Maasia Mara. From Lake Nakuru we took the long drive down to the Maasai Mara stopping off at Thomson Falls on the way. We had planned our visit to coincide with the great migration from the Serengeti to the Maasai Mara and were staying at the Keekorok Lodge, a lodge without any fences to keep the animals out, and on arrival were met with a pair of Giraffe grazing in the grounds. After the first mornings safari my wife and I had an impromptu bird walk around the grounds but noticed a security guard following us at a discreet distance just in case something should jump out. Highlights here were a Montagus Harrier flying close past us while on a hot air balloon ride, a Tawny Eagle that just flopped into a tiny bush just at the side of us while on a safari and the wonderfully named Bare-faced Go Away Bird. As well as the En-route Ive made 2 lists one for the Keekorok grounds and one for the Maasai Mara as I thought they warranted separating.
En-route to Maasai Mara A, Mourning Dove Bateleur Cattle Egret Common Fiscal Common Ostrich Helmeted Guineafowl House Sparrow Laughing Dove Little Egret Long-crested Eagle Montagu's Harrier Northern Anteater Chat Pied Crow Raven Red-eyed Dove Sacred Ibis Scarlet-breasted Sunbird Secretary Bird Slate-coloured Boubou Sooty Chat Speckled Pigeon Superb Starling White-backed Vulture
Lake Nakuru. From Treetops we dropped down into the Rift Valley and headed for the soda Lake Nakuru, where we stayed at the Lake Nakuru Lodge. The Rift Valley lakes are famous for the both Lesser and Greater Flamingos, the lakes are shrinking as the lake tributaries are siphoned off to irrigate the local farmland, in the past it has even dried up completely the last being 1997 when the wind whipped up a dense white soda dust smog which covered the town of Nakuru. Highlights here were numerous but just a few were; of course the thousands of Flamingos, the stunning Lilac-breasted Roller and Speckled Mousebirds in the tree just outside our cabin.
En-route To Nakuru :- Black-shouldered Kite Blue-eared Starling Common Fiscal Marabu Stork Pied Crow Red-eyed Dove Sacred Ibis Superb Starling
Lake Nakuru :- A, Mourning Dove A, Spoonbill Black-headed Heron Blue-eared Starling Cattle Egret Chin-spot Batis Common Fiscal Common Ostrich Crowned Plover Fork-tailed Drongo Grassland Pipit Great White Pelican Greater Flamingo Grey-crowned Crane Lesser Flamingo Lilac-breasted Roller Little Egret Long-crested Eagle Marabou Stork Olive-bellied Sunbird Red-fronted Barbet Rufus Sparrow Rufus-chested Swallow Ruppells Robin Chat Short-toed Snake Eagle Slate-coloured Boubou Speckled Mousebird Speckled Pigeon Superb Starling Wire-tailed Swallow
Treetops From Samburu we headed up into the Aberdare mountain range the western slopes of which are a principal part of the Rift wall, to stay in the Aberdare National Park at Treetops. Treetops is famous for being the place where in 1952 Queen Elizabeth (then princess Elizabeth) learned of her accession to the throne. The lodge itself is a rickety wooden block on 4 floors and being so high up did get quite cold and damp at night, as the clouds envelope the water hole and salt lick that surrounds the lodge. Highlights here were extra close views Montane Nightjars catching insects that gathered in front of the windows lights, and the rather unfortunately named Red Knobbed Coot.
En-route to Treetops: - A, Harrier Hawk Agur Buzzard Black-shouldered Kite Common Fiscal Laughing Dove Long-crested Eagle Madagascar Bee-eater Red-eyed Dove Speckled Mousebird
Treetops: - A, Paradise Flycatcher A, Pied Wagtail Black Crake Blacksmith Plover Chin-spot Batis Collared Pratincole Common Bulbul Common Fiscal Egyptian Goose Hadada Ibis Long-crested Eagle Martial Eagle Montane Nightjar Olive Thrush Red-billed Oxpecker Red-billed Teal Red-eyed Dove Red-knobbed Coot Schalows Wheatear Speckled Pigeon Stonechat White-browed Coucal Yellow-billed Duck
Samburu Game Reserve. Samburu Game Reserve was one of my favourite reserves in Kenya, as were on a birding site Ill stick to the birds but the mammal list here was one of the best we got. In between Safaris we went on a guided bird walk around the lodge area, which yielded us a good number of birds and also put an acacia thorn through the sole of my Merrells how the local tribesmen and animals walk about barefoot I dont know. Highlights here were Superb Starling flitting in and out of the lodge reception and dinning hall, D'Arnauds Barbet and the first sighting of one of my target birds Secretary Bird. In this trip report Ive included the en-route list of birds we managed to see from the vehicle.
En route from Nairobi to Samburu: - Agur Buzzard Black Kite Common Fiscal Fork-tailed Drongo Lilac-breasted Roller Long-crested Eagle Pied Kingfisher Red-eyed Dove Sooty Chat Superb Starling
Samburu bird list: - A, Mourning Dove A, Spoonbill Bateleur Black-headed Heron Black-headed Oriole Blue-napped Mousebird Common Bulbul Common Fiscal Crested Bustard Crested Francolin Crimson-rumped Waxbill D'Arnauds Barbet Egyptian Goose Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Grey-headed Kingfisher Hadada Ibis Helmeted Guineafowl Laughing Dove Lilac-breasted Roller Little Bee-eater Marabou Stork Marico Sunbird Namaqua Dove Nightjar Nubian Woodpecker Orange-bellied Parrot Pale-chanting Goshawk Palm Nut Vulture Palm Swift Raven Red-billed Hornbill Red-billed Oxpecker Red-eyed Dove Red-headed Weaver Secretary Bird Slaty-coloured Boubou Somali Bee-eater Somali Ostrich Speckled Mousebird Spur-winged Plover Square-tailed Drongo Superb Starling Vulturine Guineafowl White-backed Vulture White-bellied Go Away Bird White-browed Coucal White-browed Sparrow Weaver White-crowned Shrike White-headed Buffalo Weaver White-headed Mousebird Yellow-billed Oxpecker Yellow-necked Spurfowl Yellow-spotted Petronia
My wife and I went to Kenya in August 2007; the wife is brilliant at research and picked out a tour of Kenyan reserves that covered all the habitats on offer. We did at one time consider a dedicated birding trip but chose to go on a more open safari type holiday and we'd pick the birds up on the way, that consisted of a flight to Nairobi with a one night stop, then a long drive up to Samburu Reserve (dry acacia bush) in the North of the country, staying at Samburu Game Lodge. From there we travelled south to Aberdare National Park (highlands) high up on the edge of the Rift Valley staying at Treetops. From there we dropped down into the Rift Valley and travelled to Lake Nakuru (saline lake) staying at the Lake Nakuru Lodge. From there took the long drive down to the Maasai Mara (savannah) to stay at Keekorok Lodge stopping briefly at Thompson Falls on route. After that exhausting trek we travelled back to Nairobi and flew to Mombassa on the coast to chill out for a week. Even though we only had an afternoon and one night to catch up on jet-lag in Nairobi, the city and hotel gave us a bird list of :-
A, Pied Wagtail Black Kite Common Bulbul Common Fiscal Hadada Ibis Little Egret Marabu Stork Olive Thrush Pied Crow Sacred Ibis Speckled Mousebird Variable Sunbird Village Weaver White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
-- Edited by Tony Mario on Tuesday 7th of December 2010 05:07:32 PM
