foraging, with birds 'keeping their eyes open' to see whether other individuals have found a food item. Currently, our knowledge about how vultures search for food or to what extent they rely on each other or other species is still very limited. Our project aims to explore vultures' movement patterns and understand the consequences of these movements. These consequences include issues relevant for the conservation of the vultures themselves (e.g. by addressing questions such as home range sizes, habitat preference, poisoning risks etc). Moreover, understanding the movement patterns is highly important for evaluating the roles vultures play in the ecosystem (e.g. by cleaning carcasses). In Etosha National Park (ENP), one of these roles involves handling anthrax contaminated carcasses. Anthrax is a fatal disease, caused by the spore-generatingbacterium Bacillus anthracis, which affects a wide range of warm-blooded mammals, including humans, but mostly cattle and game. In ENP, outbreaks of the disease occur yearly and peak by the end of the wet season (February- April), mostly in the Okaukuejo sector. Different aspects of this important disease are studied by Professor Wayne Getz from Berkeley University (California, USA) and his students in collaboration with the Etosha Ecological Institute of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Scavengers are hypothesized to influence the dynamic of the epidemic as they consume the deceased animals that contain high concentrations of the bacteria. On one hand, scavengers may limit disease spread by consuming meat prior to sporulation, and on the other hand, scavengers, especially vultures, may disperse the germs across long distances and facilitate the spread of spores in their faeces. To better understand the actual effect, a detailed study of vultures' (and other scavengers) behaviour and movements is essential. Toward this aim we plan to fit White-backed Vultures (Gyps africanus) and Lappet-faced Vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) with GPS transmitters. Despite some difficulties in capturing the shy vultures of Etosha, at the time of writing six vultures had been caught and fitted with transmitters. Transmitters provide spatial location of the vultures at high temporal resolution (every two minutes, see Figure 1) and some independent behavioural data from an integrated acceleration sensor. Analyzing this data, will allow us to better understand the dynamics of anthrax and will help us predict its occurrence and spread, as well as understanding the needs of the vultures. Orr Spiegel [Hide]

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April-May 2008

• Shrikes and buzzards [Expand]

Shrikes and buzzards On a recent set of bird surveys, assessing bird species richness and diversity across Namibia's impressive rainfall gradient, Justine Braby and I recorded Redbacked Shrikes - a common migrant from Eurasia in the eastern parts of Namibia. Nothing unusual there, except on at least two occasions in the same river (about 1 km apart) I was drawn to adults alarm-calling at me. (I chased them down and there were no snakes or mongooses or gabars etc.). Curious, as that's never happened before. On closer inspection there were two young (flighted) shrikes in the trees in one instance and a singleton in the other. At least two thoughts come to mind - adults and their young migrate together and they are still semi-dependent on the adults whilst in their winter quarters they bred in Namibia/southern Africa in the exceptional rains of this La Nina year and this is why they were still being defended. Any thoughts? Rob Simons [Hide]

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February-March 2008

• Material for traditional healing [Expand]

Material for traditional healing A traditional healer and his client arrived unannounced at NARREC in need of large bird of prey material. We had a very productive meeting at the traditional healer's offices in Katutura the next day. Much of the discussion was about what the healers require and how to ensure traceability, accountability, sustainability and transparency with "the entire group" of traditional healers. At present, no policy with regard to traditional healers exists in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET). Traditional healers may be treated as any other harvester of natural materials, but of course, there is some issue with the fact that a number of animals and body parts of animals that they require are protected species. I think that it would be a good idea to "formalise": the relationship with the Traditional Healers Association. From NARREC and other captive wildlife facilities, sympathetic farmers and MET officials in parks, a variety of material can be sustainably supplied. The list so far includes: Vulture bones, especially skull and feet Eagle bones, skull and feet (It is unclear as to whether or not other medium size raptors are "eagles") Ostrich fat and eggs Pangolin scales Hedgehog skin Porcupine quills Rock Python bones and fat Lion faeces and fat Elephant faeces and fat Aardvark Jackal skin Other wildlife skin??? Anyone having any experience or ideas please contact Liz at liz@narrec.schoolnet.na. It is a real problem but can be solved if the relevant authorities are interested. The Birds of Prey Working Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust has made some progress in this regard. We would like to hear from them. Liz Komen [Hide]

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January 2008

• Honey Buzzards in Windhoek [Expand]

Honey Buzzards in Windhoek We have seen Honey Buzzard in Windhoek only sporadically over the past 20 years, perhaps one bird being seen every two or three years. However, there seem to be quite a number of these Palaearctic migrants in town this summer. As of the 20th of January 2008, we have had seven sightings, including two birds circling together. The photograph was taken of a confiding bird in a garden in Olympia. Three of the sightings have been in this suburb and the remaining four in Klein Windhoek. But the concentration of records in the two areas is probably coincidental because these are the suburbs in which we travel daily. It would be interesting to hear of other sightings in Windhoek to help assess if this is indeed a bumper year for Honey Buzzards and what other areas of the city they frequent. John and Martin Mendelsohn [Hide]

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December 2007

• Further progress with NamPower / NNF Raptors Namibia partnership [Expand]

Further progress with NamPower / NNF Raptors Namibia partnership Certain actions have been proposed to reduce potential conflict between raptors and powerlines in Namibia (see Raptor News No 2 Feb 07, pp 3-4). Chris van Rooyen (at that stage representing the Eskom-EWT Strategic Partnership, SA) kindly undertook to develop the above ideas in the form of a draft proposal for a NamPower/NNF Raptors Namibia partnership. These ideas were discussed further at a meeting of the raptor-power lines Steering Committee in Windhoek on 22 November 2007. The draft proposal includes four main action areas. Ann and Mike Scott [Hide]

• Air show for Namibia's most endangered species, the Cape Vulture, a soaring success! [Expand]

Air show for Namibia's most endangered species, the Cape Vulture, a soaring success! The Flight for the Plight air show, at the Otjiwarongo airstrip on Saturday, 17 November 2007 was a resounding success. Approximately 6 000 people enjoyed this event. Air Show announcer extraordinaire, Brian Emmenis, kept the spectators well informed on the various planes buzzing around the skies of Otjiwarongo throughout the day. The variety of planes was fantastic. The Namibian Air force flew in K8 trainer jets, an Alouette helicopter and a transport plane. We had one of only a few Antonov 2s flying in southern Africa, a Pitt S-B2 plane, Polish Wilga, sky divers and a variety of microlights, kit planes, Tecnams and Cessnas. We also had a great team flying radio controlled planes, like the Grippon, whose owner is ranked 8th on the world circuit. Radiowave personalities Vikki Matjila and Deacon projected portions of the day live to the nation, as well as providing a soundtrack for all the days' events. Along with their great music, the day was also captured nicely by One Africa Television, and a myriad of photographers, including Sabine Bernert, Scott Hurd and Luc Zwijsen were there. This year, we partnered with the Okorusu Mine and launched our 'helping people who help the environment' campaign. An HIV Awareness Walk began in the city centre and all the participants walked out to the airfield early on the morning of the air show. We also joined with the Sunshine orphanage and the young 'vulture squad' helped keep the area clean and enjoyed sponsored food and drinks. Okorusu Mine organized a bus to transport spectators from Otjiwarongo to the airstrip and back, every half an hour for the entire day. Once the day began, Otjiwarongo Christian School teachers, students and helpers ran a number of activities for children and adults alike. This year activities included an 8m tall water slide, the crazy hat contest, paper airplane building, face painting, colouring and the Crazy Tower - which had contestants simultaneously stacking and climbing soda bottle crates while hooked into a climbing harness. In the same fashion as the '05 Flight for the Plight, Otjiwarongo Rotary Club ran the 'volleyball for all' and a busy bar tent all day long, paired nicely with the great food and refreshments sold by Mias Vermaak. This year we added the Tafel Lager music mania concert for an evening event. The music was fantastic and began with Fred Kazandjian followed by Danella, Jackson Kaujeua and Theo's mix. DJ Martin Pool then played some great music for those who wanted to dance a bit. Maria Diekmann, founder and Director of The Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST) was astounded by the support of sponsors, the public and the participants. Everyone enjoyed the day and plans and additions are already being talked about to make the 2009 event even more fun. Most importantly, the image and message about the Cape Vulture - Namibia's most endangered species - went out to thousands of people and hopefully we will all continue to care about this magnificent and useful bird. REST [Hide]

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November 2007

• Pale Chanting Goshawk kills owl [Expand]

Pale Chanting Goshawk kills owl During September this year, in the Kuiseb River delta, a few kilometres from Walvis Bay, Francois du Toit and I witnessed an unusual sight. Francois saw a Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk (PCG), Melierax canorus swoop onto something in the grass, close to the track near the salt works. Both observers stopped and saw the PCG standing over another bird that was struggling to escape. The goshawk started plucking its partly subdued prey, but it was firmly held in the talons of the PCG and on its back. After some minutes, a wing of the prey was seen and eventually identified as a Marsh Owl, Asio capensis. The PCG continued plucking the owl and then started feeding. A second PCG was nearby, but was not seen to assist what we presumed to be its mate. The next day a visit to the site and a collection of feathers confirmed the identification of the owl. A Marsh Owl weighs between 230 and 375 grams. A male Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk has a mass of 610-870 and the female 670-1600 grams. Eckart Demasius photographed a Marsh Owl at the Walvis Bay Lagoon on 21/7/2007. In September, Naude Dreyer saw another Marsh Owl in the Kuiseb River delta, in the vicinity of the one killed by the Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk. Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

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July 2007

• How long before Vultures Become Extinct? [Expand]

