Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This site consists of the farm Alexpan 1529, c.20 km north-east of Harrismith. The farm consists of flat grassveld plains, which are mostly used for growing maize, wheat, soya beans and pasture grass, while most of the remaining natural grassland on the slopes is grazed by sheep and cattle. In the north-west corner of the farm, near the district road, there is a shallow dam c.7.5 ha in extent, and there are six smaller ones (less than 2 ha) on various other drainage lines. The most dominant grassland type is moist sandy highveld grassland. Small patches of moist clay highveld grassland grow on the black vertic clays that are scattered throughout the area.
See Box for key species. The largest dam on the farm is of considerable significance, being a regular roost for large numbers of cranes.
Grus carunculatus used to be resident, but now it is only an uncommon visitor to the area.
Grus paradisea and
Balearica regulorum are seasonally abundant in a mixed roost. The surrounding grassland holds
Geronticus calvus and excellent habitat for
Heteromirafra ruddi,
Spizocorys fringillaris and
Anthus chloris.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The farm is privately owned and receives no legislative protection. It lies in a region of commercial farmland and much of the natural grassland is used for sheep- and cattle-grazing, with the remaining area under cultivation. Threats to the area include the construction of a proposed highway that will run into KwaZulu-Natal via De Beers Pass; the highway will pass within 20 m of the largest dam. Poisoned grain has occasionally been responsible for the mass mortality of many cranes, particularly
Grus paradisea, which are vulnerable to intentional or inadvertent poisoning.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Alexpan (South Africa). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/alexpan-iba-south-africa on 22/12/2024.
