I have just recently returned from a 3 week trip to Kenya. We finished off by spending six nights at Topi cottage in the Olio Orok conservancy in the Mara. On our first night there we heard what I was certain was a Swamp Nightjar calling, this species is well known to us from bird monitoring work that we have carried out here in the Okavango Delta.

I was surprised to find on reading up the bird in Stevenson's reference book that it has not been recorded from the Mara system. The next morning I checked with the guides who were with us and none of them were aware of the species.

Accordingly two nights later when the bird was again heard calling I walked out into the garden & called the bird up using the tapes I allways travel with. The bird responded immediately & flew in over our heads on a full moon evening giving it's lovely fluting flight call & then landed in the garden and immediately started giving it's normal "Chuck, Chuck" ground call. We heard this bird (there could easily have been more than one) calling on five of the six nights that we were staying at Topi cottage. I would like to hear back from the Kenya bird bofs what they think of this record.

Thanks - best regards - Mark Muller & Alison Flatt.