From: chege wa kariuki <chege@birdwatchingeastafrica.com>
Date: 2009-09-30 10:33
Subject: Abbott's Starling, Shining Sunbird, Jackson's Widowbird, Francolin, Somali Sparrow, Highland Grasslands disappearing etc

Dear all
Just finished a quick 7 days birding trip in search of a few species sort after by Jonathan Angliss of Dubai.

On arrival at the airport late after 3 we headed straight in to the fields arriving at Gatamaiyu Forest at 1820hrs. Here birds he sort were Abbott's Starling, Bar-tailed Trogon and Montane Yellow Warbler but was far too late for last two. Found a male and a female of the Abbott's Starling going to roost. Really becoming easy to find it at this time of the year till Nov and or Dec nesting and since I first found the first nest I believe it's the same pair that has moved about in two different nests. The first year (2005) the nest was aborted after the tree branch with the nest fell after a heavy rain and only found single remains of a dead young one. The following year (2006) the pair moved to a tree some 50 m in to the forest and unfortunately, the tree was brought down by the local women in quest for much needed firewood. The year 2007 the pair never nested and if they did never found where they did. 2008 the pair came back to the same first tree but in a different nesting whole and most coincidentally a Bar-tailed Trogon nested 2m below the Starling’s at the same time. This single dead tree makes the forest the only reliable site for the species on earth and so have kept talking to the women collecting firewood about no “where-else” and that seems to move their hearts.  Initially, the Angliss' Bird Tour was to visit North of Garissa and had changed a week before the start dates as i had seen 3 males and a female Abbott’s Starling at the forest Camp. So having seen them the priority shifted from North of Garissa where we would have been in search of the Collared Lark, a species that we (Brian Finch, Fleur Ng’weno, Ben Muganbi, Nigel Hunter, Gordon Boy, Joseph Kariuki and I) had found up north some 4 months  and had seen it again 2 month ago but before this it was last recorded in 1967 (though I bet the Gabbra nomads and the herdsmen had seen it or walked next to their nestlings occasionally while leading the herds of camels) and others such as Heuglin’s Bustard, Somali Crombec and Red-naped Bush-Shrike, So i thought we'd rather first go look for starling among others on the west he was still missing. After the Abbott's Starling being seen at 1840hrs it was already too late for the others and we left for Naivasha after 7:15pm.

The following morning left way before the sun rose for Aberdare Ranges in such of the Aberdare Cisticola, Jackson's Francolin, Montane Yellow Warbler and the Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird and though we missed the sunbird as we did not get past the park gate we found a single Olive Ibis flying above us and ahead, this was just a good coincident as I never thought of finding the bird for him since they stopped nesting in the Gatamaiyu Forest late last year. Olive Pigeons were many in numbers. From the gate the cisticola was calling but not seen and little did I care as I knew hardly would Molo not offer one. We drove back to Naivasha and on the way we had Levaillant's Cistiocola and one big farm where there used to be Sharpe's Longlaw, and so much easier to find, the farm was half farmed. Never looked for long as it wasn’t one of the target species but knew again that Molo would probably surrender one for us.

This also reminds me that the famous few large open farms at the Flyover well know and virtually visited by any bird tour in kenya is over 2/3 ploughed. These are the farms we have visited while running the annual Fundamentals of Ornithology (a course organized by the Naitional Museums of Kenya, Nature Kenya, Arocha Kenya and Tropical Biology Association) Soon the bird guides may need to look for another farm and though there are a couple few remaining, these are 3km off the Nairobi Naivasha Road. Anyway noticed the plough’ing   2 weeks ago on a bird tour before this one but were still luck found 2 individuals.

We head straight for Lake Baringo and arriving for late afternoon tea at Lake Baringo Club and on the bird feeder table Jonathan did not need my services to find Northern Masked, Jackson's Golden-backed, Little Weavers, Jackson's Hornbill and Brown Babblers. The Verreaux's and the African Scops Owl are in the club's ground. Pearl-spotted Owlet called just to find it was a Spotted Morning Thrush imitating.

