A field trip was organized on 3rd
December 2012 as a part of the project to survey waterbirds in
Sudan collaboratively
between ONSFS , Wildlife Conservation General Administration , Sudanese
Wildlife Society and University
of Senar . The mission
was to cover the former wetlands which surveyed last two years at Senar and White Nile
and to discover new bird important sites as well.
In the way from Khartoum to Senar
, we decided to have quick turn to check some wetlands at Butana area which we
told about by some former visitors but we found only Hafeers (atificail water
harvesting basins) which highly disturbed by pastoralists and their animals and
few bird’s species were seen there such
as little grebe, spur-winged plover. Some raptors observed in the way back including
lappet-faced vulture, steppe eagle and ruppelle’s vulture
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| Hafeer - 2/12/2012 Butana Area |
We spent the night at University
of Senar guest house and in the next
morning we headed towards the Rahad
Canal which was surveyed
last year and about 20000 of demoiselle cranes were inhabiting the site .
White-tailed lapwing was observed beside the road in small maya(wetland) .The
important maya (wetland) covers the area between bridges 45 and 60 (15 km) which
contains high numbers of demoiselle crane(4500) , ruff (7000) , northern
pintail(50), northern shovellor(500), Eurasian widgeon and some other small
waders .
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| White-tailed Lapwing- 4/12/2012 Senar |
We started counting from the
eastern side of the maya but for
hundreds meters only as the area was muddy , so we turned back to the western
side and on the way we passed below Dark-chanting goshawk which stands on top of small tree by the
road.
The maya lies in the eastern side
of Rahad Canal and only way to count the maya from the western side by walking the 15 km on foot as the road
was too bad to drive cars .The team was divided into tow groups and each one
started from the opposite direction and met at the center which means each
group walked 7.5 km (long way!!!!!!!!!) .
We spent more than five hours counting birds at this amazing maya which needs
to be declared as Important Bird Area (IBA) .
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| Dark-Chanting Goshawk- 4/12/2012 Senar |
Sennar state contains quite good
numbers of mayas(wetlands) with high species richness and abundance either
permanent or temporary and during the
survey we covered some of them in the first two days such as Konaf, Elrigaiba,
Abu Hujar , Wadd Eljak, Um Laban and Um Kitir.
The amazing thing was the high
number of raptors seen soaring there like
short –toed snake eagle , marsh harrier and some kites. After checking
some mayas near Damazin –Singa way one day morning , we decided to stop for breakfast rest under
the shaded Balanites aegyptiaca east Alkonaf bridge but when we approached to the tree , hundreds of roosted
carmine bee –eaters came out of the tree and we realized from the signs of their
feces on the ground that the tree was used for long time by the bird . I
checked the water canal beside the tree where birds flying over the canal to
perch on the electric wires on the other site and I continued for some minutes
looking for nesting sites may be hide some where on the canal sides as the bird
usually nests by digging holes in the cliffs but nothing was there. Also we
noticed high numbers of black kites on the other trees but we couldn’t find the
reason of their presence beside the Carmine bee-eaters.
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| Northern Carmine Bee-eater, 5/12/2012 Senar |
Some mayas checked as part
of Blue Nile
and inlands mayas namely Elrigaiba, Elshamia
and wadd Eljack which inhabited by some wader dominant by ruffs, black-winged
stilt ,cattle egret and little grebe.
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| Cattle Egret- 6/12/2012- Senar |
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| Senegal Thicknee 6/12/2012 Senar |
Hence, we took our way directly
towards White Nile and spent an hour at
Wildlife Administration to pick a guide who knows the area very well and to
save time in searching for mayas. In the beginning , our plan was to check
mayas in our way to Um Jar which is our main target and after some hours driving
in sandy clay lands with small shrubs , trees and mainly dominant by grasses
give fascinating landscape which I never thought it will be like this, we
arrived at the first maya called Alshwaf
holding small water body rich and about 16 species were seen there
mainly waders and few waterfowl. At this time ,it was already became dark with
the sunset but far west we saw large flocks waving in the air against the red
light of sunset . We continued our way
to Um Jar to spend the night there and next morning to count Um Jar according
to our previous plan but the image of the large flock was still brightening in
our head especially Pierre (ONCFS) when he insisted to go back next morning to
the same place as they already have an idea about Um Jar and waterbirds there.
The team stayed conscious to late evening waiting grilled goat meat prepared by
our host and it was unusual for foreigners to have dinner at 12:00 am but it
was a nice meal.
Next morning , while we were
going back to the same place on 7th December , we stopped at Algardood maya just beside the road with
fascinating nature comprising from merged tall grasses and reeds which is ideal
habitat for waterbirds prefer hiding and walking on floating plants . We recorded
about 500 squacco heron, 50 long-tailed cormorant , 10 African jacana , 10 pied kingfisher , 20 whiskered tern
beside some other species.
