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Forest birdsASF is a wonderful place for bird watching, and it is home to six endangered bird species. In June 2000 a new species for the Forest was seen. (See story below) Bio-ken Snake Farm, Watamu, has offered to care for any injured creatures from the Forest or close environs with the aim of releasing them into the wild again as soon as possible. Since October 1999 an African Wood Owl, Wahlbergs Eagle, Little Sparrowhawk, Great Sparrowhawk and a Common Bulbul have all passed through Bio-ken and been released. Two Lizzard Buzzards still reside at Bio-ken, but are now catching their own food and becoming independent. In order to make their period of recovery less stressful for the birds, a small aviary will be built. It will be constructed on the Bio-ken premises, as the birds need constant attention and care, but will belong to FoASF. Initial donations have been received for this purpose. As the cost of feeding sick or injured animals can be quite significant, FoASF would like to start a sponsorship scheme to help with this. Please consult Sanda Ashe at Bio-ken or Sally Crook at FoASF if you would like to sponsor the rehabilitation of the next injured animal. New bird species for the Forest by Colin JacksonAround mid-June, a dragonfly researcher, Dr. Viola Clauschnizer, thought she saw a Flufftail (or Pigmy Crake, as they were once known) fly up from her feet while she was catching dragonflies in the Sand Quarry. At the first opportunity, Tansy Bliss and I went to investigate but only flushed a Little Bittern from the pools. However, this was the first record I had heard of for the Forest. After two hours, when it was 12.50pm and very hot, we were just about to give up when Tansy noticed a bird flying over. "Looks like a bee-eater," she said. It was a bee-eater, but which one? It was the wrong time of year for our usual species, which were at their breeding grounds many miles from Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, and when I observed it through binocculars, it was obviously different. It was a slim, slightly 'washed-out' green bird with a long, blue, deeply-forked tail that really stood out, with distinct white tips to the inner webs. It had a striking yellow throat, set off by the typical black mask of many bee-eaters, and a narrow, dark band across its breast below the yellow. I couldn't register what species it was and wondered if it could be a very lost Somali Bee-eater, but it didn't look right for that species either. It flew to a lower, closer perch about 60 metres away, and Tansy observed and described it as I took notes. Unfortunately, it took off after 3 to 4 minutes, and flew away over the trees, calling with a subdued, liquid trill, though not before we'd managed to get all the salient details down. We couldn't find it again. As soon as I got home, I dug out the field guide and turned to the bee-eater page.. only to find there was no such bee-eater there! A look at the text, however, showed me that there was a bee-eater called a Swallow-tailed Bee-eater - with a long, blue, forked tail, and a yellow throat - that had been reported once or twice from Kenya, but never with enough evidence to support the observations. What we had seen was a new species for Kenya - a far more notable observation than a Flufftail! I rushed back to the Sand Quarry, and was later joined by John Fanshawe, here to complete his new Kenya bird book, but we didn't see or hear the bird again. Luckily, the views Tansy and I had had, and the notes we'd taken, were sufficient to put together a full description for submission to the East Africa Natural History Society rarities panel. We shall wait to see if the record is accepted, or whether it joins the previously rejected ones. |
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