I been asked by Brian to send the following note...

Dear All,

I went down to stay on a friends property not far from Emerit, on the 
Suswa Road out from Ol Tepesi off the Magadi Road... this weekend.

It was not a birding weekend, as I was concentrating on photographing 
butterflies, but birds still came around.

The first bridge below the steep descent is Ol Kejo (spelling?)River, 
a couple of kilometres further on there is an extensive plateau. 
Several Donaldson-smith's Nightjars were calling here, (they were 
noisy at Olorgesaillie Pre-Hist Site this time last year), as well as 
some noisy Barn Owls.
On the road between Ol Tepesi and Emerit there were about forty 
nightjars, as I was not with birders we did not stop for them, but it 
looked like Dusky and Don-Smith's, also there were several Heuglin's 
Coursers, Sptted THick-knees and a Spotted Eagle-Owl.
At our camp site not far from Emerit down a blind valley, the entire 
week-end after dark, we were entertained by very monotonous Freckled 
Nightjars. Donaldson-Smith's whilst not in the forested valley floor, 
called from the plateau grassland on either side of the valley. Pearl-
spotted Owlets and Vx's Eagle-Owl in the camp, and Montane Nightjar 
on leaving home made it a very successful unplanned noctunal bird 
evening!
THe whole area was very interesting, and apart from the usual birds 
of that type of country, a range extension included two parties of 
Northern Brownbuls along the Ol Kedong River.... some six years ago I 
had the species along the Ewaso Nyiro near Shompole, but this is 
considerably closer, and not expected inhabitating the lava valleys, 
a pair of Red-headed Weavers are unuswually locally. Another 
interesting observation was finding a pair of adult with two 
dependent free-flying young Grey-crested Helmet-shrikes. 
It appeared that the pair had raised the yound themselves as there 
was no sign of any co-helpers, just a family unit. I have a very nice 
photograph of the bird taken through binoculars, which I will send 
when I am able, but it makes me realise how poorly the species has 
been illustrated without exception, in all publications, and how 
totally unconfusable the bird really is with its vertical charcoal-
black crest sticking up prominently, entirely soft-grey head, and 
very pronounced broken black breast band.

The butterfly highlight for those interested was finding Colotis 
fausta mcraei on Teclea bushes growing on vertical lava walls. I was 
with the person who discovered it, a species previously recorded as a 
Somali endemic, and not in LArsen's Butterflies of Kenya. The entire 
butterfly is a beautiful bright mustard yellow with patterned 
brownish-orange markings on the wing edges. Sadly I was not able to 
get a photograph, as they remained in flight, but glided past within 
two feet whilst I was perched on a lava ledge...... next time

Best to all

Brian