Some interesting records from Bahri Sewage pools

As always, my ringing trip to Bahri turned up some interesting birds. The first thing that struck us on arrival was the big flocks of Ruff that were flying over-head. I had the impression that they might have been roosting in the pools and were heading off on migration, but that may not be the case and they may return to roost. We only saw one tight flock of about 600 birds on the pools themselves, plus a few smaller groups, but we must have seen several thousand in total in the big groups passing overhead when we arrived. As we drove up to the pools there were also quite a few Common Swifts flying around, giving another indication of active migration. Duck numbers were down from our previous visits, and we only saw around 100 Gargany and Shovelers, though we didn't have the chance to check all the pools.

Best bird of the day, however, was what is probably a Chestnut Sparrow. The only other records in the country are from way out west in Darfur, so this is a significant range extension. It would be nice to know whether this is a lone wanderer, or a resident at the site. I also still need to confirm the identification, as I have not been able to find any photos of birds in similar plumage (my guess is that it is a first year male).

There was also a group of about 40 Wattled Starlings feeding around the nets, but unfortunately none went in. The status of this species is also a bit uncertain in the country. Up until now I had had the impression that they were around more in the wet season, though Nikolaus has records from only August until March (including Sudan and South Sudan), and considered the species rare in the north. The birds were all in non-breeding plumage. I have previously seen birds in breeding plumage in August, so perhaps they are breeding here.

Chestnut Sparrow (probable), Bahri Sewage pools 28th February 2014

My main target, as always, was the Northern-masked Weavers. Many were clearly starting body moult into adult plumage and there were lots of new nests around. One net near the nests caught 23 birds, giving me plenty of good data. This meant we had to close the nets for most of the time to reduce the capture rate and give me time to take detailed measurements of each bird. We also caught a Village Weaver that was undergoing body moult and saw another in full breeding plumage. We caught lots of House Sparrows, a couple of Northern Red Bishops, a Little Stint, and a Sedge Warbler.

Northern-masked Weaver, Bahri Sewage pools 28th February 2014

Village Weaver, Bahri Sewage pools 28th February 2014

Little Stint, Bahri Sewage pools 28th February 2014

There were quite a lot of Yellow Wagtails around, with all seeming to be Black-headed (feldegg) Wagtails. This made me think of the huge roosting flocks of Black-headed Wagtail that Marwa and I had seen a couple of weeks ago at Khartoum Sewage Pools. On general migration I tend to see far more of the Sykes (beema) variety, usually in open grassy areas. It made we wonder about the reasons for this difference, such as one being a passage migrant while the other is a winter visitor, or there being habitat preferences. I will monitor my sightings more closely to look for a pattern. Other noteworthy sightings included singles of White-tailed Lapwing, Greater Flamingo, African Swamphen, and Eurasian Coot, plus a few Black-headed Herons and Glossy Ibises (all of which were present last time as well).

Species list for Sudan

Ever since the split from South Sudan in 2011 I have been wanting to make a definitive list of the birds of The Republic of the Sudan (i.e. the north). It has taken me so long to do so, that a couple of other people have beaten me to it, namely the African Bird Club (africanbirdclub.org/countries/) and Avibase (avibase.bsc-eoc.org/). However, although both make an excellent attempt to sort out the new lists from the list for the old boundaries of Sudan, it is evident that there are some errors and many species that warrant further discussion. This is particularly the case for species which were only previously reported from the border areas.

Nikolaus' 'Distribution Atlas of Sudan's Birds with Notes on Habitat and Status' (1987) is far and away the leading source for making a Sudan bird list. For most species there is a map of Sudan divided into one degree squares onto which records are plotted, sometimes including breeding data and the subspecies involved (see example below). Given the relative lack of information on the birds of Sudan, this is an amazing piece of work. However, many of his one degree squares overlap the Sudan and South Sudan border, which, thankfully, Nikolaus included on his 1987 map. There is usually no indication on which side of the border a record was made. In such cases, unless the original records of Nikolaus can be obtained, such species cannot justifiably be included as records for Sudan. With this is mind, the ABC list for Sudan omits most of these records. However, Avibase generally does not omit these records.

