Operation Oxpecker

INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this document is to describe the entire history to date, of the re-introduction of redbilled oxpeckers buphagus erythrorhynchus into the East London area. It is hoped that this document will promote the continuity of data collection and monitoring through changing conservation management staff at Mpongo Private Game Reserve.
OVERVIEW, 2005 - 2008
After numerous informal discussions between the conservation manager for Mpongo Private Game Reserve and the surrounding livestock farmers, pertaining to the management and control of ticks on their livestock,
it soon became apparent that the farmers were loosing the battle. Some of the tick species in particular the (blue and red-legged tick) had built up a resistance to the dip’s being used and these were being replaced by
stronger more potent dips and home made concoctions.
At Mpongo Private Game Reserve it was found that giraffe born in the summer months suffered a near 100% mortality rate and eland cows could not suckle their young because their teats were literally being eaten off. Methods used to reduce tick loads included:
• Step on applicators
• Duncan applicators
• The introduction of 20 Nguni cattle that were dipped on a tri-weekly basis.

A general consensus was reached amongst these farmers with regards to investigating the possibility of re-introducing a biological control mechanism to control the tick population in this area, in the form of the redbilled oxpecker, buphagus erythrorhynchus, as they had naturally occurred in this area, before being indiscriminately poisoned by cattle farmers in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
On the 30th of November 2005, Mr Arnaud Le Roux from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) (Poison working Group) was contacted and asked whether the EWT would look at re-introducing the redbilled oxpecker back into the East London area.
At this point it was concluded that before any re-introduction could take place, numerous farmers’ days would have to be set up in East London in order that Arnaud could express his concerns as well as gauge the livestock farmer’s response and get their buy in.
On the 9th of January 2006, the EWT hosted its oxpecker information day at Mpongo Private Game Reserve, (the first had taken place on the 8th at Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve).
It was well attended with some 35 surrounding livestock farmers and community leaders attending.
At this meeting Arnaud stressed the importance of the creation of a 40km2 conservancy, within which all livestock farmers, would have to manage tick infestations with oxpecker
compatible products in order to promote their successful re-introduction and subsequent population growth.
After this initial oxpecker information day, a few farmers representing the Mcleantown, Berlin, Newlands and Thornpark farmers associations, held monthly meetings at Mpongo Private Game Reserve to formulate the creation of the Buffalo City Oxpecker Conservancy. Some of the matters discussed included defining the conservancy area, formulating a constitution, vision and mission statement and how to get the buy in of the livestock farmers and surrounding communities in the area.
Unfortunately at this stage the EWT had a backlog of orders to fill and hence could not introduce oxpeckers for next few years. This resulted in enthusiasm for Operation Oxpecker to wain.
THE GOOD NEWS, 2009
On the 2nd of April 2009, Arnaud contacted Mpongo Private Game Reserve with good news, the EWT were going to catch birds in the Kruger National Park in July 2009, and these birds were destined for release at Mpongo Private Game Reserve in August 2009.
A second oxpecker information day was hosted at Mpongo Private Game Reserve on the 30th May 2009. Given the promise of oxpeckers, the second oxpecker information day was well attended by over 100 interested farmers, birders, local community leaders, co-operative managers and teachers.
A number of guest speakers were arranged, and the information day attendees were issued with information packs (Appendice: 3) and urged to join the Buffalo City Oxpecker Conservancy which at present has 35 members (Appendice: 4).
Each member of the Conservancy received a sign board with their farm name and number on. These boards were kindly sponsored by SIGN PRO and Premier Hotels & Resorts.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS, 2009
Unfortunately due to the unpredictability of nature, this capture operation was unsuccessful in that only 14 birds were netted and a minimum of 50 birds are needed as an initial founder population.
The 14 birds captured were subsequently given to another game reserve that had already re-introduced birds the previous year.
This came as a bitter disappointment which was short lived as on the 1st of September 2009 Arnaud contacted Mpongo Private Game Reserve with potentially good news. While at a raptor conservation meeting Arnaud heard about a cattle farm in the Houdspruit area that was inundated with oxpeckers, and the managers of this feedlot wanted to get rid of these birds.
After investigating these claims Mpongo Private Game Reserve was contacted and told that a final capture attempt for 2009 was going to take place.
REDBILLED OXPECKER CAPTURE AND TRANSPORTATION, 2009
Headed by Arnaud, the capture operation in Houdspruit netted 42 red-billed oxpeckers over a period of 3 days. These birds were transported by road to Polokwane were they remained in a holding facility at the National Zoological Gardens farm, for a further 7days.
On the 25th of September 2009, Darren Hanner the owner of EAST COAST AGENCIES came on board and offered to fligh to Polokwane at his cost to collect the birds.
Before first light the following morning, 42 birds were caught in the holding facility and placed in a transportation box for the flight back to East London.
Just after midday on the 26th of September 2009 Darren Hanner touched down at the Wings airfield after a flight which lasted just over 6 hours.
The birds were then transported by road to there temporary holding avery within Mpongo Private Game Reserve a distance of some 10km.
42 birds were released into the avery and they started eating and drinking immediately. The capture and transportation operation was deemed very successful as no mortalities were recorded.
THE HOLDING AVERY
The holding Avery was built in Mpongo Private Game Reserve, buffalo camp which measures approximately 5 hectares and is located near the centre of the game reserve. The intention was to release these birds in the presence of the buffalo in order to prevent the birds from bomb shelling upon initial release.
The Avery measured 3m x 3m and was 3m high. It was covered with a combination of shade cloth on the back, and half of the sides and roof and a fine chicken mesh covered the front half of the structure including the two entrance gates.
The Avery was purposefully built around an Acacia karoo which provided natural perches for the birds and a shallow concrete waterhole was constructed for drinking purposes. There was also sufficient soil available for the birds to dust bath.
FEEDING AND WATER
A 2m length of plastic gutter pipe was nailed to one side of the avery and served as a feeding area for the birds.
While in the avery, the birds were fed a combination of congealed ox- blood and lean mince twice a day. It was observed that the birds had a preference for the congealed blood. With each feed the left over feed was removed from the feeding gutter before the fresh food was dished up. An approximate ratio of 60% blood and 40% mince was served.
At each feed the old water was replaced with fresh water into which an electrolyte and vitamin solution had been added.
MORTALITIES
For the first two days all went well until the morning of the third day when 6 oxpeckers were found dead. After careful investigation it was ascertained that the cause of death was due to vervet monkeys that had come across the avery on their wonderings and obviously frightened the birds by climbing all over the avery.
Unfortunately some of the birds got caught up in the chicken mesh and the monkeys managed to pull of their legs.
The dead birds were removed from the avery, their ring numbers were recorded after which, they were donated to the East London Museum. Arnaud was contacted and informed of this most unfortunate loss.
As a contingency measure the open sides of the avery were covered up and only the front was opened each day. A wildlife staff member was assigned to the avery each day to keep an eye on the birds and chase Vervet monkeys away if need be.
Unfortunately during the initial risk identification exercise for this project, the presence of vervet monkeys and their impact on these birds was not identified or even considered as a potential threat.

