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Northern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris reichnowi

Cameroon Biodiversity Conservation Society car park, Cameroon

Photo: Roger Fotso

These are largely unconfirmed records published for interest only in the Bulletins of the African Bird Club.

Records from the immediate vicinity of Poli, North Province, in August–December 2007 include the following. A pale-headed Ayres’s Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus ayresii was photographed on 25 November and 9 December. Two Common Quails Coturnix coturnix were recorded on 25 November, a Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis on 9 December and two Great Snipe Gallinago media on 9 September. Between late October and mid December, over 20 Adamawa Turtle Doves Streptopelia hypopyrrha were found. A Black-backed Cisticola Cisticola eximius was singing on 9 and 16 September. At least three Emin’s Shrikes Lanius gubernator and 40+ Chad Firefinches Lagonosticta umbrinodorsalis were regularly observed throughout the period, whist at least one Barka Indigobird Vidua larvaticola was seen on 28 October and a Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht on 27 November.

Noteworthy records from a visit in October 2007 included the following. In Korup National Park, six Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas, including young, were seen, as well as a Black-eared Ground Thrush Zoothera camaronensis and a pair of Rachel’s Malimbe Malimbe racheliae with nesting material. A Mount Cameroon Francolin Francolinus camerunensis was flushed from the grassy area below Hut 2 on Mt Cameroon and a Grey-chested Illadopsis Kakamega poliothorax was seen feeding a juvenile just below Hut 1. Six White-naped Pigeons Columba albinucha were observed on Mt Kupe, whilst an Olive Ibis Bostrychia olivacea was claimed from the Edea/Dizangue area, near the Sanaga River.

An unexpected find at Ngaoundaba Ranch was a Buff-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura elegans, of which good views were obtained; this is well outside its known range in the country. Amongst the many European Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca there was at least one bird that was thought to be a Collared Flycatcher F. albicollis. A Dwarf Bittern Ixobrychus sturmii was noted at Dang Lake; there are relatively few records of this widespread species in Cameroon. A flock of Harlequin Quails Coturnix delegorguei, a White-throated Francolin Francolinus albogularis and an Emin’s Shrike were observed in Benoué National Park. In Waza National Park, an African Hobby Falco cuvierii was a good find; there is apparently only one previous record so far north. Also interesting was a Savile’s Bustard Lophotis savilei, seen walking along a track at dusk; there are very few records in Cameroon of this species, all from Waza, where it was first recorded in 1994. Further records from Waza included Cricket Warbler Spiloptila clamans and Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus, whilst a European Roller Coracias garrulus, a rare Palearctic visitor, was found just outside the park north of Mora. Also north of Mora, at least six firefinches claimed as Rock Firefinches Lagonosticta sanguinodorslis were seen at a huge rocky outcrop.

Five Grey-headed Gulls Larus cirrocephalus were observed on the Benoué at Garoua on 5 November. A male Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio c.150 km south-east of Ngaoundere on 12 November was a good find; there are fewer than ten records for the country. Species found breeding on Mt Manengouba on 1 December include Oriole Finch Linurgus olivaceus (nest with three eggs 1 m above ground) and Bannerman’s Weaver Ploceus bannermani. The discovery of Exclamatory Paradise Whydah Vidua interjecta and Yellow-winged Pytilia Pytilia hypogrammica near Bafia, West Province, in November 2007 constitutes a small range extension.

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Records from the period October 2006 - June 2007 include the following. In January, Great White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus were seen several times at the coast in the Ndian basin, the largest group being 130 on Saviour Island on 24th; there are few coastal records for this species, although it has been reported previously at this locality. Five Yellow-billed Ducks Anas undulata were on Lake Oku on 5 December and 19 May, whilst an exceptionally large group of 50 was on nearby Bamendjing reservoir on 6 March; this species is rare and very local in West Africa, where it occurs only in Cameroon and neighbouring Nigeria.

