Page 276 - Atlas Sea Birds Ver1

2.2.4.17 Seabird breeding localities in KwaZulu-Natal north of Lake
St Lucia

Authors: C Fox, RH Taylor, and RJM Crawford

Abstract:
White-breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus) bred in KwaZulu-Natal at four localities that are north of Lake St Lucia and in
rea- sonable proximity of the coast. Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus) bred at one of these sites. The localities are briefly
described and records of breeding by the two species are collated.

Introduction:
North of Lake St Lucia, in the vicinity of South Africa’s east coast, White-breasted Cormorants have bred at four localities: Nsumu Pan
in uMkhuze Game Reserve, Muzi Pan to its east, Lake Sibayi and Kosi Bay Estuary (Figure 1). Grey-headed Gulls have bred at Muzi
Pan. These localities are briefly described below where ‘√’ indicates birds bred but numbers were not estimated, ‘?’ birds may have bred.
Numbers of pairs are indicated outside brackets and counts of adults (ad) or juvenile birds (juv) are shown in brackets. Count data were
obtained from the literature and unpublished records of Ezemvelo KZN (EKZN) Wildlife. Breeding also occurred farther inland in northern
KwaZulu-Natal for White-breasted Cormorants (Bowker and Downs 2012, Crawford et al. 2013) but not for Grey-headed Gulls (McInnes
and Allan 2011).

Kosi Bay Estuary

MOZAMBIQUE

INDIAN
28° KWAZULU- OCEAN

30° NATAL Lake Sibayi
ATLANTIC SOUTH AFRICA
32°
OCEAN
34°

12° 16° 20° 24° 28° 32° 36° 40°
uMkhuzi Game Reserve
Muzi Pan

Nsumu Pan

Lake St Lucia

Red Duikers (Cephalophus natalensis) are plentiful at Lake St Figure 1. The locations of the four breeding localities of seabirds
Lucia (photo RJM Crawford) in northern KwaZulu-Natal considered in this chapter

270