Mombasa Bird Walk

From: Don Reid <donreid@africaonline.co.ke>

Date: 2009-04-23 15:07

Subject: Mombasa Bird Walk

Vipingo Quarries near Kijipwe air field to see the last of the migrant waders:

Little Stint, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Ringed Plover, all still present but not in large numbers. Lots of Barn Swallows swooping overhead. Non-migrants of interest: African Fish Eagle adult followed by a calling juvenile. Some Ethiopian Swallows, a beautiful Intermediate Egret and some lovely Three Banded Plovers. This area is now quarried out, as the water table has been reached so plenty of ponds and amazing vegetation which already has lots of nesting weavers, queleas and seed-eaters taking up residence. Should be an impressive place eventually, unfortunately all the trees being planted are for bio-fuel, fast growing species and by no means permanent. Hopefully indigenous trees will grown up around them.

Nguuni Sanctuary: Mombasa

Walk with Kevin Mazera, Carissa and Peter Nightingale and Alka Subharao. Big shock finding entrance fee hiked 250% i.e. entrance 300. bird walk 200, guide 200. So watch out if you come to Mombasa and go birding at Nguuni!

The area is still very dry but there has been some rain and the wetland is still quite wet. Being dry everywhere else all birds were centred here. Three magnificent African Darters, 3 Pink Backed Pelican, 1 Woolly Necked and lots of Yellow Billed Storks, 1 Intermediate Egret, 1 Great white Egret, Grey, Black Headed and a couple of Purple Heron, 2 Spur Winged Plover, 2 Water Dikkops, lots of White Faced Whistling Ducks, 2 Allen's Gallinule, Common Moorhens, African Black Crake, and African Jacana. Migrants: Several Wood Sandpiper, a marvellous Marsh Sandpiper (not seen here for ages) Madagascar Bee-Eaters, plenty of Barn Swallows catching insects on the ponds and a big group of Yellow Wagtails around the edge of the pond and in the surrounding bush. Other special birds to see: 2 male African Paradise Flycatchers, both white phase and with half-grown tails, Scarlet Chested Sunbirds (a pair) a single male Violet Backed Starling, Northern Brownbuls, Malachite and Mangrove Kingfisher, Village Weavers (mostly males) and on the way back through the Acacia woodland an Eastern Bearded Scrub Robin, never seen by me in this area before. In two and a half hours 52 species which is pretty good I think! Pity Nguuni has priced itself out of the market for most of the local birders!

Still some Eurasian Orioles on Tudor Creek.

Keep on birding, welcome to Mombasa Bird Walk every 3rd Saturday in the month but call re: time for meeting as we are having to go further afield and sometimes meet earlier than previously. (Marlene Reid 0720 949 195)