NGULIA LODGE AND AREA, TSAVO WEST 6th-9th DECEMBER 2013

Dear All,
Mike Davidson and myself went to Ngulia Lodge in Tsavo West National
Park for a three night stay, and we arrived at Mtito Andei 1.30pm on
6th, and departed the Park at 12.00pm on the 9th December.

Much of what we found of interest is in the text to the images,
additionally we had a good time with the migrant passerines. The
ringers have caught 20,000 birds in 10 days, so they are kept busy.
There seems to be a huge number of Marsh Warblers, and less of other
species giving the impression that the percentage representation of
the less abundant species were down. It will be interesting when the
season is over, and the ringing results are available, to compare
various species representation by percentage, over the past few years
to see increases and declines. Sprossers were also in good numbers, I
even saw an albino.

Otherwise the Park had a distribution of migrants in small numbers,
Eurasian Rollers were in low numbers, migrant birds of prey were
restricted to a party of twenty Amurs when we went in, and another 76
seen over the lodge, single Steppe Eagle, Grasshopper Buzzard, Hobby
and the Eurasian Sparrowhawk.

One Corncrake was flushed, a Scops Owl was seen that was in all
likelihood Eurasian but that completes other interesting migrants.

Of the Afrotropical species, Painted-snipe were on three different
seasonal pools, but no Dwarf Bittern had appeared. Madagascar
Bee-eaters were frequent in the lower areas, but no other migrant
bee-eaters recorded. Many birds were singing, and those that have
them, were in breeding plumage.

Some changes were noted in distribution compared to the early days,
Vulturine Guineafowl which used to be restricted to the lowlands on
the Tsavo Gate Road, later moving in the lowlands to Mtito Andei, are
now common all up the road to Ngulia Lodge and around the Lodge
itself. Bare-eyed Thrush was another lowland bird that has extended up
to being part of the dawn chorus at the lodge and is quite common
along the higher roads. White-browed Sparrow-Weaver is now a common
bird at the Lodge, and was again in the lowlands before. The immediate
base of the cliff below Ngulia has Eastern Black-headed Batis and
Black-bellied Sunbirds. Places such as Mtito Andei and Chyulu Gates
have always had these species, but I had never noticed them in the
Ngulia area before.

Best for now
Brian




COMMENTS REGARDING IMAGES FROM NGULIA


FAR LEFT ROWS ONE, TWO AND THREE

When seeing Basra Reed Warbler in the field, it often happens that you
see the distinctive head-shape but although you stare at the bird, the
bill appears not so long, then suddenly a slight movement and the
unusual profile is there again.
Here are three head profiles taken from the same position only seconds apart.
The top bird is very slightly turned towards the camera, creating a
foreshortening of the profile and the bill does not look at all
extraordinary. The next image is a complete profile, but yet again the
head does not appear unusually slender.
The bottom bird is now partly turned away from the camera, and from
this angle it is the combination of the angled profile, together with
the angle of the bill tapering away that creates the very slender head
that we look for in this species, and this is why the bird appears to
only have the slender head for part of the time we are watching it,
and contrary to what would be expected, it is not the full profile
that accentuates the shape, but changing the angle of the forehead.

TOP SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH FROM LEFT
SECOND ROW, SECOND AND THIRD FROM LEFT
THIRD ROW, SECOND FROM LEFT

This is a very interesting sequence of African Black Swift knocking
Little Swifts off the nest they are cementing with their own saliva.
Just over two weeks previously when staying at Ngulia Lodge, I noticed
that a few Black Swifts were flying around the building and
investigating the overhangs on the balcony. The presence of the Black
Swifts was in itself interesting, as they have never shown interest in
the lodge before. In fact the only place I see African Black Swifts
nesting on buildings is in Naivasha where it is a regular annual
event. In the remainder of Kenya, no such association of these swifts
and buildings has been reported. Indeed reading the literature the
only reference to breeding is in tangled aerial roots of figs.

On this return visit to Ngulia, there were several pairs of African
Black Swifts, flying close along the buildings. In the sequence of
images taken from a video, a pair of Little Swifts are working on
their nest on the balcony. Almost all balconies had some Little Swifts
breeding on them. A Black Swift has swooped past very close several
times, and has hit one of the Little Swifts knocking it off the nest.
It makes more passes, whilst the second Little Swift ignores its
presence and continues its salivarial plastering. The Black Swift
eventually lands on the wall and makes its way up to the nest rim but
is unable to dislodge the Little Swift. It falls off the wall, and
comes in and hits the Little Swift knocking it off, and now there are
no swifts at the nest. Unfortunately the observation ceased from here
as we had to leave, but I am sure all the birds are still there.

We assume that the Black Swift is the aggressor, probably because it
is a lot bigger, but it is possible that the Little Swifts have come
in and started to build on the start of the Black Swift nest. Two
features make me suspect this because, part of the nest is in the
direct sun, and usually Little Swift constructions are all in shade,
and the second point is that although it cannot be seen here, the nest
contains green grass stems, and I have never seen anything green or
grassy in a Little Swifts contruction. Invariably feathers and the odd
dead leaf.

If the Black Swifts do settle down and breed on the balconies this
would be a golden opportunity to learn a little more about this
species, which has never been studied at a nest site before, certainly
not in East Africa. The nest will be only three feet away from the
window to the room.

