Table Of Content

'Vita;/,,/'. ^ 22 QCT 2003 Bulletin of the African Bird Club Vol 9 No 1 March 2002 New birdsfor Nigeria Cape Parrot Nigerian ornitho< iogicai institute Bird tracks in Madagascar Birds ofAidabra NewtoAfrica: Chatham Aibatross Conservation work in the Albertine Rift Bird observations in Rodrigues African bird recorders Red-footed Falcon inThe Gambia X . ISSN1352-481 African Bird Club rl) The African Bird Ciub aims to: ABC Council PhilAtkinson(Chairman), Keith Betton. Richard Butler. .Mark • provideaworldwidefocusforAfricanornithology Catterall, Stan Davies, Roy Hargrea\es. Moira Hargreaxes. • encourage an interest in the conservation ofthe Gordon Holtshausen,PaulLascelles.RobLucking.BillQuantrill birds ofthe region (Secretary), Alan Williams (Treasurer) and John Wyatt. President:MartinWoodcock • liaise with and promote the work of existing regional societies Bulletin Editorial Board ChairmanofBoard: Vacant • publish a twice-yearly colourbulletin ManagingEditor: GuyKirxx’an • encourage observers to visit lesser known areas DavidAllan,MarkAndrews, PhilAtkin.son,MarkCocker. Ron Demey, Lincoln FishpooL Peter Lack. Rob Lucking. Rodney ofthe region Martins, RogerSafford,TonyStonesandRichardWebb. • encourageobserverstoactivelysearchforglobally threatened and near-threatened species MembershipoftheABC Membership oftheABC is open toall and costs, perannum. • run the ABC Conservation Programme UKc£15Individual(Africa&Europe), UK.iPIndividual(Rest oftheWorld),UK£18Family(Africac-Europe),L'K.i20Family (Restofthe World), UKi8 Student(Africa&Europe), UK.tlO Registered Charity No 1053920 Student(RestoftheWorld),MYSlSLihraries/Institiitions,LiK,t2S ABC Web site morinfoirmfuumrthSeiripdpetoaiiUlnsgpMleemasbeerwr,itoerUtoKTth3e00meLmibfeeMresmhbiepr.secTroeijaorixn' http://www.africanbirdclub.org at the Club address below. Contact ABC African Bird Club, c/o BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA. email: [email protected] Further information can be obtained directly from individual council members. Please use the following email addresses or contact them via the club’s postal address. With email, replace @... with ©africcudjirdcliih.org, eg [email protected] will reach the Chairman Chairman Phil Atkinson [email protected] Secretary & Membership Bill Quantrill secretary@... Treasurer Alan Williams treasurer@... Information Officer Keith Betton infb@... Bulletin Editor Guy Kirwan editor@... ABC Conservation Programme Rob Lucking conservation@ .. Sales Moira Hargreaves sales@... Country Representatives Paul Lascelles reps@... Meetings Richard Butler meetings@... The Bulletin of the African Bird Club The Bulletin ofthe ABC provides a forum for news, either by the ABC or elsewhere. No material should, letters, notices, recent publications, expedition results, however, be submitted simultaneously to the Bulletin reviews and interim publication of studies on African oftheABCand to any other publication. birds bycontributors from throughoutthe world. Pub- Briefnotesforcontributorsappearelsewhereinthis lication of results in the Bidletin oftheABCdoes not bulletin and further details are available from the edi- preclude publication offinal results as journal papers tor ([email protected]). ©2001 CopyrightAfricanBirdClubandcontributors.Quotationsshouldcarryafullacknowledgement.Nopartetcmaybe reproduced,copiedorstoredinaretrievalsystemwithoutthepriorwrittenpermissionoftheCluborauthors. ' Contents z2L.:7m Bull ABC Vo! 9 No 1 News & Comment Features 2 Club News 12 Reading the sand: identifying bird tracks in Madaga- CompiledbyPhilAtkinson scar’s spinyforest 5 ABC Conservation Joe TobiasandNatSeddon Programme 1 ^ Bird observations on the Indian Ocean island of 6 Africa Round-up ' Rodrigues, March-June 1999 CompiledbyRonDemeyand DaveA. Showier GuyM.Kirivan OC 11 Requestsfor Information Large concentrations of White-winged Black Terns Chlidonias leucopterusat Lutembe Bay, Lake Victoria 11 Errata AchillesByariihanga,JuliusArinaitwe and Charles 11 Advertising rates Williams 43 Discoveries 27 Occurrence of Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustusat ChathamAlbatross Thalassarche non-forestfeeding sites in South Africa: threats to a eremita: newtoAfrica declining population PeterRyan Craig T. SymesandColleen T. Downs FirstrecordofRed-footedFalcon AFnailctoavaensdpeHretiinmuosiMnikTkhoelGaambia A systematic list ofthe birds ofAldabra 63 Short Notes MichaelBetts AfricanBroadbillSmithornis capensisasaresidentin Testing the effectiveness of nest-boxes in the conser- Soutpansberg, NorthernProvince, vation ofwoodland birds: Lake Naivasha nest-box SouthAfrica project, Kenya Craig T. SymesandSarahM. MichaelMainaMacharia