An example of an entry in Nikolaus' Atlas (1987)

In addition to this, and somewhat surprisingly, Nikolaus also included data from neighbouring countries where a record fell within a one degree square that straddled the border. He rarely discusses this in his comments, making it impossible to know whether a record relates to Sudan or the neighbouring country. For example, the Red-headed Lovebird distribution above mentions that the nominate form may occur along the Ethiopian border, so presumably the records marked 2 are actually records from Ethiopia (the 1 s and 2s usually represent the different subspecies). In this case it is relatively easy to interpret, but the single record from north Sudan lies on the border with Chad. It is not possible to tell whether or not it is actually meant to be a record from Darfur in Sudan. It seems that the makers of the ABC and Avibase lists were unaware of this arrangement and have tended to include these border species. As with the border records with South Sudan, it seems to me that these records cannot be included in the Sudan list unless specific details of locations can be obtained.

There are many species included in Nikolaus that are not included in the ABC list. Some may involve a single old record that now appears to be suspect, but others have several records including specimens, or records made by Nikolaus. In these cases it would be good to assess the records and discuss what criteria were used for inclusion or exclusion from the list.

The ABC list for Sudan currently has 594 species. I have found 669 potential species, if all possible candidates from the various lists are included (not counting splits, so this is based only on species recognised in the ABC list for Africa). Of these, 556 are universally accepted by all (i.e. Nikolaus, ABC, and Avibase), while another 113 are debatable (I include in this category my own recent records of species new for Sudan). Below is a list of these 113 species, with notes for each. My suggestions on the right are categorised 1. Should probably be on the ABC list for Sudan unless other evidence is available; 2. Should probably not be on the ABC list for Sudan unless other evidence is available; 3. further discussion is required to explain why a species has been included or excluded from the list (usually, this refers to why the record in Nikolaus is now acceptable, or unacceptable).

If anyone can shed light on any reasons why the species listed below should/should not be included in the Sudan list I would like to hear from them. I have very poor access to published literature, so I would be very interested in hearing about publications that shed light on some of these species. I would also be interested in unpublished sightings that might clarify some of the species, such as from the border regions. I would also be very interested in getting access to the original material of Nikolaus, if it is still available somewhere.

I apologise for my inability to show tables properly on this blog and for my inability to add my original Excel files. I have uploaded my Excel file to Birdforum (www.birdforum.net/), so the whole list can be accessed more easily.

