Using the Pentad Charts

This pentad chart was designed by Peter Spence as an aid to planning atlas trips. It is essentially a map showing pentads grouped by Quarter Degree Squares.
The nine pentads per QDS are surrounded by a dark black line for the boundary of the QDS, which is also equivalent to a 1:50 000 topographic map. The 1:50K map code is shown at the top left of this dark black box, with the name at the top centre and the club in whose area of responsibility the map falls on the top right [where M = Midlands, N = North, P = Port Natal, S= Sisonke, T= Trogons & Z = Zululand].
The dark red line is the degree boundary. In the illustrated example the whole of 2930 is shown.

The pentads are coloured according to how many cards have been returned. White pentads have no cover, yellow pentads one card, orange pentads 2 to 10 cards and dark orange pentads have more than ten cards returned.
In addition, the following data are displayed in each pentad:

• Pentad code in top left;
  
• If the pentad falls on any IBA or PA this is on the top right [IBA's higher priority than PA's];
• Pentad name in bold on the next line;
• The next line reflects the cards returned per quarter. The quarters read: SON :DJF:MAM:JJA. I did try to follow the seasons as best possible.
• The last line reflects the total number of cards for the pentad in bold black on the left, and the total species recorded in bold blue on the right.

The idea is obviously to get to all white pentads first. If this is not possible, try to get to a yellow pentad, preferably during a quarter that has no card. This principle then applies for the next two colour pentads as well.
These charts are generally updated on a weekly basis and can be downloaded from the links on the right.

Western Marsh-Harrier

Joined the Midlands Bird Club monthly outing to Darvill on Sunday (1/03), led by Gordon Bennet.

Highlight was a Western (or European) Marsh-Harrier. The bird was sitting some diatnce away on a dead tree on the wall between the two lowest ponds. She was doing every stretching exercise she possibly could without actually flying, before eventually taking off.

Otherwise not too much of interest. I don't think that the weather helped, overcast with intermittent drizzle. We never actually got wet, just enough rain to keep one worried about the state of binocular lenses. The weeds are also getting a little out of hand (and for those interested in the other sort of weed, there is plenty of that around as well).

KZN Species Richness 23/02/09

Thought I'd give blogging a go, so here goes:

Starting with one of my favourite subjects, Species Richness off the SABAP2 site. [With some slight modifications, sorry Michael at the ADU, but I do like to know which QDS I'm in].

New Pentads in 2830CD Inadi and 2930BA Greytown (both light green, courtesy me). Which means that my zig-zag across the Midlands, from Greytown west towards Estcourt, has now degenerated into a bit of a squashed caterpillar.

Looking at the empty QDS's just North of Greytown, this area is a prime area to start another zig-zag. Any takers? Alan? One stretching through Pomeroy would be good.

Seriously if anyone does get a chance, we could do with some serious atlasing across 2830CA, CB, DA, DB & 2831CA. This is some fairly interesting country, and you could turn up some interesting birds.