Venter Extensionofbreedingactivityfor C'J New birds for Nigeria observed during the Lake Chad RodriguesWarblerAcrocephalus rodericanus Bird Migration Project DaveShowier UlfOttosson, DanielBengtsson, RolfGiistafsson, PhilipHall MelanisticEurasianCollaredDove Christian Hjort, A.P. Leuentis, RolandNeumann,Jan StreptopeliadecaoctoinMorocco Pettersson, PatrikRhonnstad, Stephen Rumsey,Jonas PatrickBergier Waldenstrom and William Velmala 66 Recent Reports CompiledbyRonDemey Cfi Conservation importance ofthe Aibertine Rift and the work ofthe Aibertine Rift Conservation Society 74 Reviews DrLaurentNtahuga Illustrations MarkAndrews 58 List of Bird Recorders and Checklist Compilers CompiledbyKeithBetton Photographs PatrickBergier, MichaelBetts, 61 A newornithological institute in Nigeria BirdLifeInternational, G. Juliet VickeryandPeterJones Oiiweneel, PeterRyan, DaveA. Showier, CraigSymes,Joe Tobias, Johan Verbalick Front cover plate African Green BroadbillPseudocalyptomenagraiieribyJohn Gale BullABC Vol9No 1 -1 Club News Launch ofthe ImportantBirdAreas International does not have partner Ontario Museum fornearly 50 years. inAfricabookin Johannesburg, 22 organisations. The IBAbookwill now Although not formally educated in October2001 reach some ofthoseAfrican countries ornithology,Jim’s knowledge ofbirds The launch oftheAfrican Important wheremuchofthiskindofbasic wasunsurpassedandhisenthusiasm BirdAreas (IBA)volume has tobe one informationislacking. inspiredhundredsofnaturaliststo ofthe most momentous occasions for CallanCohen, oneoftheClub’s pursuebirdstudyandconser\ation. African bird conservation. This SouthAfricanmembers, represented Eachyearanamountexceeding enormous piece ofwork, comprising ABCatthelaunchandmannedanABC CDNS175,000israisedbyover500 1,160 pages, took eight years to stallattheexhibitors’fair.AsatPAOC, participantsand8,000sponsors.At complete, involved hundreds of therewasagreatdealofinterestinthe least25%ofallfundsraisedare ornithologists, volunteers and govern- ClubandCallanwasabletospeakto channeledbacktoorganisations ment staffin 58 countries and manyoftheorganisationsandindi- designatedbytheparticipant. During territories, whobetween them have vidualsinvolvedintheAfricanBirdLife thepasttwoyearsToniSalvadori, identified a comprehensive network of partnershipabouthowABCcan ABC'sCanadian representative, has 1,228sites orIBAs. It is the first-ever supporttheiractivitiesthroughthe participatedonbehalfoftheABC attempt to list all ofthe sites interna- Consei-vationEund, andotherABC raisingasmallamountofmoneyforthe tionallyrecognised as the most initiatives. Councilwouldliketothank ABC’sConser\ationEundwhichfitsin critically important places forbird and Callan forhelpingthe Club in this perfectlywithJim'soriginalintent.The biodiversity conservation in the region, way. Birdathontakesplaceduringthemonth aafnfdecitdienngtiAffireiscas’somIeBAso.fthe main threats Baillie Birdathon assistsABC obifrMdsayarwehmeignratthienlgartghersotunguhmlO:n)tearrsioo.f SouthAfrica’sMinisterforEnviron- Canada’s Baillie Birdathon, orBird However, itmaybedoneinMay, in mentalAffairs &Tourism, Mr Race, istheoldestsponsoredbird anypartoftheworld,asindeedToni MohammedValliMoosa, launchedthe countinNorthAmerica. Itwasestab- hasparticipatedin BaillieBirdathon's directoryataconferencehostedbythe lishedin 1976asanationalfundraiser inZambia,Australia, PapuaNew BirdLifeAfricaPartnershipandBirdLife thatbenefitstheresearchandconserva- GuineaandofcourseCanada. Ifyou SouthAfrica.ABCwaspleasedtobe tionofwildbirdsandhonoursthe wishtoparticipateorwanttofindout involvedinthelaunchofthebookand memoryofJamesLBaillie(1905-1970). moreyoucancontactToniviae-mail hassupportedthedistributionofthe JimworkedasAssistantCuratorinthe ([email protected]). IBAbooktocountrieswhereBirdLife DeptofOrnithologyattheRoyal The Council ofABC would like to thankToni very much forthese much- needed funds. As mentioned elsewhere, demand forConservation Eund awards now faroutstrips demand and all contributions are gratefully received! Mike King Mike King, whowill have been known to many members passed away inJanuary 2000 afteran illness with cancer. Mikewas responsible forsettingup the Gambian RingingProjectat Ginak Islandwhich has run successfullysincethe pilottrips in 1994. Duringthis time over 5,000 Palaearctic migrantswere trappedand the ringingdata have contributed greatlyto the ornithological knowledge ofThe Gambia. Afull obituary will appearin the nextbulletin. The SouthAfrican MinisterofEnvironmentalAffairs & Tourism, MrMohammedValliMoosa, beinghandedthe African IBAbookbya memberofthe BethanySchool Choir from Soweto, watched (on the left) by DrMuhtariAminu- Kano, Chairofthe Council ofthe BirdLifeAfrican Partner- ship (BirdLife International) 2-BullABC Vol9No 1 ClubNews ABC sales items 15.Bull.ABC, volume 5, 1998, number identification notes for Degodi and The following items are currently 2only: UK£7each. 26.SidamoLarks: UK£10. availableforsalefromABC.All 16.Bull.ABC, volume6, 1999, number Ethiopia/EritreaTripReport, Mar- proceedsfromsalesare usedto 1 and2: UK£7each. May 1998byDavidMurdoch, 280 promotetheaimsoftheClub, UK 17.Bull.ABC, volume7, 2000, number speciesseen,shortbutuseful registeredcharity 1053920. 