Species needing clarification	Notes	Suggestion Tom Jenner
Leach's Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Old record in Nikolaus.	3
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. At least 2 records in Nikolaus, including specimen (Bowen).	3
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Recent records in Nikolaus.	3
Shoebill Balaeniceps rex	Border SS Not in ABC or Avibase	2
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	Not in recent ABC list or Avibase, but 3 records in Nikolaus include skin (Bowen) and one sightling by Nikolaus	3
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna	Not in recent ABC list, but in Avibase. Two separate records in Nikolaus.	3
Crested Honey Buzzard	Recent record with photo Tom Jenner (confirmed by Bill Clarke and Dick Forsman)	1
Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus	Border SS, included in ABC and Avibase	2
Red Kite Milvus milvus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Several records in Nikolaus.	3
Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. One old record in Nikolaus.	3
Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle Circaetus beaudouini	Included as split in ABC all Africa list, but not on ABC Sudan list. In Nikolaus and Avibase. Recent photos Tom Jenner	1
Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis	Included as split in ABC all Africa list, but not on ABC Sudan list. In Nikolaus and Avibase	3
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. At least 2 records in Nikolaus.	3
Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus	Border with Ethiopia and S Sudan	2
Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus	Border with Ethiopia	2
Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus	Border with Ethiopia and S Sudan	2
Mountain Buzzard Buteo oreophilus	No records in Nikolaus, but both ABC and Avibase include it	3
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo	No records in ABC (must be an error), but in Avibase and Nikolaus	1
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 4 records, including skins	3
Merlin Falco columbarius	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records, Bowen mentions skin	3
Schlegel's Francolin Francolinus schlegelii	Not in ABC or Nikolaus, but included in Avibase	2
Scaly Francolin Francolinus squamatus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus says that Jebel Marra record needs confirmation	2
Heuglin's Francolin Francolinus icterorhynchus	Border SS Not in ABC, but in Avibase	2
Crested Coot Fulica cristata	Recent breeding records with photos. Tom Jenner, Marwa Taha	1
Macqueen's Bustard Chlamydotis macqueeni	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 1 record from Sanganeb lighthouse	3
Rock Pratincole Glareola nuchalis	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records. Type specimen collected at Berber near Nile Fifth cataract Gray 1849. However, although Berber is at the fifth cataract, the original label says it is the White Nile, which is incorrect for this location. The White Nile flows as far north as Khartoum. Further south near Juba in South Sudan the Rock Pratincole is relatively common on the White Nile.	3
Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has at least 3 records	3
Red Knot Calidris canutus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records	3
Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus	Not in ABC list, but in Avibase list. No records in Nikolaus	2
Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus	Not in ABC list, but in Avibase list. No records in Nikolaus	2
Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records, one of which was his own	3
Little Gull Larus minutus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records, one of 20 birds, all same observer	3
Herring Gull Larus argentatus	Heuglin's Gull in Nikolaus, specimens taken. But record pre-dates recent work on Herring Gull complex. Possibly Yellow-legged Gull.	3
Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans	Various recent records with photos - Tom Jenner	1
Royal Tern Sterna maxima	In Avibase, but not in ABC list. No records in Nikolaus	2
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea	Not in ABC list, but in Avibase list. Nikolaus reported a bird ringed in Khartoum.	3
Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata	Not in ABC list, but in Avibase list. Nikolaus own record from Red Sea.	3
Little Tern	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Tom Jenner recent photos. Inland records in Nikolaus (before split from Saunders) not specifically identified previously, but  probably this species.	1
Black Tern Chlidonias niger	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. No records in Nikolaus - sight records not considered acceptable	2
Blue-spotted Wood Dove Turtur afer	Border SS Not in ABC, but in Avibase	2
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos	Border with Ethiopia	2
Red-headed Lovebird Agapornis pullarius	Border with Chad. Not in ABC, but in Avibase.	2
White-crested Turaco Tauraco leucolophus	Border SS Not in ABC, but in Avibase	2
White-cheeked Turaco Tauraco leucotis	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Marsh Owl Asio capensis	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Swamp Nightjar Caprimulgus natalensis	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena	Nikolaus mentions records from Darfur (Lynes 1924 to 1925). Not in ABC or Avibase.	3
Blue-breasted Bee-eater Merops variegatus	Border with Eritrea. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Black-billed Wood-hoopoe Phoeniculus somaliensis	Nikolaus mentions one record from Ethiopian border (which side?)	3
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus flavirostris	Border with Ethiopia or Eritrea. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Black-throated Barbet Tricholaema melanocephala	Border with Eritrea. In ABC and Avibase.	2
White-headed Barbet Lybius leucocephalus	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Red-winged Lark Mirafra hypermetra	Nikolaus lumps Rufous-naped and Red-winged and includes only ssp kurrae in N. Sudan in Darfur, i.e Rufous-naped, not red-winged. In ABC and Avibase.	3
Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne pristoptera	Border SS. Not in ABC or Avibase.	2
Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus	Nikolaus mentions several records including his own. Not in ABC (though full ABC list includes it as a vagrant in Sudan on Red Sea coast), but in Avibase.	1
Heuglin's Wheatear Oenanthe heuglini	Not in ABC. Presumably an oversight as it is a recognised species in ABC list and has many sightings in Sudan.	1
Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records, one was a Khartoum specimen.	3
Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Fan-tailed Grassbird Schoenicola brevirostris	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Greater Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus rufescens	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Upcher's Warbler Hippolais languida	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records, including specimens. Must be an expected species in the country.	1
Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis	ABC has 'Western' Orphean Warbler, which appears to be an error. All Nikolaus records are hortensis, as are mine (Tom Jenner) which include photos. ABC 2010 does not split Eastern and Western into species, so ABC Sudan list should just have 'Orphean' Warbler.	1
Yellow-bellied Hyliota Hyliota flavigaster	Border with Ethiopia	2
Whistling Cisticola Cisticola lateralis	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Croaking Cisticola Cisticola natalensis	Border with Ethiopia and SS	2
Short-winged Cisticola Cisticola brachypterus	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Black-backed Cisticola Cisticola eximius	Border SS. In both ABC and Avibase.	2
Swamp Flycatcher Muscicapa aquatica	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta	Not in ABC, or in Nikolaus, but in Avibase. Presumably an error.	2
Grey Tit-Flycatcher Myioparus plumbeus	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca	Nikolaus gives 2 birds he netted as the only definate records. Not in ABC.	3
Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records (north Sudan and Darfur)	3
Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 1 record (his own, from Erkowit 1980)	3
White-rumped Babbler Turdoides leucopygia	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
White-winged Black Tit Parus leucomelas	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Presumably an oversight as it is a recognised species in ABC list and has many sightings in Sudan.	1
Yellow Penduline Tit Anthoscopus parvulus	Border SS. In both ABC and Avibase.	2
Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit Anthoscopus musculus	Not in ABC or Avibase. Nikolaus has 1 record	3
Western Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes longuemarei	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Green-headed Sunbird Cyanomitra verticalis	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Red-chested Sunbird Cinnyris erythrocercus	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Common Fiscal Lanius collaris	Border with Ethiopia	2
Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus	Border with Ethiopia and Eritrea. In ABC and Avibase	2
Velvet-mantled Drongo Dicrurus modestus	Not in Nikolaus, but it ABC and Avibase. This is West African species that does not appear to have a range close to Sudan.	2
Cape Crow Corvus capensis	Border SS. In both ABC and Avibase.	2
Thick-billed Raven Corvus crassirostris	Not in ABC or Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records from N. Sudan (Gallabat and Famaka)	3
Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio	In ABC and Avibase. Border SS - Darfur records may relate to Neumann's	3
Neumann's Starling Onychognathus neumanni	In ABC and Avibase. Nikolaus presumably includes in Red-winged as Darfur records, but doesn't elaborate or mention subsp. Is there other evidence?	3
White-billed Starling Onychognathus albirostris	Not in ABC or Avibase. Nikolaus says it needs confirmation	2
Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Parrot-billed Sparrow Passer gongonensis	In ABC but not in Avibase. Nikolaus has no Sudan records, only one from the very southern border of South Sudan. Seems unlikely given known range.	2
Shelley's Rufous Sparrow Passer shelleyi	In ABC but not in Avibase. Nikolaus has no Sudan records, only some from the southern half of South Sudan. Seems unlikely given known range.	2
Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus vitellinus	Missing from ABC list. Presumably an error, as it is a common breeder.	1
Black-headed Weaver Ploceus melanocephalus	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Chestnut Weaver Ploceus rubiginosus	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Grosbeak Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons	Border SS (just). Not in ABC or Avibase.	2
Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild	Border SS (just). Not in ABC or Avibase.	2
Brown Twinspot Clytospiza monteiri	Border SS. Not in ABC or Avibase.	2
Red-billed Pytilia Pytilia lineata	Border with Ethiopia	2
Bar-breasted Firefinch Lagonosticta rufopicta	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Black-bellied Firefinch Lagonosticta rara	Border SS. Not in ABC but in Avibase.	2
Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Eastern Paradise Whydah Vidua paradisaea	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Presumably an oversight as it is a recognised species in ABC list, plus Nikolaus has many sightings in Sudan that match up well with the known distribution in neighbouring Ethiopia.	1
Exclamatory Whydah Vidua interjecta	Not in ABC or Nikolaus, but included in Avibase. Presumably an error, as not near borders of neighbouring countries.	2
Barka Indigobird Vidua larvaticola	Not in Nikolaus, but it ABC and Avibase. Nikolaus gives location of 'Nigeriae' (Some authorities lump larvaticola and nigeriae, but not ABC) in Darfur and remarks "Possibly parasitic on Black-bellied Firefinch", which is not found there. V. larvaticola is parasitic on Black-faced Firefinch, which does have a record in Darfur. Is this the only criterion for inclusion?	3
Quailfinch Indigobird Vidua nigeriae	See note for Barka Indigobird. Not in ABC or Avibase.	3
Jambandu Indigobird Vidua raricola	Not in Nikolaus or ABC, but in Avibase. Several websites include Sudan in range, such as IBC and IUCN. On what is this based?	3
Reichard's Seedeater Serinus reichardi	Border with Ethiopia. In ABC and Avibase.	2
Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina	Not in ABC, but in Avibase. Nikolaus has 2 records	3
Brown-rumped Bunting Emberiza affinis	Border with Ethiopia and SS. In ABC and Avibase.	2
113 species needing discussion	1. Should probably be included in ABC list unless a very good reason is given for not including it.
	2. Should probably not be included in the ABC list unless additional  evidence comes to light to show why it should (such as some of Nikolaus' original data). This includes all Nikolaus records from squares that cross borders with other countries, as he included data from neighbouring countries in his analysis.
	3. It is unclear why a species has been included or omitted from the list. Some discussion is needed to explain either why previous records were unacceptable or what new evidence shows that it should be included.

