AN ORDINATION STUDY OF THE WATERBIRD COMMUNITY OF A COASTAL WETLAND, SOUTHERN CAPE-PROVINCE

Waterbirds were counted monthly, between 1980 and 1983, at the six waterbodies comprising the Wilderness-Sedgefield Lakes Complex, southern Cape Province. The Jaccard co-efficient was used to investigate inter-waterbody similarities, and correspondence analysis (CA) was used to determine variation between waterbodies by month and by year. The same pairings of waterbodies were most similar, and dissimilar, during summer and winter, according to both methods. CA characterized waterbody usage according to trophic category, seasonality and foraging method guilds. Spring-summer was the most dynamic period for the waterbird community. Major environmental events that occurred during the study did not cause significant changes at community level. The two most important waterbodies form a single avifaunal unit and must be managed as such.