The following day on the 21st Sept, we left early in the morning for Kepedo (about 8oKm north) in search of Somali Sparrow which his list badly needed and stopping along way to search of the Pale Prinia and Red-fronted Warbler and the Brown-tailed Apalis which were severally encountered along and on the way back, 2 individuals of Three-Streaked Tchagra were encountered. We found 5 individuals Somali Sparrow roosting from the days heat together with Chestnut Sparrow. 1 Crested Lark perched on a post some less than 15m from the sparrows and showing the crest off.
On our back and near Nginyang' I got a lifer a male Shining Sunbird being chased by a male Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird from a flower- loaded Buscia sp. Thanks to Brian Finch who had seen them and so opened wide my eyes. It was less than 15 sec when I told Jonathan that we had found all he needed for the day from the area and now was asking him to find me the sunbird. Our lunch stop along the dry river bed was a single Pearl-spotted Owlet  being ambushed by nearby sunbirds. And at some water pools formed after the last night showers or rain enough. Worth noting that our first Brown-tailed Rock Chat was along one of the dry river bed and far way from any rock outcrop other than the rocky river bed. A Buff-crested Bustard quietly walked in to the bushes. In the late afternoon went with William for the usual nocturnal birds such as the Heuglin's Courser, Spotted Eagle Owl.  A few 00's m off Loruk trading centre were gunshot that scared us early in the morning just to find the myriads of army training camps. At Nginyang' a single Wooly-necked Stork and African Harrier Hawk were flying above the trading centre, a dozen Dark Chanting Goshawk and 10 Northern Wheatear from Baringo to Kapedo, 2 Gabar Goshawk and one adult Shikra perched well just along the road. Also past  Nginyang’  were both Eurasian and African Hoopoe feeding by the road side plus a single Yellow Wagtail and Desert Cisticola at Kapedo.

On 22nd left after  breakfast and still not a single Heimplicht’s Hornbill but a Rock Kestrel at Lake Baringo. While  Kabarnet was a single Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Northern Puffback, Scaly-throated Honeyguide,  and on the way down to Kerio Valley were 5 individual of Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weavers that despite hearing them call from the ground took as over 5 minutes to locate and less than 5m away from our feet and not until one flew away we located them. A family of Black-headed Gonoleks and a Double-toothed Barbet we down by the Kerio River. Brown Parisoma on our way up at Tambach and near Eldoret Grey-rumped Swallow, Jackson's Widowbirds 3 males still wearing their breeding plumage, Levaillant's Cisticola, Fan-tailed widowbird.

Arriving at Kakamega Forest just after rain had stopped and activities were high. a Olive-bellied Sunbird just outside the forest on a flowering hedge and a single Eurasian Honey Buzzard flew over and in the. Such good view of a single Yellow-billed and Double-toothed Barbets and Turner's Eremomela were experienced and was my first time to hear them call though my recording was poor. Black-crowned Waxbill was common along the way to Rondo and two cases of them nest building. Arriving 1900hrs at Rondo Retreat Centre.

23rd was a day when we spent 10 hours birding in the forest with 83 species which included a different individual of Eurasian Honey Buzzard (this was adrk one while the previous day we had a grey individual), 2 Grey Wagtail, 53 Black-n-White Casqued Hornbills (Jonathan kept a day count on these), Joyfull, Ansorgres, Cabani's, Slender-billed, Cameroon Sombre, Kakamega Greenbuls, Red-tailed Bristlebill,  Mackinnon's Fiscal now residing at the Rondo Retreat's compound,  Grey-chested and the Brown Illadopsis, Southern Hyliota and Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon booing everywhere.
Another full day in the forest clocked a day list of 86 spp adding some more new birds including 1 Grey Parrot (my first one seen during the day  after 0700hrs) I’ve always seen them before 7am and after 1800hrs flying to or from their roosting site and Rondo has been greatly blessed with such a flyway. Considering that the Blue-headed Bee-eater is only found here Kakamega and Nandi in the entire of Eastern Africa other than rest somewhere In Cameroon and Zaire I were gathering some worries as the bird was posing bigger challenge as we were leaving the day after. And after losing the hope for the sp for the day and walking back to Rondo after 1800hrs Jonathan spotted one which in turned was joined by another one and after about 2 minutes they all left flying in to thick forest….and that was all the bee eaters seen.  The best surprise for the days was in the morning as we walked a trail we flushed a male Harlequin's Quail, flew 10m  ahead of us then walking at along the trail with us for the next 15 minutes. How it got into such a thick forest and why away from the grassland, we cannot figure out, though being an important source of food to the local tribe I could only imagine it was an escapee as males are caught and caged put outside during the night when he (male) calls or sing he does lure others especially females migrating at night down where they are then caught. and so this may have escaped and found himself in a forest.
And on our last morning in the forest we still needed African Broadbill (which we had heard twice), Hairy-breasted Barbet, Black-billed Turaco, Grey-winged Robin, White-tailed Ant thrush, Chapin's Flycatcher (which i had never seen and took just long to ID...shame on me), Blue-shouldered Robin Chat, African Shrike Flycatcher, Yellow-crested Woodpecker. Tough morning it was only finding the last four species and increasing my lifers to 2 adding some more energy and fun to my side.