1 and2: UK£7each. updatetoourotherEthiopia 1. AAeBfimBrrbiCdcraoC’Si,lwdeubeabltrasWechokdi,rrAktnBiafnCvegyaltfoouorgrriobnBoagitnrtaddlnse‘igAnrfereicna.n 18.AbtBrzayakonWkrsieeprlso,rlTter,2mi9wpSeptRapeetephcnoeorgrvte,e,rafiSnenerdgrpyT-tOhrtaicevmtoeelt,1a9b9l7es 26.TodreefhtpeaaolirllGtssab,imorbfiditssiainat,eenrsd1ar0iynm-1aaE7rmnidmtSraeesplay:.ss1Ut9sIe9eGm9etan3tb,i.ycallissot Sizes: medium, large, extralarge andfares, itineraryandsiteguides, StuartSharp, 34ppincluding andextra-extralarge: UKT20. manymaps: UK£5. sectionson travel/h(4idaytips, 2. bNaB‘Ailenfruwrdee-ismscabtainyrnndloBAeifibdrrlAieadcBcraCkC’e.,lduPbSAbooilztBWetoCsol:esrlhklgioairrgrtenogegefn,ae,afneotdnxrutarrviany-g 19. BBBsstoipoarrettedcsulsiswleoiasa,nnniatd1nh0febs0oiyGrtpemaSpsabJtwowiThrioyetonlhrneceredoeantAtnhcraedeeiyarlW,encdianDngbe 27.TsimDtyhoaisednmtedmerG,maaaralmy2t,b6sicibpsarlepi,ieestnfc1s:o-sovi8UfteIerNUbd£iote5rrv..disps1crpa9il9npa8dtninboiynnsgGa,rnufdf largeandextra-extralarge: seen, withdetailedinformationon verydetaileditineraryand UKT13.50. somesitesandco-ordinatesforall systematiclistof180speciesseen: 3. NSherwikeAsBbCyTD-sahviertNfueranteuryi,nggrBeuy.sh 20. sCiatemse:rUoKo£n10T.ripReport, Dec 1994- 28.BUiKr£d4s.ofSenegamhia, checklist: Sizes: large,extra-largeandextra- Jan 1995byRichardWebb,72pp UK£0.50. extralarge: UKT13.50. withsectionscoveringtravel, 29. BirdingGhana,Feb 1996byMindy 4. AMaBrCkTA-nshdirretwfse,atwuhriitneg.TSuirzaesc:osexbtyra dchheeaetlcatkihll,iesdwteioatfitnh4eer8ra1r,ys,rpeesfcyeisretesenmcaaentsid,caa 29- assenocdmteiSohnseisrtieofndEelsocrDriiiennp,ttai3to9inospn,,paicttoiannbetlraaeiryon'f, large: UKT9. pagesiteguideincluding25maps: speciesseeneachday,plusextra 5. ABCcapsfeaturinganembroidered UK£6. notesonbirdinghintsandetiquette ABClogo,black, bottlegreen,red 21.CameroonTripReport,Mar-Apr inGhanawithmoresite andmaroon: UKT7. 6. ABCbone-chinamugs: twodesigns u1s9e9f7ulbyupJdoanteHotronbpruecvkiloeu,s2r2eppopr,t, 30. sGuhgagnesatiTornisp:RUeKp£o-r6t.,5J0.an-Feb 199^ featuringCarmineBee-eateror followingsimilarroute,with bySimonPlat, 35ppcomplement Golden-breastedStarlingsbyMartin logistics, sites, itineraryand BirdingGhanareport,especiallyfor Woodcock: UK£6orUK£10apair. systematiclistof551 speciesseen: travelbypublictransport;with 7. ABCbadgefeaturingEgyptian UK£4. checklistof220species,detailed Ploverdesign: UK£2. 22.CapeVerdeTripReport,Mar1996 itineraiy, andsiteguides, including 8. White-wingedApalisA4colour byTheoBakkerandKlaasvanDijk, coastbetweenAccraandTakoradi. printby Nik Borrow fromBull. 37pp, detailsandlocationsofall6l KakumNationalPark, SubriForest ABC2 (2): signed and numbered speciesseenover4weeks,with Reserve, Kumasi,Tamale, limited edition of50 atUKT7.50; useful informationontraveland Bolgatanga,WaandMoleNational also available unsigned at UKTl.OO. accommodation, andmanydetailed Park: UK£4. 9. NightjarA4 colour prints byMartin mapsandphotographs: UKT6.50. 31. Coted'Ivoirebypublictransport WoodcockfromBull.ABC2.2: one 23. EthiopiaTripReport, Dec 1995-Jan tripreport,Jan-Feb 1995byEddie printillustratesMountainand 1996byRichardWebb, sections Williams, 28ppwithse\eralmaps. RwenzoriNightjars, thesecond coveringtravel, health,weather, 412speciesplusextensivemammal depictsBlack-shoulderedandFiery- references, adetaileditinerary, list, local information, itineraryand neckedNightjars: UKT1.50forthe systematicchecklistof478species siteguides: UK£4 pair. andsiteguidefor30locations: 32. KenyaTripReport.Feb-Mar1995 10. Locallydesignedcardsonhand- UK£7.50. byMikeHunterandGraham madepaper, producedbythe 24.EthiopiaTripReport, Oct-Nov1996 Speight, 90ppwithsections paper-makingco-operativeofthe byJonHornbuckle, 31 pp, co\eringtra\el. health, climate, BirdLife International-supported complementtopreviousreport, accommodation, references, a KilumMountainForestProjectin withlogistics, sites, itineraiyand detaileditineran'.systematiclistof Cameroon.Aselectionoffivecards systematiclistofspeciesseen, 693species, anda 50-pagesite inahand-wovenwallet: UK£5. including30endemics: UK£-4. guideco\ering-i8sitesand 28 11.Bull.ABC,volume 1, 1994, number 25.Ethiopia: iusearch ofoiciemic maps: UK.