Late July bird inventory of Oursi

8 Black-crowned Cranes were counted at Oursi in July. Photo: © NATURAMA

From 27-29 July 2009, NATURAMA (Fondation des Amis de la Nature, BirdLife Partner in Burkina Faso) and the Oursi Site Support Group undertook another bird count at Oursi. Three teams of two observers counted the birds using a transect method. A total of 2771 waterbirds of 27 species were recorded. Most common were White-faced Whistling Duck (848 individuals), Fulvous Whistling Duck (438), African Jacana (283), Spur-winged Goose (244), Spotted Redshank (217), Abdim’s Stork (156), Black-winged Stilt 1(34) and Spur-winged Plover (102). Other species that Cambridgeshire Bird Club members will be familiar with include Garganey, Glossy Ibis, White Stork (a surprise count of 22 birds), Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank. The observers noted that, contrary to expectations, no Black-tailed Godwits was found.

Away from the water, 61 species totalling 1546 individuals were counted. Here, Red-billed Quelea was the most common species, with 555 birds, followed by Grey-headed Sparrow (146), Buffalo Weaver (98), Grey Hornbill (90), Chestnut-backed Finch-Lark (52) and Golden Sparrow (51). 22 Ring-necked Parakeets, 18 Hoopoes, 7 Black Kites, 2 White Wagtails, 1 Crested Lark, 1 Subalpine Warbler and 1 Montagu’s Harrier besides two possible Red Kites might be of specific interest to Club members.