How long before Vultures Become Extinct? More than 25 years ago Charles Clinning, the then ornithologist for Nature Conservation in Namibia, wrote an article titled How long before Vultures become extinct?. Mr Clinning described the six known vulture species that occur in Namibia and noted then that the Egyptian Vulture had become so rare that any siting of that species caused a stir in bird-watching and ornithological circles. He also noted that 300 Cape Vultures were counted in 1969 on the northern cliffs of the Waterberg Plateau Park and that just a decade later in 1979, only 15 birds were recorded. Since 1979, further decreases in population sizes are known to have occurred, with many reports on poisoning of these scavenging birds. The White-backed Vulture is the most common vulture seen at carcasses. The Lappet-faced Vultures are far fewer in number but also regularly seen. All the other species are rarely seen in Namibia. Over the past decades, locally and globally, much positive work for the conservation of birds of prey, has taken place, but the question remains How long before Vultures become extinct?. In order to halt the extinction of any species, innovative methods of following movements and activities and identifying individuals in a population have been used. In Namibia and other SADC countries, vultures have been marked with leg rings for decades. In fact, the very first birdringing project in southern Africa was with Cape Vultures in 1948. The first rings used on vultures were simply a stainless steel metal band with a number engraved onto the band. Later on coloured plastic rings were used and vultures that were caught would leave the ringer's hands with no less than five colour-coded rings adorning their legs. However, this did not always help with identification; plastic colour rings faded or even perished and fell off. The rings also got dirty and identifying the colours became impossible after a few years, even using binoculars. Since 2006 a new identification method has been used on vultures and other large birds such as pelicans. This new method has been copied from the simple livestock identification ear-tag. In birds, it is a wing-tag. The ear-tag is an essential primary step in the traceability of meat and has recently become mandatory in Namibia for livestock destined for export to the European Union. Wing tags are attached through the patagium of a bird's wing. The tags have been tested over years on birds that fly long distances on migration and no ill effects have been recorded. The wing-tag used for identification of migrants has resulted in excellent conservation information. One Namibian ornithologist, who wing-tagged migrant Wahlberg's Eagles, was rewarded with the first records of "our" birds wintering in central Sudan. Wing-tagging vultures may be an essential step in the conservation of these awe-inspiring and graceful sky-gliders. The letters and or numbers on the tags are large and boldly printed so that they can be read from a distance. Remembering that birds do not see boundaries, look out for tags on vultures and pelicans in all southern African countries. All Namibians and visitors to Namibia will contribute enormously to bird conservation projects if they can report on any tags seen. Please note the wing-tag's number and colour, the date, time and place of seeing the bird and any other relevant information. Liz Komen [Hide]

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June 2007

• Vultures feeding on bullfrogs [Expand]

Vultures feeding on bullfrogs "Stories abound in Africa of vultures and their feeding habits. Indeed, when most people think of vultures, a food context probably first comes to mind; and this would always involve a large carcass, and usually a disdainful comment thrown in for good measure" (Vultures of Africa). Rolf Ritter of the farm Woltemade in the Hochfeld area, northeast of Windhoek, observed the following interesting incident. On approaching a natural pan on his farm, he saw about a hundred White-backed Vultures in the trees and on the ground. As he usually only saw a few of these birds at a time, he assumed that they had been feeding on a large carcass. When he could not find it, he sent his workers into the surrounding bush to look, but they found no carcass. The pan was roughly 50m in diameter and held water for three or four months after the rainy season. In addition, the overflow from a nearby reservoir also flowed into the pan. Rolf noticed that the vultures had excessively trampled the area around the pan and their tracks went in and out of the water. He found feathers, down and small pieces of intestine scattered around the pan. He then realised that the vultures had been feeding on the bullfrogs living in the pan. The birds were walking into the shallow water and either catching the live frogs in their talons or in their powerful bills, or else the frogs had died and the vultures were feeding on the carrion. Vultures of Africa records vultures feeding on catfish (barbel), bream, snakes, water leguaan and just about everything else, but not on bullfrogs. The giant bullfrog Pyxicephalus adspersus, found in this part of Namibia, is from 100-200 mm in length. It can attain a mass of about 700-800 grams, more than a mouthful for a hungry vulture. These frogs breed in shallows of temporary, rain filled depressions and remain buried for most of the year (Frogs and frogging in Southern Africa). References Vultures of Africa. 1992. P. Mundy, D. Butchart, J. Ledger and S. Piper. Acorn Books and Russel Friedman Books. Frogs and frogging in Southern Africa. 2001. V. Carruthers. Struik, Cape Town Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

• Seen in Damaraland [Expand]

Seen in Damaraland I have just returned from a trip through Damaraland and very glad to report having seen three kills in three days. One the first evening, we were very fortunate to observe two male lions hiding their oryx kill from us. Unfortunately, it was in the Ugab Valley and in thick reeds - so, no chance of vultures picking this up. The next day we came upon a cheetah kill in the Huab River. We had fifteen Lappet-faced Vultures on the kill. None of the birds had rings/tags and two of the birds were juvenile. The next day we had another cheetah kill (two males killed a sub-adult oryx) and a pair of Lappet-faced Vultures on a tree near by. Driving down the Huab River, I located no less than seven vulture nests. Some had birds on them, others seem to be active as the ground was freshly whitewashed and fresh pellets found. What is the possibility of some of the Lappetfaced Vultures from the traditional southern populations moving up north? In the ten years I have worked in this area, I have not seen so much vulture activity. Interestingly enough, we did not see any White-backed Vultures. Have you ever heard or recorded a predominantly light, slaty-grey version of a Peregrine Falcon? Unfortunately, I had no camera with me, but we observed a pair of these birds hunting down the river and both of them had very light grey upper colouration with heavy barring on the under parts. The female was quite a bit bigger than the male and both were vocal. Could it be Falco peregrinus minor? What puts me off a bit is that they were very light slate grey. Never seen such light coloured birds. Bruno Nebe [Hide]

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May 2007

• Monitoring raptors during the Tsetse eradication programme [Expand]

Monitoring raptors during the Tsetse eradication programme The Governments of Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia recently undertook a project to eradicate the tsetse fly from a 10,000km2 block extending from the Kwando-Linyanti area in northern Botswana, through the Caprivi Strip, into southern Angola and Zambia. The method chosen was the sequential aerial application of Deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide that breaks down relatively quickly and apparently has little, lasting impacts on other components of the environment. A BirdLife Botswana team monitored several bird species, including raptors and vultures, in northern Botswana, and their findings are relevant to the situation in the adjacent Caprivi Strip too. Pete Hancock reports. Introduction Our starting point for the bird monitoring project was as follows: We know from work done in the Okavango Delta that Deltamethrin has a low toxicity for birds. This means that the spray does not kill birds directly However, some birds could be disturbed from their nests by low-flying planes spraying at night. This would apply to raptors, including vultures, that nest on the tops of tall trees during winter The Linyanti Swamps-Chobe River is an Important Bird Area (IBA) as it supports some globally threatened birds. It would make sense therefore to focus attention on those raptor species that are globally threatened We were also aware, from the Raptors Namibia newsletter, of the nationally threatened raptors that are listed in the Namibian Red Data Book, and included some of those species too Based on the above, our prime target was the Lappet-faced and White-headed Vultures, but we also included White-backed Vultures and African Fish-Eagles. Methods We used a Gyrocopter and an AirCam to locate nests of the above-mentioned species in the spray block and in a control area, and we monitored breeding success over the period of the tsetse spraying. We also observed some nests during the night as the spray-planes flew over, to see if the birds were disturbed in any way. Results Although over 150 raptor nests were found, there were no Lappet-faced Vulture nests and only one White-headed Vulture nest recorded. It is not known why these species do not nest in significant numbers in the area, but it is unlikely to be due to the tsetse spraying as even unused nests (which are conspicuous from the air) were not seen. Observations of breeding birds at night during the spraying showed that they were not disturbed off the nest. Other vultures and raptors bred successfully in the area that was sprayed. Examples African Fish-Eagles had a minimum of 60% breeding success. White-backed Vultures had a 57% breeding success. Conclusion The spraying of Deltamethrin over the Kwando-Linyanti area has had not discernible negative effects on any of the raptor species monitored. This is an excerpt from a comprehensive scientific report produced by the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre. A copy can be obtained by contacting the Centre directly. [Hide]

• More interesting sightings... African Marsh-harrier [Expand]

More interesting sightings... African Marsh-harrier On 02 May 2007 we had a good sighting of an African Marsh-harrier in the Fish River valley, probably about 3 to 4 km north of Ai-Ais. About an hour later we had a second sighting near the weir just above Ai-Ais. No way of telling whether it was the same bird or not but these sightings are a long way away from any sightings recorded in the Atlas, although Roberts VII indicates some isolated records from just south of the Orange River. Neil Thomson [Hide]

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April 2007

• Poisoning! [Expand]

Poisoning! Most reported incidents of poisoned wildlife involve birds of prey such as vultures and scavenging eagles. They are the non-targeted victims of poison used to kill predatory mammals on farmlands. Poisoned birds are often found close to water, presumably because the victim of poisons feels ill, feverish and therefore thirsty. When birds of prey are found, they create a newsworthy item because of their size, their endangered or rare status and the outrage that many people feel at such waste of life. The farmers that use poisons in a way that affects non-targeted wildlife are labelled as irresponsible. There are however, other wildlife poisoning events that mostly go unreported and the perpetrators of these events are possibly quite unaware of the illness and death that they cause. These poisoning events affect the garden creatures that annually fall victim to the sprays, pellets and powders used by many gardeners in urban areas. Urban wildlife poisoning events are usually linked to summer rainfall, when an increase in enthusiasm and interest in gardening coupled with increases in insect populations spells doom for pests and nonpests alike. The non-targeted birds, frogs, lizards, chameleons, bats and others are small creatures that become ill or die from a garden pesticide will seldom make a newsworthy story, most will never be found. But in some urban developments, there is both potential and pride in attracting some large wildlife to visit the garden. The eastern suburbs of Windhoek are one such area where many households take pride in the flocks of guinea fowl and families of francolin that visit their gardens. There are presumably some households in those areas that do not appreciate chicken-like birds pecking and scratching in the flowerbeds. There must also be gardeners who have neither idea nor a care that a pesticide used for a tiny aphid, fly or ant might cause illness or death to something as large as a guinea fowl. Just this month, a number of poisoned guinea fowl managed to get to the water-edge at Avis Dam. Without predators and with the availability of water these birds may have survived. However, Avis Dam hosts a range of dogs every day, some of which chase birds as part of their fun-filled outing. A bird ill from poison intake will not have the ability or speed to flee and so a number of poisoned guinea fowl at the dam were caught and killed by dogs. At least one of the killed birds was given to the unsuspecting security guards at the dam. Other dead birds were taken to the toxicology department at the State Veterinary Laboratories, Directorate of Veterinary Services. These carcasses tested positive for organophosphate, the active ingredient in a number of pesticides commonly implicated in wildlife poisoning. If the security guards had become ill, the response to the guinea fowl event might have been different. Luckily, the guards were probably at least the third down the chain (insect - guinea fowl - human) of poison intake and they suffered no obvious effects. For the guinea fowl and other wildlife, action would best be taken by the manufacturers and retailers of toxic products. But, that is not how the commercial world operates. So the responsibility lands with the end-users, you and me, to take greater care if we want nature, as we know it to survive. Liz Komen, Vultures Namibia [Hide]