£-8. 1 and2: UK£5each. birds, Sep-Oct 1997byJulian 33.AnnotatedChecklistoftheBirdsof 12.Bull.ABC,volume2, 1995, number Francisand HadoramShirihai,45 \airobi. includingNairobiNational 1 and2: UK£6each. pp,47excellentcolour Park,byBillHaney.32pp 13.Bull.ABC, volume3, 1996, number photographs includingendemics, proN'idingachecklistanddetailsof 1 and2: UK£6each. withlogistics, traveltips, detailed status, frequency, habitat 14.B1ulaln.dA2B:CU,Kv£o7lueamceh.4, 1997, number sitpienceireasrysaeennd,siynsctleumdaitnigclistof ANparriebrfooerbreietnuNcmae:tsiUoaKnn.adLl0f.PrSaOer.qkueanncdyNianirobi ClubNews BullABC Vo!9No 1-3 34.Madagascarand the Comores, Oct- 43. KwaZulu-Natal and Transvaal, 15 main sites are co\ered with a Nov 1995byJonHornbuckle, ‘How SouthAfrica,8-21 Oct2000byMike mapandsectionsonbirding. other toseeallthebirdswithouta hire Hunter, 13ppcoveringdaily wildlife,access, facilitiesand car’, 34pplist 186speciesin itinerary,briefnotesforeachsite nearbysites; alsoasystematic Madagascarincluding 124 andcomprehensivelistof327 checklistco\eringstatusateach endemics,79speciesinthe speciesUK£3. site: UK£".50. Comores, including 17endemics, 44. CapeTowntoTheRichtersveld, 52. WakkerstroomBirdandSature withlogistics, itinerary,sitenotes, SouthAfrica,4-19May2001 byPaul GuidebyWarwickand .Michele onemap,systematiclistofbirds GascoigneandHelenPooley, 29pp Tarboton. secondedn. Mar 1998. andmammals: UK£4. coveringdetaileddailyitinerar)^ detaileddescriptionofthis 35.Madagascar, Nov-Dec 1997by accommodation information and fa.scinatingareaonborderof ChrisBell,MikeHunter,DawnRoss comprehensivelistofI68species Mpumalanga (EasternTransvaal) andMalcolmRoxby, usefulupdate UK£4. andKwaZulu-Natal. SouthAfrica topreviousreportsonhowtofind 45. WesternCapeandNamibia,Nov andwhatcanbe.seenthere, many recently re-/discovered species, 1999-Jan2000byBrianGee,69pp illustrations: UK£5. withfullspecieslistincluding 123 coveringgoodgeneral information, 53. Zimbabwe(includingpartsof Malagasyendemics, itinerary, brief detailedsiteguidewithmapsand BotswanaandSouthAfrica). 18 siteguide: UK£4. comprehensivespecieslistITK£9. Fela-5.Mar2000byGruffDodd, 36.Madagascar(withMauritiusand 46. CapeProvince, SouthAfrica, Feb- detailedaccountoftripand Reunion),winter1997-98byBrian Mar1999byGruffDodd,42pp systematiclistcovering382species: Gee,67pp, 21 maps, 192species coveringtripplanning, ver)- UK£6. seeninMadagascar,withlogistics detaileditineraryandsystematiclist 54.BirdwatchZimbabwe, 1991, by (includinggettingaroundon public of239species: UK£6. DerekSolomonandJackoWilliams, transport)siteguides(including 47. EasternSouthAfricaand comprehensiveguidewithdetailed Montagned’Ambre,Tsiribihina Zimbabwe, Feb-Mar 1997byJon descriptionsofallmainareaswith River, KirindyForest)systematic Hornbuckle, 35pp, logistics,site maps, siteguides, accommodation list, adviceonguidesetc: UK£9. notes, fivemaps, detaileditinerary directions, checklistand manyline 37.MadagascarTripReport, October includingWakkerstroom, Mkuzi, drawings: UK£8.50. 1998byPaulNoakes, 14pp,three Umlalazi, Sani Pass, Hwangeand maps, abriefreportcoveringover VictoriaFalls,withsystematiclistof Postageandpacking: plea.sesendUK£2 90%oftheendemics: UKT2.50. 529species: UK£5. foreachL^Korder,and11K£3foreach 38.Malawi,March 1997byJon 48. VoyageNaturalisteauCape overseassurfacemail order. For Hornbuckle, 17pp, logistics, sites, ProvincesclAfriqueduSud, Sep- overseasairmail pleaseaddUK£1.50 sevenmaps, itineraryand Oct 1997parGeorgesetMireille foreach item ordered. systematiclistof306speciesseen: Olioso, 50ppenFran^ais: Orders: payments should be made UK£3. renseignements pratiques, in pounds sterling by cheque/postal 39.MalawiandtheLuangwaValley documentation, itineraireet order(payable toAfrican Bird Club) or (Zambia),Jul-Aug 1997byHenk principauxsitesvisites. Liste credit card. Full credit card details are Hendriks,45pp, 14maps,with commentedes246especes required, pleasespecifyVisa,Access, logistics, siteguides, complete d’oiseauxvus, aussimammifereset MastercardorEurocard; cardnumber; systematiclistof370species,and reptiles, plansdesplusieurssites; cardholder'sname(asitappearson wheretoseerareanddifficult alsoincludesan 11-pageitineraiy card); cardholder'saddress; expiiy species: UK£8. pluschecklistofthe246birdsand date; cardholder’ssignature; and 40. SouthernMalawiandLuangwa 33mammalsinEnglish: UK£6. amountpayable. Pleasebesureto Valley(Zambia),Jan 1999byNigel 49. UsambaraMountains,Tanzania, specifyyournameandaddressandthe Wheatley, includesmapsofmajor Jan-Feb 1996byEddieWilliams, fulldetailsofyourorderincluding