First Barn Swallows I've seen this season at the weekend. Also at the trad Malindi Pipit ('Malipit') site 7 Golden Pipits with the Malipits, 2 Northern Wheatear, the first Yellow Wag amidst clouds of Red-billed Quelea. Was with a birder who'd been out the day before to same site and neither the wagtail nor wheatears had been there. Lots (50+ along the road) of Carmine Bee-eaters present now - and had my first at our centre, Mwamba, yesterday. White-throated nor Eurasian haven't turned up yet.

Waders and terns are pouring through right now. Last week in a couple of hours in the morning we counted c.500 Common Terns moving south; flocks of Whimbrel, Grey Plover, sandpipers etc moving past most days and numbers building up on Mida Creek. One of the guides at Mida, Hassan, reported 2 frigatebirds in the creek a couple weeks back. Crab-plover numbers are up to c.200 so far. 

Terns on Whale Island are finishing off now. Very few birds there - one late chick yesterday. Rats found on the island thus explaining the high level of predated eggs we found this year. Next visit will be to lay poison down to get rid of them...

Clarke's Weavers have been around in ASF in good numbers of late but 10kms of survey in prime habitat for Spotted Ground Thrush has produced only 2 birds - on the old nature trail at Gede (which is woefully unkempt - KWS is charging $20 per tourist and can't even keep a simple nature trail clear within walking distance of their offices...).

Good birding!

Colin