Are White-fronted Bee-eaters partial migrants or nomads?

I recently completed a three-week Sunbird safari for a private group during which we failed to see a single White-fronted Bee-eater. Zimmerman et al state that the species is 'a common resident of the Central Kenyan Rift'. However, we searched hard for them all around their usual haunts around Naivasha, Nakuru, the road north towards Baringo, etc. and couldn't find one. They had clearly moved out. Brian Finch was leading a Sunbird/WINGS safari at the same time and also failed to find any in the Central Rift, though he did see a few in southern Kenya between Amboseli and Tsavo. I was leading the tour with Zac Methu who telephoned several of his birding friends and contacts in the Naivasha area to ask if they had seen any recently, but he couldn't find anyone who had seen one in recent weeks.

Is anyone else aware of this absence? Have they returned as yet? Does anyone have any idea where they might have gone? I should mention that our three-week safari was a fairly extensive one and we travelled as far as Samburu and Lake Baringo in the north, Kakamega and Mumias in the west, the Mara in the southwest. There was no sign of any White-fronted Bee-eaters throughout this area. The vast majority of the population - and possibly the entire population - had clearly moved out.

David Fisher - Director
Sunbird, P.O. Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1DF, United Kingdom
Tel: 01767-262522 Fax: 01767-262916
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