dear all,

sorry for the delay in posting this record of Brian
Finch (it's from 2 weeks back(4-5 Dec) but better late
than never....

Mary Xms to all, 
Itai

... This weekend I went on a Dog Trial weekend at the
Hopcraft Ranch, I was of course birding not dogging!
Migrants are just not happening, although I recorded
143 species. By far the best was an adult male Levant
Sparrowhawk which came soaring over the clearing where
the bandas are, at tree-top level, with an entourage
of swallows which it was ignoring. It was so close
that you could see the dark throat, bright yellow
cere, five or so tail bands very obvious from below,
whitish pointed underwings with blackish tips to
primaries, beautiful rufous underparts, but even
though the bird was that close and the bird in view
for a good time on two occasions, it was not possible
to see that it was made up of fine barring, sides of
throat were contrasting white with a dark grey cap. It
really was a textbook example. There was no obvious
passage of raptors, the only migrants being four
Steppe Eagles and a Pallid Harrier.

Nightingales were in high numbers, and one Sprosser,
but only three Olivaceous and two Eurasian Reed
Warblers. Many Spotted Flys, a few each of the three
migrant Wheatears and one Red-tailed Shrike. Two
Yellow Wagtails, two Red-throated Pipits, and a number
of Barn Swallows. Apart from a few waders that is it
for palaearctics. Not even a Willow Warbler!!!!!

Bare-eyed Thrushes were in a dense patch of scrub near
the bandas, that was a surprise, but still about 1000
feet lower than they occur at Kisamese on the Magadi
Road.

Vioet Wood-Hoopoes are nesting in a dead tree near the
bandas, and are around for most of the time. The
grasslands had both Athi Short-toed and Short-tailed
Larks, strangely Desert Cisticolas seem to totally
replace Pectoral-patch.

all the best,
Brian

=====
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Itai Shanni                    
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