African White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus was recorded at Mt Manengouba on 10 April and 4 June, where it is apparently attracted by Fulani settlements with cattle; there are few records this far south. A Brown Snake Eagle Circaetus cinereus was observed near Bafia along the Bafoussam - Yaoundé road on 31 May; this savanna species is not frequently reported this far south.  A male Savile’s Bustard Eupodotis savilei was seen in the Waza area on 8 March; this is only the fourth record for Cameroon. Five Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus were observed in an abandoned sand quarry near Douala on 13 January; this species occurs mostly north of the Adamawa, but there are some records further south in the dry season. A group of 116 Pied Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta was observed on Saviour Island on 27 March; there are relatively few reports for Cameroon.

On 2 May, a breeding colony of 1,000 Grey-headed Gulls Larus cirrocephalus was found at Bamendjing reservoir; this species is common in the inundation area in the far north but has previously only occasionally been recorded so far south. In a roost of Lesser Black-backed Gulls L. fuscus in the Rio del Rey estuary, a similar-sized gull with pale grey upperparts was photographed on 26 January and identified as a Yellow-legged Gull L. cachinnans; this would be a new species for Cameroon.

A flock of 1,761 African Skimmers Rynchops flavirostris was seen near Bamusso, in the Ndian basin, on 25 January; this is possibly the largest congregation recorded in West and Central Africa and represents a significant proportion of the total population of the subregion, which is estimated at 7,000–13,000 birds. In March, hundreds were observed on the Sanaga River, where they breed.  Excellent views of Southern Hyliotas Hyliota australis on Mt Kupe in March once more confirmed that they were this species rather than Yellow-bellied Hyliotas H. flavigaster. On 30 October, several Yellow-crowned Bishops Euplectes afer and Fan-tailed Widowbirds E. axillaris were seen in ricefields on the Ndop plain; both species are patchily distributed in Cameroon, but appeared common here.

An adult Verreaux’s Eagle Aquila verreauxii was claimed from the area near Banyang Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, in the south-west, on 2 April 2006; this is remarkably far south and would constitute the first record for Cameroon.

The following records were reported for the period January-April 2006. More than 1,000 Little Grebes Tachybaptis ruficollis were counted on Lake Oku on 5 March; this site is known to seasonally contain large numbers of this species. A Black Stork Ciconia nigra was seen at Campement Buffle Noir, Bénoué National Park, on 23 January; this is a vagrant to Cameroon. An immature Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus was seen and photographed in Waza National Park on 11 April; this appears to be the first documented record for the country. An adult Ayres’s Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus ayresii was seen well at Ngaoundaba on 4 April; there do not seem to be many if any records of this species from this location.

An American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica was found at La Digue, near Douala, on 11 April. On the Bamenjing Reservoir, Ndop plains, north-west Province, three gull species were observed on 4 March: Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus, Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus (one) and Black-headed Gull L. ridibundus (one). A Golden Nightjar Caprimulgus eximius was found during the day near Mora on 18 April.

An African Broadbill Smithornis capensis was observed in Mankon forest in the Bamenda Highlands on 2 March; this species is not often noted in the area. Three male Collared Flycatchers Ficedula albicollis in breeding plumage were seen: one at Ngaoundaba on 4 April, another near the ranch on 6th and a third at Lake Awing on 15th; there is only one previous record for the country, from Bénoué National Park, in 1993. House Sparrows Passer domesticus were found at Kousséri, on the bank of the Chari River opposite Ndjamena, on 3 April. At least ten Rock Firefinches Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis were seen near Maroua on 19 April.

A seven-day visit to Dja in March 2006 yielded the following. The large grass-covered rocky outcrops rising above the forest had their own avifauna with Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma and Long-legged Pipit Anthus pallidiventris being especially common. Noteworthy sightings from these outcrops, which appear to be migrant traps, included a Purple Glossy Starling Lamprotornis purpureus on 19th, presumably a wanderer from the savannas, a Rock Pratincole Glareola nuchalis c.30 km from the nearest river on 21st, and a Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus on 19th-21st. There was a regular passage of European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster (60 birds in total). Other records include a Yellow-throated Cuckoo Chrysococcyx flavigularis on 18th, a Bates's Nightjar Caprimulgus batesi and two Black Spinetails Telacanthura melanopygia on 21st, and an Olivaceous Flycatcher Muscicapa olivascens on 18th, all near Boumir. Single Zenker's Honeyguides Melignomon zenkeri were seen near Somolomo on 16th and near Boumir on 21st. What was thought to be a Shelley's Eagle Owl Bubo shelleyi (based on the recording on the Chappuis CDs) was heard on the night of 20th, but the bird was some distance away and didn't respond to the tape. The Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas colony near Boumir contained over 100 nests; seven birds were seen in 30 minutes after dawn and a dozen more were heard.

