Dear Neil and Liz:
As from 23rd December 2008 to 4th January 2009, I was at my farm in Isinya,
Kajiado District, Kenya. The farm is approximately 200Kms from Arusha, Tanzania.
I had a tally list of 119 bird species. The raptors comprised of 12 species and
they included:
1) African White-backed Vulture c.12
2) Black Kite c. 4
3) Long-crested Eagle c.1
4) Pallid Harrier c. 6 (2 Male and 4 females)
5) Montagu's Harrier c.1 (Male)
6) Black-chested Snake Eagle c. 1
7) Booted Eagle c. 1
8) Eurasian Honey Buzzard c. 1
9) Gabar Goshawk c. 1
10) Marabou Stork c. 3
11) Common Kestrel c. 3 (2 males & 1 female)
12) Tawny Eagle c. 1
Please advice if I can send a picture of unidentified Nightjar to the group for
some positive identification.
Regards,
James.
James Kuria Ndung'u
FRONT TRAILS SAFARIS ... taking you closer to nature
33 Kenya House, Koinange / Monrovia Str, 2nd Floor, Unit 22C,
P.O Box 60903, City Square, 00200, Nairobi
KENYA, East Africa.
PH/FX: +254 (20) 221-0930
CELL: +254-734-287-802
WIRELESS: +254 (020) 230-1705
SKYPE:
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WEBSITE: www.fronttrailsafaris.com
--- On Tue, 1/6/09, Neil and Liz Baker <tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
From: Neil and Liz Baker <tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: [tanzaniabirds] Fw: Montagu's Harriers in Tanzania
To: tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 11:24 AM
just to keep folk in this Montagu's Harrier thread. more on this kesho.
Brian, Don, Dave, your thoughts on this bird in Kenya, just less than in the
recent past or
very many fewer ?
Tony, situation in the Serengeti please, any noticable changes other than
seasonal / year on year due rainfall etc.
Neil
Neil and Liz Baker, Tanzania Bird Atlas, P.O. Box 1605, Iringa, Tanzania.
Mobiles: 0776-360876 and 0776-360864.
http://tanzaniabird atlas.com
Subscribe to: tanzaniabirds- subscribe@ yahoogroups. com
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: C.Trierweiler <C.Trierweiler@ rug.nl>
To: Neil and Liz Baker <tzbirdatlas@ yahoo.co. uk>
Sent: Tuesday, 6 January, 2009 19:15:41
Subject: Re: Montagu's Harriers in Tanzania
Hi Neil,
thanks a lot for the map! That gives a very detailed impression. Pesticides and
especially degradation seem also in the Sahel the largest threats to the
harriers now.
Satellite tracked European breeding Harriers also show movements during winter
(as a response to rainfall patterns?): the relationship you also
observe in
Tanzania!
About your observations in northern Cameroon: Ralph Buij is studying
Montagu's Harriers
(a.o.) there (Maroua, Waza). He would probably be interested in your data,
too, if you are not already in contact.
I thought you were the one who made the observation of the large concentration,
sorry! I'll contact Adam Kennedy for that, then.
Thanks again and best wishes,
Chris
On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 15:52:59 +0000 (GMT)
Neil and Liz Baker <tzbirdatlas@ yahoo.co. uk> wrote:
> Hi Christiane
>
> Rob was over excited. This observation was in Katavi NP in the SW, not the
Serengeti. I copy this to the observer Adam Kennedy, do ask him for details. I
suspect most were moving through, perhaps a regular movement and leading birds
had delayed due to good feeding allowing following birds to catch up and
congregate. However there will be a "wintering"
population in Katavi
and the adjacent Rukwa Basin. Numbers
depending on the extent and timing of the rains and any associated
concentrating of prey.
>
> Adam, what were they feeding on ?
>
> I tried to send you our latest map for this species recently but to a diff
address and it bounced. I attach it now. I'll also send you our analysis of
MH records that suggests an increase in sightings during the past >25 years.
Later, this data on a diff PC and we are cleaning viruses out of our system at
the moment.
>
> Our data contradicts what is happening in Kenya but as you'll see
I'm putting this out to the African raptor group for comment. I suspect that
birds that used to winter in Kenya now move further south, we do not have the
pesticide application levels of Kenya nor their marginal land degradation
problems…...YET !!
>
> I've some MH migration data from a visit
to northern Cameroon in 2007.
I'll send this to you.
>
> More soon.
>
> Neil
> Neil and Liz Baker, Tanzania Bird Atlas, P.O. Box 1605, Iringa, Tanzania.
> Mobiles: 0776-360876 and 0776-360864.
> http://tanzaniabird atlas.com
> Subscribe to: tanzaniabirds- subscribe@ yahoogroups. com
>
>
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
> From: C.Trierweiler <C.Trierweiler@ rug.nl>
> To: tzbirdatlas@ yahoo.co. uk
> Sent: Monday, 5 January, 2009 19:37:08
> Subject:
> Dear Neil Baker,
> Rob Simmons forwarded me your message on African raptors reporting 1000
Montagu's Harriers in the Serengeti. I would be very curious to know some
more details, as to time of day, type of landscape and the supposed food items
this high concentration of birds was gorging on. Did you notice anything like a
small mammal/ grasshopper/ locust
outbreak that could be the reason for the
concentration? Were the birds hunting or were they milling above a roost?
> Our Montagu's Harrier working group is studying the harriers in the
Sahel of West Africa, where we have some impressions now on their ecology (see
attachment). Recently, we were trying to dig up a bit more information,
especially on eastern Africa (where we have not been ourselves), and could not
find a lot. Any information is valuable to us. I find your record especially
interesting as Chris Magin has reported a high concentration of harriers in
February 2008 in Ethiopia: 2 records of large numbers of Montagu's Harriers
in eastern Africa within two successive seasons -
just a coincidence or an indication of population recovery?
> I would be grateful if you could let me know some details on your
observation.
> Thanks already and best wishes,
> Christiane Trierweiler
>
>
C. Trierweiler MSc
> Dutch Montagu's Harrier Foundation &
> Animal Ecology Group
> University of Groningen
> P.O. Box 14
> 9750 AA Haren
> The Netherlands
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