BACK |
ITINERARY & DAILY ACCOUNTS |
PART THREE |
ITINERARY
Friday
2 June |
:
Flight to Nairobi. Evening
transfer to Silver Springs Hotel |
Saturday
3 June |
:
Via Thika and Wajee Camp to Serena Mountain
Lodge |
Sunday
4 June |
:
Travelling north to Samburu Serena Lodge |
Monday
5 June |
:
Birding Samburu N.P. |
Tuesday
6 June |
:
Via Meru Forest to Naro Moru River Lodge |
Wednesday
7 June |
:
Visit Mount Kenya Met Station. Onwards drive to Nakuru
N.P. |
Thursday
8 June |
:
Birding Nakuru. Onwards drive to Baringo Lake Country
Club |
Friday
9 June |
:
Birding Baringo Cliffs and lakeshores |
Saturday
10 June |
:
Via Kerio Valley to Saiwa Swamp N.P. Overnight Kitale
Club |
Sunday
11 June |
:
Drive to Kakamega Forest. Overnight in Rondo
Retreat |
Monday
12 June |
:
Birding Kakamega Forest |
Tuesday
13 June |
:
Via Kisumu and Lake Victoria to Mara Serena
Lodge |
Wednesday
14 June |
:
Birding Masai Mara N.P. Overnight Mara Sopa
Lodge |
Thursday
15 June |
:
Birding Masai Mara N.P. |
Friday
16 June |
:
Drive to Lake Naivasha Country Club |
Saturday
17 June |
:
Boat trip Lake Naivasha and birding the lakeshores
|
Sunday
18 June |
:
Via Gatamayu Forest and Limuru Pond to Nairobi |
Monday
19 June |
:
Airport transfer and flight home |
DAILY
ACCOUNTS
Friday
2 June
An
early rise to catch our flight from Duesseldorf to Amsterdam at 6:25 AM.
Arriving in Amsterdam at 7:20 AM we had a couple of hours for breakfast and
shopping before our KLM flight to Nairobi left at 10:15 AM. The 8 hour’s flight
went without problems and we arrived on schedule at 7:20 PM at Nairobi airport.
Going through customs and getting our visa went smoothly and quick. We collected
our luggage and walked to the arrivals hall where Joseph was waiting for us
holding a big sign with our name on it. After collection some shillings at an
ATM we walked to the van where our driver Peter was waiting for us. The traffic
in Nairobi was light and the transfer to the Silver Springs Hotel took only 20
minutes. We checked in, dropped our luggage in the room and had our first cool
Tuskers in the outdoor bar next to the pool until 10:30
PM.
Day
1: Saturday 3 June
We
had an outdoor breakfast at 7:00 AM having our first birds around the pool being
Common Bulbul, Pied Crow, Black Kite, African Pied Wagtail and
Variable Sunbird. At 8:00 AM Joseph and Peter picked us up for an hour’s
drive to Thika, about 50km north-east of Nairobi. At the Thika turnoff we first
took a minor road to the left of the main road leading to some ponds
surrounded by open woodlands on one side and coffee plantations on the
other. We birded this area for about 2 hours and had a very successful session
having 34 species. Some noteworthy birds recorded included Three-banded
Plover, Malachite Kingfisher, Trumpeter Hornbill, Black-crowned Tchagra,
Red-faced Cisticola, Bronze Sunbird, Grosbeak Weaver, Cardinal Quelea,
White-winged Widowbird, Yellow-shouldered Widowbird, Holub’s Golden-weaver
and African Golden-weaver. Our best find here was a Moustached
Grass-warbler sitting in a tree in the open only 10mtrs from our car. We
then headed to the Blue Post Inn at Thika and Chania Falls on the opposite side
of the main road, and birded the area for about 1½ hours. The activity was a bit
slowing down because it was already after 11:00 AM, but nevertheless we had some
good birds. Especially the wooded area where the two rivers meet was good
producing amongst African Pygmy-Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher,
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, White-headed Barbet, Spot-flanked Barbet,
Black-backed Puffback, Tawny-flanked Prinia and the very nice Grey-capped
Warbler. After a soda in the hotel’s garden we headed on at 1:00 PM.