Thanks to Fleur Ng'weno and Peter Wairasho for reporting a Bailon's Crake that had been seen at the Sukari Ranch a bird that we had seen 9 yrs ago and though I had seen it I really wanted this time since when I first saw it I wasn’t so much in to appreciating as I was still a farm fresh birder and getting this note the new idea was we do the papyrus endemics in Kisumu the same day instead of tomorrow early in the morning  and leave for Kericho instead of spending at Kisumu (if we were lucky) and so left Kakamega at 2pm and driving straight to Kisumu stopping some place to look for the Angolan Swallow which we found 2 and another Eurasian Honey Buzzard making to 4 individuals on the trip. I have not had four before and a Lanner Falcon both being persuaded by Pied Crows. We were at Dunga Beach at 1630hrs and by luck we had Papyrus Gonolek and Canary, Carruther's Cisiticola (also Winding), Swamp Flycatcher, Northern Brown-throated, Slender-billed Weavers, Red-chested Sunbirds by 1715 plus others such as Water Thicknee and Blue-headed Coucal  and so we headed straight for Kericho arriving at 1930hrs and retiring at the Tea Hotel. The road is so much smooth compared to 3 yrs ago and so getting there was good drive.  The hotel did well in arranging a special breakfast at 5am.

on 26th left for Sukari Ranch in search for Bailon's Crake passing through the Molo Grassland and at 0700 already we had found 5individuals of Aberdare Cisticola (2 were juveniles all in yellow plumaged front and belly), 3 Sharpe's Longclaw, 1 Wattled Plover, 1 Levaillant's Cisticola, Hunter's Cisticola were calling behind us we did not make a step to see them, 2 Malachite Sunbird, 1 Cape Wagtail, 3 Jackson's Widowbird in breeding plumage, Harlequin's Quail calling. HOWEVER, the most unfortunate and disturbing thing was that a different farm of about 200arcre was newly ploughed. A farm that I easily found the Aberdare, Hunter's, Wing-snapping and Levaillant's Cisticolas, Sharpe’s Longclaw,  and where we had caught and ringed a few individuals. So in a matter of three weeks span i have watched over 250 acres of natural highland grassland and which were great for the said species disappear.
This is still a land that I arguably believe Birdlife International or Wildland Trust, a conservation organization, birding tour companies or even rich individual should own.  And I still don’t know or found any farm/land that do posses all these species and in so conveniently located on a birding circuit.. while next to this one is a small lake with nesting pair of Great Crested Grebe (a species thought to account for less than 50 in Kenya), Maccoa a and White-backed Ducks. The species found here and the easy is enough to bring most bird tour companies to buy this land.

After Molo headed straight to Sukari Ranch where we spend the whole afternoon starring at a single bunch of papyrus leaving at 1900 We did not find the bird though Peter (who arrived at about 1800) had a grimps of the bird. All we had included a pair of Painted Snipe, Very best views of the African Water Rail, over 20 Ruff and Wood Sandpipers, 1 Marsh Sandpiper and a single Little Ringed Plover, 2 Common Squacco Heron, other common birds included Hottentot Teals, Yellow-billed Storks among others. Just before driving off at 19150hrs a Montane Nightjar flew above us and later responded to a tape and came perching some 2m from me, and finally a late Great Sparrowhawk on the way home flew above closing down the total list of over 370 sp

Interesting that we still can find such a number of species outside any protected area other than forest reserve such as Kakamega Forest where even to date indigenous tree on an area or 20m by 13,000m are being cut on day light in the name of powerline and that tree is blocking the path.

       good birding
        chege