Simon Thomsett

Category: Raptor Expedition | Date: Feb 12 2009 | By: Laila Bahaa-el-din

After spending three days in Lewa, where we were pleased to see large numbers of harriers but disappointed that the cliffs which used to have more than 50 nesting vultures now had none, we moved on to Buffalo Springs and Samburu. It proved to be an interesting three days we spent there, full of unusual sightings. On our first day, we came across a Tawny Eagle raiding a nest on the ground. We didn’t know that Tawny Eagles did this and Simon hadn‘t seen that behaviour before. Even the Tawny Eagle was unsure of what to do once he had the eggs. He picked up one in his bill, held it for a while, then dropped in on the ground and picked up another. After holding that one in his bill, he dropped into and went back to the first. Eventually he gave up and took off.

Tawny Eagle with egg

Not too long after that, I photographed a Bateleur Eagle flying overhead, coming from the river. I noticed it had something in its bill and on zooming in on the photograph, saw that it was a fish. This was the first record of a Bateleur fishing that either of us had heard of.

Bateleur with fish

Simon had his birthday while we were in Buffalo Springs so the pressure was on to find something exciting. We were driving slowly through the reserve when I noticed a cat out of the corner of my eye. It was under a tree and my first instinct was that it was a lion so that’s what I said aloud. On closer inspection, I realised it was a female cheetah. She didn’t seem too pleased to see us so we concluded she had cubs around. Sure enough, a cub bounded off the ground into a tree, then ran to join his mum. Simon is particularly fond of cheetahs, so his birthday wish was to stay with them. We spent most of the day watching these cheetahs from a distance. The mum made several attempts at hunting but never successful.

Mum and cub

We had to leave Samburu earlier than expected due to serious problems with the car, but not before having a baby elephant mock-charge the car and most excitingly, seeing a naked mole-rate digging a hole.

Naked Mole-rat

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Tags: bataleur fishing, cheetah cubs, naked mole rat, tawny eagle with eggs

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Category: Raptor Expedition | Date: Feb 10 2009 | By: simonthomsett

Harriers are in decline globally. They tend to like swamps and marshes or areas of long grass; all habitats that are losing ground. In East Africa, we have only one resident species: the African Marsh Harrier. Despite searching long and hard, I have only seen about five of which I am certain in the last 10 years. They are outnumbered in their thousands by migratory species such as the Montagu’s, Pallid and Eurasian Marsh Harriers.

On the Athi-Kapiti plains, I see at least a few hundred harriers each year. But that is not to say they are all different ones. I probably often recount the same individuals. From my old house at Athi, I would look out and see mostly adult male Pallid Harriers, especially if we have had good short rains and there was long grass. But I got to know that these harriers had a territory of sorts. They stuck to a routine and area. That is an unusual habit, for they are usually considered to be without any territory in the lands in which they winter. They would roost in the grass, but in singles.

Gone are the old large groups of roosting harriers. Leslie Brown also noted the decline of large-scale roosts of migratory harriers that may number as much as a hundred birds. In India it still happens, but here in Africa the search went out recently to find such roosts. Certainly here in Kenya communal roosts are rare. I once saw about 20 harriers in a communal roost in wheat at Timau on Mt. Kenya’s lower slopes.

Harriers are a languid group, cruising around in lazy circuits only a few meters of the ground. But they do surprise you by sometimes circling high up into the sky. I once encountered a flock some 10,000 feet high over Tsavo East. That meant they were about 8,000 feet above the ground. Because they are migrants they must occasionally soar up on thermals and ride them effortlessly across the continent and into Europe and Asia.

