Dear Birders,

A few highlights and lowlights from a busy and somewhat last minute trip to western Kenya from Nov 25 - Dec 10. Traveling first with David Guarnieri (Ruma/Gwassi) and then Simon Carter (Kakamega northwards), with a stop in the western Mara to see Tyler Davis in between.

Gwassi/Gembe Hills area and Ruma NP:

1. Freckled Nightjar and Rock-loving Cisticolas in the Gembe Hills, the latter occurring in grasslands on very steep rocky slopes above 1500m, with Trilling Cisticola abundant in bushed grassland below 1500m. Common Scimitarbill, Black-headed Batis, Miombo Wren-Warbler and Green-backed Woodpecker in remnant woodlands and hillsides at 1300m, all very local and scarce in this region. Bush Duiker fairly common. Brown-backed Woodpecker at 1500m in the eastern Gwassi foothills, alongside Long-billed Pipit and several Familiar Chats. All canopy forest has now been felled above 1800m in the Gwassi Hills.

2. Pallid Honeyguide, Ashy Flycatcher and White-chinned Prinia - all present in woodlands just outside the northeast side of Ruma NP at Kamato Gate. Brown-backed Woodpecker again in Acacias at the northwest Ruma NP gate, which is Nyatoto Gate. Fawn-breasted Waxbills in numbers throughout the park.

3. Shelley's Sparrows in large numbers (50+) in Ruma NP following observations of a single bird in the area in March 2017 (https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/55014811?__hstc=60209138.5ca5a6978f138ef40271e8e2e11c0392.1508433316707.1513606562777.1513608153197.282&__hssc=60209138.7.1513608153197&__hsfp=3376035562). Many birds currently paired off and actively nest building in Acacia drepanolobium. Apparently not found in association with human habitation, all the more notable given that typical pale-eyed Kenya Sparrow (P. rufocinctus) also occurs locally but always around homesteads. A paper is in the works for this range extension and the Shelley's are there now if you want to add it to your Kenya list. They are certainly worthy of species status separate from Kenya Rufous Sparrow. Photos and audio here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40746490, and please consider making your lists available with eBird if you make the trip. Camping in Ruma is recommended but there's also hotel options in Mbita as well as the ICIPE facility (~KSh4000/night pp full board I think).

Nyakweri Forest, Lolgorien, and surrounding area:

Least Honeyguide, Sharpe's Starling and abundant Little Greenbul and Buff-throated Apalis in this area. Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher was initially found in this area in 2015 by Tyler Davis and Duncan Butchart, and was seen in three different forest patches on this trip. It is very local and uncommon, and closely tied to small areas within forest where heavy lianas and vines extend down from the mid-storey to the understorey. A recording was made (http://www.xeno-canto.org/395871) but the bird is shy and restless, and very hard to photograph here. More remains to be found in these forests and an audio recording made in March suggests Icterine Greenbul may occur. As elsewhere, forest here is being decimated for charcoal as land is parceled off and cleared. Half of Nyakweri Forest, comprising some 10 square miles, has been cleared since 2014.

Kakamega Forest:

1. The usual suspects mostly present but a single Green-backed Woodpecker seen well in the KFS compound was unexpected. Birds seemingly getting rarer in this forest: Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Dusky Crested-Flycatcher.

2. Rampant cutting of trees throughout the forest, close to roadsides and in the Zimmerman Grid too. Red-faced Crombec singing in the Rondo grounds, among some other non forest species that have invaded recently.

Endebess area:
A Purple Starling was the highlight here. Brown and Black-throated Wattle-eyes present in the same compound was also interesting. Despite some dedicated searching of still extant and adequately mature Acacia woodlands, not a whisper of Spotted Creeper in this area or northwards towards Suam.

Kayarkwat area:
1. Interesting birds were rufocinctus Kenya Sparrow right on the Uganda border 12km northeast of Suam (are there really Shelley's Sparrow in this and Kongelai area?), two Southern Ground Hornbills calling at dawn at Kanyarkwat, as well as the Sahelian version of African Scops Owl with the slow and stuttered call (this type also occurs in the Kerio Valley). Brown-backed Woodpecker, Little Rock Thrush and several Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver also in this area. We were unable to find any of the rarer specialties of this region (Foxy Cisticola, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Ring-necked Francolin, Green-backed Eremomela etc.) despite searching rocky/grassed and wooded slopes @ 1800m.