• Birds of Prey Working Group information leaflets [Expand]

Birds of Prey Working Group information leaflets The Endangered Wildlife Trust Birds of Prey Working Group is busy with the production of a series of informative A4 leaflets. This information is being made available as (a) .pdf files, for emailing; (b) on the EWT website (www.ewt.org.za); and (c) as a sheet that is easy to photostat. These leaflets are quick and cheap to reproduce, and easy to update. They are initially being produced in English on one side, and in Afrikaans on the reverse side, with the idea of translating them into other southern African languages as required. The leaflets help promote BoPWG's professional image and form an important resource, for schoolchildren, landowners and other members of the public. There are literally dozens of possibilities for leaflet titles. Twelve have already been produced (see list below), and several other are in the pipeline. Please feel free to contact the editor, Mark Anderson (see below), for further details, or if you have any suggestions about producing further leaflets in the series. Leaflets already available on the BoPWG website (see above) are: Raptors and farm reservoirs (Mark Anderson) Checklist of the raptors of southern Africa (Mark Anderson) The Birds of Prey Working Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (André Botha) The Migrating Kestrel Project (Anthony van Zyl) Vulture restaurants (Steven Piper) Raptor electrocutions on electricity pylons (Chris van Rooyen) Ringing and colour-marking of raptors (André Botha) How YOU can contribute to the raptor monitoring and conservation activities of the BoPWG (André Botha) Raptors and alien trees (Andrew Jenkins) Owls and unnatural collisions (Hayley Komen) The value of raptors (Ann Scott) Owl nest boxes (Mark Anderson) Mark D. Anderson Specialist Nature Conservation Scientist (Ornithology) Dept of Tourism, Environment & Conservation, Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa Tel. +27-(0)53-8074813 (w), email manderson@half.ncape.gov.za [Hide]

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March 2007

• Assessment of the proposed Opuwo-Sesfontein rural electrification line [Expand]

Assessment of the proposed Opuwo-Sesfontein rural electrification line A letter to Mr Danie Louw, Manager: Health, Safety and Environment, NamPower, Windhoek from Chris van Rooyen, Manager: Eskom-EWT Strategic Partnership, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa on 23 January 2007. Thank you for a constructive meeting on 16 January 2007 with regard to the potential risk that the above-mentioned line might hold for vultures. As you are aware, I accompanied Mr Karl-Heinz Wagner on a short field visit to the line after the meeting where we had a look at the habitat and assessed it from a potential electrocution risk for vultures. It became clear during the field visit that the line does hold some risk for vultures.We observed two Lappet-faced Vultures (probably a pair) in the Hoanib River bed a few kilometres from the end of the line near Warmquelle. The Hoanib River is an ideal breeding and roosting habitat for this species, as it contains large trees for that purpose. Furthermore, the river contains water for most of the year, that will be used by the vultures for drinking and bathing. It is therefore highly likely that the birds will be present constantly in the area and exposed to an electrocution risk on the section of the line that runs parallel to the river bed. The nature conservation official at Sesfontein confirmed the presence of vultures, and in particular, Lappet-faced Vultures in the area. In response to my questions, he indicated that the birds occur regularly along the proposed alignment, and are always present at carcasses, in groups of five to about fifteen birds. The birds are more concentrated in the southern part of the alignment and particularly to the west of Sesfontein towards the Namib. During our inspection we noted that there are enough cattle and goats along the alignment to provide a regular source of food to the birds. The highest risk is the last section from where the line emerges from the "poort" in the mountains and run through a broad plain with very few large trees and high concentrations of livestock. During discussions with Mr Wagner, it emerged that a simple perch could be fitted to the pole top which could provide a safe perching substrate for at least two vultures. He has indicated to me that the perch could be fitted to the entire line and still be accommodated within the project budget. This is a hugely important intervention which will make a material difference for the vultures. It is strongly recommended that this becomes a standard part of the HLPCD (horizontal line post compact delta) line design for all future rural lines. In particular, it must be noted that the proposed Bergsig rural line to the south of Sesfontein is similarly an electrocution risk to vultures and it is therefore recommended that the same mitigation measures are applied to this line i.e. that the entire line is fitted with perches as proposed by Mr Wagner. Finally I want to thank yourself and Mr Wagner for the positive and constructive way in which this issue was tackled. It bodes well for future initiatives if we could sustain this level of cooperation between NamPower and the bird conservation stakeholders in Namibia. Chris van Rooyen, Manager: Eskom-EWT Strategic Partnership, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa [Hide]

• Three Lappet-faced Vultures poisoned [Expand]

Three Lappet-faced Vultures poisoned At noon on 5 March 2007, Jakobus Kooper, Jacky Vlees and student ranger Gottfried Apollus found three, sick, sub-adult Lappet-faced Vultures near the boundary fence of Aandstêr, NamibRand Nature Reserve. They contacted ranger Andreas Keding by radio and he phoned Liz Komen of Namibia Animal Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre (NARREC) in Windhoek. By four o'clock that afternoon, the birds were in Windhoek. The teamwork by staff at NamibRand, NARREC and Sefofane Air was incredible when you consider that Aandstêr is close to 500 km from the capital. The birds were so ill that they offered no resistance and were placed in large boxes and kept in a cool dark room. The Sefofane Grand Caravan, piloted by Cas van Niekerk, was on its way to Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp and after dropping the passengers, it diverted to Aandstêr. One vulture was already dead and another died on the way. The third vulture died not long after arriving in Windhoek. The birds were sent to a lab to determine what had killed them. The results indicated that they had died of organophosphate poisoning. Most vultures that are poisoned are not the targets of the poison, but innocent victims in the war between farmers and problem animals such as blackbacked jackals and caracal. The only poison that may be legally used for combating these animals is strychnine, obtained from a state vet. Organophosphates are used in animal dips, insecticides and pesticides. The survival prognosis for raptors in the case of primary poisoning is "poor to very poor" and in secondary poisoning, it is "fairly good to very poor, depending on the product implicated". Some trade names for these products are: Dazzle, Lujet, Baythion, Folidol, Metasystox and Rogor. All the people and organisations involved are thanked for their valiant efforts to save the vultures. Peter Bridgeford, Vultures Namibia [Hide]

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February 2007

• New bird database web site [Expand]

New bird database web site The bird database web site - part of Namibia's biodiversity site - is at a stage now where we would appreciate your comments. It is still under development, but can already be used to access some of the datasets. The address is: http://www.biodiversity.org.na/birds/birdhome.php. Please send all feedback, comments and suggestions to Alice. [Download newsletter, or see website, to see email address]. Alice Jarvis [Hide]

• Productive follow-up meeting on powerline-raptor interactions in Namibia [Expand]

Productive follow-up meeting on powerline-raptor interactions in Namibia Representatives from NamPower first met with Raptors Namibia, the Eskom/EWT Partnership (RSA), Vultures Namibia, NARREC and NamRingers in August 2006 to discuss matters of mutual interest (see newsletter No. 9, September 2006). On 16 January 2007 most of this group met again in Windhoek with the Electricity Control Board, Namibia Nature Foundation, John Mendelsohn, Alice Jarvis, Tony Robertson and John Irish. The meeting was chaired by Danie Louw of NamPower. [Download newsletter to read more...] Ann & Mike Scott [Hide]

• Adult Ayre's Hawk Eagle [Expand]

Adult Ayre's Hawk Eagle While working in the buffalo camp in Nyae Nyae Conservancy (situated 5kms north west of Tsumkwe) in January 2007, I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful close up sighting of an adult Ayre's Hawk Eagle. When I first saw it, it was sitting on the ground next to a small track in a well wooded area within the buffalo camp (S19 33.235 E20 27.315).When I drove up to it, it flew into the centre canopy of a camel thorn tree from where I watched it for about 15 minutes. It was about two thirds the size of an African Hawk Eagle with bold black spots down its breast, extending onto the legs. When it flew off I was able to see its uniformly black/brown back and upper wings quite clearly. The African Hawk Eagle typically shows "white windows" in the top of each wing. I used to see Ayre's Hawk Eagles quite often in woodland in Western Ivory Coast but this is my first sighting of this bird in Namibia. I note that there were only about eight or nine records of this bird from Namibia during the Atlas survey. Dave Ward [Hide]

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January 2007

• Update on Cape Vultures tracked with satellite transmitters [Expand]

Update on Cape Vultures tracked with satellite transmitters An update, with maps, is given on what has happened to the six Cape Vultures that are now being monitored. All the birds were caught at REST (Rare & Endangered Species Trust), 50 kilometres north-east of Otjiwarongo. Four vultures were caught as wild birds, three being adult males (CV3, CV4 and CV5) and one as an immature female (CV6). The remaining two were released from captivity: CV7 was bred in captivity and then released at the age of 5.5 years, while CV8 is an old adult male that had been captive for many years in South Africa (from where it came) and at REST. John Mendelsohn [Hide]

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December 2006

• Black harriers killed [Expand]

Black harriers killed When we got to the nest, the one chick was lying dead to one side of the nest, on its back and I could see no external injuries and the carcass was one to two days old. This was the oldest of the two chicks. It had not been eaten at all. The other chick was alive but with a very badly broken wing; the bone was broken high up in the body and the upper piece was sticking out of the body. I chatted to Hank Chalmers and he said there was no hope of the bird being rehabilitated and it would have been futile ringing the bird, so I put it out of it misery (not a lekker job). The adults were still feeding the chick. We looked around the nest to see if we could find anything to give us a clue as to what happened, but we found nothing. My experience of predation is that the predator eats the animal it kills and usually the prey item is fairly scattered around and not neatly placed in the grass. There is only one thing that can cause damage like this and walk away without utilising the carcasses and that is a human. This, however, is pure speculation. Kevin Shaw [Hide]

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November 2006

• (Botswana) Raptors faring poorly [Expand]

