Marievale Bird Sanctuary

Marievale Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in Gauteng, South Africa. It is about 15 km2 in size, and situated on the East Rand on the southern half of the Blesbokspruit wetland, a Ramsar site. The Blesbokspruit is a major perennial river in Gauteng which is flanked by extensive floodplains on either side. Nearby is the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.

History
In 1978, a reserve 524 ha in extent was established. This was further extended to 1,526.01 ha.

Biodiversity
The Blesbokspruit wetland, in which the sanctuary is situated, is designated as an Important Bird Area. Almost 300 bird species frequent the wetland, according to the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), with the best time to visit being between spring and the start of summer.

Birds
Birds found at the wetland include:


 * African grass owl
 * African spoonbill
 * Baird’s sandpiper
 * Baillon’s crake
 * Black egret
 * Black heron
 * Black-winged pratincole
 * Black-tailed godwit
 * Buff-breasted sandpiper
 * Caspian tern
 * Curlew sandpiper
 * Ethiopian snipe
 * Fulvous duck
 * Great white heron
 * Goliath heron
 * Marsh owl
 * Pectoral sandpiper
 * Purple heron
 * Red-chested flufftail
 * Sand martin
 * Red-knobbed coot
 * Reed cormorant
 * South African shelduck
 * Slaty egret
 * Squacco heron
 * Yellow wagtail
 * Yellow-billed duck

Mammals
In addition to birds, mammals have also been observed in the sanctuary:


 * Blesbok
 * Cape clawless otter
 * Three species of mongoose
 * Southern reedbuck
 * Cape hare

Vegetation
Within the wetland phragmites, typha and juncus reeds can be found between the water pans. A grassland biome occurs near the eastern border.

Activities
Access to the reserve costs R35pp and R25 per car. There is a conference centre and 2 chalets in the sanctuary. There are four bird hides at the water pans (named Flamingo, Hadeda, Duiker and Shelduck) and a public picnic site in the reserve.

Threats
The flow of the Blesbokspruit has been hampered by the surrounding industries, i.e. gold mine tailings, sewage treatment plants, farmland expansion and urban development in some parts of the wetland, creating disjointed pans of water in the wetland. Previously the river had few reed beds and few open stretches of shallow water. With the profusion of vegetation like sedges, bulrushes, duckweed and reeds, and the dumping of several large sand embankments through urban expansion, the landscape has since changed, resulting in the reduction of suitable habitat on the river.