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| Great White Egret, Long-tailed Cormorant - 7/12/2012- White Nile |
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| Great White Egret, Long-tailed Cormorant, Squacco Heron- 7/12/2012- White Nile |
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| Pied Kingfisher- 7/12/2012 White Nile |
The big surprise was waiting us when we reached
the place where we saw the large flock last day and astonished by the huge numbers of ducks living in small
clear maya called Alsilaiaa which is not
far from small village there. Unbelievable, about 40,000 ducks dominant by garganey
(17,100) , Northern Pintail (15,700)
Eurasian Widgeon (4900) , Northern shovellor
(2100) and small numbers of
Fulvous whistling Duck, Comb Duck, Ferruginous Duck and common teal beside some waders in the shore such as ruff,
demoiselle crane, abdem’s stork and amazing Ruddy –Turnstone which is only
known to be in the Red Sea coast.
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| Flock of Ducks- 7/12/2012 White Nile |
We covered one maya more with
considerable species richness called Um Suar before we took rest for breakfast at midd-day .In
the first maya we recorded more than 300 black-winged stilt, 124 black-tailed godwit , 700 ruff, 140
little egret , 40 little stint, 30 grey heron, 31 glossy ibis with only two
waterfowl (garganey &fulvous duck) which deserved to called wader’s maya
and it lies just 10 meters in front of the a village and we wonder how the
birds live near the village but later we knew that people there don’t hunt
birds and they believed that bird meat
makes kind of skin irritation and we found ourselves happy with this belief for
bird welfare.
Good news comes together, while the team waiting for the breakfast , small group decided to have quick look at
two mayas near by which called Um Sila and Um Suar 2 as it has the same name
like the previous one .UM Sila is a deep maya lies in the main stream of Khor
Ubu Habel which extends from western Sudan to far east supported all mayas in
its way and this year the water level was high and the Khor flooded all over
the area filling the depressions and reached area not filled for some years. More
than 150 long-tailed cormorant were there. When we stopped at Um Suar maya , I
pointed my telescope to far east end leaving the near species for those who
have binoculars to count and I started to count birds with good start of
Eurasian Curlew (not its range) and just left I couldn’t believe my eyes with
the presence of two individuals of critically endangered sociable lapwing taking
bath with their remarkable black spot on the tail , I shouted for colleagues to
check more and all wondered. It is the first record of sociable lapwing in its
former range south of Khartoum west of the Nile for long decades. The Sudanese Wildlife Society has a
project for this species in collaboration with RSPB since 2008 following two
groups tagged with transmitters wintering in Sudan
but never recorded south Khartoum and it moves
between east and north Sudan.
This gives us an idea about its range and what areas we should cover next time.
The bird was seen associated with the Eurasian curlew, gull billed tern ,
black-winged stilt, little stint and common ringed plover. Pierre took pictures of the bird but in low
quality because of the far distance .
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| Two sociable lapwing in the middle &gull bill tern in both sides- 7/12/2012 White Nile |
Each maya seems to have its own characteristics
and waterbirds’ species as in the next maya (Alsunta) we recorded 400 glossy
ibis, 590 black-winged stilt but the ruff look common every where. Before it
gets dark, we headed towards Tendalty town to spend a night there and to survey
some wetlands there but we don’t know where we can get place to sleep. Our
destiny took us near his door as we stop to ask some guys if there is guest
house and they guided us to the next door where there is a hospitable man
always opened his house to guests . For tow nights he stood himself to serve us
beside ordering our dinner from his own pocket ,so thanks Mohammed Hassan for
your hospitality
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| Our Host in the middle with white T-shirt |
Next day on 8th December , we went to
Tendalty Dam which built on Khar Ubu Habel to harvest water during flooding
time and both sides of the Dam covered by acacia nilotica due to its water
resistance. About 18 species of waterbirds observed there mainly white-faced
duck (730), little egret, little stint but others in low numbers and it is not
as we thought but may be due to disturbance from people moving every where .
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| Tendalty Dam. 8/12/2012 White Nile |
Our permission for movement was
up to White Nile and not included North
Kordofan State
,so we get back to continue surveying mayas near Khor Abu Habel such as Wadd
Alayis, Um Oud , Alsunta, Alawama, Abu Gunbary
and Saggay Elfadil . large number of waterbirds were seen there and the
team felt exhausted from counting birds
all the day with no rest. Waterbird
species at these mayas according to highest numbers were ; ruff , black-winged
stilt, little stint, glossy ibis, little egret, great white egret
and spur-winged plover respectively. At night we get back to Tendalty to spend
our last night there and next day we tried to cover the rest of mayas
(wetlands) but their numbers were more than our few days there as the water
scattered in wide areas. These wetlands
need more than one week to be covered in proper way .
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| Glossy ibis - 9/12/2012 White Nile |
Thanks to all the participants
from ONCFS (Zetuni, Jean-Yeves, Pierre and Cle’mence) WCGA ( Mohammed Ali, Yahi
Edin, Khidir, Mohammed Adam, Alam) , SWS
( Esmat and Elfirdous) and University
of Senar ( Altyeb ,
Mohammed Elmekki & Mohammed Adam)
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| the team - 9/12/2012 White Nile |
