Birds coaxed to relocate at Ingula
It was hoped that the birds would move of their own accord, but as the dam only filled up during 2016, they never attempted to move until forced to abandon their original nests
Historically, Ingula has always had a stable population of Southern Bald Ibis (SBI) nesting in the basin of the Bedford dam. It was known that the nesting sites would be flooded when the dam filled up. What was not known was how the birds would react.
The situation provided the ideal opportunity to see if the birds could be coaxed to relocate. An artificial nesting site was designed and constructed by blasting out a large section of hillside to make a new cliff face.
Along the top, several recessed openings were made and the area was covered with shot-crete to prevent it from crumbling.
It was the first time such an attempt was made. It was hoped that the birds would move of their own accord, but as the dam only filled up during 2016, they never attempted to move until forced to abandon their original nests.
At the beginning of 2016, the first birds moved to the new site, but still they did not attempt to nest in the recesses. Instead, they nested on the ledges below.
To get a better picture of their activities, BirdLife South Africa Project Manager Robin Colyn set up a camera trap to monitor them. He confirmed that 10 birds were roosting there and some showed early breeding behaviour.
The experiment continues – an attempt will be made to alter the recesses to make them more ‘natural’.
For now, the water level in the dam has stabilised just below the new nests.
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