(Botswana) Raptors faring poorly The large wilderness areas in Botswana are one of the strongholds for raptors in southern Africa. Nevertheless, outside protected areas, many raptor species still have an unfavourable conservation status according to work done by Marc Herremans, former DWNP Ornithologist. A survey of raptor distribution in the country's woodlands between 1991 and 1995 found a notable decline in raptor abundance with increasing distance from protected areas, especially during the dry season. The analysis was based on 9,964 records of diurnal raptors of over 40 species. Large (>2kg), non-migratory eagle species showed the most marked reduction in numbers away from protected areas, but similar (though less extreme) patterns were also observed among various species of smaller raptors (e.g. kites, sparrowhawks, kestrels). For certain species, there was also a clear 'edge effect' within protected areas, with the abundance of large eagle species almost 45% lower in the peripheral zone (within 30km of the boundary) than in the core. The poor conservation status of raptors in Botswana seems mainly due to widespread depletion of biomass and biodiversity (including potential prey), as a result of structural changes to the vegetation caused by livestock grazing. The relative scarcity of woodland raptors outside protected areas is even more acute in more densely populated regions of southern Africa, with agricultural practices also implicated in these declines. Information from 'State of the World's Birds - 2004'. Reprinted from: Bird Conservation Newsletter # 11 - September, 2006 [Hide]

• The Lappet-faced Vulture - a flagship species [Expand]

The Lappet-faced Vulture - a flagship species During 2007, BirdLife Botswana will be embarking on a study of the Lappet-faced Vulture. It is a globally threatened bird, but we know virtually nothing about its status in Botswana and whether the population is increasing, static or declining. To start with, before we can even develop an Action Plan for conserving the species, we need to gather basic information on the Lappet-faced Vulture - its distribution, major source of food, breeding areas, potential and real threats and, finally, causes of mortality. Consequently we are requesting all concerned people in Botswana to send us information on the bird, as follows: All observations, with date, number of birds at each sighting, and GPS co-ordinates (in decimal degrees, WGS 84). Nest records with precise GPS co-ordinates (this information will be regarded as confidential and not made available to anyone else) Record of food items, and their origin e.g. giraffe carcase (killed by lions), dead donkey (road kill) Observed threats e.g. human disturbance, poisoning, collision with powerlines etc. Observed causes of mortality e.g. hit by car on main road, shot by farmer etc. While collecting information on the Lappet-faced Vulture, we can also easily collect similar information for a wide range of other raptors, with very little extra effort or expense. In this way, the Lappet-faced Vulture will be a flagship for all raptor species in Botswana. In the meantime, please send the information requested above to one of the BirdLife Botswana addresses at the end of the newsletter. If you would like a Lappet-faced Vulture poster to be sent to you, please indicate this when you submit your information. BirdLife Botswana, PO Box 20463, Maun, BOTSWANA. Alternatively, please e-mail us at: birdlifemaun@ngami.co.za BirdLife Botswana [Hide]

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Newsletters prior to November 2006 can be obtained by emailing the coordinators.

October 2006

• MET gives green light to vulture tagging [Expand]

MET gives green light to vulture tagging The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dr. Malan Lindeque, has given permission to use patagial tags on vultures in Etosha National Park and Namib-Naukluft Park. The yellow patagial tag is very visible on the wing of a tagged bird. It is hoped that this new marking method will produce more sightings from vulture researchers, birders and the public. Trials in South Africa have shown very positive results, as previously reported in the Raptors Namibia newsletter. Holger Kolberg of MET has made a poster informing the public of the marking project and it will be distributed to the above and other conservation areas. Conservancies, game farms, lodges, guest houses and other interested parties will be supplied with the posters. There has been a report and a photo of the tags in the Republikein of 28 September 2006. Other newspapers and relevant publications will also be targeted. If you would like the poster for your farm, lodge or guest house, please contact Holger or Raptors Namibia for a copy. Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

• Windhoek shoppers support vulture conservation [Expand]

Windhoek shoppers support vulture conservation Customers at Academia Friendly Supermarket have supported vulture conservation during the past year by putting money into a collection box. Christine and Ben have four posters about vultures, mounted on the wall of their supermarket. A collection-box asking for donations yielded N$750. Luckily, Ben did not present Vultures Namibia with the small change found in the box. Thank you Academia Friendly Supermarket customers, and Ben and Christine. Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

September 2006

• Cape vulture completes an epic journey [Expand]

Cape vulture completes an epic journey A one year old Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) made an epic journey across three international boundaries from South Africa to Namibia in 190 days. This young vulture was rescued by children of the Indermark community at Blouberg in Limpopo and rehabilitated at the De Wildt Vulture Unit in the Magaliesberg. Upon its release it flew off with a yellow wing tag, number B017 and this was what triggered Maria Diekmann's (Rare and Endangerd Species Trust, REST) interest on Thursday last week, when the bird arrived at their vulture restaurant close to the Waterberg, north of Otjiwarongo, Namibia. The De Wildt Vulture Unit rehabilitates injured, poisoned and orphaned vultures of which a significant number come from the Blouberg Cape Vulture colony in Limpopo. As the Cape Vulture is near extinct in Namibia, a number of these birds have been sent to REST for a population supplementation project in northern Namibia. This particular bird however, did not require an airticket or a CITES permit for his epic journey!. The vulture was released on the game farm Nyoka Ridge on the second of February this year after being rehabilitated and fitted with the wing tag at DeWildt. The farm is situated near the Scheerpoort Cape Vulture colony in the Magaliesberg and it was hoped that the vulture would survive and contribute to the survival of this endangered species. To the surprise of the researchers, the vulture flew across the western region of South Africa, then over Botswana to reach its destination in northern Namibia, covering well over 1,500 kilometers. Vultures are soaring birds and thus require suitable thermal conditions to fly. This means that the vulture would have had to roost many nights somewhere in the bush after a day's journey. The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust accommodates a large number of captive vultures for the purposes of research, education, breeding and rehabilitation. The De Wildt Vulture Unit and REST were key players in the search for the answers to the detrimental effects of diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug that was responsible for the recent decimation of the Asian Oriental white-backed vulture. Tracking vultures to determine their movements is part of both DeWildt and REST's commitment to the saving of this majestic species. REST was the first in Africa to fit satellite transmitters on to vultures which have proven to be a valuable method of tracking and gathering information about flight heights, breeding and much more. The De Wildt Vulture Unit and REST are grateful to their collaborators and sponsors, without whom our work would not be possible: Gerhard Verdoorn of Birdlife SA, Namibia Nature Foundation, Sasol; Rand Merchant; Computer Facilities; Eskom; Endangered Wildlife Trust's Birds of Prey Working Group; Wildlife Biodiversity Resources of the National Zoological Gardens, the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria, Air Namibia and the Bateleurs. For interviews, photographs and information on this and other sustainable vulture projects please contact: In South Africa: Kerri Wolter Manager, the De Wildt Vulture Unit Tel: 012-504-1921 E-mail: vulture@dewildt.org.za In Namibia: Maria Diekmann or Carina Becker Founder, REST - staff, REST Tel: 067-306226 E-mail: REST@Principia.edu Raptors Namibia [Hide]

September 2006: special edition

• Review of Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni and Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus within Namibia [Expand]

Review of Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni and Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus within Namibia Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsonii and Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiacus are both considered rare and localised, with restricted ranges within Namibia. Both species are suspected to have declined somewhat in the past ten years or so, and seem to have become relatively rare in their respective ranges within Namibia during this time (pers. obs.). This report deals with both recent and past observations of these species, as well as accumulated measurement data obtained from captured birds. There are only two confirmed breeding records for Grey Kestrel and only suspected breeding of Dickinson's Kestrel within Namibia. This is also discussed under the relevant species review. Steve Braine [Hide]

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August 2006

• Vultures marked with patagial tags seen in Namibia [Expand]

Vultures marked with patagial tags seen in Namibia Three reports of White-backed Vultures marked with a blue patagial tag have been received. These vultures were tagged in the Kimberley area of South Africa. The one report is by the Namibia Bird Club on an outing to the farm Monte Christo. The next is from the vulture restaurant of the Rare and Endangered Species Trust near Otjiwarongo. Riaan de Klerk from the farm Overschot, south of Gochas in the Kalahari, saw one tagged bird in a group of ten at the end of July. There is no doubt that the patagial tags are highly visible and resightings are going to increase phenomenally. Please send details of all nesting, tagged, mortalities and/or other vulture sightings of interest, to the VSGNam co-ordinator. Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

• Poisons and Pesticides - A guide to safe use [Expand]

Poisons and Pesticides - A guide to safe use New publication Over the past few years, there has been an ongoing campaign in Namibia to increase general knowledge concerning predators, poisons, pesticides and the safety of people and wildlife when pesticides are used. Special attention has been given to the illegal use of pesticides to kill predators and to the negative effects on scavenging birds of prey. A new publication, "Poisons and Pesticides - a guide to safe use" aims to provide a basic understanding of pesticides and the effects on wildlife. The booklet covers much of the subject material of five workshops organised in response to the poor attitudes and knowledge displayed by sales personnel, specifically of agricultural pesticide products; solutions to livestock/predator conflicts, libel for misinformation, personal dangers of mishandling of products and negative effects on the environment and wildlife. The workshops were held in September 2005, the time of year when an increase in complaints/reactions to predators on farmlands is often noted. The workshops and the publication were made possible through the collaborative support of the Namibia Nature Foundation / Swedish International Development Agency (NNF/Sida) micro-grant project, Vulture Group Namibia, NARREC, AGRA coop., Namibia Bird Club and Raptors Namibia. With September 2006 just around the corner, "Poisons and Pesticides - A guide to safe use" is timeous, as situations that arise highlight the ongoing need for information. Two examples of this have just been attended to. The first example is rather shocking, considering the amount of publicity that has been given to vultures; a Khomas region farmer simply killed (about) eight vultures, both Lappetfaced and White-backed, that he found disabled from poison on his farm. The second example is of another aspect of this issue; a Karas region farmer brought poison bait into Namibia with "full particulars" for purchasing further quantities of this product. The bait, filled with monofluoroacetate, is totally illegal in Namibia. The product was traced to an unsuccessful research project recently terminated in South Africa. However, the positive point from the two cases cited is: negative events do come to light as more and more Namibians are alerted to the poison/pesticide issues and willing to cooperate in order to halt abuse. The booklet introduces the chemical classes used in pesticides, describes the meaning of the signs and symbols on the prescribed labels of pesticide packages, lists the symptoms of mild, moderate and severe poisoning and provides a guide to basic first-aid. The booklet ends with three tables that describe poisoning in animals including the chemical classes and specific active ingredients of pesticides implicated in most wildlife poisoning events, the symptoms of a poisoned animal, the survival prognosis for primary and secondary poisoning, basic first-aid and professional veterinary treatment. The audience for this booklet is fairly specific and only 1,000 copies have been printed. They will be distributed to MAWF - Directorates Veterinary and Technical Services, MET - Directorates Parks and Wildlife and Scientific Services, Nampol, private veterinary clinics, all agricultural products retailers and wholesalers and relevant NGOs. Copies of this publication can be requested. Contact Liz Komen or Simon Witbeen at NARREC Tel: 061 264409 or 264256 Cell: 081 1290565 Liz Komen [Hide]

