The rains have been late in coming all over... and we finally had our
first rain at dawn on the 24th March - about 2 weeks ago now - 32mm in
just 2 hours... the day before this I saw a large bird circling off 
the beach as I came down the drive of Mwamba Field Study Centre / Bird
Observatory at around 11a.m. and at first glance thought it was 
probably an osprey only for it to turn a bit more and show itself as a
frigatebird!! 
It proceeded to drift right in over the boat house in front of the 
main centre giving crippling views and showing the pale head large
brown-black breast patch and most importantly, the white belly with 
small extensions of white from the belly and flanks onto the inner 
axillaries.
This is the classic feature for immature Lesser Frigatebirds and if
accepted by the Rarities Committee will be only the third record for
Kenya.

The following day (the day of the storm) a large, bedraggled and 
exhausted bird was picked up off the beach and taken to the snake 
farm for recuperation (they look after and release a lot of sick 
birds there). I was called a week later to take it for release - and 
to my amazement got there to find myself looking at an immature Brown 
Booby...! 
According to Zimmerman et al, there have been no records 100% 
confirmed with photographic or specimen evidence, there only being 2-
3 sight records off Pemba. I have taken photographs and shall forward 
them for pasting on the website in due course.

Otherwise, news from Watamu is wonderfully large numbers of Eurasian
Golden Orioles - 30+ birds at a time in the Neem trees and 
casuarinas; 
a Caspian Plover at Mida on 25th - my first at this site, and 15 
reported from the Malindi Pipit site at Ngomeni by a visiting birder 
on 26th. 

Other very noteable news is from a visiting British birder who had 
come from Keekorok Lodge last week and had had a singing Grasshopper 
Warbler - actually observed singing and a species which he is very 
familiar with from his birding in Britain. He will be submitting a 
full description to the Rarities Committee.

Happy birding!

Colin
Mwamba Bird Obs, Watamu