Dear All,
During the palearctic period the last two years, a regular event has
been having Black-winged Stilts fly right over the house most
evenings. The past six days they have been between 7.15pm and 7.25pm.
I have never laid eyes on them until this evening, when I waited
outside the door at 7.15pm and they came in a couple of minutes. I
have always assumed they come from Ngong direction and are heading
towards the Park, so I was stunned when eighteen very noisy stilts
came not much more than forty feet above the ground skimming the
treetops and some with legs still dangling as if just recently taken
off, but it was from the direction of the Park and heading TO Ngong
direction the total reverse of what I assumed when they call as they
fly over.
I have never seen as many as eighteen stilts in the Park, and at
present there are none. The fact that they always fly over our house
on a direct path, and now the fact that they are very low makes me
wonder if there might not be an open sewage pond on the Communication
University Campus and they are taking off from there in the early
evening and going to a regular roost site. The combination of a
bee-line over the same piece of ground, and low level and so much
vocalisation surely means that their point of take-off is very close.
But then if we had such a habitat so close to us, wouldn't we see/hear
Wood Sands and the like. Wouldn't the Stilts be regularly flushed on
the campus and appear at odd times during the day, it has never
happened. They pass back over the house at 5.30am.
Thanks to the late evenings at present and the bright moon it was like
daylight when I was outside and they came over. I am so happy to see
them after all this time, and see them well.
Best to all
Brian