On a our way back 28 Feb 2013 from Meru National Park on a productive raptor survey with the Raptor Working Group of Nature Kenya, we decided to make a brief stopover at Imenti forest to look for some interesting birds that we might see. On a quick glance at the forest from the roadside we sighted a young brown raptor with some heavy streakings on the belly against the rufous breast  perched on the canopy. We did not have a consensus pertaining to its real ID and so we decided to take a photo of it and share it with other raptor ‘fundis’. It was with great excitement when Simon Thomset and Rob Davies confirmed to us that it was a juv. Cassin`s Hawk Eagle(attached above),which is extremely rare here! It`s primarily a Central and West African forest raptor which unfortunatey does not appear in our Kenya fieldguides. However regional guides show its eastern most reach as the forest of extreme western Uganda. Its first documented sighting is a specimen that was collected in Mt.Elgon in 1926. Its second sighting was in 2006 by Brian Finch. Have a look at the photo and share your opinion with us.

Other observers included Darcy Ogada,Ben Mugambi and Shiv Kapila.

Thanks to the Peregrine Fund for sponsoring the trip and Ben`s Ecological Safaris for the logistical support.

Best regards,

Wairasho Peter