From: Graeme Backhurst <graeme.backhurst@gmail.com>
Date: 2017-04-12 17:47
Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] migrants at Naivasha
Very interesting Colin.

Naivasha was always a super place for Willow Warblers on northward passage. Although it can never be proved, I’d put my money on your RT of an April 2015 bird as being one using the same passage route as it had before. 

We have even had one Willow Warbler RT from a previous season at Ngulia where for sure none ever winters. When I lived at Kabete (not Lower Kabete) I had quite a few previous season RTs of Tree Pipits in my garden, both on southward and northward passage. For waders, we had many previous season RTs of several species on passage at lakes Magadi, Naivasha and Nakuru.

Wonderful about all the Hose Martins, pity you didn’t have any of the right ‘music’!

Graeme

On 12 Apr 2017, at 14:10, Colin Jackson colin.jackson@arocha.org [kenyabirdsnet] <kenyabirdsnet-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

We've just completed the 21st year of running the Fundamentals of 
Ornithology Course at Elsamere, Naivasha with yet another very keen and 
attentive group of bird guides and birders. Frighteningly dry at 
Naivasha compared to other years and also a couple of weeks earlier due 
to the dates of Easter. Of interest was the huge numbers of Willow 
Warblers in the acacia trees throughout the course with particularly 
large numbers (I estimated probably 300-500 birds in just Elsamere 
property alone) on 31st March and 1st April. Indeed on 2nd April for the 
ringing demo out of 42 birds, 13 were Willow Warblers (31%) and one was 
caught with a ring that was put on it by Chege in April 2015 which was 
very interesting (would that have been a wintering bird or on passage 
that uses the exact same route?).

The other very unusual thing was the also very large numbers of House 
Martins overhead throughout the week. In fact I don't recall ever seeing 
quite so many House Martins together for so long - there must have been 
a good few thousand of them - as numerous as the Barn Swallows that were 
also in very large numbers. If we'd had had the space and good enough 
recording of House Martins, we could have caught a ringed several 
hundred, I'm sure.

Relatively few other migrants seen. A couple of Spot Flys and from 4th 
April between 2-5 Tree Pipits around the centre. Some Yellow Wagtails - 
but no Reed, Great Reed, Sedge, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers etc that we 
have had in previous years - too dry, perhaps?

In Kieni forest, also very dry... many of the usual stuff but good views 
of two Bar-tailed Trogons (took us 15 years of FoO to see our first one 
there!). Also Ayres' Hawk Eagle and Mountain Buzzard.

Eurasian Hobby over the grasslands where we look for Sharpe's Longclaw - 
which we found - and also a Levaillant's Cisticola perhaps a little lost?

C

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Colin Jackson
A Rocha Kenya

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