Introduction Efforts to collect ecological data have intensified over the last decade. This is especially true for freshwater habitats, which are among the most impacted by human activity and yet lagging behind in terms of data availability. Now, to support conservation programmes and management decisions, these data need to be analyzed and interpreted; a process that can be complex and time consuming. The South African Biodiversity Data Pipeline for Wetlands and Waterbirds (BIRDIE) aims to help fast and efficient information uptake, bridging the gap between raw ecological datasets and the information final users need. Methods BIRDIE is a full data pipeline that takes up raw data, and estimates indicators related to waterbird populations, while keeping track of their associated uncertainty. At present, we focus on the assessment of species abundance and distribution in South Africa using two citizen-science bird monitoring datasets, namely: the African Bird Atlas Project and the Coordinated Waterbird Counts. These data are analyzed with occupancy and state-space models, respectively. In addition, a suite of environmental layers help contextualize waterbird population indicators, and link these to the ecological condition of the supporting wetlands. Both data and estimated indicators are accessible to end users through an online portal and web services. Results and discussion We have designed a modular system that includes tasks, such as: data cleaning, statistical analysis, diagnostics, and computation of indicators. Envisioned users of BIRDIE include government officials, conservation managers, researchers and the general public, all of whom have been engaged throughout the project. Acknowledging that conservation programmes run at multiple spatial and temporal scales, we have developed a granular framework in which indicators are estimated at small scales, and then these are aggregated to compute similar indicators at broader scales. Thus, the online portal is designed to provide spatial and temporal visualization of the indicators using maps, time series and pre-compiled reports for species, sites and conservation programmes. In the future, we aim to expand the geographical coverage of the pipeline to other African countries, and develop more indicators specific to the ecological structure and function of wetlands.

In South Africa, as in other parts of the world, Biodiversity Informatics (BDI) has been identified as a young field of science that lies at the nexus of several disciplines, including informatics, biology and mathematics/statistics. Being such a new and dynamic field, there are challenges in the recruitment, training and retention of personnel that can support inter alia the mobilisation, management, coordination, and utilisation of biodiversity information for key conservation and biodiversity outcomes. The lack of human capital also place at risk the implementation of (e.g.) the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and hinders attainment of the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework targets. There is a clear demand for broad efforts to build human capital in the field. Using our experiences in South Africa, we provide a framework for establishing BDI as a field of science in developing countries and look at the potential building blocks towards this broad objective, including the need and requirements for the establishment of a Centre for BDI. We explore this concept against a backdrop of the South African government's 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation, and the associated Decadal Plan, both developed under the auspices of the Department of Science and Innovation. We also reflect on efforts in the broader landscape to look at the establishment of BDI curricula.

It was with great excitement then that I noticed a Rock Martin flying into a nest on the western side of C-block on 31 March 2017.

The timing and location of reproduction are fundamental elements of reproductive success for all organisms. Understanding why animals choose to reproduce at particular times and in particular places is also important for our understanding of other aspects of organismal ecology, such as their habitat requirements, movement strategies, and biogeography. Although breeding patterns in waterfowl are relatively well documented, most studies are from northern temperate regions and the influences of location and time of year on breeding in Afrotropical ducks (Anatidae) are poorly understood. We outline six alternative (but not mutually exclusive) hypotheses that might explain where and when Afrotropical ducks choose to breed. To explore these hypotheses, we assembled and analyzed a new database of c.22,000 breeding records for 16 Afrotropical ducks and one introduced Palearctic species (the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos). The full database is available on line as an appendix to this article. We identified five distinct breeding strategies as well as two outliers. Peak breeding for 9 of 16 indigenous duck species occurs during the dry season. We found no evidence for spatial synchrony or spatial autocorrelation in breeding, suggesting a high level of flexibility in waterfowl responses to prevailing conditions in any given year. More intensive analyses of alternative hypotheses are needed, but our initial analysis suggests that the timing of breeding for the majority of Afrotropical ducks is driven by a combination of resource availability and predation risk.

Birds nesting in close proximity to other bird species or occupying the same nesting space is fairly well known but often poorly understood (Joubert 1932, Quinn and Ueta 2008). This commensalism usually implies that one or both species may benefit from the close association. Two primary reasons for these kinds of nesting associations are usually as a nest defence strategy (providing protection) or mutual vigilance helping to warn of impending threat (Quinn and Ueta 2008).

The Marico Sunbird Cinnyris mariquensis is usually confined to dry Acacia savanna and broad-leaved and riparian woodlands, and often associated with riparian vegetation in arid regions. A large proportion of its range is centred in the drier central and western regions within southern Africa but it also occurs in the wetter sub-tropical woodlands in the eastern parts of the country. owie 2005). It is an active sunbird that feeds in association with other conspecifics including White-bellied Sunbird C. talatala and Dusky Sunbird C. fuscus. This paper describes how the range is expanding into the Northern Cape and Free State provinces in central South Africa.

What is notable from this short study, particularly from the longer 10 April recording, that there is substantial mimicry taking place in amongst the shrike's usual swizzles and warbles.

