Dear All,
Rupert Watson and myself spent a weeks birding in the west. We
departed Nairobi on 2nd May. Our first port of call was to the
Kinangop Flyover. The only two pasture fields were in fine condition.
Sharpe's Longclaws were feeding young and we saw about seven birds.
There were a few Black-winged Plovers, and African Snipe was heard but
not seen. The grassland was flooded and the conditions were ideal for
the species. One male Long-tailed Widowbird held territory. Our next
locality was the large highland swamp (backed by the railway bridge)
just before Molo on the Nakuru-Molo road. Levaillant's Cisticolas were
also behaving as if they had young or a nest nearby, but there was
nothing else of note here. From here we followed excellent directions
supplied by Chege Kariuki a while ago. I had never seen Aberdare
Cisticola away from the Aberdares and wanted to see this population.
Entering into Molo we took the first left followed after a few
kilometres with a right-hand turn. After several kilometres we parked
by a highland swamp, and nowhere in sight was there any woodland or
the epacris, hypericum and alchemilla  scrub that we associate with
Aberdare Cisticola in the Aberdares. Just highland grass, swampy grass
and weedy fields. I was confused by this, but the directions had been
followed and were so accurate. There were many birds in the area, and
as we tried to find our way on the tussocks around the swamp I heard
three Aberdare Cisticolas calling from tussock grass. In fact we found
some ten birds in this totally different habitat to what I would have
considered the norm. I would imagine with the clearance of the land it
was adapt of perish, and they managed to find the tussock grass and
few other upland plants acceptable. Interestingly there were no
Levaillant's here, I think that we had gone too high and left them
back in Molo. Other birds here were a number of calling Common Quail,
Wing-snapping Cisticolas were fairly common but very difficult to spot
in their habitat of sky!!! We did not see any Sharpe's Longclaws but
they have been seen here by others on recent visits. Also we failed
with Great Crested Grebes on the huge dam, but it does not mean they
weren't here, a couple of Black-headed Gulls were present though. From
here we continued to Kisumu but shortly after Kericho the rain fell
very heavily and as we entered Dunga Point we were going through
inches of water. In the early evening we entered the paradise of
Kiboko Bay Resort. It was good to see that it had survived unscathed
by the financial uncertainties of 2009. The massive, luxurious and
airy tents probably better equipped than in any of the National Parks,
the setting by the lake, the food and the friendly and such willing
staff, managed by Rudi who made every effort to make our three day
stay as comfortable as possible.
At breakfast we sat and watched five territories of Northern
Brown-throated Weavers in the adjacent papyrus, I mention this because
over the next couple of days away from here, in spite of visiting a
whole swathe of papyrus locations we did not see the species anywhere.
Their absence from all of the old haunts is a mystery. The lake was
flat and merged with the sky, and the dhows gliding by gave a coastal
feeling to the spectacle.
The first morning we went around to the old fish-ponds, again making
an effort to keep to higher ground as the area was inundated. The
first birds of note were a few Red-headed Queleas in full breeding
dress, there was a Little Bittern down an avenue of papyrus, but as we
followed the banks we could hear a Red-chested Flufftail. Over the
next two hours we managed to coax the bird from a distance until it
could not have been more than six metres away, but never saw a glimpse
of it. All birds were involved in breeding, many species were
accompanying flying young or feeding birds in the nest. Few were
actually singing and territorial, the exception being Carruther's
Cisticolas. Whilst in the one spot for the two hours we had a few
territorial birds around us, on the edge of harvested papyrus, but one
was in papyrus right by us. I have never had such views of the species
before, and able to watch the energetic display of a singing bird.
Actually I think I was hearing the song for the first time, it was a
mixture of "shreee shreee" purrs, squeaking and chips and the long
machine-gun rattle. Normally we usual only see the bird giving its
parachuting rattle before it drops back into the papyrus but this was
a rare event to encounter the species so openly and I took some nice
video of them. Papyrus Gonoleks like all other species were totally
indifferent to playback but it did not matter. A pair were using a
channel along which they must have had a nest, and over the time we
were there, would fly back and forth, regularly stopping off to preen
or call and giving the most outstanding views. Blue–headed Coucals
spent much time on top of the papyrus trying to dry off after last
nights rain, Greater Swamp Warblers were feeding young and very active
but totally indifferent to playback and White-winged Warblers called
only infrequently from far in the depths of the papyrus. There was a
great coming and going of all sorts of swamp birds, and it was a
magical pre-breakfast jaunt. There were a few flyovers which included
a pair of Senegal Plovers. In a fig-tree we watched a pair of
Black-billed Barbets share the same ripe fig like it was a honeymoon
breakfast,  and a pair of the Grey-headed type of Grey Woodpeckers
were also obviously very attached. We returned for a delicious
breakfast overlooking the activity on the lake. After breakfast we
returned but the Flufftail was still not going to play. After lunch we
had a look at the Yacht Club area, the lakeside part is absolutely
devastated. Vast quantities of charcoal were being off-loaded, raped
from forested Ugandan islands and no doubt exported to Kenya
illegally. Herons were nesting in the trees at Kiboko Point where
there are plans for a new luxury lodge. There were Grey and
Black-headed, and egrets that the locals call Great but they sure look
like Yellow-billed to me.
