Greetings

On August 24-27 2006, Narinder Heyer of the Kenya Museum Society organized a
wonderful visit to Garissa and the Tana River Primate National Reserve. We
spent one night in Garissa and visited the Giraffe Sanctuary. Then we stayed
two nights at the delightful Mchelelo Research Camp in the forest near
Baomo, booked through the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Two life monkeys! The Tana River Poplar! And beautiful birds. Some
highlights from the forest and forest edge near Mchelelo Research Camp:

Crested Guineafowl
Brown-breasted Barbet
Pallid Honeyguide ­ fairly small, bill thick and stubby, back olive green,
below quite pale.
Red-tailed Ant Thrush
Red-capped Robin-Chat
White-browed Robin-Chat
Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher
Variable Sunbird, race albiventris
Dark-backed Weaver

Let me know if you would like a full list. I would also like to ask the
advice of the experts in the group on two species:
1. Tinkerbirds were singing all over the forest near the camp, but I did not
manage to see them. To me it sounded like the song of Yellow-rumped
Tinkerbird at the coast (similar to Red-fronted Tinkerbird near Nairobi).
Therefore I would like to list Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, but the books do
not show them going up the Tana from the Coast.

2. There were drongos in the forest. They were very vocal, with
shallow-forked ³fish-tails² and bright red eyes. I believe they were
Square-tailed Drongo. Is this more likely than Common Drongo?

Nesting records:
Marabou Storks nesting in the trees near the bridge over the Tana in Garissa
Retz¹s Helmet-shrikes with begging young in the trees near Mchelelo Camp,
Baomo. There were at least two young in the group, with black beaks and
duller plumage. They were begging and wing-shivering.

Wishing you good birding, Fleur


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