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Twenty-six White-faced Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna viduata were counted in Bamenda town on 12 November 2005. A surprise find was a Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpentarius at the Tiko Golf Club, between Douala and Limbe, on 12 August and 27 September. Flocks of Grey-headed Gulls Larus cirrocephalus were seen at Lake Lagdo, near Garoua in the north, in the first half of December 2005.

In November 2004-May 2005, the following records were reported. At least ten Great White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus and a Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica were observed off Pelican Island, in the Bakassi lagoon area, on 17 March. A Black Stork Ciconia nigra seen at Ngaoundaba on 17 February appears to be the third record for Cameroon, at a new locality. Eight White-faced Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna viduata were at Bamenda town on 24 May. About ten Common Teal Anas Crecca and three Northern Shovelers A. clypeata were counted in Waza National Park on 14th February; there are few records for the country. At least ten Yellow-billed Ducks A. undulata were at Bamendjing Reservoir, near Bamenda, on 22 December; this is a rare species in Cameroon.

A juvenile Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus was claimed from the Bui Valley c.10 km south-east of Kumbo, North West Province, on 18 February; the first for Cameroon if accepted. A Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax was seen above Kumbo on 29 November and another at Babungo, near Ndop, on 6 March; the species is rather common in the far north, but much less so further south. A juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagle A. heliaca, perched near a smaller Tawny Eagle, was identified in Waza National Park on 14 February; the streaky plumage, elongated spots or streaks on the wing-coverts and pale rump were noted. There have been at least three previous records in the far north, the first in November 1993. A Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus flew over Kumbo on 16 April. Falcons included a male Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, a rare visitor, by the Campement de Waza on 14 February, a pair of Red-necked Falcons F. chicquera in Bamenda town on 24 May and an adult Barbary Falcon F. pelegrinoides near Kumbo on 22 November.

In grasslands north of Kumbo, a Common Quail Coturnix coturnix was found on 27 December and a Kurrichane Buttonquail Turnix sylvaticus on 26 April. An Egyptian Plover Pluvianus aegyptius foraged on a sandbank in the Cross River at Mamfe on 7 December. At least 50 Grey-headed Gulls Larus cirrocephalus were counted at Bamalang Reservoir, near Ndop, on 30 April. Also there was a White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus. A single Whiskered Tern C. hybrida was in Waza NP on 14 February. At least six Mottled Swifts Tachymarptis aequatorialis were hawking over a small lake at Mbalmayo, near Yaoundé, on 1 April. A pair of Forest Wood-hoopoes Phoeniculus castaneiceps, consisting of a green-headed and a brown-headed individual, was sighted near Yaoundé on 21 February; this rather uncommon species is at the edge of its range here. A Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla was noted near Kumbo on 19 December; there are few records in Cameroon.

A Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus in breeding plumage was noted at Manenguba Crater Lake on 25 March and a Grey-rumped Swallow Pseudhirundo griseopyga at Tuba, near Bamenda, on 19 May. Single Western Olivaceous Warblers Hippolais (pallida) opaca were identified (no tail-pumping movements) at Garoua on 15 February and in Bénoué NP on 18-19 February. An Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida in Douala on 11 February was presumably a wandering Palearctic migrant; apparently Cameroon's southernmost record. Five hyliotas seen well at Kodmin on 4 April appeared to be Southern Hyliotas Hyliota australis rather than the previously claimed Yellow-bellied Hyliota H. flavigaster; a specimen of Southern Hyliota has been collected in the nearby Rumpi Hills.