After having our packed lunch at a curio shop along the road we headed on to
Wajee Nature Camp which is the stronghold for the rare and endemic Hinde’s
Babbler. On our way to Wajee we stopped for Augur Buzzard and Northern
Pied-babblers sitting on the telephone wires next to the road. Unfortunately
we missed the Hinde’s Babbler at Wajee, but we had some other good birds like
African Wood-owl, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Southern Black-flycatcher, Cape
Robin-chat, Hunter’s Cisticola and Green-headed Sunbird. When we left
Wajee it was already 5:00 PM and we arrived at the Serena Mountain Lodge just
before dusk. From our room we had a fantastic view on the waterhole in front of
the lodge. Apart from several mammals like Waterbucks, Water Buffalo’s and
Hyena’s we saw Hadada Ibis and Egyptian Goose. After dinner we
checked out the floodlit waterhole again where we saw a Genet feasting on the
meat that was put there by the hotel’s staff. In the distance we heard
Montane Nightjar calling. Our first day ended up with a list of 91
bird species.
Day
2: Sunday 4 June
The
day started at 6:30 AM with some pre-breakfast birding around the lodge. It was
a beautiful cool morning with clear skies and lot’s of bird activity. Birds
recorded during our walk included amongst Scaly Francolin, Red-fronted
Parrot, African Green Pigeon, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, White-headed Sawwing,
Slender-billed Greenbul, Montane Oriole, White-starred Robin, Brown-capped
Weaver, Common Waxbill and Thick-billed Seedeater. Back at the lodge
we scanned the area from the upper viewing deck having Marabou Stork,
Black-headed heron, Plain Martin, Mountain Wagtail and Cape Wagtail.
After having breakfast we packed our things and left the lodge at 10:30 AM.
We birded the road down towards the main road near Nyeri making several stops en
route. New birds recorded included Long-crested Eagle, Klaas’ Cuckoo,
Red-chested Cuckoo, Emerald Cuckoo, Waller’s Starling, Golden-winged Sunbird
and Eastern Double-collared Sunbird. Two fairly unusual sightings for
this area were a Senegal Coucal and White-eared Barbet. The
grasslands along the main road from Nyeri north towards Nanyuki produced several
Red-collared Widowbirds, Jackson’s Widowbirds and Long-tailed
Widowbirds dancing above the fields with their beautiful long tails. Along
this route we also saw Great Sparrowhawk and several Cape Crows.
About 30km before the town of Isiolo we had our packed lunch at a curio shop
along the road. After lunch we birded the rather dry and open fields behind the
shop and had Fischer’s Sparrow-lark, Northern Anteater-chat, Rattling
Cisticola, Village Indigobird, Yellow-rumped Seedeater and Somali
Bunting. After Isiolo the tarmac changed into a very poor and dusty unpaved
track, and the remaining 60km to the entrance of Samburu N.P. took us about 2
hours. We arrived at the entrance gate at about 4:30 PM. Peter opened the pop-up
roof of our van, and we started our first safari of the trip heading slowly
towards our next lodge called Samburu Serena Lodge. We saw lot’s of mammals and
the birding was excellent. We now realized that we were much further north with
almost every bird being new for the trip. About 1½ hours of birding produced 37
bird species of which 31 were new for the trip. We had Yellow-necked
Spurfowl, White-bellied Bustard, Secretary Bird, Pygmy Falcon, Lichtenstein’s
and Black-faced Sandgrouse, Blue-naped Mousebird, Rosy-patched
Bushshrike, Speckle-fronted Weaver and Cut-throat just to mention a
few. Just before we reached the lodge we spotted a Lioness with four cubs. We
arrived at the very luxurious Samburu Serena Lodge at dusk. As every evening I
updated my checklist together with Joseph after dinner. Our day total was the
highest of the trip with 119 species of which 76 new for the trip. Our trip
total after only two days is already at 167 species.