July 2006

• Should Namibia join BirdLife International? [Expand]

Should Namibia join BirdLife International? Dear Namibian Raptorphiles I would be grateful for your views on the following: Some 10 years ago the Directorate of Environmental Affairs (I was the bird-oriented Head of the DEA at that time) in partnership with the then ornithologist (Rob Simmons) and the Namibia Bird Club approached BirdLife International to explore the possibility of establishing BirdLife Namibia. We were rudely rejected by BirdLife, who told us that Namibia was not a priority country and that we would not be considered. Since then, things have changed. BirdLife is now rather interested in Namibia joining and becoming BirdLife Namibia. Over the past two years we have had two people from BirdLife visit Namibia to explore the options, and we have another person coming out in October / November. I think that the change in BirdLife's view came about when they realised that there is a small but active group of people here doing a diverse set of things, and that Namibia's conservation and research activities are amongst the best in Africa. There are some clear advantages to Namibia becoming part of BirdLife. The first is the international linkages and access to information and technical support. The second is access to some funding to assist the work of various birding groups in the country. We currently have a number of active groups / organisations / individuals that are more or less formally constituted. These are: a. wetland bird counting "group(s)" b. raptor working group c. crane working group d. bird ringing "group(s)" e. rehabilitation work (NARREC) f. environmental education (cross-cutting) g. data and information (avian database - road counts, museum data, atlas data, etc) h. specific research projects and visiting researchers i. Namibian Bird Club (Sorry if I have overlooked any important areas). If Namibia were to join BirdLife International, I would see (a) to (h) being the technical working groups of BirdLife Namibia. (i) - the current Namibia Bird Club - would become the core of the membership part of BirdLife Namibia. Currently there is limited networking between the various groups and insufficient support to the groups. Also, with no ornithologist in the MET, and according to Holger, little likelihood of getting such a dedicated post, we need to look for other solutions. As part of the establishment of BirdLife Namibia, we could raise funds to appoint a dedicated full-time coordinator, whose main functions would be to support the membership and the work of the technical groups, to gather and collate data and information, and to make this available to the members. We are talking about setting up a full-time support service for birders and working groups in Namibia. The NNF would be happy to house such a coordinator. This need not be a permanent arrangement. If BirdLife Namibia were to grow to the point where it would like to fledge and set up its own office, then that should happen. I have long been concerned about the amount of really valuable data and information being housed only in the MET. The bird data sets are amongst the largest in the country. The safety of the data is far too dependent on the whims of individual people, and given the lack of a dedicated ornithologist in the MET, and that organisation's lack of dedication to ornithology (and other taxa), I think that it is incumbent upon us to set up a parallel data housing / curation mechanism that is safe, accessible and under dedicated group accountability. I would see this also falling under the BirdLife Namibia coordinator, in collaboration with a data/information working group. I have been in contact with a number of the working groups, as well as long-standing members of the Bird Club, to get their views. One of the BirdLife visitors, Dr. Norbert Schäffer, has also travelled around the country and discussed these ideas with many of the stakeholders, including people on the various working groups. To date, people have been in strong support of the idea. However, before we go ahead and put in an official request to BirdLife International, I would like to get the views and confirmation from the active birders in Namibia that this is indeed what you want. Please give this some thought and let us know how you feel. Kind regards, Chris Send feedback to Chris Brown Chris Brown [Hide]

May/June 2006

• Report-back on Raptors Namibia / IRDNC basic raptor conservation training workshops [Expand]

Report-back on Raptors Namibia / IRDNC basic raptor conservation training workshops Background Raptors Namibia was invited by IRDNC (Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation) to initiate discussions on birds of prey with 14 conservancies at their Quarterly Planning Meeting at Wêreldsend in July 2005. In November 2005 we again visited the Kunene Region, to familiarise ourselves with the area, meet nine conservancy committees individually and obtain an understanding as to how raptor monitoring and extension on birds of prey can possibly work in conservancies. This preparation formed the basis of two raptor conservation training workshops, developed and presented in May 2006. The emphasis was on a basic introduction to raptor conservation, with practical application through presentations and field work. We were also fortunate to be able to use the knowledge of participants, especially IRDNC Field Officers, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and participants who had already undergone training e.g. in tour guiding. Venues, dates and participants A total of 30 participants attended the two workshops, including three ladies. The participants included the IRDNC Coordinator and Field Officers, as well as Conservancy Field Officers, Game Guards and members. Wêreldsend: 19-20 May 2006 Anabeb, Ehi-rovipuka, Omatendeka, Sesfontein and Torra conservancies (14) IRDNC (3) Ministry of Environment & Tourism, Opuwo (1) Polytechnic of Namibia (1: student) Onjuva: 22-23 May 2006 Orupembe, Puros and Marienfluss conservancies (8) Sanitatas unable to attend IRDNC (3) Course content Basics of birds and birding; use of a bird guide book Introduction to raptors: vultures; eagles and other diurnal raptors; owls Monitoring raptors: testing of draft raptor sheet for event book; use and care of equipment including binoculars Ann and Mike Scott [Hide]

April 2006

• Raptor road counts - an anecdotal story [Expand]

Raptor road counts - an anecdotal story The reason we do the raptor road count is that we think there has been a drastic decline in the numbers of our Namibian birds of prey. The data from raptor counts we did with Harry Biggs in the 1970s gives us a direct comparison with today. It is important to remember that eighteen years after the introduction of DDT as a pesticide in America in 1947, the Peregrine Falcon went extinct in North East America. Declines in breeding numbers were recorded in most raptor species in America and Europe, particularly Sparrowhawks, Ospreys and White-tailed Eagles (Population Ecology of Raptors, I. Newton). Are similar declines occurring now in Southern Africa? My family farmed 15 km North of Klerksdorp, South Africa and until well into the 70s Tawny Eagles, Lanner Falcons, Marsh Harriers, Grass Owls, Blue Cranes and Kori Bustards occurred on our 1,800 ha farm. Most of these birds nested annually. None of these birds now occur on the farm. If an animal died on the farm, my father would drag it up onto a ridge and within a short space of time some hundred or more vultures of various species, with attendant Marabou Storks, would descend and consume the carcass. Twenty years ago my brother stopped doing this for the simple reason that the vultures did not come to our farm anymore - how sad. We bought our house in Windhoek in 1973 and in the first five years we identified every major eagle occurring in Namibia from our garden, particularly Black Eagles that regularly hunted the hills round our house for dassies. We have not seen an eagle from our garden in the last year. The majority of what I have written is anecdotal, but hopefully the road counts will give us valid data indicating whether a decline in raptor numbers is occurring. In April 2005, we travelled by road from Windhoek to Cape Town and on the Garden route to Addo Elephant Park, Cradock Mountain Zebra Park and the Karoo National Park and then back to Windhoek via Upington. En route we saw one Black-breasted Snake-eagle near Upington and no vultures. In February 2006, we travelled to Keetmanshoop, Aroab and the Kagalagadi Trans-Frontier Park. The route was wet and green. Along the 774 km to the park we saw no eagles (0/774 km), one Lanner Falcon (1/774 km), and twentysix Pale Chanting Goshawks (1/30 km). We continued our raptor count into the park, as a comparison of sorts. In the park, over 593 km, we saw 63 eagles (1/9.4 km), 105 Lanner Falcons (1/6 km) and 50 Pale Chanting Goshawks (1/12 km). A minute sample, but none the less, in my view these are ominous statistics. Rosemary and Jock Orford [Hide]

March 2006

• Quest for 'the' pitta - What has this to do with Raptors anyway? [Expand]

Quest for 'the' pitta - What has this to do with Raptors anyway? Early December, Louise and I packed our vehicle with cameras, binocs., etc and with co-ordinates given by Tim Osborne, we headed off to Zambia to see if the African Pitta really does exist! It does! Say no more. As usual we packed a few mice, a couple of quelea and some bal-chatris, just in case! Our route took us from Hobatere Lodge northwards to Ruacana, then eastwards to Ondangwa, Eenhana and finally on to Rundu. I had seen three African Cuckoo Hawks near Eenhana in November, while on a Birdquest tour, but did not see any again on this trip. The same goes for a single Grey Kestrel west of Oshakati, seen in November 2005. Generally, the raptors were fairly scarce up until Rundu where we spent the night. From Rundu we had a leisurely drive the next morning to Ngepi Camp and as there had been a bit of early rain, the termites were just starting to emerge. Here we saw about 50 Red-footed Falcons (Western Red-footed Kestrels), five Lesser Spotted Eagles, two Wahlberg's Eagles and hundreds of Milvus Kites. We then spent two rainy days at Susuwe Island Lodge where our son Sean works, before moving on to Zambia. We did raptor road counts en route and were obliged to catch any available birds looking as though they wanted to be ringed. Between Rundu and Ngepi, we caught a single Lizard Buzzard, a Dark Chanting Goshawk and a Gabar at Ngepi. The following day we caught a magnificent adult female Martial Eagle along the road from Divundu to Kongola, where the previous year we had caught a juvenile Martial in the same area! An adult Black-chested Snake-Eagle was ringed while at Susuwe Island Lodge, as well as a few African Wattled Lapwing (Wattled Plover) chicks found alongside the road. On the morning of 10 December, when leaving Susuwe for Zambia, we saw the first Dickinson's Kestrel along the road (two individuals of which we managed to catch one). These were the first Dickinson's seen here in the past ten years and the first we had caught since 1991 (making it the eighteenth caught to date). On our way back, the day before Christmas, we saw another adult near the Horseshoe (on the Kwando River). We then moved into Zambia from Katima and only returned there on the 21 December 2005. Just before leaving Zambia, we caught and ringed an adult female African Hawk-Eagle. On arrival at Katima Fish Farm where Dick and Katy Sharpe live, we ended the day with a Western Banded Snake-Eagle. This was the third bird that we have caught at the same locality over the past few years. The following morning we caught a pair of juvenile Gabar Goshawks, look at the picture, check the eyes and the dimorphic size difference between the sexes. Just before leaving Katima, a beautiful, adult Little Sparrowhawk was mist netted and ringed. We spent Christmas back Susuwe, where we caught a single female African Hawk-Eagle. En route back home to Hobatere, another Wahlberg's Eagle and a Rock Kestrel were captured. The raptor road counts will be forwarded shortly, and all in all, besides the incessant rain, the 'quest' was successful, not only for the Pitta! Steve Braine [Hide]