Hottentot Teals confirmed breeding in Khartoum

For the past two years I have been observing Hottentot Teals at different locations around Khartoum, often in good numbers and often in pairs, but until now I have not found any young birds. This afternoon Marwa and I visited Khartoum Sewage Pools where we were finally able to confirm them as a breeding species in Sudan, courtesy of an adult pair with two young. Until my first sightings this species was known in Sudan from only a single record in 1981. The young birds stayed in close to the reeds and never ventured out into open water, which probably explains why it took me so long to see some.

Hottentot Teal, Khartoum Sewage Ponds 11th February 2014

Hottentot Teal Chick, Khartoum Sewage Ponds 11th February 2014

This follows on from about a week ago when we found the first breeding Crested Coots at the same location. I found what were probably the same birds again today, plus there was another chick of about the same size with an adult in a different pool and further out in the first pool what looked like a slightly older bird with some white on the forehead, with two adult birds in breeding plumage.

Crested Coot with chicks, Khartoum Sewage Ponds 11th February 2014

There were other good birds around, including 11 Southern Pochards, plus a couple of Fulvous Whistling Ducks. The whistling ducks are supposed to be quite common in Sudan, but this was only my second sighting. There was a good selection of waders and lots of Whiskered (mainly) and White-winged Terns. These built up as dusk drew in and there must have been near to 1000 birds by the end feeding on swarms of insects that were on the water. The same insects were being eaten by the young and adult coots, plus most other birds on the pools. As we were leaving we encountered quite a spectacle of several thousand Yellow Wagtails coming in to roost. Hundreds were on the mound at the edge of the pools, where they would catch the insects by jumping up. The majority seemed to be Black-headed Wagtail.

Southern Pochards with Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Khartoum Sewage Ponds 11th February 2014

Black-winged Stilt, Khartoum Sewage Ponds 11th February 2014

Season already starting for the Northern Masked Weavers

I visited Bahri Sewage Pools today with Marwa and Abubakar to try some ringing. There were swarms of House Sparrows around and it was always going to limit our activities and we only put up two nets to avoid catching too many. As expected we caught lots of sparrows, but I was also able to catch 13 of my target species, the Northern-masked Weaver. The only other bird trapped was a single Graceful Prinia.

