Dear All,

Due to a manic 4 days of birding and travelling, this list is not the most comprehensive and there are some unfortunte memory gaps but I wanted to share some highlights since my previous posting.

Cheers for now,

Adam

Firstly, an omission from my previous report;

12^th March on walk through neighbouring wooded valley. 1 Black Cuckoo of the race jacksoni.

14^th March

Big raptor passage over camp between 8.30am – 11am, involving 300+ Steppe Buzzard, 8 Lesser Spotted Eagle (another 6 ‘probables’ that were distant but almost certainly this species), 4 Steppe Eagle, 3 Lesser Kestrel, supported by a local cast of 6 Tawny eagle, 3 Wahlberg’s Eagle, 2 Black-chested Snake-eagle, 1 Brown Snake-eagle, 4 Black Kite (two showing signs of Asian form intermedius), 2 African Harrier-hawk, 1 Great Sparrowhawk. Oh, plus 30-40 White-backed Vultures. Amazing!

15^th March

30+ Steppe Buzzard, 2 Steppe Eagle, 2 Lesser Spotted Eagles seen around 11am. Rock-loving Cisticola seen and heard around tent area.

16^th March

An early morning drive into the MT from camp; personal highlight were 2 Black-backed Cisticola (males), 15 Tree Pipits, 1 Eurasian Hobby, 2 Red-winged Francolin (heard not seen, again!), 50+ Eurasian Bee-eater, 1 Spotted Flycatcher.

From camp around 10.30am; 400-600 White Storks flying over, 4 Lesser Spotted Eagles, 25 Steppe Buzzard, plus local Brown Snake Eagle, 3 Hooded Vultures, 2 Lappet-faced Vultures. Also, 1 Broad-billed Roller over and Red-throated Wryneck in camp.

Game drive into MT towards TZ border; c,50 Eurasian Bee-eater, 2 Eurasian Roller, 2 Pallid Harrier, I Eurasian Hobby, 1 imm Dark Chanting Goshawk, 1 Pied Wheatear, 1000s of Quailfinch!

17^th March

No birding - it was terrrible!

18^th March

Game drive from camp to the Sand River area of the National Reserve; 4 Schalow’s Turaco in woodland along the Mara river close to Little Governors Camp, 1 Montagu’s Harrier, 1 Eurasian Roller, 12 Magpie Shrike along Sand River, 15 Temminck’s Courser on the short-grass plains, 2 Spur-winged Goose on MT marsh, 1000s of Quailfinch everywhere.

19^th March

A light passage of raptors through camp; up to 10 Steppe Buzzard and 15 Lesser Kestrels through by late morning, 100+ Eurasian Bee-eater through.

20^th March

An early morning walk around the camp grounds above the escarpment; 8 Eurasian Roller including 7 flying together in one flock, 1 Brown Parisoma, 2 Pale Wren Warbler, 1 Red-headed Weaver, 2 Chinspot Batis, and lots of flocks of Barn Swallow moving through.

Raptor passage from camp; 50+ Steppe Buzzard, 4 Lesser Spotted Eagle, 5 Lesser Kestrel, 1 Montagu’s Harrier, plus local raptors including 2 Crowned Eagles, 1 Martial Eagle, 2 Black-chested Snake-eagle, 1 Brown Snake-eagle, and lots of vultures.

21^st March

An early morning walk around the camp grounds above the escarpment; 1 Pale Wren Warbler was the highlight before the raptors began rising; 30+ Steppe Buzzard, 6 Lesser Spotted Eagle, 2 Lesser Kestrels, plus a local Crowned Eagle and a pair of displaying Western Banded Snake-eagles.

Afternoon drive in the MT; 1 male Eurasian Rock Thrush on the escarpment, 1 Secretarybird, I Eurasian Hobby, several Red-collared Widowbirds.

22^nd March

Early morning drive in the MT; 2 Black-backed Cisticola seen, 1 male Eurasian Marsh Harrier, 1 Eurasian Hobby (in usual area so probably staying here for a while), 1 Whinchat, a pair of Familiar Chat seen well on the escarpment, 1 Secretarybird, a party of 4 Southern Gorund Hornbill (3 ads 1 imm), lots of the usual storks, egrets and herons on the big marsh – they’ve invaded en masse since it flooded. 2 Cuckoo-finch, plenty of Jackson’s, Red-collared and Fan-tailed Widowbirds in small parties, plus many of the usual suspects.

