Dassen Island (33251805) | |
|---|---|
Western Cape | |
| CWAC status | Monthly |
| Authority | CapeNature |
| Management status | Provincial Nature Rserve (Reserve boundary extends 500m seaward of the highwater mark). |
| Conservation status | PROTECTED |
| IBA information | SA109 |
| Ramsar information | Site # 2383 |
| Heritage information | N/A |
| View Cards | Click here |
Information |
|---|
| Date_registered |
| 2020-12-05 |
| Brief_description |
| Counts are tide dependant and normally start about 2 hours before low tide |
| Physical_features |
| Mixed - sandy/pebble beaches, rocky shores |
| Hydrological_features |
| Counts are tide dependant and normally start about 2 hours before low tide |
| Ecological_features |
| The site is an important Bird Area providing habitat for significant numbers of sesbird and shorebird species, including 10 of the 15 seabirds endemic to Southern Africa, and numerous Palearctic and Sub-Antarctic migrants. It provides safe breeding refuge for threatend species such as the African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) and Cape Cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis), and other coastal birds. It is one of only two breeding sites of the Great White Pelican in South Africa, Birds seen around the island include (but not limited to) Bank Cormorant, African Black Oystercatcher, Plovers, Black-browed Albatross, Sooty Shearwater, Crowned Cormorant, Great White Pelican, Kelp Gull, Swift Tern, Hartlaub's Gull and Cape Gannet. |
| Spp | Common name | Taxonomic name | Min | Avg | Max | IBA | Subregional IBA | RAMSAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 273 | Dromas ardeola | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | ||||
| 255 | Calidris alba | 18 | 57.50 | 112 | ||||
| 49 | Cormorant, Bank | Phalacrocorax neglectus | 22 | 62.88 | 101 | 90 | ||
| 48 | Cormorant, Cape | Phalacrocorax capensis | 353 | 2086.71 | 8906 | 5500 | 2750 | 3000 |
| 51 | Cormorant, Crowned | Microcarbo coronatus | 151 | 341.29 | 544 | 53 | 26 | 85 |
| 47 | Cormorant, White-breasted | Phalacrocorax lucidus | 12 | 31.24 | 66 | |||
| 10014 | Duck, Unidentified | Anas sp. | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 59 | Egret, Little | Egretta garzetta | 0 | 2.95 | 8 | |||
| 44 | Gannet, Cape | Morus capensis | 1 | 4.33 | 11 | |||
| 266 | Godwit, Bar-tailed | Limosa lapponica | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 89 | Goose, Egyptian | Alopochen aegyptiaca | 122 | 354.91 | 911 | |||
| 263 | Greenshank, Common | Tringa nebularia | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 288 | Gull, Grey-headed | Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus | 1 | 1.75 | 3 | |||
| 289 | Gull, Hartlaub's | Chroicocephalus hartlaubii | 146 | 813.41 | 2579 | 250 | 125 | 300 |
| 287 | Gull, Kelp | Larus dominicanus | 100 | 704.17 | 1543 | 300 | 150 | 700 |
| 64 | Heron, Black | Egretta ardesiaca | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 55 | Heron, Black-headed | Ardea melanocephala | 1 | 4.46 | 8 | |||
| 54 | Heron, Grey | Ardea cinerea | 0 | 1.29 | 2 | |||
| 81 | Ibis, African Sacred | Threskiornis aethiopicus | 21 | 49.05 | 263 | |||
| 84 | Ibis, Hadada | Bostrychia hagedash | 1 | 5.55 | 12 | |||
| 245 | Lapwing, Blacksmith | Vanellus armatus | 3 | 10.55 | 21 | |||
| 69 | Night Heron, Black-crowned | Nycticorax nycticorax | 0 | 2.17 | 5 | |||
| 231 | Oystercatcher, African | Haematopus moquini | 151 | 319.57 | 493 | 48 | 24 | 55 |
| 42 | Pelican, Great White | Pelecanus onocrotalus | 10 | 239.76 | 577 | 300 | ||
| 2 | Penguin, African | Spheniscus demersus | 96 | 410.59 | 1404 | |||
| 233 | Plover, Common Ringed | Charadrius hiaticula | 1 | 3.57 | 9 | |||
| 241 | Plover, Grey | Pluvialis squatarola | 1 | 3.36 | 7 | |||
| 237 | Plover, Kittlitz's | Charadrius pecuarius | 3 | 20.05 | 53 | |||
| 235 | Plover, White-fronted | Charadrius marginatus | 36 | 104.23 | 238 | 125 | 180 | |
| 251 | Sandpiper, Curlew | Calidris ferruginea | 1 | 1.50 | 2 | |||
| 292 | Tern, Antarctic | Sterna vittata | 0 | 220.00 | 1059 | 70 | 35 | 122 |
| 291 | Tern, Common | Sterna hirundo | 24 | 358.83 | 1041 | |||
| 298 | Tern, Greater Crested | Thalasseus bergii | 8 | 229.18 | 637 | 500 | 250 | 200 |
| 296 | Tern, Sandwich | Thalasseus sandvicensis | 6 | 69.08 | 297 | |||
| 232 | Turnstone, Ruddy | Arenaria interpres | 4 | 53.73 | 113 | |||
| 10008 | Wader, Unidentified | N/A N/A | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 686 | Wagtail, Cape | Motacilla capensis | 37 | 116.59 | 169 | |||
| 268 | Whimbrel, Eurasian | Numenius phaeopus | 1 | 1.41 | 4 |
Thursday 10 September 2026 02:08
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department
of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town
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