UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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A case interspecific nest use in larks
No full textTo conclude, nest reuse by larks is evidently a very rare phenomenon...The record reported here is seemingly the first case of interspecific nest reuse in the Alaudidae. Field biologists should consider revisiting old nests at regular intervals as nest reuse may be more common than reported in larks and other open-cup nesting species
The impact of political history on birds: A case study in north-eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa
Get PDFThe interaction between government policy and bird distributions was one of the themes running through the results of the First Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1). However, this observation was never explicitly transformed this idea into the "red thread" for a review of bird distributions in southern Africa. This theme, the impact of land-use on biodiversity, specifically in bird abundance and bird communities, is pursued in this paper, with a pilot study of two adjacent half degree grid cells in north-eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. The study compares the bird community in part of the former "self-governing state" of Gazankulu with the immediately adjacent section of the Kruger National Par
Clever little hunters: catching Capped Wheatear and Mountain Wheatear in the Namibian semi-desert
Get PDFI fell in love with these beautiful birds who sing in the silence and darkness of a desert morning and give us company around the lonely house we rent for the summer months on our yearly ringing expeditions. Although described as often tame, they made us laugh and think with their unexpected behaviour
Bird distribution dynamics 1 - Hamerkop Scopus umbretta in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
Get PDFA full investigation of the abundance of the Hamerkop should be undertaken, as well as trends in its abundance. We recommend an assessment of the impact of Egyptian Geese on nest sites. We also need to examine how dependent Hamerkops are on frogs of the genus Xenopus as a food resource, and to understand how the distribution and abundance of these frogs has been modified. Finally, a consideration of the full spectrum of threats faced by the Hamerskop is needed
Bird distribution dynamics 4 - Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
Get PDFOverall, the conclusion has to be that the Glossy Ibis certainly seems to have increased in both range and abundance over the Western Cape in the two-decade period between SABAP1 and SABAP2. Its fortunes appear to be mixed over the remainder of South Africa, with some clear regions of increase and some clear regions of decrease. The atlas database does not provide reasons for the changes, it only highlights the patterns, which then need further and more detailed investigation. This is clearly an interesting and enigmatic species. Yet, there seems to be no full-length paper devoted to any aspect of the biology of the Glossy Ibis in southern Africa. Genetic analyses would probably reveal whether the species did indeed only start breeding in South Africa in the middle of the 20th century. We still do not know if any of the Glossy Ibises occurring in South Africa are migrants from Eurasia
Levels of empathy in speech therapy and audiology undergraduate students training at the University of Cape Town
Get PDFResearch has found empathy expressed by healthcare professionals to be beneficial to their relationship with patients, resulting in better patient outcomes as well as greater job satisfaction for clinicians. In line with the move towards patient-centred care, health science curricula have responded by including teaching of empathy, professional and communication skills to under-graduates. A body of research exists exploring empathy levels among Health Sciences students; however, little research has been conducted with students on the African continent. The current study sought to establish the levels of empathy of all Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology students enrolled at the University of Cape Town. The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Health Profession Student version (JSE-HPS) was used to assess levels of empathy among students across all years of study. Results were analysed in terms of year of study, gender and degree programme. Students entered both Programmes with a positive attitude towards empathy, and this was sustained throughout their training, although gender differences existed with male students expressing less orientation towards empathy. Implications are discussed in the light of a South African context
Hypertension in adolescents and young adults at a tertiary clinic in Cape Town, South Africa
Get PDFBackground: The prevalence of essential hypertension in children and adolescents has increased dramatically over the past decade attributed to a rising prevalence of obesity, high salt diet and lack of exercise. Traditionally high blood pressure in adolescents required extensive work up to determine a cause, but given the changing demographics this policy needs to be reviewed. Objectives/method: The study aimed describe the risk factors, demographics, target organ damage and aetiology of hypertension in a cohort of young hypertensives (aged 15 - 30 years) referred to a tertiary hypertension clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital, by retrospectively reviewing the folders over a three-month period. Results: Thirty eight patients were identified with a mean age of 22 years. Essential hypertension was diagnosed in 82% of patients, and 71% of patients had a family history of hypertension. The median systolic blood pressure (BP) at first visit was 132 mmHg and diastolic BP 84mmHg. The median BMI was 25.4 kg/m2 and 68% had some form of target organ damage. Twenty six percent were current smokers and 8% had abused metamphetamines. Recognised secondary causes of hypertension were renal artery stenosis (four) and primary aldosteronism (one). Conclusions: In a cohort of young hypertensives patients the dominant cause was essential hypertension. Although the prevalence of obesity was surprisingly low compared to previously published studies, significant lifestyle issues were identified. 68% had target organ damage suggesting the disease was not benign. These preliminary results indicate that larger cohorts need to be studied to develop new policies for assessment and treatment of young people with hypertension in South Africa.
A Pied Crow Corvus albus survey covering 4 000 km2 of the Karoo: Autumn 2015
Get PDFSince Pied Crows are numerous and widespread, and can kill so many tortoises, it is logical that they must be capable of inflicting serious damage on other vulnerable prey specie
Specimen of Steppe Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus alboaxillaris (Lowe, 1921) in the collection of the Museu de Historia Natural, Maputo
Get PDFExamination of 11 specimens of Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Maputo Museu de Historia Natural, Maputo, Mozambique on 19th May 2016 revealed a single specimen showing the characters of the distinctive taxon ?Steppe? Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus alboaxillaris (Lowe 1921). A description of the specimen is given and illustrative photographs presented. The exact collecting locality is not known, but suspected to be Maputo Bay. This is the fifth record for Mozambique and the tenth record in Africa
Clues towards the migration route for Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers spending the non-breeding season in Kenya
Get PDFThe Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus and Greater Sand Plover C. leschenaultii both breed across central Asia and spend the non-breeding season in Africa, the Middle East, southern Asia and Australasia. Despite often being common and occurring in large numbers surprisingly little is known about their breeding and non-breeding distribution or migration routes, particularly for those migrating west to the Middle East and Africa. This paper presents new ringing recovery information relating to both species and suggests some possible options for their migration route between Kenya and their breeding grounds