Dear All,

Back in the middle part of last year, I made a statement to the affect that Collared Lark had not been seen in Kenya by any living ornithologist.

Today I had a very interesting conversation with Tony Archer. He had found his records where he had collected three examples (out of excess of 25 seen) whilst on a hunting trip to Haberswein in 1962!

He found them in an area of low acacia scrub on red soil about 20 kilometres north of Haberswein. About ten years ago I flew to Ramu with Terry
Stevenson, Jamie Roberts and the late Barney (who is still remembered thanks to the superb restaurant at Nanyuki Airstrip bearing his name). We were flying over thousands of square kilometres of red soil acacia scrub and were sure that this was the home of this mythical Lark. We landed at the airstrip in Haberswein and found ourselves on white sand. This was frustrating as the red soil was only a few kilometres away and we had no transport to reach it. It was very birdy but naturally no Collared Larks.

This confirmation that the bird was in the area in 1962, is really exciting and it is about time that Collared Lark was rediscovered in Kenya, and well
photographed and the song and calls recorded. There are as far as I can tell no photos or recordings in existence and in the literature it is given as a
rising whistle, and also flaps like a Flappet. All this makes the bird very intriguing, and equally being probably the most attractive of the genus with
all red upperparts contrasting with blackish flight feathers and tail, and even underneath reddish underwing coverts contrasting with blackish
undersides to the flight feathers.

The best way that I can see to get out there is to take the paved Garissa Road out of Thika, then head north-east to Dadaabi, then up to Haberswein. (Rather than Isiolo-Garba Tula-Haberswein).

Now according to the literature there are old specimens from Garissa and Hola, so as soon as Garissa is reached it is already in range of the species at its westernmost distribution.

 

Who out there is interested in this foray, we have to have something to look forward to in these rather gloomy times.

Best to all,
Brian