townsandsites,mapsofSengaBay describeshowtovisittheprime quantity, with size and colourwhere andZomba,sitesvisited, othersites, sitesusingonlypublictransport, 24 applicable. systematiclistofbirdsand pp,withdetailedorientation Please sendyourordertoAfrican mammals: UKT7.50. information, siteguides, ninemaps Bird Club, c/o BirdLife International, 41. NamibiaandtheCape,Nov 1994by andasystematicspecieslist: Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, JsiotneHnootrensb,ucoknlee,ma4p3,pdpe,taliolgiesdtics, 50. UUKg£a4n.d5a0.TripReport,Jun-Aug 1095 CmaamybralisdogebeCsBe3ntONtoA,ABUCK.SaElneqsuiOrfifeiscer, itineraryandsystematiclistof byHenkHendriks, 59pp, sections Moira Hargreaves atthe Club’s address speciesseen: UK£4. coveringorientation, references, or e-mail: [email protected]. 42. BirdingSenegal, 10-29Nov1998by itinerary,systematicchecklistof473 MindyandSherifBahaelDin, 26 birdand36mammalspecies, anda pp,onemap,detailsoftravel, detailedsiteguidewithtenmaps: accommodation, detaileditinerary, UK£6.50. keyhabitatsandsites, and 51. Whereto WatchBirdsin Uganda, systematiclistsof282birdspecies byJonathanRossouwandMarco andmammals: UK£5. Sacchi, 110ppwithasection coveringgeneralbirdinginUganda, 4-BullABC Vol9No 1 African Bird Club CONSERVATION PROGRAMME ABC Conservation Fund The ABC Conservation Fund supports small conservation projects inAfrica. To date, ConservationAwards totalling over UK£10,000 (US$15,000) have been made. These awards embraced a wide range ofactivities in five countries, from environmental education projects to research on endangered species. ABC Conservation Awards are available to African individuals or institutions, or to individuals normally resident in anAfrican country, and the Club welcomes project proposals forfunding up to a maximum ofUKT750 (US$1,125). Further information on the Conservation Fund and guidelines on how to write a good project proposal can be found on the ABC website (http://www.africanbirdclub.org), or obtained from the Club address below. Latest Conservation Fund Awards A furtherthree Conservation Awards have been made since the last Bulletin. The Nigerian Conservation Foundation received UK£d,000 to survey a new migrant swallow roost within a community-owned swamp forest at Itu, Nigeria. ABC and Wetlands International jointlyfundedJerome Mokolo Okonga to undertakewaterbird surveys in the Kouilou Basin, Congo. Finally, Sama Zefania received UK^750 to surveywaterbirds on Lake Sariaka, Madagascar. Unfortunately therewill be no moreABC/NHBS BookAwards. ABC would like to thank the Natural History Book Service for their support in this initiative over the past three years. ABC Expedition Award The ABC ExpeditionAward is a recent initiative. One award ofUK£T,000 (US$1,500) will be made annually. The closing date forthe next award isJanuary 2003. Full details can be found on the ABC website (http://www.africanbirdclub.org) or obtained fromthe Clubs address below. Further information... For further information about the African Bird Club Consewation Programme, please write to Rob Lucking atAfrican Bird Club, c/o BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court. Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, UK, orby e-mail to [email protected] ABCConservation Fund BullABC Vol9No 1 -5 Round-up Africa General facial markings, and more indistinct Lippenving pattern. Birds with long, A newinitiative in phylogenetic slenderpointed wings, as well as a nomenclature relati\ely long, robust bill anda well- PhyloCode, whichwillbeoperational defined dark M pattern on the in‘afewyears’seekstodevelopa Lipperparts are therefore Feas Petrels. formal set ofrules governing According to the author, wing-shape nomenclatural decisions in phylogeny. differences alone would be sufficient It permits freedom oftaxonomic forconclusive identification in the opinionwith regard to hypotheses majority ofcases. concerning relationships and is Source: BirdingWorld 14.pp283-289 concerned onlywith how names are Identifying Atlantic Islands Yellow- appliedwithinthe context ofa given legged Gulls phylogenetic hypothesis. The project is White Storks Ciconiaciconia profiled at http://www.ohiou.edu/ byMarkAndrews Inarecentpaper, illustratedwith30 phylocode/where the content is photographs, PhilippeDuboisdis- highlytechnical. With strong popular through Cameroon into Nigeria. cussesthe identificationofAtlantic interest in at leastsome ofthe avail- Clearly, furtherstudiesconcerningits IslandsYellow-legged Gull Lams able frameworks for conceptualising Africanwinteringgroundsarerequired. micahellisatlantis(BirdsofAfrica and categorising ‘species’ itmaybe of Source: Ibis 143,pp450-455 consideres