We carried out the Malindi / Watamu waterfowl counts this past weekend 
as part of the nation-wide counts organised by NMK. Overall numbers were 
not very high though there was a good count of over 1,000 Crab-plovers 
at Mida Creek. Waterlevels are higher in many of the sites than they 
have been for years - last year Jilore had NO birds at all as it was 
just a dust bowl... now it is flooding its banks and had plenty. 
Highlights including non-waterbirds included:

Garganey - four at Lake Jilore - not reported from down here for several 
years
Single Purple Heron at Lake Mbaratumu
African Pygmy Goose - over 20 at Jilore
Little Grebes - having been missing for several years they were seen at 
Jilore and Mbaratumu with the high water levels.
Booted Eagle - dark morph at Sabaki
Basra Reed Warbler - one seen perching near top of a shrub at Lake 
Mbaratumu not far from Lake Chemchem - my first around here.
Little Rush Warbler - singing at lake Chemchem - but the southern bird 
with the lower tone, slower trill rather than the bird that is found in 
the Rift lakes and elsewhere inland. Again my first record of this 
species here - Chemchem has a lot of reeds in it now (SO sad the way the 
lake has filled in over the years with silt due to the total and 
complete destruction of all woodland on the slopes surrounding it 
leading to dire erosion and the disappearance of the lake 
effectively...) - so perhaps the reeds and sedges have attracted it.
Marsh Warbler - single bird giving some sub-song from deep inside a thicket

Our count at Mida was disturbed by a Peregrine who shot in over the top 
of the mangroves and hurtled across the sand flats at 0.5m altitude 
trying his luck for an off-guard sandplover - but they were all on the 
look out and managed to escape. Made for some exciting action.

Good numbers of birds on the Kensalt saltworks at Gongoni - thousands of 
roosting waders including a Terek Sandpiper with one of my white flags 
on it that I ringed at Mida Creek some 40kms south! It was too far to 
read the inscription to get exactly which individual it was, but very 
nice to see all the same and the longest recovery of a wader from Mida 
other than the Terek to Finland in 2008 (which was exceptional!!).

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
www.assets-kenya.org
Blog: www.arochakenya.wildlifedirect.org