Day
3: Monday 5 June
Today
we have the whole day to explore the beautiful Samburu N.P. At 6:30 AM we left
the lodge and the activity started as soon as we passed the lodge gate. The
drive through the very scenic park was absolutely beautiful with the early
morning sun striking low over the savannah woodlands and surrounding mountains.
During the first 2 hours of the safari we saw amongst Crowned Plover, Crested
Francolin, Red-crested and Black-bellied Bustard, Palm-nut Vulture,
Bateleur, Tawny Eagle, African Mourning Dove, Namaque Dove, White-headed
Mousebird, Fischer’s Starling, Taita Fiscal, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird
and the ever present Lilac-breasted Roller. We also had 7 different
species of weavers. On our way back to the lodge we took a track through
the lightly wooded area along the Uaso Ngiro River. Here we had amongst
Vulturine Guineafowl, Orange-bellied Parrot, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove,
Nubian Woodpecker, Northern Brownbul, White-crowned Shrike, Pygmy Batis and
African Grey Flycatcher. As we approached the lodge we saw a beautiful
male Martial Eagle perched in a tree right in front of us. Back at the
lodge we had breakfast at 9:15 AM and relaxed for a short while at the terrace
overlooking the river where an undisturbed male Elephant was eating the long
grasses along the river just 5 meters in front of us. We left the lodge again at
10:30 AM and decided to explore the somewhat opener and dryer southern part of
Buffalo Springs N.P. to look for Coursers and Kori Bustard. We sadly enough
dipped on Coursers, but that was made up by excellent close views of a male
Kori Bustard. Some other birds recorded in the area were Yellow-billed
Stork, Grey Heron, Sacred Ibis and Spur-winged Plover at a waterhole,
and Somali Ostrich, White-headed Vulture, Lanner Falcon, White-bellied
Go-away-bird, White-browed Coucal, Pink-breasted Lark, White-browed Scrub-robin
and our only Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill of the trip. We were back
at the lodge at 1:30 PM, and decided to relax for a couple of hours by the pool.
A noisy party of Green Woodhoopoe’s were flying from one tree to another
along the river. At 4:30 PM we explored the park on the opposite side of the
river. Bird activity was not as prolific as this morning but nevertheless we had
some new birds for the trip like Goliath Heron, Red-necked Spurfowl,
Grey-headed Kingfisher and Lesser Masked Weaver. After dinner we saw
a Crocodile and a spectacular Leopard on the opposite side of the river feeding
on the meat that was put there by someone of the lodge staff. Our
checklist update showed 89 species for the day of which 47 new ones. Our trip
list was now at 214 species. In total the Samburu area produced about 95 new
birds with about 45 of them not seen anywhere else on the trip. This proves that
Samburu is a must on any birding itinerary.
Day
4: Tuesday 6 June
After
an early breakfast we left the lodge at 7:00 AM. While birding en route we
reached the southern park gate by 9:30 AM. New birds included amongst Brown
Snake-eagle, Eastern Chanting-goshawk and Northern Crombec. During
the dusty drive to Isiolo we had Abyssinian Scimitar-bill being new for
the trip. At the junction beyond Isiolo we took a left turn towards Meru Forest
along the north-eastern slope of Mount Kenya. We arrived at Meru Forest just
before noon. We made a nice walk through the forest for about 1½ hours, but the
activity was fairly low at this time of the day. Some birds recorded included
amongst Little Sparrowhawk, Olive Pigeon, Crowned Hornbill, White-eared
Barbet, Cabanis’ Greenbul, Red-winged Starling, White-eyed Slaty
Flycatcher and Brimstone Canary. While driving back towards Nanyuki we had
our packed lunch in the car. During the drive we saw a few new ones being
Grey-crowned Cranes and Eastern Paradise Whydah, and we stopped
for Dusky Turtle-dove sitting on a telephone pole along the
road. After a stop on the Equator near Nanyuki we arrived in the Naro
Moru River Lodge around 3:30 PM. We first had coffee and a nice cool Tusker on
the lawn in front of the restaurant before checking out the lodge surroundings.
