| Abe Bailey Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of Abe Bailey Nature Reserve | |
| Location | Merafong City Local Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Nearest city | Carletonville |
| Coordinates | 26°18′14″S27°20′13″E / 26.304°S 27.337°E /-26.304; 27.337 |
| Area | 4,200 ha (10,000 acres) |
Abe Bailey Nature Reserve is aprotected area in theMerafong City Local Municipality inGauteng, South Africa. It is situated nearCarletonville, beside the township ofKhutsong on theWest Rand. It is about 4,200 hectares (10,000 acres)[1] in size.[2]
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Over 280 species of birds have been recorded in the reserve, including common sightings of theAfrican fish eagle and the summer-visitingosprey. Thousands offlamingos visit the wetland for a few weeks a year. Theyellow-billed stork has been recorded breeding in the area, one of few known breeding sites outside theOkavango Delta. Rare sightings of both thecape vulture andwhite-backed vulture as well as themarabou stork,martial eagle, andVerreaux's eagle-owl have been recorded.
Leopards are known to enter the area from the Gatsrand range, although this is a rare occurrence. Theapex predators in the reserve are theblack-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas),caracal (Caracal caracal) andserval (Leptailurus serval), whilst thecape fox (Vulpes chama) andaardwolf (Proteles cristatus) are also common in the area.Brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnae) males are known to move through the area, but no females have been recorded.
TheAfrican clawless otter (Aonyx capensis),marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus),yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata),common slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea),white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda),African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha),striped polecat (Ictonyx striatus) and occasionallyhoney badger (Mellivora capensis) are known from the area. Thesouthern African hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) andaardvark (Orycteropus afer) are also found in the reserve.
Antelope species include species indigenous to the highveld grasslands likeblack wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou),blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi),red hartebeest (Acelaphus buselaphus caama),plains zebra (Equus quagga),springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis),common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), andsteenbok (Raphicerus campestris). Occasionally, species such as thesouthern reedbuck (Redunca arundinum),mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula), andcommon warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) enter the reserve via the Gatsrand range.