L. micahellisto be a race of use to readers interested orintending Herring Gull L. argentatus). This to publish in systematic biology NewWIWO reports relati\ely poorly known form is (including taxonomy). At this juncture Among the latest batch ofreports present year-round on theAzores, but the project is concernedwith working producedbytheWorkingGroup as a pelagic feeder it may be prone to toward international consensus in the InternationalWaterbird&Wetland vagrancy. Though birds breedingon namingonlyofclades and will Research(WIWO)aretwothatwillbe the Canaries. Madeira and on the perhaps interest thosewith a strong ofinteresttoreadersofthisBulletin. Atlantic coast ofMorocco are reputedly evolutionary outlook. However, an Thefirst, inFrenchandEnglish, is ver}’similar, they mayactuallybe invitationto interested individuals to entitled Spoonbillcounton theBanc intermediate between true atlantisand participate in provisional discussions d'Argiiin, Mauritania,January2000 Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gull L. toward dealingwith names at species andcostsDfl20,whilethesecond m. michahellis. The authorstates that level in the future is also included. No concerns a WaterbirdcountofZanzi- true atlantis is quite distinct in some doubt the project organisers will seek barandPembaIslands, Tanzania, plumages with, forexample, third- to develop a format unburdenedby January1998andcostsDfl 30. Full years having densely streaked heads the inadequacies ofthe traditional detailsontheseandmanyother during post-breeding moult when they Linnean system. Itwill be interesting reports,andhowtoorder, canbe appeargrey-hooded at a distance. tosee howthe problem presentedby foundontheinternetatwww.wiwo- Juveniles and first-winters, however. the category ‘subspecies’ is resolved. international.org. Source:KeesHazevoetinlitt.April Source:EkkoSmithin litt.Jiuie2001 2001 andhttp://www.ohioii.edu/ phylocode/ Separation of Fea’sand Zino’s Petrelsatsea NewWhite Stork migration route ThethreatenedFea’sPterodromafeae Satellitetracking,whichisincreasingly and Zino’sPetrelsP. madeira, both beingusedtomonitorthemigration formerlytreatedasracesofSoft- routesoflargernon-passerines, has plumaged Petrel P. mollis(eg inBirds recentlybeenusedtofollowWhite ofAfrica), are notoriouslydifficult to Stork Ciconiaciconiamovements from separate and were, until recently, EuropetoAfrica. Of75individualsthat considered indistinguishable at sea. werefittedwithsatellitetransmitters, 26 MichaelTove checked suspected field movedasfarsouthasSudan,but 15of characters and found that differences thesedidnotmaketheirfinaldestina- inwing shape are species-specific, tiontheeastofthecountry,which Zino’s wings beingconsistently accordingtoringingstudiesisamajor shorter, broaderand bluntertipped. winteringarea forthespeciesinAfrica, Otherdifferences include a slightly butratherstayedinwestSudanor smallersize, more slenderbody, Fea’s PetrelPterodroma(mollis)feae Chad,and, inoneinstance, moved slimmerbill, ratherpalercrown and byCraig Robson 6-BullABC Vol9No 1 Africa Round-up arevariable and can have a mixof Online bird-sound resource characters similarto nominate Yellow- Overthe past c20 years, Shaun Peters legged, Lesser Black-backedL.fiiscus ([email protected]) hasbeen graellsii/intermediiis, and even some collectingbird-sound recordings, forms ofHerringGullZ. argeutatiis. mainlyfrompublishedLPs/CDsand Source: BirdingWorld 14,pp293-304 tapes. Currentlyhiscollectioncom- prises6,900species(basedon Distinguishing racesofSouthern Clements 5thedition, plusupdates). He GreyShrike hasrecentlyestablishedawebsitethat Awell-illustratedpaperbyTom listsalltheserecordings.Therearetwo Conzemius, offeringadetailedpresen- mainpurposestothis: firstly,toserve tationofallracesoftheLanins asaresourcefortravellingbirdersand [excubitor] superspeciesinthewestern secondlytospuradditionstothe Palearctic, includessixofthenine collection.TheURLis subspeciesoftheSouthernGreyShrike www.birrding.freeserve.co.Lik (please Laninsmeridionalisoccurringinthe notethedoublerinbirding).The DamaraTern Sterna halaenarum areacoveredbytheABC: nominate systematiclistisbrokendownintofour byMarkAndrews meridionalis, koenigi(CanaryIslands), sections. Recordingsarealittleslowin algeriensis, elegans,ancheriand downloading(2-3minuteseach), but DamaraTerns react positivelyto pallidirostris. Theseare illustratedwith oncedownloadedtheinformationis conservation efforts 41 photographsandtheirfieldmarks thenreadilyaccessible. Some 13,500 pairs ofDamaraTern aresummarisedinatable. Source:ShaunPetersin litt. Sternabalaenarum, thevastmajority Source: Limicola 15,pp185-227 September2001 oftheentirepopulation,nestin