Dear Felix,
I am sure they would have been Amurs, Eurasian Hobbies to not
associate in such large congregations. Female and immature Amurs look
quite hobby-like with the pale throat and in dark skies the underwing
contrast of the male is not as evident as in clear skies.
A very good record for Nairobi.
Best for now
Brian
On 12/1/11, Koimburi Felix <
felix.njenga@gmail.com> wrote:
> Goodmorning all.
>
> Yesterday evening (Wednesday 30th November), two friends and I
> witnessed what looked like migration of falcons. Literally hundreds
> (500+) of them were flying overhead, moving in a roughly north-
> westerly direction. We witnessed this from my mum and dad's home in
> Hardy, Karen. I was overawed by the sight, seeing that it was my first
> time seeing such a large migrating flock.
>
> Did anyone else see this yesterday? I would also appreciate help in
> confirming that it was indeed Amur falcons that I saw, and not, say,
> Eurasian hobbies. The sky was overcast, and so the lighting was not
> that great. The distinctiveness of the falcon silhouette was however
> clearly visible, but the two-toned underside wing of the Amur was not
> very evident. In at least two birds, I observed a white throat patch,
> suggesting the E. Hobby, but the dusk light made it difficult to
> observe much more than that. Does anyone know if the two travel
> together?
>
> Looking forward to hearing what the experts have to say.
>
> Felix
>