From: Fleur Ng'weno <fleur@africaonline.co.ke>
Date: 2008-01-04 10:33
Subject: Egrets in breeding plumage
Egrets in breeding plumage Wishing all birders a peaceful and bird-filled new year

The Wednesday Morning Birdwalk, undaunted (so far) by public holidays or civil unrest, visited Manguo Ponds in Limuru on December 26. There we saw about five White-backed Ducks, dozens of Northern Shovelers, and two female or immature Maccoa Ducks, plain brown but with their tails held upright.

The most interesting, however, were the egrets. There were Cattle, Great and Yellow-billed Egrets. The Great Egret had a black bill, indicating breeding plumage. The Yellow-billed Egrets were flying all over the wetland, chasing each other. After a while we realized that one of them had long, yellowish or cream-coloured plumes extending several centimetres past the centre of the tail. I had never seen this before, but I read in Birds of Africa that in breeding plumage: “...aigrettes ...on scapulars extend well beyond tip of tail, sometimes to feet in males.” Where are (or were) these egrets likely to breed?

With best wishes to you, and for Kenya, from Fleur