Namibia. Nestingisunfortunately Wood-Hoopoes underscrutiny Southern Africa and Indian concentratedon—opengravelplainson VioletWood-HoopoePhoenicnlns Ocean islands thecentralcoast areaswherehumans damarensishastraditionallybeen alsocongregate. InDecember-Januar)’, regardedastwotaxa,thenominatein Rarity newsfrom Southern Africa theheightofthebreedingseason, nests south-westAngolaandnorth-west ontheweb areparticularlyatriskfrombeing Namibia(whichisthoughttobe MonthlyraritynewsfromSouthern troddenupon, drivenoverordisturbed threatened)andgrandinsouth Africacanbefoundonthefollowing bytourists, fishermenandquad-bikers. EthiopiaandKenya. Ithasbeennoted website http://www.zestforbirds.co.za, Thedensestcolonyliesjustsouthof toformasuperspecieswithGreenP. whilephotosofthelatestraritiescanbe Swakopmundandsupports 120pairs. purpureusandBlack-billedWood- viewedonthe‘recentrarityphotos’ In 1995, itwasfoundthat870vehicles HoopoesP.somaliensis, andindeedall page. crossedthiscolonyinonemonth, threemightbebestconsideredasone resultinginlowbreedingsuccess. Rod species.TheresultsofarecentDNA Zambia Bird Report 1999 BrabyoftheNamibianMinistry’of studyofthesetaxasuggeststhat The 1999ZambiaBirdReportisnow EnvironmentandTourism, andthe damarensisshouldbeconsidereda availablefromtheZambianOrnitho- WildlifeSociety, thereforedecidedto synonymofpwpureusasthelevelof logicalSociety(ZOS). Forfurther organisearoadsidebarriertoprevent differentiationisverylow. details, pleasecontactPeteLeonardor carscareeringacrossthecolonytothe Source:Ibis 143,pp572-579 [email protected]. Contentsof beachandplacedpostersandinforma- thelatestissueinclude: birdsofthe tionboardsatnewparkingareas, Piratical drongos use mimicry MafingaMountains,birdringingin informingvisitorsoftheimportanceof Whilestudyingagroupofmeerkatsin Zambia,reviewofSootyFalconFalco thispatchofsandtoterns. Quad-bikers theKgalagadiTransfrontierPark, concolorrecordsinZambia, Kori weretalkedtoandalternativedune southernAfrica,JustinO’Riaindiscov- BustardArdeotiskoriinZambia, bird areasweresuggestedforthemtouse. eredthatFork-tailedDrongosDicrurus surveysoftheBarotsefloodplains, the Asaresult,novehiclespassedinthe adsimiliscloselywatchedtheprogress firstcountryrecordsofSpur-winged firstmonthof2001 andtheterns' oftheforagingmammals.Theprevail- Lapwing Vanellusspinosus, White- hatchingsuccessincreasedfromamere ingdroughtforcedthemeerkatstodig throated Bee-eaterMeropsalbicoUis 56%to80%. Chickhatchingdoubled inthesun-bakedsandsinanattemptto and(Northern)CarmineBee-eaterM fromjustOLersixto 12chicksperknr unearthpreysuchaslizardsand nubicus, statusofGreatCrestedGrebe permonth. Reduceddismrbancethus beetles. Ifameerkatwassuccessful,the Podicepscristatns, Pacific Golden resultedindoubledproducthin-ofthe nearbydrongowouldutteravery PloversPluvialis(dominica)fnlvain colony. — accurateimitationofthehigh-pitched Lochinvarwith a reviewofZambian Source:Africa BirdsNBirding6iSr meerkatalarmcall, invariablysending records, anAfrican Emerald Cuckoo Pl~ themammalsscurryingforsafety, Chrysococcyxcnprensin a Common therebyabandoningtheirhard-won BulbulPycnonotnsbarbatnsnest, and Waterbird counts in Botswana fooditem.Thedrongos’mimicrythus BaglafechtWeaversPlocensbaglafecbt Countsofwaterbirdsforthe.African permittedthemtoobtainhigh-quality nearMbala. WaterbirdCensusofWetlandsInterna- foodthatwaspreviouslyunavailableto Source:PeteLeonardin litt. toAfrican tionalbeganinBotswana in 1901. Da\e them. — BirdingNovember2001 Bishop organised the counts forsix Source: Africa Birds & Birding 6(5), years until 199“ when Stephanie Tyler p20 took o\eras theWetlands Intema- Africa Round-up BullABC Vo!9No 1-7 tional organiser. Aspecial 94-page Cory’s Shearwaterofthe race winter. It therefore appears desirable supplement ofBabbler, published by borealisin South Africa to control the species' distribution or BirdLife Botswana, entitledA reviewof An exhausted Cory’s Shearwater even to eradicate it from Reunion. waterbirdcountsinBotswana, 1991- Calonectrisdiomedeaofthe race Source: Alauda 69.pp381-585 2000summarisesinformationgathered borealiswaspickeduponthebeachat fromover60sitesthroughoutthe Jeffrey’sBay, EasternCape, South Seychelles Bird Records country.Thereisabiastothesouth- Africa, on 12January2000anddieda Committee news eastwhere28sites, smallandlarge fewhourslater. Ithadbeenringedasa Therecentlylaunchedwebsiteof damsandsewageponds,wereregu- nestlingonMadeira,8,322kmfromthe SeychellesBirdRecordsCommittee larlycountedoverthetenyears, but recoverysite,on 13October1984.The (SBRC)containsachecklistofallbirds severalothers, notablyShasheDam, in race borealis,whichbreedsonthe recordedinthearchipelago, aswellas