Two hard lessons were learnt. Firstly, it is believed that the entire avery should be covered in shade cloth instead of fine chicken mesh as the shade cloth is more forgiving and allows the birds to cling to it without getting caught up in it. It also creates an impenetrable boundary for monkeys and acts as a good wind break. Secondly, when, re-introducing redbilled oxpeckers into a game reserve a staff member should be permanently assigned to the release site until the birds have been released.
THE FIRST RELEASE, 2009
The remaining 36 birds were kept in the avery for an additional 4 days. The initial release date was set for the 2nd of October 2009. The press, border birdlife, oxpecker conservancy members and community leaders were invited to attend the release. However, this was not to be as that day turned out to be wet and cold.
The birds were unceremoniously released on the 3rd of October 2009. The only witnesses were a handful of Mpongo Private Game Reserve staff members and the buffalo which had been lured to the avery. The front of the avery was opened and the birds flew straight out onto the buffalo as had been hoped. After a while some of the birds flew of in different directions while some hung about with the buffalo.
THE SECOND RELEASE, 2010
It is common practice for a small percentage of the birds caught in a particular year, to be sent to the area in which a founder population was released the previous year. As a result a further 19 birds out of a group of 58 birds destined to be released in the Mountain Zebra National Park, were caught in the Kruger National Park in 2010.
On the 26th August 2010, Darren Hanner and I flew up to Polokwane in his Jabaru 430 to fetch the birds that had been kept in quarantine for 4 weeks. On our flight back to East London, we landed in Cradock to drop of the 39 birds destined for release in the MZNP, a round trip of some 1300 nautical miles.
As a consequence of the lessons learnt from the first release, the remaining 19 oxpeckers were released into an upgraded temporary avery. The chicken mesh was removed and replaced with shade cloth. This modification definitely made a difference as no birds were lost during their holding period.

The birds were successfully released on the 3rd of September 2010 in the presence of the SABC news team, Mpongo Private Game Reserve wildlife staff, members of the Border birding club and some members of the Buffalo City Oxpecker Conservancy. The newly released birds immediately joined up with a group of 8 previously released oxpeckers that had been hanging around the avery during their holding period.
BREEDING SUCCESS
On the 16th of March 2010, Arnaud Le Roux visited Mpongo Private Game Reserve for post release monitoring of the oxpeckers. While inspecting the holding avery, a group of oxpeckers were spotted on a giraffe. On closer inspection four of the birds were identified as juveniles. This indicates that this group of birds have successfully hatched and reared their first young in this area.
Four more juveniles have subsequently been observed in March of 2011. Based on observations made and data collected during 2010 and 2011 it is believed that there are two groups of red-billed oxpeckers that have nested in Mpongo Private Game Reserve. One group consists of eight birds and they are regularly seen at or near the top house.
The second group numbers eight and they are often seen in the fig trees at rooiplaats house.
The fact that these birds have successfully bred, suggests that they have found adequate nesting sites; a sufficient food source and have adapted to their new environment.
It is important to remember that each clutch of successfully reared juvenile oxpeckers helps to strengthen the existing founder population and the consequent long term success of these birds in the East London Region.
Sightings Pictures of Oxpeckers at Mpongo Private Game Reserve

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