The avian fauna of Sudan includes 931 species of birds of which reported 127 species are common in Sennar, Gedarif and Blue Nile states [1].

The park is located approximately at between latitude 12° 42′ N and longitude 34° 48′ N was established in 1935 following the London convention for the conservation of African flora and fauna. The park is complete ecological unit but characteristically some of its wildlife migrates during the rainy season where their movement is not impeded by the tall grass and thick clay and they drift back to the mentioned park in the dry season [2].

The park has three following major ecosystems:Firstly, the woodland is largest in extent and characterized by Acacia seyal(taleh), Balanites aegyptiaca (heglig) and Combretum species (habeel). The soil is characterized as a heavy cracking clay and it has tall coarse grasses including Sorghum species (Adar) and the Riverine ecosystem contains mainly doum palm ie; Hyphaenae the baica, Acacia siberiana (kook), Ziziphus abyssinica, Ziziphus spinachristi (Sidir) and Momosa pigra (shagrat Elfas). The dominant grasses are Sorghumand bracharia (Umasabie). The third ecosystem is the Mayas that constitute an important foraging ground for wildlife during the severe part of the dry season (March-June). Mayas are green meadows that hold water and provide green fodder throughout the dry season [3].

Only patchy information is available on the avian fauna of the Dinder national park, which is the closest northern national park to most urbanized centers in northern Sudan. The study of the area has become basic necessity [2].

The aims of the study focus mainly on the identification of the birds fauna, changes and quantification of these changes.

Dinder National Park is the most important terrestrial protected area in the northern states of Sudan. Located on the Ethiopian border, straddling Blue Nile and Gadarif and Sennar states. It is approximately 10,000 km² in size. The most important features of the park are a series of permanent and seasonal wetlands known locally as Mayas which are linked to streams running of the Ethiopian highlands to the east.

The habitat and wildlife of Dinder National Park can currently be described as badly degraded and under serious threat from a number of ongoing problems including encroachment, habitat degradation and poaching.

Until the 1960s, the area surrounding park was relatively uninhabited. Since then, however migration and irrational land use have resulted in development around the park, to an extent that around forty villages now exist along its boundaries.

Large-scale mechanized agriculture activities in the north and west has not only pushed traditional agricultural communities to the edge of the park, but by taking over most of the land previously used for grazing, has also led pastoralists to invade the park in large numbers. Livestock compete with wildlife for fodder and water and transmit diseases such as render pest and anthrax, while burning degrades the grassed woodland habitat. Poaching is also a major problem, as is the felling of trees for fire wood by trespassers and fires set in the course of honey extraction from the bee-hive.

The study was conducted in Dinder National park. The meadows (Mayas) of Dinder National park (DNP) were studied during the dry season on 27/4-7/5/2008, /2009,8/3-18/3/2010 and 26/2-16/3/2011. The following seven mayas were studies and they are as follow: Ras Amer, Abdelgani, Gerarisa, Bet Elwahsh Simaya, Mayat Musa, Ein elshams and Abied. The park was traversed by car along the roads between meadows ecosystem and the Dehra riverbeds and Mayas region were patrolled on foot. The place where the birds used to feed and their habitat were also considered. Observations were made in early morning (6.30-10.00) and afternoon (16.00-18.00). Each maya’s visit took ten days for complete observation. Basic count (Direct count) is used as it is a good way to estimate population size, detect changes in population size or species diversity and also helpful in determining the cause of the changes in the environment. The data pertaining to habitat of the birds is collected as well. Basic bird counts can be completed fairly easily and is less inexpensive compared to other techniques and they provide general information about the status of a bird population.

Assessment of the same site twice on the same day is not better because these assessments are not “independent”. That is, the same birds may still be present at the same locations [4]. It is better to set up other counting sites than to re-measure the same transect again. The species are identified by using binocular and telescope and compared with plates of three different field guides of birds.

It can be seen from Figure 1, that the year 2011 registered high number of individuals and with slight fluctuation from the year 2008 and there is remarkable variation with year 2008, which recorded small number of individuals. No reason known about the factors effecting the distribution of birds in the park but may be the amount of rainfall play significant role here (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Number of individuals in Dinder National Park 2008-2011

Figure 2: Total number of individuals in the park

There were changes in the bird fauna in the Park which were probably associated to climatic changes and subsequent changes in the habitat [2]. As is to be expected in and an arid country like the Sudan where water is the main factor in controlling the bird population [5] (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Number of species in the park.

Some species like Spur-winged goose, Great white Pelican and Marabou Stork showed marked increase in number in the year 2008 and 2009. It is mainly attributed to the heavy rains. The lowest number of birds registered in the 2010 is due to the decrease amount of rainfall, also the number of species was increased because the birds tend to aggregate at water sources in the park. There are some species thought to be disappeard, recorded like Emerald wood dove (Turtur chalcopilos), wattled Starling (Creatophora cinerea),White headed Babbler (Turdios leucocephala) and Green-backed Comaroptera (comaroptera prachyura) and Swainson’s Sparrow(Passer swainsonii) (Appendix 1).

Appendex 1: Birds of Dinder National Park 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.

In general the study showed that there was decrease in number of birds that visited the park and this may be for the reason that many meadows (maya’s) were dry for the last two years such as maya Musa and Aein ashams and Simaya. Inspite of maya musa and Ein ashams were full of water in 2008-2009 but they were completely dry in 2010 in addition to Simaya in 2011. The exact reason for the variation of maya’s capacity to store water annually is not known. The relationship between the amount of water and the number of birds, besides the relationship between the amount of water and it’s level at the Meadows are very complicated.