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At least six Chestnut-bellied Starlings Lamprotornis pulcher coming to roost at Ngaoundaba each evening of 22-27 January would constitute the southernmost record for the country. A female Rock Firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis was seen briefly but well (the bluish bill and grey head contrasting with the reddish back were noted) in the Maroua area on 14 February; this is a first for Cameroon and constitutes a slight eastward range extension from the Mandara Mountains in Nigeria. An Exclamatory Paradise Whydah Vidua interjecta was at Bamendjing Reservoir, near Bamenda, on 22 December. What was presumably a juvenile Streaky-headed Seedeater Serinus gularis (sometimes split as West African Seedeater S. canicapillus) was found at Ngaoundaba, and a pair in Bénoué NP, where there are very few records of this rather uncommon species.

A juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga, reported from Waza National Park on 11 April 2003 would constitute the third record for Cameroon; the first was also from Waza, in 1972, and the second from Maga, in February 2000.

Records from February–November 2004 include the following. A juvenile male Black-bellied Bustard Eupodotis melanogaster was present at Kumbo, in grassland above 2,000 m on 25 May. Two White-naped Pigeons Columba albinucha were observed at Quibeko, near Fontem at 2,000 m on 27 February. At a cliff face near Kumbo, three Scarce Swifts Schoutedenapus myoptilus were seen on 1 July. A Pallid Swift Apus pallidus migrated with 30+ Common Swifts A. apus over Kumbo on 31 March. A Fire-bellied Woodpecker Dendropicos pyrrhogaster was at Fontem on 5 March. Two Ethiopian Swallows Hirundo aethiopica were recorded at Nguti on 6–8 July and four at Mamfe on 9 July. At Fomenji, near Fontem, a Bocage's Akalat Sheppardia bocagei was seen in November, and a Grey Ground-Thrush Zoothera princei was observed at Fontem on 5 March. At Banyang Mbo WildLife Sanctuary, an adult female African Pitta Pitta angolensis with a large brood patch and a cloacal protuberance suggesting breeding, was mist-netted on 26 March, and a Black-eared Ground-Thrush Zoothera camaronensis on 31st. Red-cheeked Wattle-eyes Dyaphorophyia blissetti  were noted at Fontem on 5 March (three) and at Lower Foto and Bechati (between Fontem, Wabane and Widikum; a few) in November. In the same area, also in November, Green-throated Sunbirds Chalcomitra rubescens of the distinctive and local race crossensis were recorded at Besali, Bechati and Fossimondi.

Fieldwork in Mbulu Forest, in the Njikwa area near the Nigerian border, South-west Province, in late April found c230 bird species, amongst which were Bamenda Apalis Apalis bamendae, White-throated Mountain babbler Kupeornis gilberti, Ursula's Sunbird Cinnyris ursulae, Bocage's Bush-shrike Telophorus bocagei and Rachel's Malimbe Malimbus racheliae.

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Two juvenile Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis were in Waza National Park on 4 March; unknown in Cameroon before 1978, this species is now regularly observed in the far north. An Ayres's Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus ayresii flew over Kilum-Ijim forest on 27 February; this species is not mentioned on the Mt Oku checklist (Fotso, R. 2001, Malimbus 23: 1­12) and may be the first record for the area. A Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma heard near Maroua on 1 April appears to represent a range extension. At least 15 Forest Swallows Hirundo fuliginosa came to roost in old Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas nests in Korup National Park in March. A good sighting of Rufous-rumped Lark Pinarocorys erythropygia was obtained in the Bénoué area on 6 March; there are few records for the park or for Cameroon. In March, two pairs of Cricket Warblers Spiloptila clamans were found again at Mora, where the species was first recorded for the country in December 1995; they were singing and apparently territorial and it seems that the species is well established in the area. A Red-winged Pytilia Pytilia phoenicoptera was seen in Bénoué National Park on 7 March; there do not appear to be any previous published reports from the park although Exclamatory Paradise-Whydah Vidua interjecta, the species that parasitises on it, has been recorded. On 7 March, a pair of Streaky-headed Seedeaters Serinus gularis was found in Bénoué National Park, where there are few records of this species. A male Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris was seen north of Mora on 3 March; Louette (The birds of Cameroon, 1981) only gives two published records from Cameroon, but recently the species has repeatedly been recorded in the area.