Joseph tried to call in Narina Trogon but it did not respond. During the
walk along the river we noted amongst Hartlaub’s Turaco, Jacobin Cuckoo,
Mountain Greenbul, Chinspot Batis, Bronze Sunbird, Tacazze Sunbird and
Golden-winged Sunbird. A good find was the rather uncommon Moustached
Green-tinkerbird. In the evening we had a nice dinner together with Joseph
and Peter. Our total for today ended up at 95 species with 24 new for the trip
resulting in a trip list of 238 species.
Day
5: Wednesday 7 June
Apart
from Violet-backed Starling and Scarlet-chested Sunbird a short
pre-breakfast walk around the lodge did not produce many new stuff for the trip.
We had breakfast and left the lodge at about 8:00 AM for our drive to the Mount
Kenya Met Station at an altitude of 3046 meters. Again we had marvellous weather
and we had superb views of Mount Kenya basking in the morning sun. After about
25km we reached the entrance gate of Mount Kenya N.P. after which the road
became pretty steep and narrow at a few sections. We were lucky with the dry
weather because the drive up can be very tricky during rains. During our climb
up we noted amongst Jackson’s Francolin, Mountain Buzzard, Hartlaub’s Turaco
and Long-crested Eagle. When we reached the Met Station we had a walk
in the area for about 1½ hours, but despite the good weather the activity was
low with only Abyssinian Ground-trush and Black-headed Waxbill new
for the trip. Around noon we left the area and drove down back to Naro Moru for
our onwards journey to Nakuru. The route through the Aberdares Mountains was
very scenic. We stopped in a small village where we picked up a local guide who
knew some good birding spots. Our first stop produced a Cape Eagle-owl
roosting near a cliff next to some farmlands. A bit further on a small lake
surrounded by steep cliffs produced amongst Hamerkop, Black-crowned
Night-heron, Giant Kingfisher and Little Rock-thrush. A third stop at
a pond gave us African Black Duck which we had dipped on at Naro Moru
River Lodge. We headed on and had our last stop at Thompson Falls where we had
several Slender-billed Starlings. It was already dark when we entered
Lake Nakuru N.P. arriving at the luxurious Sarova Lion’s Hill Lodge at 7:15 PM.
We had 66 species today with 16 new for the list. Our trip total now is at 254
species.
Day
6: Thursday 8 June
After
a quick breakfast we left the lodge at 7:00 AM having the whole morning to
explore the wonderful Lake Nakuru N.P. We first went back to the entrance
because we did not receive tickets yesterday because of our late arrival. While
driving through the woodlands we stopped several times for wildlife and some
good birds like Emerald-spotted Wood-dove, Common Scimitar-bill, Nubian
Woodpecker, Rueppel’s Glossy-starling and African Black-headed Oriole.
