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The following details have been received from John Miskell. "From 13 through 17 April 2005 I made a brief visit to "Puntland", an area I had not visited since I was there with John Ash in April / May 1980. I was mostly working at our office in Garoowe while I was there, but was able to get out bird watching a couple of times. The following are the more interesting records from my trip:

A. Along the Rabable tog, SW of Garoowe, 15 April, Somalia square 30c:

1. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax - 1 adult & 2 subadults
2. Bruce's Green Pigeon Treron waalia - common
3. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus - 1
4. Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus -1

B. In Garoowe town, 14 April, Somalia square 30c:

1. Ethiopian Swallow Hirundo aethiopica - pair with two young in nest, fledged 14 April
2. Somali Chestnut-winged Starling Onychognathus blythii - pair with 2 chicks, c. 5 days old, in nest
3. Swainson's Sparrow Passer swainsonii - two pairs with just fledged, dependent young - a considerable range extension

C. Galgalo village & spring, Somalia square 15a, and a few kms NW in square 5c, 17 April:

1. Orange River Francolin Francolinus levaillantoides - 1 seen and 2 or 3 heard - 5c
2. Bruce's Green Pigeon Treron waalia - common - 15a
3. Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea - 1 - in Galgalo village - 15a
4. Somali Pigeon Columba oliviae - 18 total, on both sides of Galgalo village - 15a
5. Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris - 1 - 5c
6. Little Rock Thrush Monticola rufocinereus - 2 - 5c
7. Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus - 1 - 15a
8. Nile Valley Sunbird Hedydipna metallica - 8 - 15a
9. African Silverbill Euodice cantans - 10 - 15a
10. Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Emberiza tahapisi - 2 in 15a, and 1 in 5c."

Three new species were added to the Somalia list in October 2002 by John Ash, Gerhard Nikolaus and John Miskell. These are: Saker Falcon Falco cherrug; Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii; and Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica. They also found Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis resident in the north-west for the first time. Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii was later found breeding in north-west Somalia in June 2004 by John Miskell, who also found Black-winged Lapwings Vanellus melanopterus nesting in the same area. In April 2004, John Miskell found Purple Swamphens Porphyrio porphyrio (2 adults and a sub-adult) in a swamp bordering the Shabeelle river near Qoryooley; this is the second record for Somalia and the first record in the south of the country. JM also saw Collared Lark Mirafra collaris at Yasooman in March 2004.

The following records were published in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club.

These records are from December 2003 in Somaliland (the region in northern Somalia which wants to break away from the rest of the country), en route from Hargeysa to Ceerigaabo, and also in the Daalo area. A Steppe Buzzard Buteo (buteo) vulpinus was seen at 10°45’N 47°18’E on 26th; this is apparently only the second record for Somalia (see Ash & Miskell 1998. Birds of Somalia). Archer’s Buzzard Buteo archeri was observed several times on the escarpment at 10°47’N 47°17’E on 26th (possibly the same individual). A male Little Brown Bustard Eupodotis humilis was calling (a high-pitched rattle we-we-we given with head thrown backwards) at dusk at 9°24’N 46°46’E on 25th, with a female close by. Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse Pterocles lichtensteinii was noted at 9°41’N 44°22’E on 25th, and the endemic Somali Pigeon Columba oliviae at 10°48’N 47°19’E the next day. European Scops Owl Otus scops was heard at 10°57’N 47°13’E on 26th; there is only one previous record, from 1919. The following lark species were seen on 25th: Rufous-naped Lark Mirafra africana sharpei at 9°10’N 46°00’E, the endemic Somali Lark Mirafra somalica at 9°19’N 46°38’E and Fawn-coloured Lark Mirafra africanoides alopex at 9°55’N 45°11’E. A probable Archer’s Lark Heteromirafra archeri, a rare and very localised endemic which has not been seen since 1955, was found at 9°39’N 43°26’E on 29th; unfortunately the diagnostic pale median crown stripe was not noted. Brown-tailed Rock-Chat Cercomela scotocerca was observed at 9°58’N 45°09’E and Desert Warbler Sylvia nana at 9°57’N 44°41’E on 25th. The very local endemic Warsangli Linnet Carduelis johannis was at 10°45’N 47°18’E on 26th and Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus socotranus at 10°47’N 47°18’E the next day.