On 20th July, Mike Davidson, Joseph Kariuki and myself departed for 
Busia, to try and locate some of the western birds along the Uganda 
border. On the drive up we located a pair of Lesser Jacanas at the 
swamp at Ainabkoi, and watched the pair mating. There were also a 
few Wattled Plovers in this location.

The next morning we investigated the first of the locations near 
Busia, the Sio River at Nambale. During the walk we found an adult 
Palm-nut Vulture, rather unusual in this region, One of the 
remaining White-crested Turacos called from a remnant tree 
surrounded by sugarcane, and a pair of Senegal Coucals were sunning 
themselves in the canopy.

There was a single Double-toothed Barbet, the western race of Yellow-
rumped Tinkerbird called from a prominent perch on the top of a 
tree, and there were several Yellow-fronted Tinkerbirds.

A single Flappet Lark was displaying, these are local in this area, 
Barn Swallows were back in their hundreds, but a disappointing and 
worrying fact was that we never came across a Blue Swallow in our 
time in the area. Both Little Greenbuls and Yellow-throated 
Leafloves were common enough in the riverine scrub. In the reeds 
bordering the Sio were a few Greater Swamp Warblers, White-chinned 
Prinias were busy in little parties throughout and a Green Crombec 
posed openly and sang from a prominent branch.

A couple each of Brown-throated Wattle-eye and Northern Puffbacks 
were found, and Marsh Tchagras called from dense reed beds and thick 
cover.

Copper Sunbirds were very common and in full breeding dress, but 
there were only a few Olive-bellied Sunbirds. At least three Golden-
winged Sunbirds were met with presumably wanderers from highlands 
escaping the cold weather.

Some sorghum was being investigated by a couple of Parasitic 
Weavers, and Compact Weavers were in small noisy parties throughout. 
Whilst Yellow-shouldered Widowbirds were fairly common only two male 
Marsh Widowbirds were found.

A single Brown Twinspot was warming itself in the morning sun, 
whilst Bar-breasted Firefinches were all though the scrub, a pair of 
Black-rumped Waxbills fed in some weeds, and a pair of Locust Finch 
were flushed.

In the afternoon we visited another part of the Sio River near 
Mungatsi. From a marshy pool we flushed a single Madagascar Squacco 
Heron, and several White-spotted Flufftails were in scrubby patches 
additionally we successfully called out a Red-chested Flufftail onto 
a flooded path. There were a few Red-headed Lovebirds along the 
river, and many Senegal Coucals. Heavy rain in the evening prevented 
us finding any nightjars. Strangely there was a small flock of 
Alpine Swifts feeding over the area. The scrub patches supported a 
few African Thrushes, and there were several Greater Swamp Warblers 
in the reeds. Many small parties of White-chinned Prinias were 
scattered around, and a Green Crombec was heard calling from dense 
cover. The riparian scrub concealed many Little Greenbuls and Yellow-
throated Leafloves, and shy Black-headed Gonoleks and Marsh 
Tchagras. A stunning Purple Starling was all alone and glowing in 
the afternoon light, whilst colourful Copper Sunbirds were very 
numerous. Compact Weavers were common enough, as were Bar-breasted 
Firefinches, a couple of Fawn-bellied Waxbills, and a single female 
Locust Finch was flushed from a piece of recently tilled land.

The next day we started in the Akites Hills near Adungosi, on the 
way there we found several each of breeding plumaged Black and Black-
winged Bishops. On the rocky slopes we located several Whistling 
Cisticolas and in the gardens Black-bellied Firefinches. As the sun 
warmed the rocks several of the recently described Finch's Agamas 
emerged from hiding to sun themselves. Two of the western green-
backed Black-necked Weavers were found in the canopy of tree 
bordering the gardens here. A pair of Black-cheeked Waxbills in the 
same location was also unexpected. Along the Adungosi River we heard 
more White-spotted Flufftails, had a pair of Snowy-headed Robin-
Chats, numerous Copper and a few Olive-bellied Sunbirds. Feeding in 
the ripe rice were a dozen or so Red-headed Queleas in non-breeding 
dress, numerous Bronze Mannikins with a pair of Black-rumped 
Waxbills. After hearing Magpie Mannikins on two instances and not 
being able to locate them, we had a party of seven flying down the 
river, then located a pair feeding with Bronzes in another stand of 
ripe rice. This was the rarest bird on the trip, being only the 
third record for the country. There was a previous record from this 
same area a long time ago, and is the only record for Kenya given by 
Stevenson & Fanshawe, overlooking a sighting (and photographed) I 
had with a bird group on 12th December 1989, of thirteen associating 
with both Bronze and Black-and-White Mannikins on the edge of Kitovu 
Forest near Taveta.

At the Sio Hydro Station on the Busia-Kisumu Road we got caught out 
by early afternoon showers finding only Red-chested Sunbird, Yellow-
backed Weavers and Zebra Waxbill, however the weather improved for a 
beautiful late afternoon and evening so we returned to the Mungatsi 
site again. A White-tailed (Swamp) Nightjar emerged very early and 
fed over a swamp, and a couple more emerged at dusk. There were 
Alpine Swifts feeding over the area again, and several White-winged 
Warblers were found in the reeds, and we had excellent close views 
of a very aggressive individual. The solitary Purple Starling was 
still there, but nothing else different was encountered.

On Monday 23rd July we departed our not so desirable Border Palace 
accommodation in Busia, and once again spent a couple of hours at 
the Sio River near Mungatsi. A Green Sandpiper flew off a pool, 
certainly my first returning bird for this season. We had an 
extraordinary sight of a Speckle-breasted Woodpecker feeding by 
tapping Maize stalks, searching for Maize borers. It seemed quite at 
home in this strange habitat for such a rare bird in Kenya. Two 
Brown Twinspots fed right in the open on the short grass at the base 
of some bushes. Back at the car before we departed there was an 
extravert Red-headed Lovebird and a huge male De Brazza's Monkey in 
of all things, a eucalypt!

On the return we again encountered the pair of Lesser Jacanas, but 
with the distance to travel back to Nairobi could not dawdle along 
the route.

On 26th July I went into Nairobi NP with Nigel Redman from UK, and 
we found a Black Coucal in exactly the same place as the bird on 
15th November 2006, and there is little doubt that this is the same 
bird that having found a suitable area has not left it, but being so 
skulking remains hidden from our sight for most of the time. We 
managed to find Nairobi Pipits in four separate locations in and 
around Kisembe Forest and watched them at length. Otherwise nothing 
much out of the usual, a Brown-backed Woodpecker on the edge of the 
forest, a single Greenshank at Athi Dam and large numbers of seed-
eating birds pretty much throughout.

Finally in the report that I sent in dated 18th July 2007, I 
mentioned an unusual concentration of "thirty Short-toed Lark," this 
should have read "Short-tailed Larks."

Best Birding

Brian