We carried out the north coast Waterfowl counts for 2004 over last weekend (31st Jan 
and 1st Feb) and had some interesting records:

Lake Chemchem on 31st - 24 Black-headed Gulls - the highest single count for this 
species that I have had on the coast (previous max was 5); on the 1st there was a 
Spotted Redshank present, observed by David Fisher and Mel Ogola with the Sunbird 
Tour group - the first I've heard of around here in six years.

Sabaki River Mouth on 1st - most impressive record was a huge flock of Saunders' 
Terns that started off at 3,500 birds and grew and grew with birds pouring in from the 
sea to reach what we estimated to be c.10,000 birds. Totally beautiful to watch as they 
circled and wheeled around to settle in a vast carpet of shimmering white on the dark 
chocolate-brown mud.... There were also 7 Caspian Plover present (apparently not 
seen in Mara where they normally are by the Sunbird group the previous week) 
including 3 in breeding plumage. Broadbilled Sand count totalled a healthy 95 birds. 
Also new for me for the coast was a ring tail harrier - a Pallid in fact with excellent 
views of the classic facial pattern (as it flushed all the waders we were 1/2-way through 
counting...!!). 3-4 Red-throated Pipits were also a nice record.

At the Gongoni saltworks, we had two "Oiks" (Eurasian Oystercatcher) - at exactly the 
same place as we'd seen them on World Birdwatch in October last year...presumably 
the same birds that have wintered there. The one-legged bird is STILL at Mida - 9 
months after it was first found there.

I also heard from Terry Stevenson that in the second week of January he saw a male 
Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah in breeding-plumage right beside the main Nairobi-
Nyeri road, 5-6 kms. south of Sagana... a mega rarity that is one to look out for as it 
would seem from other recent probably records that this species IS still present in the 
Sagana - Embu sort of region.

Colin