Traditionally, species richness, species diversity, total count, biomass, energy consumption and the Ramsar '1% threshold' have been used to assess the importance of wetlands for waterbirds. Designation of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) based on waterbirds has focused on those species meeting the Ramsar 1% population threshold levels. These levels prioritise a subset of species as being important, with little or no consideration to the contributions of the remaining species' populations. In this paper, we evaluate and further describe a quantitative method to assess wetland avifaunal importance. Termed the Waterbird Conservation Value (WCV), this index sums the ratio of each species' abundance to its published 1% threshold across all species to give an overall measure of the 'value' of the waterbirds at a wetland. Large values indicate that large proportions of the total populations of waterbird species are present at the wetland. Indices can be evaluated at site and species levels. The WCV is a more nuanced approach, sensitive to actual species' abundance rather than counts of '1% threshold' species and considers all species in the assessment. The outputs of the WCV index are demonstrated and discussed using a case study from three regions within the East Atlantic flyway.

It is interesting to note that the highest densities were recorded in the middle of the route. Although no detail records were made of habitat in each section it is likely that this is where the vegetation provides optimal nesting material and food for the weavers.

In southern Africa, little is known about hybridisation between indigenous duck species in the wild and there are few reported and/or documented cases...

(2014). Birds in a Changing Environment: Report on the 13th Pan-African Ornithological Congress in Arusha, Tanzania. Ostrich: Vol. 85, No. 1, pp. iii-vi.

Among birds, northern temperate species generally have larger clutches, shorter development periods and lower adult survival than similarly-sized southern and tropical species. Even though this global pattern is well accepted, the driving mechanism is still not fully understood. The main theories are founded on the differing environmental seasonality of these zones (higher seasonality in the North). These patterns arise in cross-species comparisons, but we hypothesized that the same patterns should arise among populations within a species if different types of seasonality select for different life histories. Few studies have examined this. We estimated survival of an azonal habitat specialist, the African reed warbler, across the environmentally diverse African subcontinent, and related survival to latitude and to the seasonality of the different environments of their breeding habitats. Data (1998-2010) collected through a public ringing scheme were analyzed with hierarchical capture-mark-recapture models to determine resident adult survival and its spatial variance across sixteen vegetation units spread across four biomes. The models were defined as state-space multi-state models to account for transience and implemented in a Bayesian framework. We did not find a latitudinal trend in survival or a clear link between seasonality and survival. Spatial variation in survival was substantial across the sixteen sites (spatial standard deviation of the logit mean survival: 0.70, 95% credible interval (CRI): 0.33-1.27). Mean site survival ranged from 0.49 (95% CRI: 0.18-0.80) to 0.83 (95% CRI: 0.62-0.97) with an overall mean of 0.67 (95% CRI: 0.47-0.85). A hierarchical modeling approach enabled us to estimate spatial variation in survival of the African reed warbler across the African subcontinent from sparse data. Although we could not confirm the global pattern of higher survival in less seasonal environments, our findings from a poorly studied region contribute to the study of life-history strategies.

"The Atlas of Birds: Mapping Avian Diversity, Behaviour and Habitats Worldwide." Ostrich, 83(3), p. 175

A mechanistic understanding of species’ geographic range dynamics requires an understanding of the dynamics of populations at the edge of that range. Several ibis species are currently expanding their ranges, and the Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) has increased its southern African range more than 2.5 fold over the past century. We studied the demography of a Hadeda population near the expanding range edge. Estimating survival on a quarterly time interval we found that it was lowest over the first 3 months of life, and then slightly higher over the rest of the 1st year (annual survival: 0.27, SE = 0.04). After the first year, survival was constant (0.75, SE = 0.09). Breeding success increased from 1.5 to 3 fledglings per year with increasing experience of the breeding pair. A matrix population model showed that the growth rate of this population was most sensitive to changes in adult survival and least sensitive to variation in reproduction. Hadedas in our study population thus showed characteristics of long-lived birds but were also able to achieve a high reproductive output in good conditions. Together with their ability to take advantage of a human modified landscape, this may explain the remarkable success of this species in expanding its range.

A & C Black, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP, UK 144 pages, colour plates and colour distribution maps, softcover ISBN 978-14-08134-70-2. Price £16.99 OSTRICH 2012, 83(3): 175

The Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) (http://sabap2.adu.org.za) started in July 2007, and by early December 2012 had been running for nearly five and a half years. The project has been managed through six-monthly meetings of the SABAP2 Steering Committee, and each of these meetings has received a progress report. This paper is based on the report made to the Steering Committee at its meeting on 6 December 2012.

Numbers of waterbirds were counted monthly from May 1994 to April 2004 at Paarl Waste Water Treatment Works, South Africa. Seventy-two waterbird species were recorded, of which 33 species (46%) were recorded breeding. Mean summer and winter counts were 2822 ± 504 and 1651 ± 251 birds, respectively. Summer peaks were driven primarily by large numbers of White-winged Terns (mean summer count = 858 or 34% of total count). Resident species dominated from December to April, whereas Palaearctic migrants peaked from December to March. Ducks and geese had greatest numbers from December to April and resident waders and grebes peaked from April to July. Flamingos peaked in October and November with another small peak in June. Gulls and terns had two peaks, one in November–March, driven by migrant White-winged Terns, the other in July and August, driven by abundance of resident Benguelan (Hartlaub's) Gulls. White-winged Terns showed the greatest decline (82%) of all species. Influx of Little Grebe and Red-billed Teal during winter showed a positive correlation with rainfall, while Egyptian Goose, Yellow-billed Duck and Cape Shoveler numbers declined as winter and spring rainfall increased. Paarl Waste Water Treatment Works ranked as the second-most important wastewater treatment works for waterbirds in the Cape Town metropole. It supported globally and regionally important numbers of 11 species and qualifies as a global and/or subregional Important Bird Area and Ramsar Site.