(1) Four aerial photographic censuses of lesser flamingoes on lakes in the Eastern Rift Valley of Kenya and northern Tanzania were made during 1974-76. (2) The distribution pattern was more dispersed than had been recorded during earlier surveys in 1969 and from 1972 to March 1974. (3) About 0-5 million birds were recorded in the study range with no significant differences (P < 0.05) between the four censuses. This is significantly less (P < 0.05) than earlier comparable estimates of 1.0-15 million. It is suggested that the decline was due to emigration from the Eastern Rift Valley, particularly to southern Africa, and to mortality. (4) The 'standing' biomass density was generally in the range 10-30 g/m2.

Population Size, Distribution and Biomass Density of the Lesser Flamingo in the Eastern Rift Valley, 1974-76

Uganda's only alkaline lakes are found in the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area and the adjoining Kyambura Wildlife Reserve. Both are Important Bird Areas, a status to which the birds of the lakes contribute. A total of 179 waterbird counts were made between 1984 and 2000, covering eight of the nine alkaline lakes, all of which are small explosion craters. Of the 75 species counted, all but three were non-specialists. Maxima are given for all species, together with seasonal data for five crater lakes. Four lakes regularly supported more than 1,000 Lesser Flamingos each, the maximum being 60,000. They were Maseche, Bagusa, Nshenyi and Munyanyange. Breeding has been attempted, but has been unsuccessful so far. The more important flamingo lakes had high values for conductivity, above 15,000 μS cm−2, whilst species richness is associated with muddy shores and, probably, intermediate levels of alkalinity, between 10 and 50 Meq−1. The lakes are important scenically, for ecotourism, and for the conserva...

https://bioone.org/journals/Journal-of-East-African-Natural-History/volume-92/issue-1/0012-8317(2003)92[63:WOALIW]2.0.CO;2/Waterbirds-of-Alkaline-Lakes-in-Western-Uganda/10.2982/0012-8317(2003)92[63:WOALIW]2.0.CO;2.pdf

Waterbirds of alkaline lakes in western uganda

Synopsis. This article has been composed at the request of the Committee of the Nuffield Unit of Tropical Animal Ecology (NUTAE) at its final meeting in Cambridge in October 1971 and has benefited from the comments of the Committee Members and the two successive directors. It is a short record of the history and aims of the Unit and includes only a superficial review of the research done, though a full list of publications is appended. It refers to the ten years ending in 1971 during which it was basically financed by the Nuffield Foundation and after which it was transferred to the Uganda Institute of Ecology. For an account of the previous development of interest in conservation and research on African wildlife see Worthington, E. B. (1961). The wild resources of East and Central Africa. London. H.M.S.O.

N. A. Din

Papers

The lesser flamingo in Western Uganda