On the nights of 5th and 6th September, Nigel Hunter, Joseph Kariuki,
Ben Mugambi, Graham and Fiona Reid and two of their friends and
myself, spent the nights in the Chogoria bandas on Mt. Kenya. During
the 6th September we explored the immediate area, the bandas, the
adjacent vlei containing two tarns with water, and for about three
kilometres along the track towards the peak.

The Bandas are comfortable, booked through Let's Go Travel in Nairobi.
There is a caretaker named Edward who looks after the cabins, and
supplies the firewood (included in the price), lights the fires in
each cabin and the burner for hot water for the sinks and shower. The
bandas consist of a single bedroom with three single beds. There are
sheets, blankets and pillows provided, but it is fairly essential to
supplement what they provide. The toilet is a flush system. There is
electricity in the cabins, the service of the generator is free, but
the fuel must be brought in to feed it. Paraffin lamps are provided.
There is a kitchen, and the cooker, and cooking equipment plus table
and silverware are also provided. There is a lounge with a few chairs,
and open fire. Apart from the cabins there is one cottage which
contains two bedrooms with twin beds. There is a small duka and public
dining area for people camping.
The bandas are at 2950 metres, it gets very cold when there is no sun.
When we got up on the Sunday morning the temperature was down to -2oC,
and covered in a thin layer of frost. During the day if sunny it
becomes comfortably warm enough for tee-shirt and shorts.
The views from the bandas are most impressive, and it is a place
(providing adequately dressed) that is ideal for a weekend.

ANNOTATED LIST OF SPECIES ENCOUNTERED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY, 2950
METRES AND ABOVE.

Black-headed Heron
One by tarn

Hamerkop
Seen twice near tarn

Olive Ibis
Commonly heard dawn and dusk, but only one pair seen

Yellow-billed Duck
Two on the tarn

African Fish-Eagle
One flying over

Augur Buzzard
Fairly common edge of moorland

Martial Eagle
One seen over moorland

Jackson's Francolin
Very common in the moorland and heath. Some must be fed regularly and
are hand-tame

African Snipe
Three and a single in the moorland

Common Greenshank
One on the tarn

Wood Sandpiper
Three on the tarn

Olive Pigeon
Extremely common and breeding    

Dusky Turtle-Dove
Frequently seen in Hagenia woodland

Red-fronted Parrot
Scarce flying over the moorland

Hartlaub's Turaco
Just reaching the tree-line

Mackinder's Eagle-Owl
Heard at night at the bandas. The call was recorded, and this possibly
for the first time ever. All references to the calls of Mackinder's in
the literature so far, relate to the presumed conspecific Cape Eagle
Owl. Our bird is lumped with this by many authors.
The Mackinder's Eagle Owl called noisily; a very hoarse and throaty
"cook…coooo-kuk" and this continued without much variation at about
twelve second intervals.
The call suggests that in spite of its treatment, that this bird is
not the same species as Cape Eagle Owl. We are waiting on response
from some expertise we have sought.

Montane Nightjar
Very common around the bandas

African Black Swift
Small flock edge of moorland

Pied Kingfisher
One feeding at the tarn

White-headed Woodhoopoe
A party of three resident near the bandas

Plain Martin
Common and breeding in roadside banks on moorland

Barn Swallow
One over moorland

Common Bulbul
A few near the bandas

Olive Mountain Thrush
Common around the bandas and edge of the moorland in Hagenia woodland and scrub

Abyssinian Ground-Thrush
Only two seen, one in scrub, one resident around Park Office

Hunter's Cisticola
Very common all over moorlands

Chestnut-throated Apalis
A few in Hagenia on edge of moorland

Grey Apalis
One pair in Hagenia woodland edge of moorland

Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler
Common on moorland and edge of forest

Mountain Yellow Warbler
A few on the moorland and forest edge

Brown Woodland-Warbler
Fairly common in Hagenia on forest edge

White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher
One on edge of moorland, a pair on forest edge

