Dear All,

Mike Davidson kindly took Fleur NgWeno, Neema Mbeyu, Paul Buckley and
myself to Lake Nakuru. The Park had received reasonable rainfall, but
no heavy rain whilst we were there. The Lesser Flamingo numbers were
very impressive, and a reasonable amount of Greaters, and there was a
lot of activiy along the lake edge, and in the extensive water
meadows. At the mouth of the Njoro River (Home of the Cormorants)
amongst the Grey-headed Gull flock, there were three Lesser
Black-backed, all of different ages, three adult Black-headed Gulls
and a single Skimmer. White-winged Black Terns were not in very large
numbers, there were a number of Gull-billed in non-breeding dress, and
Whiskered in full breeding and non-breeding plumage. Waders were
restricted to good numbers of Ruff, difficult to count in the tall
grasses, small numbers of Little Stints, Marsh Sandpipers, Greenshank
and Ringed Plover, but nothing out of the ordinary and many species
not recorded at all. Amongst migrant raptors there were about five
Eurasian Marsh (including one feeding on a flamingo, although we did
not see it catch it), and one Montagu's Harrier, six Common Buzzard,
five Steppe Eagles, and two immature Great Spotted Eagles have
returned to the area. Passerine Migrants were limited to one female
Eurasian Golden Oriole, six Yellow Wagtails, three Willow Warblers,
Barn Swallows and a few Sand Martin. At Muyas Causeway there were
three Northern Shoveler, and about twenty-five Long-tailed Widowbirds.
Little Grebes are in extraordinary numbers with one concentration of
over a thousand birds at the northern end, though no Black-necks seen
at all.
On the way we found numerous African Black Swifts nesting under the
eaves of a building in Naivasha. This seems to be a regular thing in
that town.

Best to all

Brian