Greetings birders

It was a cold, grey morning when Nature Kenya's Wednesday Morning Birdwalk
headed to Paradise Lost in Kiambu, only a few kilometres from the Nairobi
city boundary. We arrived early, as the birdwalk now meets at the museum at
8:30 am, and birds were slow to appear at first.

At Paradise Gardens (where events such as weddings are held) a very large
mongoose crossed the path, and birds started scolding. Some of the scolds
were from a babbler, but which babbler?

Peter Mureithi walked behind the lantana bushes, and the babbler flew out:
mottled black, grey and white, with a fiery orange-red eye ­ a Hinde's
Babbler, endemic to Kenya! There was only one, so perhaps a young one in
seach of new territory? We hope it will like it there as we do.

Other highlights of the morning were a pair of Grey Crowned Cranes with a
chicken-sized chick, two families of White-backed Ducks with ducklings,
African Jacana with an immature, a squacco heron flying in, with a very dark
back, probably a Madagascar Pond Heron, and some 70 other species.

Wishing you good birding, Fleur