From: chege wa kariuki <chege@birdwatchingeastafrica.com>
Date: 2008-08-30 06:49
Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] Are White-fronted Bee-eaters partial migrants or nomads?
Dear David
Greetings
Yesterday was one White-headed Bee-eater along the baringo road on
powerline but yes haven't recorded any other though only have been to
samburu and nakuru.
other notes are Selempo's Trogon (narina) is still at the Samburu Lodge
though only saw one but the local guides confirms it's a pair, Lake
Baringo is truly under water and no reeds or sedges seen... no
yellow-crowned and Northern Red Bishops seen. Above Iten was the
Bronze-tailed Starling, Jackson's Widowbirds still in breeding plumage,
Levaillant's Cisticola, Grey-rumped Swallow
cheers
chege
At 04:48 PM 7/25/2008, David Fisher wrote:
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.
Comment and suggestions welcome!
David
David Fisher - Director
Sunbird, P.O. Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1DF, United Kingdom
Tel: 01767-262522 Fax: 01767-262916
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT:
www.sunbirdtours.co.uk