Karen Country Club bird walk, Friday 4 November 2016
On a morning of interesting and changeable cloudscapes, a larger group than usual set off on the Karen Country Club bird walk – myself, Alastair Campbell, Gail Paul, Karen Plumbe, Shirley Scroggie, Keziah Wamaitha, Felix Koimburi, and Esther Nyaga. The last three were very welcome as new participants.
The varied habitat of the wetlands – grass lawns, thick bush, reeds with some open water, ponds, various trees including acacia, tangled scrub – never fails to interest. After 15 minutes of constant pursuit we identified the mystery bird as a Common Cuckoo. Singing Cisticola were audible but not visible, and Red-faced Cisticola were visible but not audible. A constant stream of birds congregated excitedly around a fruiting fig, including Hartlaub’s Turaco, African Citril and Speckled Mousebird. On the lawns African Pied Wagtail were numerous, and White-browed Sparrow Weaver was an unusual sighting.
Other sightings at the wetlands included an African Goshawk, whose distinctive call and soaring flight always lifts the heart, Black-headed Heron, and Common Sandpiper.
At the dam we found a good selection – Hamerkop, Egyptian Goose, Three-banded Plover, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Cormorant, Yellow-billed Stork (first sighting for some time), around a dozen Black-winged Stilts stirred into excited flight by a Black Kite, and two new birds for the Karen Club – a small group of Marabou Storks drifting over (they look so impressive from afar!), and great views of a strikingly plumaged Great White Egret flying by at close range. And I don’t believe that small group of Wire-tailed Swallows ever moves from that rail!
The 7th green often produces something interesting, this time a Brown Parisoma – not that common a bird, and not straightforward to identify. Nearby, a Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike was in strong voice, but elusive in thick bush.
Walking back to the clubhouse between the 1st and 9th fairways brought further delights (besides the Sykes monkey nearly clouted by a golf ball as it scooted across the fairway) – Silvery-cheeked Hornbill; intimate views of the Pale Flycatcher; Collared, Amethyst, Scarlet-chested, Bronze and Variable Sunbirds; Holub’s Golden Weaver; Chin-spot Batis; a few Barn Swallow and Black Saw-wing hawking across the sward; and nice views of migrant Willow Warbler, very busy among the foliage while drawing attention to itself with its two-note call.
We were rewarded with 60 species, one of the best for the Karen Club walk, and doubly rewarded with coffee and bacon and egg baps back at the clubhouse, surely the best way there is to conclude 2 hours of intensive birding!!
John Dawson
Birds seen and heard on Karen Club bird walk, 4 November 2016
Egyptian Goose
Yellow-billed Duck
Little Grebe
Yellow-billed Stork
Marabou Stork
Sacred Ibis
Hadada Ibis
Black-headed Heron
Great White Egret
Hamerkop
Reed Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Black Kite
African Goshawk
Black Crake
Black-winged Stilt
Three-banded Plover
Common Sandpiper
Red-eyed Dove
African Green Pigeon
Hartlaub’s Turaco
Common Cuckoo
Speckled Mousebird
Silvery-cheeked Hornbill
Chin-spot Batis
Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike
Tropical Boubou
Common Fiscal
African Paradise Flycatcher
Pied Crow
Black Saw-wing
Barn Swallow
Wire-tailed Swallow
Red-faced Cisticola
Singing Cisticola
Black-collared Apalis
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Grey-capped Warbler
Grey-backed Camaroptera
Common Bulbul
Dark-capped Yellow Warbler
Willow Warbler
Brown Parisoma
Olive Thrush
Cape Robin Chat
Ruppell’s Robin Chat
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
Pale Flycatcher
Collared Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Bronze Sunbird
Variable Sunbird
White-browed Sparrow Weaver
Baglafecht Weaver
Spectacled Weaver
Holub’s Golden Weaver
African Pied Wagtail
African Citril
Streaky Seedeater
(60 species)