The best bird we had here was a Rufous-necked Wryneck. Arriving at
the gate Peter collected the tickets and we drove back towards the lake. The
sight of 1.5 million Lesser Flamingo’s was really spectacular and
unforgettable. Other birds along the lake’s shore included amongst
White-winged Tern, Whiskered tern, Grey-headed Gull, African Spoonbill,
Greater Flamingo, Squacco heron, Great White Pelicans, Blacksmith Plover and
we also had a short glimpse of a Black Heron amongst the other Egrets and
Herons. The game viewing in Nakuru was also excellent having amongst
Rothschild’s Giraffe, Spotted Hyena and White Rhino. While driving
towards the cliffs on the west side of the lake we noted amongst Secretary
Bird, White-fronted Bee-eater, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Arrow-marked Babbler,
Grey-backed Fiscal and White-bellied Tit. We then took a track up to
a look-out on the cliffs (called baboon cliffs) having superb views of the
entire lake beneath us. On the cliffs in front of us we had close views of a
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting and a colourful Agami Lizard. Back down at the
lake we met up with three Southern Ground-hornbills walking undisturbed
along our van with one of them holding a snake in it’s bill. We then followed
the track along the lake’s west shore heading to the north of the park having
some good birds and a Spotted Hyena who was trying to catch a Flamingo. We
stopped for amongst Red-chested Cuckoo, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Red-fronted
barbet, Brown-crowned Tchagra, White-browed Robin-chat, Mocking Cliff-chat,
Grey-capped Warbler and Crimson-rumped Waxbill. We drove back south
to the lodge for lunch along the east shore, and left at 2:30 PM for our onwards
journey to Lake Baringo. We arrived a bit late at the excellent Lake Baringo
Country Club around 5:15 PM because of Peter’s slow driving. In addition it also
started raining when we wanted to start our birding, so we missed the chance for
our first birds along the lake. The only birds we had was at the feeding table
having Brown Babbler, Spotted Morning-Thrush, White-billed Buffalo-Weaver,
Golden-backed Weaver and Vitelline Masked-Weaver new for the trip. In
the evening we had a nice dinner and afterwards updated our checklist. Counting
the birds of today we noted that the birding at Nakuru had been exceptionally
good. Our day total was at 106 birds with 40 new for the trip having a trip list
now of 294 species.
Day
7: Friday 9 June
Accompanied
by Joseph and a local guide we left at 6:30 AM for a walk to the famous Baringo
Cliffs. While walking towards the cliffs the local guide showed us a roosting
Spotted Eagle-Owl. We walked along the cliffs searching for birds for
about 2 hours. We noted amongst Lanner Falcon, Common Kestrel, Pygmy Falcon,
White-faced Scops-Owl, Hemprich’s Hornbill, Black-throated barbet, Red-fronted
Tinkerbird, Rock Martin, Bristle-crowned Starling, Northern Grey-Tit, Little
Weaver, Black-cheeked Waxbill, Purple Grenadier and the beautiful
Green-winged Pytilia. Back at the tarmac road Peter was waiting for us in
the van. We drove back in the direction of the lake and stopped to look for
nightjars in the scrubby fields along the road. We finally found both
Slender-tailed and Gabon Nightjar near a cactus fence around a
house. Besides that we had Madagascar Bee-eater and White-bellied
Canary new for the trip. Before heading back to the lodge we stopped for a
breeding pair of the beautiful Heuglin’s Courser in a field along the
road. Actually we were too late for breakfast arriving at 10:15 AM but our
friendly and helpful waiter had arranged everything for us and served an
excellent breakfast. Afterwards we made a short walk around the lodge until
noon. Activity was dying down because of the heat but despite that we managed to
see some good birds like Woodland Kingfisher, Hildebrandt’s Starling,
Fan-tailed Raven, White-crowned Shrike and Beautiful Sunbird. The
rest of the afternoon we relaxed a bit around the pool. At 4:00 PM we went to an
area called West Bay located about 10km north of the lodge. We birded the area
for about 1½ hours but the activity was very low. The only new birds were a
Pale Prinia in the dry scrubs, and a Black-headed Plover near the
lake. Back at the lodge we made a walk along the lake towards a campsite next to
our lodge. The only new bird we found was a Gull-billed Tern. Back at the
lodge we watched the opening match of the Football World Cup 2006 in Germany
(Germany - Costa Rica 4:2). After a late dinner we updated our checklist while
Hippo’s were grazing on the lawn in front of us. I must say that I had expected
more from Baringo having 97 birds, 29 new and the trip-list now at 323
species.
