Selected records from ILRI (International livestock Research Institute) Nairobi compound during September- November 2009

Hello Birders a few recent records from ILRI

Honey buzzard 1 18th October (our personal first in Nairobi)

Hobby - 1 24/20

Peregrine 1 Juvenile 18th October

African Marsh owl 1 3/11/2009 (a surprise. Presumably an itinerant individual, since it was not present on subsequent days)

Eurasian beeater 10+ on 13th September were the first of the season

Wahlberg's honeybird 1 31/10 ( Only the second for ILRI. Eastern Honeybird is regular)

Cape Wagtail - 1 14/11/2009

Olive thrush 20+ 18/10/2009 (there seemed to be a big movement of local migrants on October 18th. The first day of significant rain)

Whinchat 1 19/11/2009

Willow Warbler- First recorded on September 19th 2009. Subsequently unto five resident and singing (they usually depart in December)

Spotted Flycatcher First recorded on 25th of October. 5+ on 15 the November

Abyssinian Whiteye 20+ 18/10 2009

Cape Rook 7 passing through on 18th October

Somali Golden-Breasted bunting- 1 seen very well for five minutes on the evening of 17/10/2009- Gone next morning and therefore no photograph (not recorded in Nairobi according to the Bill Harvey checklist).

Good birding to all

Richard and Anne

PS: We went to Manguo ponds to search for the spotted crake on the evening of Saturday 31/10/2009. This was three days after it was photographed. Unfortunately we could not find it. The most interesting bird seen was a male painted snipe (a first for us in the Nairobi area).

Dr Richard Bishop

Senior Molecular Biologist

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

PO Box 30709

Nairobi

00100

Telephone: 254 20 422 3000 (switchboard)

254 20 422 3359 (direct extension)

mobile: 0710 831 851

E-mail: r.bishop@cgiar.org