The next day we went out with Tom Mboya of the Sunset Birders. A
character well known to Nature Kenya.  Near to Sondo town there was
the strange sight of a solitary Southern Ground Hornbill on the
roadside. We were going to go to the Sondo delta to look for Orange
Weavers which are still being reported as nesting there, although I
maintain a healthy scepticism! (Which obviously means we were not
successful). It is a very interesting area, made more so with the
Sondo-Miliu leaving the confine of its banks and spreading out of the
surrounding plains. The flooding started three days before we were
there, and already there was an extensive lake. This was attracting
migrating waders with many Ruff, Wood Sandpipers, but only a few
Little Stint and some nice breeding plumage Curlew Sandpipers. There
were also over sixty Ringed Plovers. Terns were mainly Whiskered with
the odd White-winged Black and one Gull-billed. The water was starting
to lap up against the buildings and was still rushing in at an
alarming rate. The flood prevented us from going to where the Orange
Weavers were supposed to be. Reference was constantly being made to
feeding in Eucalypts which whilst not impossible seemed somewhat
unlikely. I still want to see these birds to believe the records. It
was however a wonderful area, starting almost immediately after
leaving the main road the raised causeway runs alongside the lake edge
with some nice views. Sadly the locals understand little of Papyrus
harvesting and have all but eradicated it from the area. This has
enabled the water hyacinth to form choking mats right up to the
shoreline. Small numbers of Banded Martins were breeding in banks on
the lakewards side of the road. We scrutinised all the breeding
weavers and there were many, apart from the usual lakeshore species,
Golden-backed is also very numerous here. There were also good numbers
of Southern Red Bishops in the reed patches, and in tiny clumps of
papyrus there were as well as Winding Cisticolas, the occasional
Carruther's holding on.
The next port of call was a large area of rice fields beyond Ahero
towards the Lake. It was another area that in season must have a great
potential for something special.  Whilst we were there it had plenty
of Southern Red Bishops and Fan-tailed Widowbirds and a few Cardinal
Queleas. Also numbers of Open-billed Storks, Glossy Ibis but the only
migrant waders were a few Wood Sandpipers.  On leaving this area we
visited the Kisumu Sewage Ponds. I had no idea of the existence of
this large area of settling tanks. The recent rains had flooded all
ponds and so there were no areas for waders or ducks to rest, but I
can see great potential in this area once the levels are lower and the
migrants are on the return. There were about a hundred Fulvous
Whistling-Ducks, but that was about it apart from a couple of
White-faced and Red-billed Teal. There were good numbers of
Red-knobbed Coot. Nearby in a flooded agricultural area were mixed
marsh bird including about forty Wood Sandpipers. Whilst walking
around the heavily vegetated banks I flushed a Grasshopper Warbler,
olive-coloured with an olive rump and streaked upperparts. On two
ocassions it came up almost underfoot jigging in a shallow zig-zag
fashion before dropping back into cover. Rupert and I persued the bird
but ended up trailing a Sedge Warbler which was a bit sad. I am quite
convinced that it was a Eurasian Grasshopper Warbler but the record is
inconclusive and lost. This excursion with Tom Mboya has given me a
very different insight to the Kisumu area as being very interesting
for birds. There are so many interesting and extensive places so close
to the city and worth much more that just an ovenight.
The next morning we departed Kisumu. On passing the Airport there were
some very beautiful roadside Northern Black and Black-winged Red
Bishops in fringing maize. Stopping at the Yala River, the torrent was
rushing down although still within the banks, but there was no sign of
any White-winged Warblers. Although late, we had a look around the
Busia grasslands for a few hours. Birds were like in Kisumu immune to
any attempts to lure them out with recordings, and the area whilst
lightly flooded was not anything like I was envisaging. There were of
course the usual Olive-belied and Copper Sunbirds, Bar-breasted
Firefinch but Green Crombecs refused to give anything but a flight
view and even Senegal Coucals kept in cover. There were a couple of
Marsh Widowbirds on territories, a couple of Parasitic Weavers and
nesting Compact Weavers. We enquired as to where the de Brazza's
Monkeys were and some people advised that they had chased them away as
they were entering the maize and stealing many cobs. This was not very
good news for this population of one of the rarest monkeys. The water
level was not too high for the Rock Pratincoles in Mumias and there
were a couple on a river boulder. We finally entered the hallowed
gates of wonderful Rondo in the late evening.
The first morning was outrageous as we left Rondo with four beautiful
Crested Guineafowl feeding on the road. We went to the Ikuywa River
first, the first bird was a rattling Chapin's Flycatcher that was not
in the mid-canopy as they usually are but only eight feet up in an
overhang. The second bird to fly in was an African Broadbill, the area
was a hive of activity and we had such a good time. We encountered a
large percentage of the local residents, but I do not recall seeing
Fine-banded Woodpecker in Kakamega before and there was a pure
Red-breasted Paradise Flycatcher down the "Quarry Road." The afternoon
by contrast was much quieter, we went to look for White-spotted
Flufftail at the bottom of the garden and found four. Two males were
feeding on the edge of the cut grass along the gulley walk and made a
superb video for this secretive species. However the next day was
overcast so very different with a very quiet forest almost all day. So
strange how these days differ so markedly. A Bat Hawk was still abroad
in the dull conditions, and as we struggled we picked up a few more
additions to the list.
The next morning again dull and fairly quiet, so we took our leave
just before 10.00am and via the Lessos road from Kapsabet to Timboroa,
then the highway down to Nakuru and on to Nairobi… we were back by
5-00pm. It had been a very relaxing week away and punctuated with many
exciting sights. The rain in Nairobi had not been quite as heavy as we
had been experiencing, but it did seem that the long rains were still
with us.
Best to all
Brian