Dear all,

October is White-eye month here in Nairobi. This morning we first had a big bunch of Yellow White-eye coming to bathe, often several together.

The eye-ring is only slighty wider on the lower side, crenelated and interrupted by the black lore.

Then a few Montane kikuyuensis came, not as social, usually only a single one on the bath at a time, the group was less large also and less vocal.

The eye-ring is huge and wider on the lower side, the forecrown is bright yellow, the rest of the bird, including the underparts mostly olive, not yellow.

We did not get Abyssinian this morning but a few pics from last year in October (the three birds to the left of the Kikuyensis centrally in the back)

can show that the eye-ring is more uniform in width (and less than the diameter of the eye everywhere), not interrupted by a lore and the birds are

yellowish.  

We are not too sure about the wet bord on the right but I guess it is a Montane (though Brian Finch thinks it might be a Yellow)

> Message du 05/10/15 20:32
> De : "Brian Finch birdfinch@gmail.com [tanzaniabirds]" <tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com>
> A : tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com
> Copie à :
> Objet : Re: [tanzaniabirds] white-eyes again.
>
>  

> Dear Neil and Melissa,
> The smaller image from Magambua I am sure is Abyssinian. The eye-ring
> very narrow, and no-where bisected by the blackish loral line. The
> bird from Arusha appears to be Yellow, eye-ring width of eye, and
>
> clearly bisected by blackish loral line. Yellow White-eye on Mt Meru,
> is this something that is known, or are you also having three
> sympatric white-eyes there? I'm not at all familiar with eurycricota,
> but this bird does not look at all like a member of the Montane group,
> Best for now
> Brian
>
> On 10/3/15, Neil and Liz Baker tzbirdatlas@yahoo.co.uk [tanzaniabirds]
> <tanzaniabirds@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Melissa is on the edge of the Miombo belt SSE of Singida in Acacia dominated
> > habitat with Ashy Starlings.
> > So one would expect Abyssinian in this habitat.
> > and one would expect Abyssinian as a non-breeding dry season visitor to the
> > edge of Arusha NP.
> > single birds in edge habitat can be confusing and I'm not at all sure the
> > fieldguides have these as well defined as they could be.
> > I'll look at the maps again soon.
> > NeilNeil and Liz Baker, Tanzania Bird Atlas, P.O. Box 1605, Iringa,
> > Tanzania.Mobiles: +255 785-311298 and +255 784-834273.
> > http://tanzaniabirdatlas.com Subscribe to:
> > tanzaniabirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >
> > On Saturday, 3 October 2015, 14:20, Melissa Eager
> > <melissa.eager@aimint.org> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Neil,
> >
> >
> > Good to hear back from  you.  I hate to bother you with this but for the
> > sake of accurate records, can you help me with two White-eyes? The photo
> > in which the bird is smaller was taken here in Magambua, the other was
> > taken near Arusha National Park.  I had thought we had the Yellow
> > White-eye here but as I compare the various photos that I have from
> > different places, the eye ring seems very small on the photos of the
> > Magambua birds and I think we may be just on the edge of the Abyssinian
> > White-eye's range.  If it is the Abyssinian, you will need to correct it
> > in the records that I have sent you as I think I have it listed at the
> > Yellow White-eye on the data sheet. Thanks for your help and again,
> > sorry to be bother but want to make sure you have the right info for here.
> >
> >
> > Melissa
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>