Being a guide, waking up early in the morning is part of my daily routine, my alarm clock is always set to wake me up at the correct time in the morning, but for the last four months my alarm clock has been replaced by an unusual alarm, the Augur Buzzard (Buteo Augur).
Repeated ku-wow ku-wow calls from the bird is what has been waking me up as early as 5:30 am. Over this period waking up has been much easier. Thanks to this bird for it has also sharpened my call identification skills not only for the Augur Buzzard but also other bird species.
This bird has a big nest in my compound. For the four months period, I have been watching and recording its behavior as it flies to and fro its nest sometimes with twigs, grasses even meals such as Rats. From as early as 06:00 am to 10:30 am when the ku-wow ku-wow calls become silent till the next day at 05:30 am. I am Lucky to be recording its behavior & relation to other bird species, sometimes chasing small doves i.e. Red eyed dove, the Speckled Pigeon for a glance of a meal.
On several occasions I have witnessed pied crows & black kites flying around her nest uttering different calls may be to alert other birds of the expected danger. I hope my record will continue more when she attracts a mate for breeding hence incising more activity of the birds in my compound.
Out of the 78 diurnal & 16 nocturnal species of raptors (Umbrella Species) The Augur Buzzard is now shying off to forested habitats.
Having come from Ngong Town, an adjacent town to the foots of the Ngong Hills, famous for a one time bestselling book & Movie OUT OF AFRICA.As the Danish author laments on the first chapter of the book ‘’I had a farm in Africa, Ngong Hills’’ .She Boost’s on the rich wildlife Flora, fauna & avi-fauna, where Lions, Buffalo, Rhinos & Eland just but to name a few, used to roam the area freely. In frequent bird watch in the area and it’s adjacent dating back in the year 2003, my record on the Augur buzzard has fallen down to 6 from 16, a 90 % record fall.
During my recent bird watch treks to the Ngong hills, I witnessed a pair mating near a roosting nest of Bartuler Eagles on top of the Telkom Mast. On different a occasion at Embul Bul an area adjacent to the Oloolua Forest, I saw a Melanistic Augur Buzzard & with the help of a resident Guide Isaac Rotich (KPSGA GOLD) was able to identify it as a male .
I blame the fall in number of the Augur Buzzard and other bird species in Ngong and adjacent areas to the continued urbanization, putting up of building, creating more open areas without tree cover, the recent completion of the Face one Ngong Windmill Power Generating Project, mega poles have been erected by the KPLC and wire lines from the windmills ran down hill to the Karen sub-station. These are some of the factors diminishing the population of the raptors and other bird Species around Ngong.
In my opinion key issues factors relevant to conservation & management of nature such as putting up structures, electrification & logging should be highly addressed to improve & manage the population of different species including birds In Kenya
