Sleeping on a tightrope: White-breasted Cormorants Phalacrocorax lucidus and African Darters Anhinga rufa roosting on transmission lines

Though recent research has explored the negative impact of human infrastructure on large waterbirds, few studies have examined behavioural byproducts such as roosting or nesting on transmission wires. Here, we document our observation of a joint roost of White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus and African Darter Anhinga rufa on transmission lines in the Western Cape, South Africa. We highlight current gaps in understanding communal roosting, joint roosts between species, and roosting on infrastructure, and provide recommendations for future directions of study.

BirdPix - report on the photographic atlas of the birds of Nigeria, 2012 – 2019

This paper describes progress with the atlas of birds of Nigeria, from 7 March 2012 to 15 December 2019. The database of the project contained 658 records of 246 species submitted to the BirdPix section of the Virtual Museum. The BirdPix section of the Virtual Museum was launched in 2012 and is a supplementary data capture project for the African Bird Atlas. Over this period, for Nigeria, twelve citizen scientists contributed records to BirdPix. The most frequently recorded species were Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis (769 records across its range, with 12in Nigeria, from 12 grid cells), and Northern Red Bishop Euplectes franciscanus (30 records across the range, and recorded in 11 grid cells in Nigeria). At least two photographs of species range extensions had been submitted. This paper highlights the role of citizen science in biodiversity conservation and provides up-to-date information on the species distribution maps and lists of bird species recorded in the grid cells. Without a doubt, the BirdPix database will only be comprehensive if it contains the entire knowledge base of the species occurring within each grid cell. Data generated in the BirdPix project can be used for monitoring and modelling changes in species distributions over time. Increased awareness of the concept of citizen science and increased volunteer recruitment should be top priorities.

MOULT RECORDS FOR TROPICAL BIRD SPECIES TRAPPED IN ANGOLA

Between 21and 27 July 2015, a total of 43 birds of 15 species were caught with mist nets at Kissikina, Malange, Angola. Thirty-two of those, of 11 different species, were moulting primaries and their moult was recorded. In this note we present the data collected hoping to add some information on the moult patterns of these species in this part of the world.

Systematic atlasing in Hessequa – Report on the first cycle of seasonal monitoring

Bird atlasing in the Hessequa region of the Western Cape has progressed beyond mapping to monitoring. During a three-year period within 2014/17, the U3A Stilbaai Bird Group upgraded the distribution maps using a strategy which aimed to even out coverage per grid cell, and achieve minimum mapping standards. In the two-year period December 2017 to November 2019, the group implemented a new strategy that would result in each of the 75 pentads in the Hessequa Atlas Area being atlased in each of the four seasons over a two-year period. Using a chessboard pattern to split the 75 pentads into two sets, the first set was atlased in summer and winter in the first year and autumn and spring of the second year. The second set was atlased in autumn and spring of the first year, and summer and winter of the second year. This paper reports the successful completion of the first monitoring cycle.

The birds of Fort Fordyce Reserve, Eastern Cape

The avifauna of this forest reserve has been surveyed, based on observations and mist-netting over a ten-year period. We have recorded 175 species, of which 56 are considered "true" forest birds in this region. These include four summer migrants, and four occasional visitors; the others are likely to be resident. Four species of conservation concern, the Knysna Woodpecker, African Crowned Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Bush Blackcap probably nest within the protected area.

Hippo cannibalism

Hippo cannibalism was observed at Mandavu reservoir in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

Life History of Elegant/Sandwich tern hybrid

Life History of ringed bird -Elegant/Sandwich tern hybrid from researcher in France- Julien Gernigon

Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) Road Mortality and Extralimital Occurence in Western Cape, South Africa.

During field surveys in the Spring of 2018 we made two observations of Leopard Tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) on roadsides near Lambert's Bay, WC, South Africa. One was a deceased adult female, killed as a result of a tortoise-vehicle collision. The other was a live adult females, which was move off the road in the direction she was headed. These observations illustrate that even the largest tortoise species in the region can be suseptable to road mortlaity, a known threat of turtle and torioses populations globally. Furthermore, these observations occured well outside the species presumed native range and listed introduced range.

SAFRING Ringing Report for 2017

Following on from the 2016 SAFRING ringing summary, the SAFRING database has grown to 2,677,367 ringing records (initial, retrap, resightings and recoveries). This number is increased to 2,698,821 records when foreign scheme records stored in the database are included.

LacewingMAP: Progress report on the atlas of African Neuroptera and Megaloptera, 2014–2019

This report describes progress with the atlas of lacewings, defined as the orders Neuroptera and Megaloptera, up to 31 March 2019. The database of the project contained 15,781 records, in two components - 12,898 specimen records and 2,883 photographic records - submitted to the LacewingMAP section of the Virtual Museum, over a period of 4.5 years (September 2014 to March 2019). The average rate of submission of photographic records for LacewingMAP for the four calendar years 2015 to 2018 was 566 per year, three times faster than the rate at which the specimen database grew during the second half of the 20th century. 234 citizen scientists contributed photographic records to LacewingMAP. It seems that almost all of these people have primary interests in other taxa, and that the records submitted to LacewingMAP were a 'by-catch'. Photographs of at least two new species were submitted by citizen scientists during 2018.