February 2006

• Update on release of Cape vultures near Otjiwarongo, October 2005 [Expand]

Update on release of Cape vultures near Otjiwarongo, October 2005 Fourteen Cape Vultures were released by the Rare and Endangered Species Trust (REST) near Otjiwarongo on 23 October 2005 (see Raptors Namibia newsletter No. 8, October 2005). The birds originated from South Africa and were translocated through a partnership with the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust, Bateleurs and Air Namibia after being rehabilitated from injury or poisoning. Three of the younger birds were captive bred. Two of the released birds were fitted with satellite telemetry devices, bringing the total number of these birds in Namibia that have been fitted in this way to nine. The information provided by tracking these birds to date has been phenomenal, and is being used as a basis for local education and conservation programmes. One adult male was found dead five days after the release, after drowning in a farm dam, even though branches had been placed in all dams in the vicinity. An adult female that had been fitted with a tracking device was also found dead two weeks later. A full post mortem found no cause of death. No other deaths of the released birds have been recorded. On the positive side, reports of sightings of Cape Vultures are being received from all sides: south of Otjiwarongo, Etosha, outside Karibib - and in the South at Uhlenhorst (see separate news item in this issue). The young captive-bred female fitted with a telemetry device initially stayed in the vicinity of REST, but has now flown further and has been recorded 120 km away. Another young wild Cape Vulture with a telemetry device has flown 200 km back to Angola, for the second time. All of the released birds have also been fitted with colour rings. The combination on the left leg (green-green over metal) is particularly distinctive and fairly easy to observe. Please be on the lookout for Cape Vultures, as they could now be almost anywhere in Namibia! Any reports of positive sightings, or photographs of the wings (either from above or from the side) would assist positive identification. Send your information to REST (email: rest@iway.na). Maria Diekmann [Hide]

• Resources for training needed [Expand]

Resources for training needed Raptors Namibia is planning two training courses in raptor conservation for nine communal conservancies in the Kunene Region in May 2006, in collaboration with IRDNC. This is a continuation of the work done on three previous visits to these areas (see Raptor News No.3 May 2005, No. 5 July 2005 and No. 9 December 2005). Our basic course will be presented to about 30 participants. In order to assist with training in raptor identification and monitoring, we urgently need binoculars (in good working order) and bird field guides. So if you have any of these redundant items, they would be greatly appreciated and put to good use. Please contact us at email if you are able to assist. Ann & Mike Scott [Hide]

January 2006

• Black harriers breeding in Namibia? [Expand]

Black harriers breeding in Namibia? In October 2005, I saw an adult Black Harrier (in moult) hunting within flocks of sparrowlarks over open Nama-Karoo grasslands about 40 km south of Grunau. During 28 min of observation, this included the bird walking around on the ground as if there were lark nests for breakfast. What was curious about this was the presence of an immature bird of that year, hunting about 14 km south of here. Since it was October, it is doubtful that this bird had moved far from its place of birth (main egg-laying season for these harriers is September-October), as these harriers don't disperse that quickly once fledged. So given the presence of an adult in moult, good food resources and a young of the year, the possibility exists that this bird had been raised in this region, further adding to the possibility that Black Harriers do breed in Namibia, when conditions are favourable. This would be the first record from this area given that other records are from the Hoanib River floodplain and the Huab River area, Skeleton Coast Park (Steve Braine and John Paterson pers obs). Shortly thereafter, in Springbok, South Africa, which is approximately 200 km south of this area, an adult bird was seen carrying food, a sure sign of breeding. Rob Simmons [Hide]

• Black harriers at Möwe Bay [Expand]

Black harriers at Möwe Bay During January 2006, a Black Harrier was seen on two occasions quartering the gravel plains south of Möwe Bay, Skeleton Coast Park, in the Damara Tern breeding area. On the same day as the first observation, a Black Harrier (the same bird?) was being mobbed by an irate group of Damara Tern parents near the beach. Barbara & John Paterson [Hide]

• Food for (Kestrel) thought [Expand]

Food for (Kestrel) thought When I get the opportunity to go to the dunes (usually close to Swakopmund) I keep my eye out for kestrels, as I would like to get a photo of one sitting on a dune. They are not very accommodating! As I was driving along I saw an unidentified kestrel land on a dune not too far off and decided to go over and have a look, even though I did not have my camera. The bird flew off, but the tracks showed that it landed and then walked for a distance of ± 20 metres, eating the black tenebrionid beetles, Onymacris unguicularis along the way. I have seen tracks and beetle remains before, but was not able to decide which bird was responsible. Sometimes the tracks go on for up to 200 metres or more. These beetles most likely have a fair amount of food value, but is their water content very high? Stuart Hebbard [Hide]

• Martial Eagle kills steenbok [Expand]

Martial Eagle kills steenbok Hansi Erpf of the farm Okapuka, while flying over his property in a helicopter, witnessed the following incident. A Martial Eagle attempted to catch a steenbok on open grassland. Every time the Martial Eagle attacked, the steenbok turned to face it and the eagle then backed off and perched on an anthill. The moment the steenbok tried to move away, the Martial Eagle took off to attack the small antelope. It immediately turned to face the raptor, which again backed off. The farmer circled with his helicopter for half an hour above the scene, fascinated by what he saw. Eventually the steenbok reached the safety of dense bush and the eagle flew away. Neither took any notice of the helicopter circling above them. When talking to his workers about the incident, one of them confirmed that a few months before, on the same farm, he had seen how a Martial Eagle succeeded in killing a steenbok. Dirk Heinrich [Hide]

• Raptor predation of breeding Damara Terns [Expand]

Raptor predation of breeding Damara Terns The local population of Damara Terns nesting between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay has been monitored intensively since 1993. During these observations, various raptors have been seen in the vicinity of these colonies including Booted Eagle, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Martial Eagle, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon and Rock Kestrels. No actual predation of terns was observed during this period; however, the terns would leave their nests long before I was able to locate the raptors. In the last two years, the presence of Rock Kestrels has become more visible in the dunes near Swakopmund. Although the assumption was that chicks were being predated, I only witnessed this for the first time in 2004. Then in 2005, I was fortunate enough to observe a Rock Kestrel take an adult Damara Tern off its nest while incubating an egg. In December 2005, during a visit with Mark Boorman and Tony Tree to a breeding colony, a Rock Kestrel predated an almost flighted chick shortly after it was photographed and released by Tony, not more than twenty metres from us. At the Bird Island Damara Tern breeding colony, a Pied Crow was observed taking a Damara Tern chick in 2005. It is a hypothesis that the population of Rock Kestrels in Swakopmund is artificially high for anthropogenic reasons. It is a temptation to intervene, as was the case when black-backed jackal predation was high. I have not and hope not to have to intervene. In the US, where Least Terns breed, ground predators are excluded by an electric barrier and raptors are 'controlled'. At present predators play a decisive role in the disruption of Damara Tern breeding success. Terns have been recorded moving to a completely new area over a kilometre away after their chicks were predated. Rod Braby [Hide]

• Raptors join hands (wings) with cranes [Expand]

Raptors join hands (wings) with cranes Namibia's three crane species are sparsely distributed in the north and north-eastern parts of the country. These large, charismatic birds are the subject of much interest. To assist the Namibia Crane Working Group with its conservation activities, we would appreciate it if you could please include any sightings of these birds on the Raptor Road Count Forms, using the following codes: BC - Blue Crane (critically endangered; only 60 in Namibia, global population 20,000) WC - Wattled Crane (critically endangered; 200 in Namibia, global population 8,000) GCC - Grey Crowned Crane (near-threatened; 50 in Namibia, global population 12,000) Ann Scott [Hide]

December 2005

• Creating awareness of raptors amongst farmers [Expand]

Creating awareness of raptors amongst farmers Introduction Capturing raptors on farms with a bal-chatri or nets and involving the farmer immediately results in a positive attitude to raptors. Vultures, raptors and owls fascinate most people, but they know little about them. During the ringing process, ringing as a means of gathering important information, is explained. Method A bal-chatri was used to trap raptors, baited with mice or occasionally, small birds. Using a hand net and spotlight, owls were caught after blinding them. Smaller owls were caught with mistnets, calling them in with a tape or CD. Pygmy Falcons were taken out of Sociable Weaver nests at night, ringed and placed back in the nest. A number of raptor chicks were ringed in their nests. Two mice in the bal-chatri appear to work better than only one, probably because there is more movement. Even hard-to-catch Black Kites (Yellow-billed Kite) and Red-footed Falcons (Western Redfooted Kestrel) were trapped with two mice. Creating awareness Most people are 'hooked' after having had 'close and personal contact' with a raptor. Subsequently, they view raptors in a different light. Most farmers and their workers know where raptors are breeding or have bred and report unusual behaviour. Care should be taken to whom different trapping methods are shown, especially the use of a bal-chatri. An unsympathetic person could try to trap them using this method and kill the raptors. Ringing and Colour-ringing birds of prey Pale Chanting Goshawks and most of the vulture chicks were colour-ringed and the farmers see them as their birds, always on the lookout for them and reporting nearly every sighting. They are proud of their birds and spread the word, getting other farmers interested and making them aware of the importance of raptors. Because of this, I have been invited to give talks on ringing at Farmers' Association and Conservancy meetings, reaching more and more people over a vast area. Ringing as a research tool is explained, adding to the number of people on the lookout for ringed birds. Some farmers have changed their attitude towards raptors, which they formerly saw as a nuisance or a problem. While talking to farmers, it is interesting to note that some already changed their attitude to raptor conservation in the 80s. This was due to the extension work by Dr. Chris Brown and his team. A Barn Owl ringed on a farm was found dead a few weeks later because it could not get out of the barn. The farmer then enlarged a hole so that the owls could move freely. The same farmer told me a year later, in 2000, after good rains, that an unusual number of Barn Owls were breeding on his farm and insisted that I ring them. Another farmer immediately contacted me when he found dead Pearl-spotted Owlets that were ringed on his farm. One drowned in a trough and the other was found dead on the lawn one morning. Ringing results on commercial farms in Namibia The following raptors have been ringed on farms during the period January 1996 until June 2004, with the owner and/or his family and/or workers present: Okaputa: a total of 62 raptors, including 43 Barn Owls, five Pearl-spotted Owlets, five White-backed Vultures (WBV) and singles of Verreaux's Eagle-Owl(Giant Eagle Owl), Pygmy Falcon, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk (PCG), Black-shouldered Kite, Gabar Goshawk, Rock Kestrel, Shikra (Little Banded Goshawk), Spotted Eagle-Owl, and a Marsh Owl. Wiese: a total of 26 raptors including 11 Pearl Spotted-Owlets, three PCG, two African Hawk Eagles and seven Pygmy Falcons. A single Barn, Southern White-faced and African Scops Owl. Otjikaru: a total of 29 raptors, with 13 Barn Owls, two Little Sparrowhawks, two Gabar Goshawks and one each of the following: PCG, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, African Scops and Pearl Spotted Owlets. Dabis: one Verreaux's Eagle (Black), three PCG and four Pygmy Falcons. Okosongoro/Ombeameiata: nine Pearl Spotted Owlets, two Gabar Goshawks and one PCG. Kataneno: one African Scops and one Pearl Spotted Owlet and 12 WBV. Claustal, Nelsville/Vredelus, Westfalenhof, Bodenhausen, Dieprivier and Eremuta the following: four PCG, one Augur Buzzard, two Lanner Falcon, one African Hawk Eagle, two Pygmy Falcon, one Steppe Buzzard, one WBV, four African Scops, 11 Pearl Spotted, eight Barn and two Spotted Eagle Owls. Summary Involving the farmers when ringing raptors definitely creates awareness and interest. These farmers, their families and their workers will then be important eyes out there in the bush to help resight and recover dead ringed birds. At the same time, they will spread the word and will be raptor friendly. Colour ringing will enhance farmer's sense of 'ownership and pride, increase resightings and add to the volume of needed information. Using numbered colour rings, which can be read from a distance, will likely increase the number of resightings. Some commercial farmers have been introduced to raptors and the threat to birds of prey through awareness campaigns in the past. However, more work is necessary. This also applies to communal farms and to new, emergent farmers, where the campaigns have to be started right from the beginning. Ringing could play an important role in such a campaign. Dirk Heinrich [Hide]