Day
8: Saturday 10 June
Today
we continued our journey to the western region of Kenya. After breakfast at 7:00
AM we left the Baringo Club. Near Marigat we took the turnoff towards Eldoret
through the very scenic Kerio Valley. Just beyond the turnoff we saw a White
Helmetshrike sitting on a bush right next to the road. As we arrived in the
Kerio Valley we stopped along the road to check out the area. We had quite some
good birds here with White-crested Turaco, African Black Swift,
Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike and Red-faced Crombec new for the trip.
Arriving in Eldoret we stopped to change money at an ATM before heading further
towards Saiwa Swamp NP via Kitale. This small park is the only National Park in
Kenya which can only be explored by foot. The park is one of the only places in
Kenya to see the Sitatunga and the De Brazza Monkey, which we did. We walked the
trails and boardwalks surrounding the swampy marsh for a couple of hours and had
amongst African Marsh-Harrier, Ross’ Turaco, Senegal Coucal, Black-and-White
Casqued-Hornbill, Joyful Greenbul, Luehder’s Bushshrike, Common Wattle-eye,
Black-throated Wattle-eye, Snowy-Crowned Robin-Chat, Grey-winged Robin-Chat,
Greater Swamp-Warbler, Chubb’s Cisticola, Black-collared Apalis, Yellow
White-eye and Fan-tailed Widowbird. After visiting the watchtower
overlooking the swamp we went back to the car for our drive back to Kitale. We
arrived in the Kitale Club Hotel at 6:00 PM. After dinner our updated checklist
showed 58 birds for the day, 21 new for the trip and the trip list now at 344
species.
Day
9: Sunday 11 June
We
were picked up by Joseph and Peter at 7:30 AM for our onwards journey to
Kakamega Forest. During the drive we had a few short stops looking for birds. We
noted amongst Black-shouldered Kite, Brown Parrot, Eastern Grey
Plantain-Eater, Angola Swallow and Black-headed Gonolek which were
all new for the trip. In Kakamega town we picked up some beers in a bar which is
not available in the Rondo Retreat Lodge. We arrived at the wonderfully situated
lodge at around 10:30 AM. Our house called Colobus was really outstanding and
comfortable with a large veranda, spacious bathroom and a beautifully
black-and-white furnished room. We decided to bird the track running along the
lodge for a couple of hours until lunch. Despite the late morning hours we had
very good birds here including new ones like Grey-throated Barbet,
Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-billed Barbet, Buff-spotted Woodpecker,
Stuhlmann’s Starling, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Northern Black-flycatcher,
Green-throated Sunbird, Copper Sunbird and Black-billed Weaver. Back
at the lodge at 1:30 PM we had an excellent lunch. In the afternoon we relaxed a
bit on the veranda and in the hotel’s garden. While sitting in the garden we saw
several Great Blue Turaco’s, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, African
Blue-flycatcher and a female Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike. After
watching the first half of the football match Netherlands – Serbia &
Montenegro (1:0) we again birded the track along the lodge through the forest
but this time the activity was much lower then this morning. Nevertheless we had
some good birds like Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Yellow-spotted Barbet,
Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, White-chinned Prinia, Black-crowned
Waxbill and the beautiful Red-headed Bluebill. We arrived back at the lodge around 6:15
PM, had a shower and excellent dinner in the evening. Our day total ended up
with 69 birds, 26 new ones and the trip list at 370
species.
