Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] Fwd: [capebirdnet] Lesser Flamingo

Dear Birders,
Thanks a lot for the interesting observations made the range expansion
in Lesser Flamingo. My colleague and I have just been discussing on the
possibilities of carrying ringing to establish further information on local movements
in the species. This is important especially now that some of the
Saline Rift Valley Lakes have received the most rainfall than ever before
and there seem to be dilution of the salinity which has reduced the food component
of the lesser flamingos prompting them to find suitable areas for feeding. In Kenya
now for example there are very few birds(hundred + ) on Lake
Nakuru( I just visited last Week), almost no birds on Lake Elementaita.
Most birds from our counts two weeks ago are on Lake Bogoria. It is Now the
Pink Lake. It is therefore just time to ring most of these birds here now with
both color and metal rings and see where they are going and what exactly
they are doing.

Best regards,

Titus Imboma

From: Birding Africa (Callan Cohen) <callanafrica@gmail.com>
To: tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com; kenyabirdsnet <kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 4, 2013 1:54 PM
Subject: [KENYABIRDSNET] Fwd: [capebirdnet] Lesser Flamingo

Hi East African birders,

There seem to be small numbers of Lesser Flamingos popping up all over the place in southern Africa. This is a bit anecdotal, but quite a strong impression from a number of observers.

Are they dispersing from East Africa? Any evidence of lower numbers in East Africa?

Thanks

Callan

____________________________________________________

Dr Callan Cohen -- callan@birdingafrica.com -- +27 83 256 0491

Blog: http://birdingafricacapetownpelagics.wordpress.com/

Birding Africa: http://www.birdingafrica.com/

Cape Town Pelagics: http://www.capetownpelagics.com/

____________________________________________________

Birdwatch magazine voted Birding Africa as one of the top 5 most recommended bird tour companies in the world (see www.birdingafrica.com for more survey details.)

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Shaun Overmeyer <cycletronic1@hotmail.com>
Date: 03 August 2013 12:34:30 PM SAST
To: Dr W A de Klerk <doc@medismedical.com>, Cape Birdnet <capebirdnet@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: RE: [capebirdnet] Lesser Flamingo

Hi All,

I think we are seeing more Flamingos overall. However I am seeing Lessers where I have not ever seen them. On a similar note. Last weekend I was out on a trip Counting and Atlassing with friends at Cape Cross in Namibia and Mark Boorman who knows the area very well also remarked on the number of Lesser Flamingos.

Shaun
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To: capebirdnet@yahoogroups.com
From: doc@medismedical.com
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 12:00:04 +0200
Subject: [capebirdnet] Lesser Flamingo

Hi Otto and others,
About the Lesser Flamingo: I know there was some concern about the Lesser Flamingo numbers in the last few years, so to add onto your message.

I month ago I noticed a substantial increase in lesser Flamingo in the Agulhas National park. The past few years we might see 1 or 2 among Greater flamingo, but this year on one small pan I counted 12.

Then a month later on our trip to the Kgalakgadi, I noticed some LF near Porterville. I phoned a birding friend(farmer) and he told me that he has seen LF on his farm for the first time in history.

Last week we went to Rocher Pan for the weekend and noticed LF just about everywhere(Velddrif, Langebaan, Rocherpan and Verlorenvlei) although still in numbers of 1-12. I did not even try to identify the larger groups(Langebaan, Velddrif) in detail. There could have been more.

Is it only me or do we see a healthy increase in LF numbers lately?

Yours
Wim