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Nakuru Kenya November 2019 (#3) (1 Viewer)

Seth Miller

Well-known member
United States
I'd appreciate some more help. :)

1) Raptor that landed on a tree aways off. My best guess is Booted Eagle, but doesn't feel quite right to me.

2) Sparrow? We have seen Kenya Rufous Sparrows quite a bit here, but this just doesn't feel right. Any ideas?
 

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Anyone have any thoughts on the last bird?

First of all, I have lightened up the photo. This seems to show a distinctive head pattern with a strong yellow throat and a breast that has paler yellow tones over grey. There is a strong bill, and the legs are dark or black.

The only thing I can find in Stevenson and Fanshawe (Plate 239) that seems to me to have these features is immature Black-fronted Bush-shrike. And according to the map it is possible at Nakuru.

But I've never seen this bird, so I wouldn't make a definite ID based on what I say.

HTH
 

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First of all, I have lightened up the photo. This seems to show a distinctive head pattern with a strong yellow throat and a breast that has paler yellow tones over grey. There is a strong bill, and the legs are dark or black.

The only thing I can find in Stevenson and Fanshawe (Plate 239) that seems to me to have these features is immature Black-fronted Bush-shrike. And according to the map it is possible at Nakuru.

But I've never seen this bird, so I wouldn't make a definite ID based on what I say.

HTH

I think that's a heroic attempt which I can't better, but the bill seems completely wrong for a bush-shrike. Be very curious if anyone has any alternatives!
 
I think that's a heroic attempt which I can't better, but the bill seems completely wrong for a bush-shrike. Be very curious if anyone has any alternatives!

Well, the face and throat pattern seem very close to the imm illustration for Black-fronted Bush-shrike in S&F. Also the illustration seems to show yellow showing through a grey wash on the front body below the breast as in Seth's bird. I think with the angle (more or less from the front) the bill might possibly look like this. It could be a quite young bird (not yet even fully immature)? And the location is OK.

If not, then I'd have to go for some kind of leucistic sparrow or something like that - but then why the yellow bib? I considered that the yellow might be pollen, but it seems very well defined both above and below.

Anyway, if threads are drifting, then sometimes I post 'heroic attempts' which at least bring the thread to the top again, and then there's always the possibility that 'someone who knows' will spot the thread the second or third time around. I have no problem being wrong if it means it's more likely that someone else will come up with the correct answer.
 
Why not immature Longclaw?

Black-fronted Bush Shrike is a canopy species, you won't see one one telephone wire!
 

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Some sort of immature ploceus weaver in my opinion,

OK, so which one? I considered this: Baglafecth is the one that would seem closest in pattern. But they have red legs and very yellow eyes which this bird seems not to have - and it doesn't seem to have the infantile gape either. I tried to match as many features as possible.
 
Why not immature Longclaw?

Because (I thought) the bill is too robust for Longclaw. And Longclaw has red legs, whereas this bird seems to have black/dark legs. And it seems to be grey,not brown, and there's no visible eyeline. (I'm not saying it isn't, just giving the reasons why I decided not).

PS: Andy, I sent or thought I sent you a PM on a completely unrelated topic (St Petersburg over the new year) a few days ago. If you have time to reply, even if the answer is negative, I'd be very grateful.
 
Because (I thought) the bill is too robust for Longclaw. And Longclaw has red legs, whereas this bird seems to have black/dark legs. And it seems to be grey,not brown, and there's no visible eyeline. (I'm not saying it isn't, just giving the reasons why I decided not).

PS: Andy, I sent or thought I sent you a PM on a completely unrelated topic (St Petersburg over the new year) a few days ago. If you have time to reply, even if the answer is negative, I'd be very grateful.

I will get around to it Mac, just been busy but there won't be much bird advice.
 
The bird on the right doesn't look too bad to me as a juvenile of the bird on the left?
 

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The bird on the right doesn't look too bad to me as a juvenile of the bird on the left?

not for me sorry, bill shape/size/colour is totally wrong, tail too short, toes too long.
Choice of perch struck me as a bit strange also, and sure enough, every single image of black-fronted bush shrike i can find is either in someone's hand or perched on a branch in a densely foliated tree.

but not sure what it is, although there are 28 species of ploceus in kenya, plus a load of other weavers, bishops etc. that might feasibly have a bill like that.

cheers,
James
 
The bird on the right doesn't look too bad to me as a juvenile of the bird on the left?

Nope, not for me. Also in the camp which says shape (bill, feet etc) completely wrong. I get a weaver vibe from this. Not sure about a quelea vibe, though. I'm pretty sure I've seen something similar (a weaver) in the field, but I really can't remember what. Are we sure it's not something common like village? [edit: not a longclaw IMHO]
 
What about my suggestion in post 13?

'What about female / immature Cardinal Quelea, throat described as 'washed yellow'?'
 
not for me sorry, bill shape/size/colour is totally wrong, tail too short, toes too long.
Choice of perch struck me as a bit strange also, and sure enough, every single image of black-fronted bush shrike i can find is either in someone's hand or perched on a branch in a densely foliated tree.

but not sure what it is, although there are 28 species of ploceus in kenya, plus a load of other weavers, bishops etc. that might feasibly have a bill like that.

cheers,
James

I did say further up that it's a canopy species, I know because the pic I posted is one we took.
 
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