Day
10: Monday 12 June
After
an early breakfast we headed to the pump-house trail (or Zimmerman’s Grid). A
French film-team was shooting a documentary about Kakamega using a helicopter
for filming the forest canopy. The birding in the densely vegetated forest was
very poor probably because of the noise of the helicopter flying above us. Some
birds noted include Yellowbill, Blue-headed Bee-eater, White-headed
Woodhoopoe, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Square-tailed Drongo, White-tailed
Ant-Thrush, Red-headed Malimbe and Grey-headed Negrofinch. Back at
the pumphouse we had White-breasted Negrofinch and a Black-faced
Rufous-warbler. Around 10:00 PM we walked back towards the lodge and birded
the track along the lodge for a couple of hours. Here we had amongst
Shelley’s Greenbul, Common Bristlebill, Pink-footed Puffback, Chestnut
Wattle-eye, Equatorial Akalat and a Dark-backed Weaver. Back at the
lodge we had lunch at 1:30 PM and relaxed a bit in the garden four a couple of
hours, where I had a Southern Hyliota. As soon as we wanted to start our
afternoon birding at 3:30 PM it started to rain and we had to change our plans a
bit. We stayed close to the lodge by checking out the trail behind the lodge
near a small stream but this was unfortunately without success. From 5:00 PM the
rain stopped and we tried the track along the lodge again. The forest was pretty
quite having only Ansorge’s Greenbul and African Shrike-flycatcher
new for the list. Our list update showed us 62 birds, 24 trip ticks and a
trip list of 394 species. Another six days to go and we are already closing in
to the 400 mark, which was my goal before the trip.
Day
11: Tuesday 13 June
We
left the Rondo Retreat at 7:30 AM for our onwards journey to the Masai Mara via
Kisumu at Lake Victoria. We left Kakamega via the eastern exit and arrived near
Kisumu at around 9:15 AM. Just before entering the city we birded a farmland on
the left of the road having amongst Great Egret, African Jacana, Long-tailed
Fiscal, Southern Red Bishop and Black Bishop. Arriving in town we
picked up a local guide that Joseph had arranged beforehand and we birded the
area along Victoria Lake called Hippo Point. We had some good birds new for the
list including African Openbill, Dideric Cuckoo, Grey-headed Kingfisher,
Swamp Flycatcher, Black-lored Babbler, Carruther’s Cisticola, Red-chested
Sunbird, Slender-billed Weaver, Black-headed Weaver and Yellow-rumped
Seedeater. The local guide tried to call in Papyrus Gonolek but
unfortunately without success. Probably it was already to late in the morning.
Nevertheless we left the area having some very nice birds that we did not see
anywhere else on the trip. We drove out of Kisumu around 00:30 PM for a very
long (five hours) and dusty drive to the Mara. While driving towards the town of
Kisii we noted Abdim’s Stork flying overhead. After refuelling in
Kisii the roads became really horrible with deep potholes and in some places no
real road existing at all. After sharing our lunch box with some local kids we
headed further on having Southern Ground-Hornbill, White-browed Scrub-robin
and Purple Grenadier along the road en route. At 5:30 PM we finally
neared the Mara, and the first sight over the vast plains in the late afternoon
sun was really impressive. We entered the park via the Oloolo Gate in the
north-western part of the reserve and while driving slowly towards the Mara
Serena Lodge we used the last hour of daylight looking for wildlife and birds.
We saw amongst Crowned Plover, Wattled Plover, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Martial
Eagle, Greater Blue-eared Glossy-starling and Yellow Bishop. It was
already dark when we arrived at the excellent Mara Serena Lodge. After a buffet
diner we had a nice cool Tusker in the bar and we updated our checklist. Today’s
total ended up at 82 birds, 19 new for the trip and a trip list of 413 species.
My goal of 400 birds was already achieved and with 5 days remaining I considered
every new bird from now as a bonus.
Day
12: Wednesday 14 June
We
got up just after first light and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over the savannah
plains below us from the lodge’s bar. At 7:15 AM we left the lodge, and while
watching the wildlife and birds we slowly made our way up to the Musiara swamp
in the north-western corner of the reserve. During the drive to Musiara we noted
amongst Temminck’s Courser, Coqui Francolin, Dark-chanting Goshawk, Fischer’s
Sparrow-lark, Short-tailed Lark, Sooty Chat, Rattling Cisticola and
Jackson’s Widowbird. Near the Mara River we had two Water Thick-knee.