23^rd March

Early morning from camp; 4 Lesser Spotted Eagles, 30+ Steppe Buzzard, 2 Steppe Eagle, plus local raptors including 1 Martial Eagle, and lots of vultures including 2 Hooded.

Late afternoon from camp; 2 Lesser Spotted Eagles drifting north around 5pm (yes, they’re still on the move even at this time of day!)

24^th March

Early morning from camp; 20 Steppe Buzzard, 1 Steppe Eagle, 3 Lesser Spotted Eagle, 1 Lesser Kestrel, (8-9.15am), plus local Augur Buzzard, 1 Bateleur, 1 Crowned Eagle. Blue Flycatcher seen from the breakfast table.

25th March

A walk around the boom/ barrier at the top of the escarpment produced a pair of Familiar Chat and a Thick-billed Seedeater (race elgonensis) a short walk closer to the forest (but not in the forest).

26th March

An afternoon walk in the forest adjacent to Angama produced a Thick-billed Honeyguide (calling) and a bright Wood Warbler, among many other residents

27^th March

Mara (National Reserve [NR] and Mara Triangle [MT]) with Stratton Hatfield (plus our two non-birding partners); 2 Marsh Owl – both flushed close to tracks in the MT; Plain-backed Pipit (zenkeri), 1 seen and photographed well in southern sector of MT (it was chased off by a goodsoni!) and then a pair close to Oloololo Escarpment in the evening; Black Coucal – 3 seen including breeding and non-breeding birds; 3 Isabelline Shrike, good numbers of Black-backed Cisticola were heard and several seen in the MT; White-tailed Lark - 1 seen and photographed in NR close to South Mara bridge, and several others seen in MT in southern sector. General impression; LOTS of more widowbirds now visible in the MT.

 

28^th March

Driving towards Kakamega just north of Kisumu; 1 ‘Eastern Black Kite’ among the many local 'Yellow-bills', seen by myself, Alastair Kilpin and Tyler Davis (no images).

Rondo Retreat ponds and forest, early PM; 1 Little Grey Greenbul, Grey-winged Akalat

South Nandi; afternoon walk in northern section produced 1 Pied Flycatcher (first summer male-type), photographed and seen well, 1 Chapin’s Flycatcher, 1 Forest Hyliota, 1 Least Honeyguide, several Equatorial Akalat seen and heard, and 1 Brown-chested Alethe. Other species recorded; Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler (no Blackcaps!), a distant Blue-headed Coucal (heard only). I also heard a small party of Turner’s Eremomela upon arrival but they could not be located.

 

29^th March

Kakamega Forest Station (Ischeno) AM; 1 Pied Flycatcher seen and photographed by Alastair Kilpin (others were also reportedly seen and photographed by James Bradley), 1 European Honey Buzzard (in the forest), 2 Blue-headed Bee-eater, 2 Jameson’s Wattle-eye, 5-6 Mountain Illadopsis, Red-headed Bluebill, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Green-throated Sunbird, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, plus lots of the usual species. Honeyguide Greenbul was heard only. Our party was split into two and the other party also saw Blue-shouldered Robin-chat and a party of Scaly-chested Illadopsis.

Kakamega Forest from Rondo and trails to the east of the site; a mixed party that included Little Grey Greenbul (calling), 4-6 Turner’s Eremomela, several Green Hylia. Later, 2 Blue-headed Bee-eater (seen) and Blue-headed Robin-chat (heard). A Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye was also heard by members of the group.

30^th March

Kakamega – hill trails 1km from Rondo; a pair of Bar-tailed Trogon seen well, the same 2 Blue-headed Bee-eaters as reported on the previous afternoon, plus Scaly-throated Honeyguide, 2 Green-throated Sunbird, 2 Jameson's Wattle-eye, a mixed feeding party that included Ansorge’s Greenbul, 4-6 Toro Olive Greenbul, Green Hylia, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Brown Illadopsis, Sharpe’s (Square-tailed) Drongo. Honeyguide Greenbul was heard only.

Kisumu; on arrival at Kisumu, we headed to Hippo Point where we heard Carruthers’s Cisticola among others seen. Due to a delay in the second vehicle, we took a boat trip from Dunga Point after lunch which proved largely unfruitful for Papyrus endemics (no surprise given the time of day) but several Grey-rumped Swallow were seen.

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