2. Kanyarkwat is apparently quite safe now and there is still plenty of good habitat out of town to the north 3-5kms, though this will probably be cleared before long. There is extensive charcoal production in the area, with bags stacked up at the roadside and a steady stream of boda bodas transporting it to markets.

Kapenguria:
1. Virtually no indigenous habitat left in this area and not much to see.
2. Pallid Honeyguide singing at the Marich Pass Field Studies Centre and a handful of Bronze-tailed Starling in the Marich Pass.
3. Excellent lower montane birding at 1950m along the Kabolet River flowing from the western side of Kapcherop Forest in the Cherenganis. Nothing unexpected but high richness and abundance of forest birds. Grey-winged Robin, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, Sharpe's Starling, Black-billed Weaver all easily found

Kerio Valley/Tugen Hills:
1. Boran Cisticola very vocal at Kolol Viewpoint below Tambach.

2. A quick roadside stop at some extant forest east of Kabarnet turned up unexpected Red-headed Bluebill and Least Honeyguide, but not the sought after Plain Greenbul, which also occurs in these forests. Photos and audio of the honeyguide here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S41009333

Other notes:

Southern Citril - this seems to be the citril of the northwest. Grey-faced birds (brittoni) seen at the following locations: Webuye, Moi's Bridge, Lugari, Endebess, Madende Creek, Kapenguria, Kabolet River, Iten, Kessup down almost to the floor of the Kerio. In previous trips I've seen it at Kakamega, Mumias, Chemelil and the top of Londiani. No black-faced birds were seen anywhere in this region, though they have been reported from the Nandi Hills many years ago. Audio recording of Southern Citril here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/396039

Western Citril - the only type in western Homa Bay County where occurs in the Gwassi and Gembe Hills, the Ruri Hills and locally around the eastern periphery of Ruma NP down to

1250m. Reports from Mbita probably also this sp. The range extends eastwards to at least midway between Migori and Lolgorien (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35415537), with African Citril in areas 20km north of Migori (in far east Homa Bay County) and on the escarpment in the western Mara.

Spotted Creeper - reportedly seen two years ago close to Kapenguria but habitat is severely diminished throughout this area. Best places to look are probably the partly cleared edges of Kapcherop Forest, where Acacia seem to have been left alone in places, or along the eastern and northern edges of Elgon where there is still a fair amount of riverine Acacia habitat locally. Probably still extant but only just.

Ring-necked Francolin - how this bird occurred 3km south of Kanyarkwat in the 90's where it was last reported I don't know. Habitat looks to have been converted here long ago and it is all farm fields now. No-one I played the call to in the Kanyarkwat area recognized it and apparently Maurice Sinyereri has never seen it there despite plenty of observation. Perhaps it normally occurs even further northwest from this area on the mid-elevation table-lands nearer the Uganda border, but is surely otherwise lost from Kenya.

Palaearctic Migrants - Bank Swallow and Whinchat locally abundant in the Lake Vic basin but with the exception of Barn Swallow, Eurasian Bee-eater and Willow Warbler, migrants were otherwise thin on the ground. A handful of wheatears and tree pipits near Mt Elgon, only small numbers of Yellow Wagtail and Eurasian Roller throughout, one Red-tailed Shrike, one Eurasian Oriole, singles of Blackcap, Eurasian Reed, Eastern Olivaceous and Garden Warblers. Single Lesser Spotted Eagles in the Gembe Hills and the Cherengani foothills and a handful of hobbies for falcons. No White Storks again....

There is still some good birding in Kenya but it's very sad to see the continued impoverishment of so many people in rural areas and the widespread clearance of land, particularly that which is clearly marginal for farming.

Thanks to David, Tyler and Simon for great company in the field.

Regards,

James Bradley

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James Bradley
Sidney, BC

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