My first elaborate photograph of an adult Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle at Bunyala (far western Kenya) was in October 2012. Since then different juveniles of the species have turned up yearly or a little longer (2014, 2015) from which I posit that there have been at least 2 successful breeding seasons, having photographed the subsequent young birds. Other subjects captured in photographs include a nicely barred possible female with a nearly complete dark hood to the gular region during 2012. There was also a possible male during 2013 with an incomplete hood ventrally, with paler gular region merging into the pale breast/rest of underside.

Yesterday’s subject was a lucky shot that found me with my pants down but I managed some nice shots anyway, I think. Bunyala is currently all soggy and flooded. Any good birding (I mean on foot) means you must be ready to endure the leeches’ bites and bear considerable degree of foot rot. Yesterday morning’s survey with my scouting team against bird poisoning ended at about 11am, compelled by a stormy downpour. An hour later I found myself perched on higher ground that is an embankment that prevents irrigation/flood water from flowing over into my camping grounds (but not the underground seepage of course). Bored at staring into the scope in bad light, I walked back a few metres into camp to examine our chicken pen that is also now on soggy grounds. I was startled by a shadow that flew over my camouflaged ‘watch tower’ severally getting obscured by foliage; just turned out that he was a Juvenile African Harrier Hawk. However, looking in the distance about half a kilometre away I saw a Black-breasted raptor & at first thought he must be a Black-chested Snake Eagle & I was going to key in the species into ARDB shortly. She hovered & I knew that was inconclusive behaviour. However, the ferocious ambushing of the pigeons that ensued shortly after raised my concern having seen that of the Beaudouin’s here in Bunyala. The Black-chested SEs that I have encountered here have tended to be inclined to eating the numerous Nile monitor babies & snakes, hunting generally more gracefully compared to the rather nimble tactic I see employed by the Beaudoin. Well the photos confirm that she was Beaudouin’s even though again this was odd for me as I had presumed that many of these raptors turn up when it is not as flooded as it is at the moment save the African Fish Eagle. Ideally, hunting is easier for the other terrestrial raptors in the absence of the water and even the doves/pigeons would keep off from the flooded plantation. But again with quite a number of overgrown bushes, small birds are still able to perch within the flooded fields so it makes perfect sense. Other raptors included a resident Grey Kestrel, Gymnogene and Peregrine Falcon. Two days ago we had a Red-necked Falcon and Booted Eagle.

Humble regards