Graceful Prinia, Bahri Sewage Pools February 8th 2014

I was interested to see that several of the weavers were already starting their body moult, with several males showing the first few yellow body feathers. There were also two half-built nests that were green in colour so had clearly just been built. A few days ago at Soba Hospital sewage ponds I had also seen a few birds that were just starting moult. The literature says that this species breeds in the wet season, with Nikolaus mentioning August to October (which I am told is what Birds of Africa also says). They were certainly very active last year in March and April, so the literature is clearly not accurate. I hope to be able to get some better data this year on nest-building, egg-laying, fledging and moult, which I then hope to compare with data for Cinnamon Weaver.

Northern-masked Weaver starting body moult, Bahri Sewage Pools February 8th 2014

Half-built Northern-masked Weaver nest, Bahri Sewage Pools February 8th 2014

Musa's Sudanese birds on Facebook

Sudanese-American birder Musa Murawih recently visited Sudan for some birding. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to set up for some birding as he only found this blog and contacted me after he had gone back to the US. He has posted some photos from his trip on his Birding Sudan Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/252515597512/). He will be back for future trips to visit his family and I hope to meet him then.

Tom

Report from Um Dukhun, Darfur - By Ian Ratcliff

I am very pleased to have received this bird list from Ian Ratcliff, who was working for Tearfund in Darfur in April and May 2012. His movements were limited, so most of his sightings are from the compound at Um Dukhun which lies on the border with Chad and fairly close to the border with the Central African Republic. It will probably be a while before anyone is able to do any extensive birding trips in the area, but there are many people working in Darfur with NGOs and the UN and many must have a birding interest, so it is nice to be able to publish a list of birds they might come across. As expected, he saw a number of species that I have not encountered in my trips further east. One can only wonder what other species must be around in places such as Jebel Marra. Tom Jenner

Bird List

1.     Abyssinian Roller – Kass – helipad & irrigation project; Nyala on airport road

2.     African grey hornbill - Kabaar

3.     Little weaver (probable) – Um Dukhun

4.     Village weaver (Kass)

5.     African blue billed firefinches (?) – Um Dukhun compound

6.     Little egret (Khartoum – by the Nile)

7.     Black Kite (Khartoum)

8.     Common bulbul (Khartoum)

9.     Dark capped bulbul (Kass)

10. Laughing dove (Khartoum)

11. Speckled Pigeon (Kass)

12. European sparrow (everywhere)

13. Blue-naped Mousebird (Kass, Nyala, Um Dukhun)

14. Glossy Starling (greater/lesser blue-eared?) (Kass)

15. African sacred ibis (Kass)

16. Beautiful Sunbird (Kass m& f)

17. Abdim’s storks (Kass) and Salahleh (UD)

18. Chestnut bellied starling (Kass – IDP camp)

19. Red billed firefinch (Um Dukhun)

20. Marabou stork

21. Piapiac (Kabaar village)

22. Pied Crow (Kabaar village)

23. Namaqua dove

24. Rose ringed parakeet (Kabaar village)

25. Meyers (Brown) Parrot (Kass)

26. Lesser blue eared starling?

27. Pallid swift?(UD)

28. Cinnamon breasted (rock) bunting (UD)

29. Intermediate egret (probable)

30. Red cheeked cordonbleu (UD)

31. Fork-tailed Drongo (probable) (UD)

32. Village indigobird (non-br, whitish bill, pink legs)(UD)

33. White-rumped seed eater (UD)(probable)

34. African Mourning Dove (UD)

35. Senegal coucal (UD)

36. African Silverbill (Khartoum)

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Um Dukhun, Darfur April/May 2012 (By Ian Ratcliff)

Red-billed Firefinches, Um Dukhun, Darfur April/May 2012 (By Ian Ratcliff)

Female Red-billed Firefinch, Um Dukhun, Darfur April/May 2012 (By Ian Ratcliff)

Senegal Coucal, Um Dukhun, Darfur April/May 2012 (By Ian Ratcliff)

Senegal Coucal, Um Dukhun, Darfur April/May 2012 (By Ian Ratcliff)

Senegal Coucal, Um Dukhun, Darfur April/May 2012 (By Ian Ratcliff)