26 Feb 2003


Dear All

I've recently returned from leading a Sunbird tour to Kenya during which we saw an unusually large number of Lesser Jacanas.  I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this species lately and whether there might have been a bit of an arrival or invasion?

The birds I saw were along the dirt road from Ol Joro Orok to Nakuru (the road that goes via Dondori). Travelling southwest along that road from Ol Joro Orok after just a few miles the road descends into a valley and crosses a stream with a small lake on the left and a marsh on the right.  Just beyond the marsh there is a fairly big school.  We saw one Lesser Jacana on the small lake here (initially spotted by Mel Ogola).  A little further along the road, there is a much larger lake in a valley down to the left, with a dirt road that runs along the top of the dam that creates the lake.  On this lake we saw another 5-6 Lesser Jacanas and there may well have been more.

In 22 previous trips to Kenya I have only seen two single Lesser Jacanas, so 6-7 in one area seemed pretty outstanding to me.

Does anyone know of any other recent records?

(I've only just joined this e-mail group, so should there have been any other recent correspondence about this species, please forgive me for being unaware of it).

Best wishes,

David


David Fisher
56 Western Way, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1DU, UK.
Tel: 01767-220468.  Fax: 01767-692481


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