I too have spent some time in the Kipini - Witu area.
Don't recall seeing or hearing African Crowned Eagle there....but I do not have
my field notes here.
ACE are, however, in that area. Here is what the
Dowsetts had to say after 64 days in Kipini in 2006:
Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus. Widespread, at least two pairs
between base camp and the coast at
Baharini. Immature also seen coast.
A Danish survey of Witu in 2007 also recorded
ACE.
I have both report on pdf....if you or any of the other
readers want them.
Best regards,
Tom
In a message dated 10/11/2011 7:38:04 P.M. Arab Standard Time,
birdfinch@gmail.com writes:
Hi
Tom,
I was in Kipini, Nairobi Ranch and Witu 18th-21st May this year
doing
a bird survey with a well known Kenyan bunch, and although we had
some
good birds we never saw nor heard a Crowned Eagle. The habitat
through
the seasonal wetlands, and of course Witu looks ideal but we never
had
any evidence of the existence of the bird there.
Best for
now
Brian
On 10/11/11, Neil and Liz Baker
<tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> Hi Tom
>
> just to
say that CE occur throughout the coastal lowlands of Tanzania but
>
rainfall in these areas far higher than coastal Kenya north of Mombasa.
Far
> easier for birds to disperse as suitable hunting habitat occurs
westwards to
> the base of the Eastern Arc mts. This map 3 years out of
date. the SE VERY
> poorly worked.
>
> however densities are
lower in the coastal lowlands.
>
> Neil
>
> Neil and
Liz Baker, Tanzania Bird Atlas, P.O. Box 1605, Iringa, Tanzania.
>
Mobiles: +255 776-360876 and +255 776-360864.
>
http://tanzaniabirdatlas.com
> Subscribe to:
tanzaniabirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>>________________________________
>>From:
"TButynski@aol.com" <TButynski@aol.com>
>>To:
itaisha1@yahoo.com; kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com;
>>
tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com
>>Cc: wieczkja@buffalostate.edu;
mcgraw.43@osu.edu
>>Sent: Tuesday, 11 October 2011,
11:45
>>Subject: [KENYABIRDSNET] African Crowned Eagle at lower Tana
River
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
Dear All,
>>
>>Dr. Julie Wieczkowski recovered the skull of
an adult
> male Tana River Mangabey in Mcheleo Forest, lower Tana
River, in
> 2006. The punctures in the skull make us strongly
suspect that this
> monkey was was killed by an African Crowned
Eagle. We have drafted a note
> on this finding. Here is
what the draft now says about the occurrence of
> the African Crowned
Eagle along the lower Tana River.
>>
>>Crowned eagles at the
lower Tana River
>>Crowned
> eagles are present in the forests
of the lower Tana River (Andrews et al.,
> 1975;
> Lewis and
Pomeroy, 1989; Zimmerman et al., 1999; D.N.M. Mbora, pers. comm.).
>
They are, however, uncommon; there are few observations of crowned
eagles,
> no
> nests have been confirmed, and none of the current
researchers have heard
> the
> far-carrying, distinctive,
prolonged display call during many years of
> research
> in these
forests (D.N.M. Mbora, pers. comm.; T.M. Butynski and J.
>
Wieczkowski,
> pers. obs.).
>>
>>I write this to ask
whether any of the readers have seen or
> heard the African Crowned
Eagle in the forests of the lower Tana
> River....either
> in the
distant past or recently.
>>
>>Monkeys remain extremely
abundant in these forests....and
> other prey of the Crowned Eagle
(e.g., dik-dik) are also present. The
> current absence, or
very low density, of Crowned Eagles in the forests of
> the
>
lower Tana River is difficult to explain, although my own impression
is
> that, for whatever reason, the Crowned Eagle is more a
bird of
> mid-altitude and montane forest than of lowland / coastal
forest.
>>
>>Any comments are
appreciated!
>>
>>Best
regards,
>>
>>Tom
>>
>>Thomas M.
>
Butynski, PhD
>>Director
>>King Khalid Wildlife Research
Center
>>P. O. Box
> 61681
>>Riyadh
11575
>>Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
>>Mobile:
>
00-966-559-612-499
>>E-mail:
tbutynski@aol.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>