About the Project

The Agulhas Birding Project started off as a "half-time" project in 2009. The Agulhas National Park at that time did not have an official "bird list" on the SANParks website and the project leader pursued this using the information available at the time. It was soon realised that the statistics for the park were inadequate and in January 2010 the Agulhas National park Birding project commenced.

With the permission of the ANP management, we began to record the bird species of the ANP. We began recording all pentads that included ANP property, but soon realised that it made sense to include the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area , as they are part of the same ecosystem south of the Soetmuis mountains. Twenty pentads were surveyed in year one and year two. In 2013 another pentad, Kosierskraal, was added and in 2014 the project adopted its current name to better describe it - Agulhas Plain Birding Project. This was necessary as we were not surveying Agulhas National Park only but rather the larger ecosystem. Another pentad was added bringing the number of pentads surveyed per year to 22 .

During 2015 the statistics of the project were evaluated and found to be lacking validity as the data of the first three years were unreliable due to a lack of experience in the earlier years. This led to a decision to extend the Agulhas Birding Project and in the process add the last 5 pentads that would make up the project. These pentads were added because they included the origins of rivers draining into the ecosystem. Furthermore the experience of the first 5 years has given a wider purpose to the project and the following goals have now emerged:

GOALS

1. Raise the general awareness of the Agulhas Plain as birding destination
2. Monitor the 27 pentads for SABAP regularly
3. Compile and monitor the Agulhas Plain bird list
4. Protect the avifauna of the Agulhas Plain by creating awareness among the local farming community
5. Lead the way in further research into endangered species such as: African Grass-owl, Hottentot Buttonquail, Southern Black Korhaan and Striped Flufftail etc.
6. Grow birding tourism in the area
7. Train bird guides for the area
8. Monitor the Langerzandt species and organize "Friends of the Langerzandt".
9. Develop the infrastructure for birding tourism:
1. Website
2. Bird hides

PARTNERS

1. Agulhas National Park
2. Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area
3. Cape Nature
4. SA Birdlife
5. Southern African Bird Atlas Project
6. Animal Demography Unit
7. Overberg Crane Group
8. Bionerds.co.za