From: Colin Jackson <colin.jackson@arocha.org>
Date: 2009-11-30 17:09
Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] Selected records from ILRI (International livestock Research Institute) Nairobi compound during September- November 2009
Thanks for this, Richard - first and last records for migrants are always of interest. The South African Bird Atlas Project #2 has shown that Barn Swallows are arriving later in SA and leaving earlier which is almost certainly due to climate change issues. Prof Les Underhill who heads the Animal Demography Unit at Uni of Cape Town writes:

"For the past four months, since the beginning of August, SABAP2 atlasers 
have engaged in WHAMB (Welcome Home All Migrant Birds). We have done a 
pretty good job of quantifying the timing of arrival of migrants this 
year. In an era of global change, getting a handle on this is very 
important, and very important to do on an annual basis.

To see this, go to the SABAP2 website http://sabap2.adu.org,za , go to 
"environmental change" on the left hand side menu, then click on 
"climate change booklet". Go to page 5 of the 16-page booklet, and you 
will find a comparison of the timing of arrival of Barn Swallows in 
Gauteng between SABAP1 and SABAP2. Swallows are leaving us earlier 
(maybe taking advantage of the earlier springs on their breeding grounds 
in Eurasia), and arriving back later (maybe a larger proportion are 
fitting in second broods). Pages 6 and 7 also have SABAP1 vs SABAP2 
comparisons. Paper copies of this booklet are going to all delegates to 
the climate change meeting in Copenhagen next month."
Clearly these guys are doing a far wider project that shows arrival and departure dates but even from observers submitting this information, it can provide surprisingly interesting and useful data.

Colin

Bishop, Richard (ILRI) wrote:
 

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 

 

 


-- 
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Colin Jackson
A Rocha Kenya
Christians in Conservation
PO Box 383
Watamu, 80202
Kenya

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