African Dusky Flycatcher
One pair in Hagenia woodland on edge of moorland

Moorland Chat
Very common in moorland, especially around the bandas. Amazingly in
spite of how common this bird is where found, the song has never been
recorded nor described. The birds commenced singing at 5-00am, and
ceased just before it became light. Individuals chose prominent
perches from which to sing, the ends of protruding bamboo stalks,
roofs of the buildings or bare lateral branches of Hagenia trees.
Maybe it is because the birds only sing in the dark, that the song has
not been identified, as it is the most prominent songster of the
pre-dawn chorus. The only competitors being Mackinder's Eagle Owl,
Montane Nightjar and before the Chats finish their repertoire, Streaky
Seedeaters.
I taped quite a lot of the song, sadly over the first recordings of
the full song of Abbott's Starling!
The Handbook states "Not Tape-recorded" and "Song not known," only
quoting Moreau stating that they were "silent creatures." This is so
very far from the truth. Accordingly they can only list "a pleasant
chirping" and "a sibilant alarm."  Zimmermann and Turner state " a
metallic piping" and "a soft chirping…" Sinclair and Ryan, is word for
word Z&T. When I wrote the text for the vocalisations of the species
in Stevenson and Fanshawe, it was based on the recordings that I had
personally taken, and this mainly on a sub-song given by a bird at the
Met Station above Naro Moru. This I put down as "… formless and
unattractive series of various sparrow-like chirps, interspersed with
squeaks." During daylight hours these birds are extremely quiet.
We have not done this bird justice. The song has a distinct pattern
(form), and is both loud and attractive. The complexity of the refrain
is certainly not just "chips" and "squeaks." The sequence lasts three
to four seconds with two second breaks between each delivery. There is
variation in the individual phrases, and the song continues for very
long periods, ceasing when there is an indication of a lightning of
the sky. The song has a peculiar hurried quality, a scratchy but
pleasant and obviously chat-like variable "weet-tit
tcherr-ti-chit-ti-churr" sometimes ending on a lower note, or at times
with a higher inflection. The bird reacts to playback, finding another
perch close by to challenge the intruder, but usually returning to the
favoured perch. (All in the dark!).
Interestingly the song is totally different from the other two members
of the genus found in Kenya, and far more complex.

Chinspot Batis
One in Hagenia woodland on edge of moorland

White-bellied Tit
One in Hagenia woodland on edge of moorland

Tacazze Sunbird
The commonest seen sunbird I Hagenia woodland on edge of moorland

Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird
Two adult males seen in Giant Heather on moorlands

Montane White-eye
Fairly common in Hagenia woodland on edge of moorlands and in lower forest

Tropical Boubou
Seen right up to moorlands in scrubby growth and Hagenia woodland

Slender-billed Starling
Several hundred arrived in the mornings to feed and bathe around the
bandas where they are extremely tame

Red-billed Oxpecker
A single bird flying over the moorland

Baglafecht Weaver
A few around the bandas and in Hagenia woodland on edge of moorland

Kandt's Waxbill
Six seen in Hagenia woodland on edge of moorland

Yellow-crowned Canary
Abundant around bandas, and on moorland. Probably most abundant
species encountered, also very tame around bandas

Streaky Seedeater
Very common around bandas and on moorland

Thick-billed Seedeater
A few around the bandas on edge of moorland


Other species recorded in forest on the ascent road.

Crowned Hawk-Eagle… one fully fledged juvenile seen to leave nest.
Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon    
Lemon Dove
Tambourine Dove
Alpine Swift
Common Swift… Large numbers in groups feeding over the high forested slopes
Speckled Mousebird
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
Silvery–cheeked Hornbill
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Scaly-throated Honeyguide
Black Sawwing
Grey Cuckoo-shrike
Olive-breasted Mountain-Greenbul    
Slender-billed Greenbul
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul
Cabanis' Greenbul
Brown-chested Alethe…. Family party of three birds
White-starred Robin
Rueppell's Robin-Chat
Black-throated Apalis
White-tailed Crested-Flycatcher
African Paradise-Flycatcher
Green-headed Sunbird
Olive-Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird
Northern Double-collared Sunbird
Eastern Double-collared Sunbird
Montane Oriole
Black-backed Puffback
Waller's Starling
Abbott's Starling…. Several parties and singles seen on the ascent
road, and one male giving a full song from an exposed high perch. The
song is perhaps the most beautiful I have ever heard from any
starling. As mentioned previously I inadvertently recorded over most
of it. The song starts with very metallic "tit-tit….." notes then
breaks into an attractive medley much of which is also metallic, but
complex and varied. Some of the phrases reminded me of a louder
version of Green-headed Sunbird.
Brown-capped Weaver
Grey-headed Negrofinch
Yellow-bellied Waxbill

We stopped at Mwea Rice Scheme en route for an hour or so. There is
quite a lot of water, and many fresh green paddies. In spite of the
drought this looks in suitable condition for the arrival of the waders
and waterbirds, and will be worth a visit. There were many Wood
Sandpipers flying around, but only a few Green and Common, Ruff and
Little Stint. There was one White-winged Black Tern over the fields.
The water was attracting many thirsty seedeating species which
included Lesser Masked, Holub's Golden, Baglafecht and Chestnut
Weavers, Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, Yellow-crowed Bishops,
White-winged Widowbirds, Cut-throats, Crimson-rumped, Common and Zebra
Waxbills, amongst the more usual. There were nine species of swallows
which included already large numbers of Barn, and one male
White-headed Saw-wing.
On the way we had the unusual sight of a pale Wahlberg's Eagle near
Paradise Lost, and a Lizard Buzzard immediately before Embu, and just
before the rice scheme an impressive gathering of over seventy Village
Indigobirds on the telephone wires.

All in all a very enjoyable weekend with a number of discoveries,
sadly none of them were Long-eared Owls. It might be worth mentioning
that the recordings that Chege wa Kariuki made back in end of April at
the Chogoria Bandas, sound extremely like the Eurasian Long-eared Owl
call, and not at all like the Mackinder's Eagle Owl that we found…..
so we have to go back when it's wetter.

Best to all

Brian