Laila and I went to Lewa Downs. Lewa has had remarkable success in developing a ranch into a wildlife conservancy, and bringing on board community-owned land that neighbors them. We hoped to count raptors there to judge the prevalence of raptors on these conservancies and compare them with areas outside. There is no question that conservation works. On shamba systems and cereal crops we saw very little. But the moment we entered Lewa the count went up. Of special importance was the enormous number of Montagu’s harriers feeding on the grasslands. A good number of Eurasian Marsh Harriers were also in the swamp. We guessed at some ‘hundreds’ on Montagu’s, but it was tough to be exact because of the risk of recounting individuals. They were cooperative and Laila managed to get some photos:

Montagu’s Harrier flying overhead

Female Montagu’s Harrier perched

Late one evening, we started off with two Black Rhino standing in front of the car, followed by a lioness playing with her two cubs. We went on to find three male cheetahs eating a young Oryx. On the way back from the cheetahs (a little late), we saw Montagu’s Harriers flocking in a tight group. It was about 7 p.m. and light enough to see the road ahead, but surprisingly dark for raptors to be still airborne. We counted more than 70 individuals.

That record alone is of significance. It implies that the conservation practices on Lewa Downs has been working for harriers.

What we did not see was of significance too. We saw very few vultures and Tawny Eagles and no Bateleurs. The vulture cliffs, which once hosted 56 individual vultures, were devoid of them altogether. Sadly, the use of carbofuran has been regularly used against predators with dramatic results on large raptors who feed on carrion.

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Tags: lewa downs conservation, montagu's harriers

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Category: Cataract Operation for Rosy, Crowned Eagles | Date: Feb 06 2009 | By: simonthomsett

Rosy the Crowned Eagle has not been improving as well as we hoped after two cataract operations. Dr. Dan Gradin, the ophthalmologist who did the operations, was going to be in Naivasha and he and Sarah Higgins had arranged a meeting on Saturday, January 24. Laila and I were able to meet them.

The last time I met Dan he was first in a floppy surgeon’s overalls, with mask and surgeon’s cap. After the surgery he morphed into a regular sort and took off on his heavy motorbike. On this occasion he was wearing a Scout Master’s uniform as he was in the middle of taking a number of children out camping.

We gathered up Rosy from his shed. Girl, his wife, was very distraught and hung from the roof. They both hate these examinations but it must be done.

The right eye, which looks the worst because of its torn pupil does see something. But it does not allow Rosy to see his perch properly or to fly up and sit with Girl. Last week we saw him take off from his perch and fly straight into a solid wall! The wall was fully lit, and surrounding it were deep shadows. If you squinted and pretended you were near blind you could understand that to him it might seem like open sky.

Rosy’s right eye

Dan had a look at this eye and tested its refraction by bouncing light from a special gadget off the back of the retina. He was able to measure the eye’s focus, and although he said it was slightly too long-sighted he was pleased with the result. The smoky fibrin goo that had obscured the lens had receded allowing a completely clear path. But it does seem that although the lens is clear the inability of the eye to see clearly stems from a damaged retina. This eye on two occasions had suffered from glaucoma, and on the first occasion it was very severe and we wondered at the time if the retina would be permanently damaged.

The left eye, with its neat round pupil was obscured by a fibrin coat. The pupil itself acts as a matrix close enough to allow the fibrin to cling to it and bridge the gap.

Dan had the tough job of telling us that he felt the chances of improving Rosy’s sight was very slim. About as much chance as finding oil off the Kenya coast.

Dan examining Rosy’s eyes

We released Rosy and he turned on us threateningly. He has guts!

Rosy may or may not undergo another operation. Dan first needs to communicate with some of his colleagues. What we do not want is to stress Rosy unnecessarily. If another operation will not improve his eyes then it makes no sense to try. The left eye might have a good retina. There are tests that can be done using a machine that measures retina function, but such a thing is not available in Kenya. If we knew the retina was OK then surgery to clear the lens would be advisable. It may be necessary to take Rosy to South Africa, or bring the necessary machines and technicians to Kenya.

Rosy remains enormously strong. He functions semi-normally in his huge shed. Girl is capable of breeding or even being released. Rosy cannot breed in this condition. We have discussed the idea of giving Girl her chance at a better life. But I am certain that if Girl goes out of Rosy’s life, he’ll have nothing to live for. Eagles mate for life, and although they will find a new partner if one dies, Rosy is likely to be confused and without much to do. We still have not given up hope.

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Tags: girl and rosy at navaisha, rosy's eyes

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