On 29 July 2003, about 20 swifts, tentatively identified as Scarce Swifts Schoutedenapus myoptilus were seen in the area of steep crags between Ndawara and Afua, in the Bamenda Highlands. Around 10 August, up to 50 swifts were present. The same species was seen soaring over Kodmin, Bakossi Mountains on 1 November at an altitude of about 1,450 m. This species was only known previously from Mount Cameroon and Mount Manenguba.

Records from March and April 2003 include the following. An Ovambo Sparrowhawk Accipiter ovampensis was seen at Bénoué National Park on 8 March; this is an uncommon bird in Cameroon. A juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga, claimed from Waza National Park on 11 April, would constitute the second for Cameroon. The first Golden Nightjar Caprimulgus eximius for Cameroon, discovered on 25 March north of Mora (Bull ABC 10: 124­125), was still present on 11 April, when it was observed calling at dusk in low flight. A pair of large, all-dark swifts in the Bakossi Mountains, studied at close quarters on 14 April, were thought to be Fernando Po Swifts Apus (barbatus) sladeniae. Desert Cisticolas Cisticola aridulus were identified north of Mora and in Waza National Park on 10­11 April; this species was only recently confirmed for Cameroon.

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The following records are from the period November 2002 to April 2003. A Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris was at Ngaoundaba on 31 March to 3 April. Three Black Herons Egretta ardesiaca were observed on a lake near the Sanaga River on 18 March. This is an unusual record as most observations are from the extreme north. A Brown Snake Eagle Circaetus cinereus flying over Mount Kupé on 11 March would appear to be the first record for the mountain, as well as being quite far south. A pair of Ovambo Sparrowhawks Accipiter ovampensis was found at Ngaoundaba on 3 April; there are few records of this species from Cameroon. A juvenile Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis was well watched in Waza National Park on 24 March; unknown in the country before 1978, this species is now observed regularly in the far north. A male Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni was noted in the Mora area in the far north on March 25; there are few records for Cameroon. Two Saker Falcons Falco cherrug were claimed at Nyaosso, Mount Kupé, on 5-6 April, where one tried unsuccessfully to take a domestic chicken at the village edge; the species is a rare vagrant.

Scaly Francolin Francolinus squamatus were particularly vocal in Bénoué National Park; this species would appear to be an addition to the park list. A Long-toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris was found in Waza National Park on 26 March; there are few records in Cameroon. Black Spinetail Telacanthura melanopygia was seen on 8 March at Korup where it is rare. A colony of Bristle-nosed Barbets Gymnobucco peli was found on Mount Kupé; this is apparently only the third year that the species has been recorded on the mountain. Two Black-billed Barbets Lybius guifsobalito were in woodland adjacent to the Bénoué River, Bénoué National Park on 27 March; this constitutes only the second record for Cameroon (and Western Africa), the first being from Waza National Park in February 1993.

A Rufous-rumped Lark Pinarocorys erythropygia was observed in the Bénoué area on 28 March; there are few records for the park or even for Cameroon. A Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava, apparently of the subspecies cinereocapilla, was in Waza National Park on 26 March. Several cisticolas showing the characteristics of Desert Cisticola Cisticola aridulus were observed in the Mora area; these appear to be the first reported from the country, though the species is known from the Lake Chad basin in Nigeria and Chad. There were also two Cricket Warblers Spiloptila clamans, a species only discovered in Cameroon in December 1995.

On Mount Kupé, a Forest Penduline Tit Anthoscopus flavifrons was seen on 12 March and a female Johanna's Sunbird Cinnyris johannae on 16th; these are apparently new records for the site. A male Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis was found in the Mora area on 25 March and a male Emin's Shrike L. gubernator at Ngaoundaba on 2 April. A pair of Mount Kupé Bush-Shrikes Telophorus kupeensis was seen on the shrike trail on 13 March and an individual heard at Kodmin on 15th. A Maxwell's Black Weaver Ploceus albinucha was observed in Korup on 6 March; this is a rare species for the park.

Last page update 3rd July 2008

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