Birds on Tuti Island 28th Aug 2010

On August 28th Mark Mallalieu and I made our first visit to Tuti Island, which is known to be a good birding spot, especially during migration. The island lies at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile and is surrounded by the cities of Khartoum and Ondurman, with combined populations of around 5 million people. Despite this, the place has been relatively undeveloped until now. Last year a bridge was built across to the island and access is now relatively easy. Undoubtedly this will lead to many developments in the area, but for now it remains an excellent birding spot for people in the capital. One bird we saw quite well was an Eleonoras Falcon, which we believe has never been seen in the country before (though may have been recorded by satellite tracking). We hope to get back and photograph it this weekend. The following is a list of birds seen by us:

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis	c10
Striated Heron Butorides striata	3
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	c5
Great Egret Egretta alba	2
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala	2
Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii	c8
Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus	c5
Gabar Goshawk Micronisus gabar	2
Shikra Accipiter badius	1+
Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae	1
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus	Prob
Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis	1
Egyptian Plover Pluvianus aegyptius	1
Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus	c5
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis	c8
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus	c5
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola	c5
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos	1
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia	Prob
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	1
Black-billed Wood Dove Turtur abyssinicus	1+
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis	2
African Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens	c30
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis	c20
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri	c6
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus	1
African Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus	c10
Blue-naped Mousebird Urocolius macrourus	1+
Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala	1
Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus	c6
White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis	1
Hoopoe Upupa epops	c6
Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus	c5
Crested Lark Galerida cristata	c8
Plain Martin Riparia paludicola	c20
Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii	6+
Ethiopian Swallow Hirundo aethiopica	Prob
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	2+
Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis	1
Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus	c20
Black Scrub Robin Cercotrichas podobe	c6
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida	2+
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis	Heard
Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis	c5
White-headed Babbler Turdoides leucocephala	c15
Beautiful Sunbird Cinnyris pulchellus	c20
Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus	1
Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor	2
Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio	1
Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus	c100
Lesser Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chloropterus	c40
House Sparrow Passer domesticus	c200
Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus vitellinus	c10
Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus	2+
Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala	c10
Cut-throat Finch Amadina fasciata	3
African Silverbill Lonchura cantans	2
Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura	2
Village Indigobird Vidua chalybeata	c5
White-rumped Seedeater Serinus leucopygius	2+