Dear all, On August 10-11th I was in Amboseli Nat’l Park. While definitely not a birding trip, I managed to do a little bit of birding. Not having been to Amboseli previously, I cannot comment on the conditions this year vs. prior years, but can only say that it was extremely dry and the landscape was barren and dusty. Though the animals are having a tough time (elephants and zebras in particular) it’s a boon for tourists as the animals are all concentrated in and around the swamps making for quite a high density of grazing animals. As for birds, of particular note was a yellowbill high in the canopy of the fever trees in the compound of Ol Tukai Lodge. Also at the lodge were a number of Taveta golden weavers. There were brubrus, grey-headed kingfishers, red-headed crombec, grey woodpecker (w/young) and sulphur-breasted bush-shrikes at Serena Lodge. The swamps harboured glossy ibis, crowned cranes, African spoonbill, sacred ibis, grey, goliath and many squacco herons, great and intermediate egrets, pink-backed pelican, long-tailed cormorant, little grebe, Egyptian and spur-winged goose, blacksmith and long-toed plover, African jacana, common moorhen, African fish eagle, pied kingfisher and surely many, many more species that my driver was not inclined to stop for. I was pleased to see many, many Ruppell’s and African white-backed vultures, also a tawny and martial eagle and a bateleur. Soila from the Elephant Research Camp told us that poisoning has not been an issue in Amboseli, but she said the Maasai were increasingly poaching wildebeest, particularly around the southern edge of the park. In Kajiado District I recorded a gabar goshawk (outside Ngong Town), 2 eastern pale chanting goshawks and a brown snake eagle. Non-raptors included, a kori bustard, go-away-birds and white-headed buffalo weaver. Cheers, Darcy Ogada |