November 2005

• Are mortalities from overhead lines a problem for Namibia's raptors? [Expand]

Are mortalities from overhead lines a problem for Namibia's raptors? Not many records of raptor mortalities caused by overhead lines (e.g. power lines, telephone lines) are available for Namibia. We would like to ask all our readers please to collate and pass this information on to us, for both past and new records, so that we can assess the situation and determine the possible effects of this factor. Please include the following: observer's name and contact details; date when incident was recorded; locality (GPS position if possible, and/or approximate direction from and distance to nearest town/s); raptor species and age involved; state of carcass (fresh / rotten / dry); type of powerline (if known); any other comments (e.g. dam nearby). Ann & Mike Scott [Hide]

• Vulture Restaurant and more [Expand]

Vulture Restaurant and more Vultures are the 'big-game' of the bird world, and occupy a link-position between mammals and birds in the wildlife spectrum. Whether wheeling around in a thermal above the African veld, or fighting and jostling at a carcass, vultures certainly provide one of nature's more aweinspiring sights. The sight of a vulture affects everyone in some way and stories of them abound, even to the extent of their magical properties. Africans may use vulture brains for clairvoyance, Parsees in India use vultures as undertakers, and vultures will be called to the aftermath of the battle of Armageddon according to several prophetic verses in the Bible. Vultures need to be conserved, not only for their important ecological functions, but perhaps also for their impact on humanity's consciousness. The Birding Farm Sonnleiten, is situated 35 km east of Windhoek on the road to the International Airport. Here, a vulture restaurant provides food and bone fragments as a source of calcium to adult vultures, who collect it and feed to their developing nestlings. Apart from the Freewings' Vulture Restaurant, this top-class birding destination offers the Freewings' Museum; the Bismarck Mountain Trail and the Robin Trail; as well as a Bird-Friendly Garden; organic farming, homemade products; handmade bird products; farm holidays and camping facilities. In addition, assistance with bookings, itinerary planning, links to local bird guides and/or tour operators; a monthly newsletter and much more is provided! Stefan & Yvonne Rust [Hide]

October 2005

• Namibia makes conservation history! [Expand]

Namibia makes conservation history! The Rare and Endangered Species Trust released 14 Cape Vultures (Gyps coprotheres, Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa, 2005) close to the Waterberg Plateau Park cliffs on Sunday, 23rd October 2005. This is the first time in the world that Cape Vultures have been translocated. The Cape Vulture is critically endangered in Namibia. Until Sunday, a total national population of only 12 birds remained near the Waterberg cliffs, making this Namibia's most endangered species. In the 1950s it is believed that at least 500 Cape Vultures populated the Waterberg cliffs and a total of 2,000 were believed to live in Namibia. Vulture populations worldwide have been severely impacted in the last couple of decades mainly due to poisoned baits laid out for carnivores. One poisoned carcass can kill as many as 500 vultures because they eat communally, gathering in large numbers at a carcass. The Cape Vulture is southern Africa's heaviest vulture and other raptors depend on it to find food. If this bird goes extinct in Namibia it will be only the second extinction in recorded history- the first was the white rhino, which has been successfully reintroduced. Reintroducing the Cape Vulture is expected to be difficult without an existing population that can teach the new birds. Being scavengers, vultures play a vital role in the natural system as free sanitary workers, rapidly cleaning carcasses and thus averting possible epidemics of anthrax and botulism. Vultures are also invaluable to farmers, by pinpointing dead or sick livestock, and warning of the whereabouts of poachers. REST is a Namibian non-profit organisation whose mission is to conserve Namibia's lesser-known endangered species. With the generous support of Air Namibia and their customs and cargo handling agents, The Bateleurs, and the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust, REST translocated 16 Cape Vultures from South Africa between 2003 and 2004. These birds were acclimatised for over a year in the Nedbank capture and release aviary. The birds were released at 10.30 am from the REST Centre. Two of the birds were fitted with satellite telemetry. REST invites sponsors for these birds. REST was the first in Africa to fit vultures with satellite tracking harnesses. REST's Namibian sponsors of birds include Nedbank, Namibia Nature Foundation and Wilderness Safaris. The information gained to date has been phenomenal. REST continues to use collected data as the basis of their education and conservation programmes. Guests at the release included: Honourable T. Eiseb, Governor of the Ojozondjupa Region; Mr J. Pataka , Chief Clerk of the Ojozondjupa Regional Council; Stanley Thomas, Head of sales and marketing, Air Namibia Cargo; Kerry Wolter head of the vulture unit at De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre; Andre Botha of the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa; Gwen Stirling, Raleigh International's outgoing Country Director; Geoff Millington, Country Head of USA Peace Corps; Teachers and students from Otjiwarongo High School; Local farmers; Pilots taking part in the Flight for the Plight Event; REST supporters and trustees. NBC and Oracle Films for South Africa's 50/50 filmed the release. It is hoped that the translocated Cape Vultures will join the existing Namibian population and help prevent this magnificent bird from extinction. The vehicles for the vulture release and the Flight for the Plight event have been sponsored by Pupkewitz Toyota. For more information look at REST's website: www.RESTafrica.org or contact James at 067-302988 or Maria at 067-306226. Raptors Namibia [Hide]

• Aerial survey from Swakop to the Orange River [Expand]

Aerial survey from Swakop to the Orange River For the first time ever, an aerial survey of breeding Lappet-faced Vultures was made from the Swakop to the Orange River. Although aerial surveys have been done in the Namib-Naukluft Park for the past four years, this was the first survey from Sossusvlei to the Orange River. The Vulture Study Group Namibia organised the survey, but without the loyal support of many sponsors it could not have taken place. The fist section of the survey took place at the end of September, when the observer and the fuel arrived at Tok-Tokkie Trails on NamibRand Nature Reserve. Rob Field of Zebra River Lodge, piloting the Cessna 182, arrived the next morning. Rob also piloted the plane last year without cost to the VSG. Observers were Marc Dürr, René Koral and yours truly. The initial part of the survey included NamibRand and adjacent Namib-Naukluft Park. I had taken a tablet to prevent airsickness, but just before we took off. As a result, after the first few sharp turns, I got very hot under the collar and started stripping. I was passed a large bag in case of an emergency, but threatened with dire consequences if I was sick. Whether it was the threat of me stripping altogether or being sick, the other occupants decided to chicken-out and we landed. After some refreshments we resumed the flight. On NamibRand we recorded two chicks and a nest containing an egg, plus a chick on the farm Kumbis. The survey continued the next morning, with Andreas Keding replacing René. Koigab Pan was a disappointment, as we had hoped to find a few breeding birds. There were plenty of nests, but no sign of any breeding. We then flew all along the Diamond Area boundary, looking for breeding sites and chicks. Tryg Cooper of MET had given us a good idea of where to look. We found a few old nests and one chick. The area is dry and appears very inhospitable. Only a few gemsbok and springbok were seen. Most of the farms seem to be abandoned and with no stock, so there is no food for vultures. We didn't quite reach the Orange River, when we had to turn back as the fuel supply was getting low. None of us fancied a forced landing on that Moon-like landscape. We landed at Aus and Piet Swiegers from Klein Aus Vista brought us fuel, but almost as important were the big lunch packs. Piet transported the fuel from Keetmanshoop for us at no cost. We flew for 11 hours and although we did not find many breeding birds, we now know what is going on in that area. At the same time the observers got to know which areas have nests and where to look in future. Nedbank, through their Go Green Fund sponsored the fuel and aircraft hire. Tok-Tokkie Trails provided food and accommodation. On 1 October the next part of the survey began from Ganab. The Cessna 206 had arrived the previous afternoon, piloted by Manfred Loth and accompanied by Malcolm Taylor. The next day we flew for over 5 hours, accompanied by Ranger Enos Kalundingo. We camped at Ganab under the camel thorn trees. On Sunday we completed the Ganab area, with Warden Crispin Nkonkwena as additional observer. After re-fuelling, Manfred and Malcolm flew to Weltevrede Guest farm. I transported the fuel and eventually also arrived there. We flew for 1.5 hours during the late afternoon. On Monday we had a long flight over Sossusvlei, the Tsondab River and plains and part of the Saagberg area. We returned to Weltevrede and after a good lunch, re-fuelled the plane. Manfred and Malcolm returned to Windhoek via the Kamberg where they looked for more nests. We flew for 15 hours and found breeding birds in all areas. At this stage, we cannot say how many of the marked nests will contain chicks, as it is difficult to distinguish roosting birds from breeding birds. The ringing will determine how many chicks there are. Manfred and Malcolm are thanked for sponsoring the aircraft hire and for conducting the survey for the VSG at no charge. Rolf Wehnert is thanked for the reduced charge for his plane. Manfred did say he developed big muscles from all the tight turns he had to make as Malcolm and I shouted at him to circle again to get a better look at the nests The Avgas was supplied by KPMG and transport of the fuel from Nedbanks' Go Green Fund. Weltevrede provided food and accommodation. To all those who helped to make the surveys a success many, many thanks. Peter Bridgeford, VSG Co-ordinator [Hide]

