Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] odds and ends

From: Shailesh Kumar Patel <honeyguide_sk@yahoo.com>

Date: 2008-11-10 01:01

Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] odds and ends

I think the big pond on the right of the Naivasha Road just after the Limuru turn off should be Manguo Pond. A pair of Great Crested Grebes is a very record from that area. Your Lark should be Rufous-naped. Red-winged Lark is quite a large Lark compair to other Lark species about 8.5-9". It prefers lower, drier country than Rufous-naped Lark, i have seen them in Meru NP.

Cuckoos are brood parasities which means lays eggs in their host. So what you saw was

a male Klaas's Cuckoo feeding a Female, it happens during the breeding season. I have seen a Diederik Male feeding a Female in the same way you saw that of the Klaas's Cuckoo.

--- On Mon, 11/10/08, darfreid <darfreid@hotmail.com> wrote:

Anyone know the name of the big pond on the right of the naivasha Road
just after the limuru turn off? 2 weeks ago had eurasian harrier there
and a pair of great Crested Grebes amongst the hundreds of Red knobbed
Coots.This week there was a male Maccoa Duck and a Glossy Ibis.

In a farm above naivasha saw Malachite Sunbird (notable for us cos we
havent seen them in 15 yeasr!) and thought that one of the the larks we
saw was larger and more solid than the Rufous Naped, obvious black
spots on breast...are Red Winged larks possible there?

In my garden in Langata I watched as a very vocal male Klaas' cuckoo
fed a young cuckoo 5 times in as many minutes whilst 2 male Northern
double collared and one male collared sunbird mobbed them noisily!
Yellow Whiskered Greenbuls, Trogons and Black Headed Orioles are also
very vocal just now.

Fiona