EANHS BuWr. '.Vun* 30 2 DfcamMr Km 
11 
SHORT 
COMMUNICATIONS 
AN 
EXCEPTIONAL 
ROOST OF 
CATTLE 
EGRETS IN 
KAMPALA 
-< 
William Banage, Depr <>l Ztx»logy& 
Derek l*omerov. Institute i «i 
Environment & Natural Re* mrces 
\kdxnyvliiuti'jr\- 
Jitxl/xJtiinpii 
A Makcrerr University student. 
Adramah Ben Buttle, counted Cattle 
Egrets llufiuhui tbn as they came into 
a Kampala most, and again as they 
left, on 14 occasions between 25 
October and 15 December 2000. The 
roost is situated at the Kuh.ika s Like, 
an artificial one of some 5 ha in 
Mcn^o. south-western Kampala The 
birds roost on shrubby vegetation on 
four small islands in the lake They 
start leaving the most as early as 
05*0; by 1800 they are beginning to 
return. The majority 1 1 y to areas 
between north and cast from the 
roost. 
4*19. There was no trend in numbers 
during the 8-week period of 
observations; however. Carswell 
(1986) mentions that the species is 
most common in the Kampala area 
between September and February, a 
period which includes rhat of Bottle's 
study. 
Although a roost of nearly 5000 birds 
is impressive, and probably a record 
tor Fast Africa. forth o / Africa (Brown 
et .// 1982) record up to 10.000, and 
Pete Leonard (pers. comm.. OK March 
2001 ) reports about 11.000 on the 
Kafue Flats of Zambia 
This roosting site has been known lor 
sumc years, but we know of no 
previous estimate of numbers. 
Reference* 
The egrets arrive and deparr in flocks 
of around s0 birds, but ranging from 
_ to 68 All individuals in the smaller 
Mocks were counrcd— larger flocks 
had to be estimated, especially when 
two or more flocks arrived or left 
together Overall estimates ranged 
from 1024 to 4669. with a mean of 
Brown. LH, FK I rban and 
K. Newman. 1982 7 hr BirJ i of 
Africa. Vol. 1 Academic Press. 
London and New York 
Carswell. M 1986. Tht htr.is of tin 
artj. Ornithological Sub- 
.ommirtee of the EANHS. Nairobi 
