Mombasa Birds

The new wetland has really upgraded this area as far as water birds are concerned which makes up for the degredation of the old ponds on the farm which have hardly any reed cover due to the voracious appetities of the water buck. A lot of the scrub has also disappeared and an eye has to be kept out for the giraffes and ostriches. However the acacia woodland (which hopefully the giraffes will not totally consume) on the way up to the wetland had several Red Capped Robin Chats as well as the more commong White Browed plus Eastern Bearded and White Browed Scrub Robin. White phase Paradise Flycatcher flitted through the trees and there were plenty of Northern Brownbuls and several Pale Flycatchers

The wetland lived up to our best expectations. It is now possible to walk round the edge rather than viewing the birds from rather far away as before. Long tailed Cormorants were numerous, Herons, Purple, Green-backed and Grey. A pair of African Darters a juvenile and an adult, a single Open Billed Stork and several Woolly Necks which seem to have made this place their haven. Egrets a single Great White, Cattle flying over and Little feeding on the pond. On the water White Faced Whistling Ducks and one Knob Billed Duck and Little Grebes. Very special a male Pygmy Goose and a female Painted Snipe. There was an amazing number of Allen's Gallinules, feeding out in the open on the mud flats together with a Purple Swamphen, also fully exposed. Interesting to see them together. Lots of Water Thick Knees, African Jacanas and African Black Crakes. Paul had hoped to see the Lesser Moorhen which is around but it did not oblige us. The small group of Spur Wing Plovers seem to have taken up residence so hopefully they will eventually breed here. Migrants were quite numerous the largest group being Wood Sandpipers followed by Greenshanks. A couple of Common Sand, 2 Little Stints and a single Marsh Sandpiper (which I think has over-wintered). Plenty of our very own Three Banded Plovers - such a great little bird! A Black Shouldered Kite flew overhead and there were Malachite and Pied Kingfishers taking breakfast from the pond.

A short walk round the grassland before partaking of coffee turned up several Yellow Bills at least 6 or 7 different individuals. Considering the skulking nature of this coucal this is somewhat unusual but we did once experience this phenomena during an annual Birdwatch when we counted about 15 in this same area so not a 'rare' bird here. A female Black Cuckoo Shrike, Yellow Throated Longclaw, Bare Eyed Thrush and a Village Indigo Bird plus several Pin Tailed Whydahs, males growing their long tails brought up the end of the walk. African Golden Palm, Grosbeak, Lesser Masked and Village Weavers still busy nesting were to be seen thoughout the area. All in all 71 species seen and 4 heard but not seen!