Just back from a waterfowl count at Sabaki River Mouth. Reasonable 
numbers of birds though very few Little Stints which was surprising. 
Mangroves are invading even faster and sand continues to fill in the 
soft, deeper mud thus reducing the area available for waders to feed. 
Having said that, it may be expanding further south - we need to do a 
proper GIS project on it to really understand what is going on.

Birds of interest were:
- Broad-billed Sandpiper have returned (last month we saw none) with 
c.25 counted (totals being tallied still)
- Peregrine - 1 adult flew over disturbing all the waders and headed off 
north. Probably a male judging by the size
- almost 300 whistling duck - both White-fronted & Fulvous
- 3 Knob-billed Duck
- 1 Af Open-billed Stork on the river and a further 5 in the 
lily-covered pool by the bridge
- best bird was an adult Palmnut Vulture - my first record for Sabaki
- Black Heron - doing his umbrella fishing act in the pool by the bridge
- Grey-headed Kingfisher

Very few gulls and terns today - a few Common and Saunders and one 
Caspian Tern.

Other records of note from the Mida Creek Bird Club:
3rd Sept - single African Skimmer - a new species for Mida Creek as far 
as I am aware
7th Sept - single Eurasian Oystercatcher
16th Sept - 6 Pink-backed Pelicans (not at all common at Mida)
17th Sept - White-faced Scops Owl - this species is probably far 
commoner around here than is suggested in the literature

Colin

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Colin Jackson
A Rocha Kenya
Christians in Conservation

Cell: +254 (0)722-842366
Land: +254 (0)20 260 0731

www.arocha.org
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