easternBotswanawerealsowell AtlanticIslands,dispersesmainlytothe an historicalsection, which pro\ides covered. Importantbutlessregular westernAtlanticandisthereforerarein detailsofallacceptedfirstrecordsof countscamefrompartsof southernAfricanwaters, whereasthe vagrants,alistofthemostrecent MakgadikgadiPans, ChobeRiverand nominaterace(sometimesconsidereda acceptedrecordsand recordsheets, OkavangoDelta. Quantitativedataare separatespecies, Scopoli'sShearwater), whichshouldbecompletedbyan\’ presentedforeachspecies,withsitesof whichbreedsintheMediterranean, isa obser\ers encountering a description particularimportancebeingidentified. commonvisitor. Onlytwospecimensof species’. The site is located at http: Foreverysitethereisabriefdescrip- Coiy’sSheaixvaterhavepreviously www.stokecoll.ac.uk sbrc index.htm. tionandatabledepictingmeanand beenrecoveredinsouthernAfrica, one Visitorstotheislandsarerecom- maximumcountsforbothwetanddry ofwhichconsistedofC. d. borealis. mendedtotakealookatthesiteprior seasons. ThosesitesmeetingRamsar Source: Africa—Birds& Birding6(2). totheirtrip. criteriaarehighlightedandinclude p22 Source: Bird\\atch38.p23 MakgadikgadiPans, withtheirimpor- tantbreedingpopulationsofLesser Helmeted Guineafowl decline in SAFRINGNewstochange its name Phoeniconaiasminorand Greater KwaZulu-Natal and approach? FlamingosPhoenicopteriisruber, Great Afour-yearprojecttostudythecauses Thelatesti.ssuecontains, amongthe WhitePelicanPelecanusonocrotaliis. ofrecentmarkeddeclinesinHelmeted usualarrayoffeaturearticles,a Chestnut-banded PloverCharadriiis GuineafowlNiimida meleagrisin proposaltochangethejournal’sname pallidusandmigrantwaders, notably southern KwaZulu-Natal, SouthAfrica, toAFKINGNewsand becomecontinent EurasianAvocetRecuruirostraavosetta, hasbeenconductedbyateamof wideinitsscopeandcontent.Ahostof andtheChobe/LinyantiRiverand gamebirdbiologistsledbyProfessor interestingringingrecoveriesisalso floodplain. Recommendationsaremade TimCroweofthePercyEitzPatrick presented, includingmanylongest forfurtherwork.Alreadyoneofthese Institute, UniversityofCapeTown. It elapsed-timedata,whichwillbeof hasbeenactedupon,withBirdLife wasfoundthathabitatfragmentation significant interesttothosestudying Botswana’sCraneGroupundertaking anddestructionasaresultofmassi\'e longevityinbirdsandsimilarissues. anaerialsurveyofWattledCrane increasesincropagriculturefromthe Source: SAERING News 29,pp 59-99 Bugeranuscariinculatusinthe 1970sthroughtothelate 1980swasthe OkavangoDelta inAugust2001. maincauseofthepopulationcrash. Seychelles White-eye recovery Contributionsbyallvolunteercounters Theindirecteffectsofpesticides continues arenotedandthesponsorsofthe worsenedthesituationbyreducingthe ThegloballythreatenedSeychelles report, theProgrammeofInternational availabilityoffoodresourcesandedge White-eyeZosteropsmodestus, which is NatureManagement(PIN)ofthe habitats.Thestudyconcludedthat confinedtoConceptionandMahe, MinistryofAgriculture, NatureManage- resuscitatingguineafowl populationsto appearstobedoingreasonablywellon mentandFisheries(LNV)andthe viablelevelsrequiresfarmerstoleave theformerwhereitwasonlydiscov- MinistryofForeignAffairs/Develop- patchesoflandtoliefallow, inorderto eredin 1997. Recentsuiweys,backed mentCo-operation(NEDA)ofThe recreateweedyareaswithadjacent byacolour-ringingprogrammehave Netherlands, throughWetlands openspaces, thespecies’ preferred located280birdsandgathereda International, aregratefullyacknowl- habitat. — significantamountofinformation edged. Copesofthesupplementare Source: Africa Birds&Birding6(2), concerningitsnaturalhistory, espe- availablefromStephanieTyler(Yew pp48-52 ciallybreedingbiology. Most TreeCottage,LoneLane, Penallt, remarkablyitappearstoadopta MonmouthshireNP254AJ, UKore-mail Red-billed Leiothrix: a potential cooperativebreedingstrategy. Thenext [email protected]) for threatto Reunion’s indigenous stagesoftheSeychellesWhite-eye UKT5.00, orfromBirdLifeBotswana, plants RecoveryProgrammewillbethe P/Bag00300, Gaboroneore-mail The recently established Red-billed formulationofaRecoveryActionPlan [email protected](markedEAO Leiothrix (Pekin Robin) Leiothrixlutea, forthespecies, planstotranslocate BirdLife)for30pulas(coststocover introduced on Reunion from the birdstosuitablepredator-freeislands postandpacking). Oriental region, has been proven to be andtheimplementationofmanage- Source:StephanieTylerin litt. a potential hazard forindigenous mentrecommendationsforConception November2001 plants on the island. Bythe positive and Mahe. effect ofingestion on germination it Source:World Birdwatch23(2),p 7 favours dispersion ofthree invasive alien plants that produce fruits in 8-BullABC Vol9No 1 Africa Round-up