September 2005

• Birds trapped and ringed - Hobatere concession [Expand]

Birds trapped and ringed - Hobatere concession After the excellent rains from the previous season, the Hobatere concession area had an explosion of Chestnut Weavers and Redbilled Queleas. These have concentrated at the artificial waterholes in the area from the end of July, when most of the natural springs started to dry up. These huge flocks in turn attracted many of the smaller birds of prey, especially Shikras (Littlebanded Goshawks) and Gabar Goshawks. Little Sparrowhawks, Lanners, Peregrines, Augur Buzzards and the odd Booted Eagle were also seen occasionally. During the ringing weekend at Tandala Ridge Campsite, a further three Gabar Goshawks were caught and ringed and a single adult Augur Buzzard male, two Pale Chanting Goshawks and another adult Gabar Goshawk were captured and ringed on the 29.08.05, returning from the ringing get-together. An adult Blackshouldered Kite was ringed at Hobatere on 30.08.05 Fledgling Shikras have yellow eyes, these change from yellow to yellow/orange as immatures, to orange/red in sub-adults and then deep red in full adults. Hopefully, with more birds caught and photographed, a key to age can eventually be drafted. Steve Braine [Hide]

• What are ringers worth? [Expand]

What are ringers worth? In the February/March 1999 edition of Africa-Birds & Birding, there was an interesting article titled 'What are birders worth'. The article had some facts and figures and "in South Africa alone, active local birders are conservatively estimated to spend R70-130 million each year...". In addition to this, is the R10-25 million spent by visiting birders from outside the SA borders. The authors divided birders into casual, enthusiastic and fanatical. The average amount spent in 1997 by each person in the three groups was R4,669, R9,466 and R17,604. It was a long drive from Walvis Bay to Windpoort farm in the Outjo district, to attend the second annual Ringers Get-together. On the way, I was musing on the amount of time and money spent by the ringers on their hobby. During the weekend, that was well organised by Laurel, Tim, Elsie and Wilferd, I pestered everyone to get some idea of costs, distances travelled, vehicles used, etc. On a very conservative estimate, taking only fuel costs and food, the bill came to N$ 16,000, that is N$1,066 for each of the 15 groups of two people (with a few children). The distance travelled by all the vehicles, came to 16,100 km. At a more realistic average of N$2,50 / kilometre, the amount climbs to N$42,250 plus N$4,500 for food. When we add the additional expenses such as camping on the way to Windpoort, new camping equipment, snacks and drinks on the way, airfare from Europe to Namibia and costs by the organisers, the amount rockets. This is without the costs of rings, bird books and other ringing equipment. Nets have to be replaced as animals like sheep and gemsbok are not kind to nets. Another hidden cost is the destruction of Balchatri traps by excited ringers driving over them, having eagles carry them off and of course the cost of mice. One cost I will not try and estimate (it could be embarrassing) is the amount spent on beer and wine. What it boils down to is that even a few birders pump a considerable amount of money into the economy. Besides enjoying their hobby, ringers also contribute to the scientific knowledge of birds. Ringers of Namibia unite! Happy ringing. Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

• Bad news about vultures [Expand]

Bad news about vultures A Lappetfaced Vulture ringed as a chick on 16/10/03 in the Saagberg area of the Namib-Naukluft Park, NW of Solitaire, was found dead on the farm Spioenkop, west of Duwisib, during September 2005. The distance is about 190 km. The bird had been dead for some time as only bones and feathers remained, but the colour rings were still in good condition. The chick was ringed by the Scotts and Bridgefords and reported by Marc Dürr and farmer J. du Toit. While ringing vultures on farms in the Seeis area east of Windhoek, we saw one adult Lappetfaced and one adult Whitebacked Vulture dead, one in a tree and the other lying in a vulture nest. Neither bird was ringed. Jürgen Bergmann reported finding them. A Lappetfaced Vulture was found injured and unable to fly under a power line on the farm Springbokvley in February 2005. The bird was not seen again. Jürgen Bergmann reported finding it. A report received by Holger Kolberg states that several "eagles" were poisoned on a communal conservancy, either Omatendeka or Okangundumba. They had fed on a carcass meant to kill a hyaena. One of the "eagles" was a Whitebacked Vulture ringed in Etosha by Wilferd Versfeld in October 2004. The other four were most probably Whitebacked Vultures, but this has not been confirmed. Dirk Heinrich and Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

August 2005

• Ethics of bird ringing [Expand]

Ethics of bird ringing After an enjoyable weekend of ringing birds on Windpoort farm (total: 7 birds), and watching and listening to many people, I think it is important to look at some of the points mentioned in the Ethics of bird ringing in the Safring Bird Ringing Manual. The well being of any bird caught and handled for ringing is the paramount consideration. In other words, it is not about numbers, but the well-being of the birds that must be the priority. A ringer may not operate more equipment than he/she can properly manage. No ringer may allow unqualified persons to use his/her equipment to capture and handle birds or fit rings, except under close supervision. No capture of birds should be attempted under conditions that could result in birds becoming severely stressed, subject to potential injury or death, or result in birds abandoning occupied nests. This is important with small birds like the Waxbills in the heat of the day. All traps and mistnets should be carefully inspected every 20 minutes (5-10 min. during hot weather). A ringer must not bring the technique of bird ringing into dispute by careless, negligent or inappropriate behaviour. There are a few more points, but these are, in my opinion, the most important. In Namibia, the ringing community is a small one and everyone knows everyone (even if we don't love each other) and no one wants to offend another ringer by pointing out inappropriate ringing behaviour. We may mutter and grumble about it, but no action is taken. For a country that takes a lead in many conservation fields, we don't have a government ornithologist to control and regulate ringing and other bird related matters. So we have to police ourselves and it is the duty of each and every ringer to be ethical and follow the correct procedures. We certainly don't want heavy handed, unqualified government action if a member of the public complains about the activities of unethical ringers. It is because of these considerations that I will not be using the new Canadian rings for vultures until they have been tested on captive birds! Peter Bridgeford [Hide]

July 2005

• Ringed African white-backed vulture in Kunene [Expand]

Ringed African white-backed vulture in Kunene On Tuesday 12 July we were busy doing a raptor road count in the Kunene Region, while on our way from Palmwag to Wêreldsend, to talk to a group of communal conservancies about their raptors. For almost an hour we looked and looked in vain along the C43, but no raptors. Suddenly, within the Torra Conservancy, we spotted an African White-backed Vulture (AWBV) sitting nearby on its own in a tree, gazing longingly at a group of springbok. A closer look revealed that this bird was ringed, both legs being displayed perfectly for observation! Reading from the top down, the ring combinations were RIGHT LEG green-yellow-blue, LEFT LEG metal-green-red. The co-ordinates of the site were S 20 07.951, E 14 03.528. Where and when, and by whom had this vulture been ringed? A few emails to SAFRING and some possible ringers quickly brought our answer. Dirk Heinrich and Peter Bridgeford had ringed the bird on 16 September 2004 on the Farm Okapaue West of Mr P. Gruttemeyer, in the Steinhausen area (co-ordinates S 21 55, E 18 29) in a nest as a chick. The unique number on the bird's metal ring was G15548. The bird had moved some 500 km north-west of where it had been ringed, and was now nearly 10 months old! Dirk reports that this is his second vulture from last year's ringing that has been resighted. A Lappetfaced Vulture ringed as a chick on the farm Wiese was resighted two km from the nest four month later. It does show again, that colour-ringing is worthwhile. According to Garth Owen-Smith and Anton Esterhuizen of Integrated Rural Development & Nature Conservation at Wêreldsend, AWBVs are not seen regularly in this part of the Kunene Region. The bird's presence may thus be linked to the strong easterly winds blowing for several days before this. This fortuitious sighting has generated much interest among the members of the Torra Conservancy, who have been very keen to obtain more information about 'their' ringed vulture! Subsequently John Paterson of the Ministry of Environment & Tourism has also commented that AWBVs are rare west of the Serengetti (an area south of Bees Vlakte, east of Khowarib), and that there is a breeding colony, or was, where the powerline crosses the Kamanjab/Ruacana road. In the mid-1990s he saw a group of 50 at Dubis in the Hoanib; at the time there was a lot of lion activity in the area, so food was no problem. One wonders with the amount of predators in the Palmwag concession area and the increase in game whether or not they might become more common in this area? More recently he saw one flying along the beach at Rocky Point and has also found the remains of one washed up about 20 km north of Möwe Bay. It is always nice to see them in the north-west as they are so rare here. This ring sighting also gives us some idea of where they go, which is great. Ann & Mike Scott, Dirk Heinrich [Hide]

June 2005

• Strychnine use dramatically reduced [Expand]

Strychnine use dramatically reduced The figures for strychnine prescriptions issued from January 2004 to March 2005 by state veterinarians have just been received from the Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development (MAWRD). The reduction in prescriptions issued is dramatic. From January 2004 - March 2005 three state veterinary offices issued only 23 prescriptions for strychnine to farmers: Gobabis - 7 prescriptions (35 grams); Grootfontein - 5 prescriptions (20 grams); Otjiwarongo - 8 prescriptions (40 grams). In comparison, between 1997 and 2001: Lowest - 267 prescriptions, totalling 1,335 g. Highest - 398 prescriptions, totalling 2,050 g. The Poison Working Group (PWG) Namibia received a breakdown of figures for 2004-2005 but they are incomplete and the following questions need to be asked: Is there a standardised format for reporting to head office on poison (strychnine) prescriptions issued to farmers by state veterinary offices? Is there a set month or time of year when reports must be sent to head office? Is this information collated in any way? Can areas or times of year when predator conflicts are high, be identified from requests for strychnine prescriptions? How many requests for strychnine prescriptions are refused by state veterinarians? What criteria are used to issue or refuse a request for strychnine? Are these criteria left to individuals or are they directives from the Veterinary Directorate? What advice is given to farmers (who are refused prescriptions) for predator management? Is there follow-up on the strychnine registers, to check if prescriptions are used? Is there any id