FAR RIGHT FIRST AND SECOND ROWS
SECOND ROW, SECOND AND THIRD FROM RIGHT

On arrival at Mtito Gate, we had a break at the Museum Picnic Site
just inside the gate. A very good place for birding, with a very tame
pair of Black-headed Plovers always in residence.
There was a Black Cuckoo calling and so I whistled back to it. It
arrived immediately, and was very confiding as well as aggressive.
However I was absolutely stunned to see that the bird was not a
nominate plumaged all blackish bird, but the very attractive western
form gabonensis.
There has never been a record of a gabonensis east of the Rift. They
are a regular feature in Naivasha and Nakuru in the Rift, and in
locations west of the Rift, but never in the East, and certainly not
expected that far east. Further to this, authors state that gabonensis
is a high rainfall race, whilst the nominate is associated with much
drier conditions. Certainly around Nairobi, Black Cuckoos are in the
semi arid thornscrub seasonally, and rarely get into lusher
conditions. Unlike gabonensis choice of habitat in the west, Black
Cuckoos of neither form occur in any of our eastern forests. Here we
have a territorial bird showing all the characters of gabonensis, but
in the semi-arid acacia scrub! Does this mean that gabonensis should
not have a racial identity but only a form, and that the gabonensis
gene can be in any Black Cuckoo population but is suppressed, or is
this a genuinely vagrant bird that has come from the west and has
chosen to settle in the wrong habitat? Is it possible that the
gabonensis form is the ancestral plumage of the species, and that the
black birds we refer to as nominate have evolved from that? All
hypothetical, but a very interesting situation and food for thought.

FAR RIGHT, ROWS THREE, FOUR, FIVE AND SIX
SECOND FROM RIGHT, ROW FOUR

This is a very interesting bird, but a scarce resident in Tsavo West.
We were passing the Ngulia Bandas turn off, when a Corncarake flew up
from the side of the road. We were waiting for a reappearance of the
Corncrake (which as usual never happened), and whilst doing so I
noticed this crombec in a low acacia, and recognising what it was,
videod it at a distance but we did not move closer because we were
eager to see the Corncrake.
This is the bird currently treated as an eastern form of Red-faced
Crombec, but is responsible for a number of claims of Somali
Long-billed Crombec from Tsavo West, but the bill is short as can be
seen here. The chestnut-rufous face and underparts that we are used to
with our widespread whytii (race jacksoni) in this form, is merely a
pale buff. Unique amongst all crombecs is a complete pale collar
separating the grey crown and grey back, this is not mentioned in the
literature and I am not sure if it is a constant feature for the
population, but clearly visible here. There is obviously a lot more we
need to know about this bird, which may not be a Red-faced Crombec at
all, but normal chestnut Red-faced are in this area as well as
Northern!

Thanks to Don Turner, we have a greater knowledge of the distribution
of the various forms under the Red-faced umbrella. A pale form
described as loringi (which is what this bird is), is found in the dry
country from Fort Hall south through Kitui, Yatta and Kibwezi
districts to Tsavo, Taita-Taveta, east Mt Kilimanjaro, Mkomazi and the
Masai Steppe. It is described by some as intermediate in colour
between jacksoni and
whytii, in being extremely pale whitish below, and having the
upperparts light neutral grey. Van Someren considered it as a pale
form of jacksoni.

Dons distributional research has also shown that another pale form
minima is found in Kenya being in two disjunct populations, Boni,
Lamu, Kinuga and lower Tana, the other being Shimba, extending over
the border to Usambara foothills, south to Dar-es Salaam and Rufiji,
and inland to Morogoro District. The rufous jacksoni common to most of
inland and upland Kenya is not found in the range of minima, but in
its extreme eastern distribution overlaps with pallid loringi
apparently without any mixed variants resulting.

It is possible that loringi/minima (sometimes called fischeri)
represent something that is not Red-faced Crombec but obviously there
is an invitation for a study here so that we can understand this
strange situation.

THIRD ROW, THIRD FROM RIGHT

This Eurasian Sparrowhawk was perched on the same branch on the same
tree as what looked much the same bird three years ago to the day but
one. Presumably as there is no record of Eurasian Sparrowhawk actually
wintering around Ngulia, just the same birds for a few days on
passage, this shows an unprecedented site fidelity for a passage bird.
It would be interesting to learn if other recognisable migrant raptors
have shown this site favouring whilst on passage rather than a
returning seasonal resident. We know that Amur Falcons annually use
the same roost on Mt Kilimanjaro just whilst on passage, but does this
extend further?

FAR RIGHT, SIXTH ROW

This is a Scops Owl, it was at night near the lodge but sadly watched
through the headlights, with no flashlight available. More likely a
Eurasian Scops Owl based on location, time of year and silvery-grey
plumage, but this image taken in desperation does not go quite as far
as showing if the 10th primary is the same length as the 5th!!!

SECOND FROM RIGHT, FIFTH ROW

It’s not that often that we get to see that Golden Pipit in breeding
plumage is a crested bird. I don’t know if the crown feathers are this
long when in non-breeding, but I suspect not. Certainly females show
no such crest.

BOTTOM ROW, FAR LEFT

This was the only Gloriosa superba seen, and growing in open
grassland. The flower as can be seen is pure yellow.

BOTTOM ROW, SECOND FROM LEFT

It is a great year for the flowering Thunbergia holstii, this should
be Tsavo Wests flagship flower!

SECOND ROW FROM BOTTOM LEFT, THIRD FROM LEFT

This is a Great Plated Lizard which has a territory at Ngulia Lodge. I
had not seen the species here before, and this is quite a high
elevation for the species.

SECOND ROW FROM BOTTOM LEFT, FOURTH FROM LEFT

I believe this is a Habernaria of some sort, growing in seasonally
inundated short grass, maybe someone can come up with an
identification on this one.

BOTTOM ROW, FOURTH FROM LEFT

This Eurasian Nightjar roosted all three night we were there, on the
overhead beams in the restaurant.

BOTTOM RIGHT

There were certainly plenty of Sprossers to be seen around the lodge.