Mombasa Bird Walk

A visit to Nguuni Sat. 16th as a farewell bird walk for one our most ardent members who is taking off for Zambia in mid-Sept. Nguuni is a place where we nearly always see quite a number of indigenous species despite water birds now being in low numbers due to over grazing of the water vegetation by the larger number of waterbucks, hopefully this will be rectified to some extent by the recently formed wetland. The other downside is we have to pay to go in!

Red Capped Robin Chat was one of the first birds we saw, a bird which always seems to return to the same acacia trees. Wetland had fair number of White Faced Tree Ducks, Water Dikkops, Zanzibar Red Bishops, various Egrets and Herons, a single African Jacana, couple of Three Banded Plovers and special for the area Two Open Billed Storks, not seen for ages, other special bird as it has been significantly absent for a long time was Little Grebe probably at least half a dozen, hard to count due to much ducking and diving. Up on the grassland Greater Blue Earred Starling, Bare-Eyed Thrush, Mangrove Kingfisher, Pangani Longclaw, Palm Nut Vulture, Yellow Bill, Sulpher Breasted Bushshrike, lots of Red Billed Quelea and as dark fell the best part of the walk a family of Verreaux Eagle Owls. Two adults, one sub-adult and a much smaller baby owl. They had been roosting in the Doum palms and suddenly became active, sub-adult trying to catch a bird, withut success. We have seen single owls here many times before but never so many. A very fitting end for a farewell birdwalk. As we walked back to the cars for a small "goodbye" picnic, Slender Tailed Nightjars were calling from every side and swooping overhead. Total number of species seen 40 (39 if you leave out the Ostrich at the farm). If you are in Mombasa please join us, every 3rd Sat of the month. (Marlene Reid - Mombasa)

P.S. to all birders - if any of you has a contact in Zambia (Lusaka) of a bird group, individual birder etc could you please let me know so I can pass it on to my friend. She has been in Msa for the last 3 years and has been a great member of our group. Also if you know of any field guide to birds of Zambia. So far she has not been able to trace one and it would seem all South African books stop short at the Zambezi. (M.R.)