We crossed the Mara River and headed for Musiara swamp. Our main target at
Musiara was Rufous-bellied Heron and within 10 minutes we saw three of
them. Other birds at the swamp included Black-headed Heron, Little Bittern,
Black Crake and African Quailfinch. We headed back to the river and
turned back in the direction of the Serena Lodge again. Just before the lodge we
took a right on a track that leads all the way to the eastern side of the
reserve along the Tanzanian border. New birds recorded en route included amongst
Red-necked Spurfowl, Verreaux’s Eagle, Gabar Goshawk, Grey Kestrel, Black
Coucal, Giant Kingfisher and Pectoral-patch Cisticola. At the bridge
crossing the Mara near the Hippo Pools we had Bare-faced Go-Away-Bird and
Chinspot Batis. Arriving in the eastern part of the reserve in the late
afternoon the sky turned black and we had some heavy rain for about an hour or
so. After the rain stopped we found a beautiful Leopard hiding in an acacia
tree. While driving to the Mara Sopa Lodge we noted amongst Shikra,
Red-capped Lark, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Tawny-flanked Prinia, and our only
African Grey Hornbill of the trip. We arrived at the exceptionally
luxurious Mara Sopa Lodge at 6:30 PM. After checking in we had a nice shower to
wash all the dust away, and had a beer in the bar. While sitting there a
bush-baby (Silver Galago) came into the bar via an opening beneath the roof to
collect the food that was laid there by the lodge’s staff. After dinner we
updated the list having a day total of 93 birds, 18 new and a trip list of 431
species.
Day
13: Thursday 15 June
After
breakfast we left the lodge at 7:00 AM to explore the eastern part of the Mara.
We were aware that finding new birds was getting harder by the day as this was
our third day in the Mara. Nevertheless we tried our best and besides birds we
had some spectacular encounters with mammals like Cheetah’s and Lions. Another
spectacular sight was a group of Vultures feasting on the remains of a juvenile
zebra. There were five species of Vultures around with the enormous
Lappet-faced Vulture being the most dominant. One could really hear them
tearing off the flesh which indicated their enormous strength. The other
Vultures around were Rueppell’s Griffon, White-backed Vulture, White-headed
Vulture and the smaller Hooded Vulture. Other new birds recorded
while game driving included Horus Swift, Grey Woodpecker, Rosy-throated
Longclaw, Wing-snapping Cisticola and Yellow-spotted Petronia. As we
drove back to the lodge around 2:00 PM we had a group of Magpie Shrikes
sitting in a low bush along the track. Since it was already late we
decided to skip the afternoon game drive and stay at the lodge to relax the rest
of the afternoon. My only new bird was a Marico Sunbird feeding on
the nectar of the flowers around the swimming pool.
Our
day list ended up at 89 birds, 11 new ones and the trip list at 442
species.
Day
14: Friday 16 June
We
left the lodge after breakfast at around 8:00 AM for our journey to Lake
Naivasha. Again large sections of the road were horrible. The only paved roads
we had was a section about 40km outside the Mara until the town of Narok, and
the last section before the Nairobi/Naivasha junction. The new road from this
junction to Naivasha was still under construction so we had to take the dusty
and bumpy track alongside it. It is said that the new road should be open by the
end of 2006. New birds recorded en route included Hildebrandt’s Francolin
and Black-chested Snake-Eagle. Just before the Naivasha junction we
also had another Kori Bustard. The whole journey including two short
breaks from the Mara to Naivasha took us about 7 hours and we arrived in the
very nice Lake Naivasha Country Club at around 3:00 PM. In the late afternoon we
had a short walk to the lakeshore having Eared Grebe, Hottentot Teal and
Southern Pochard new for the list. Our day total ended up at 59 birds, 9
new ones and a trip list of 451 species. In the evening we watched the football
match Netherlands – Cote d’Ivoire (2:1) in the bar and had a late dinner at 8:00
PM. Wilma was not feeling well and went to bed earlier.
Day
15: Saturday 17 June
Unfortunately
Wilma was still very sick and had to stay in bed today. Joseph and Peter picked
me up at 8:00 AM and we drove to the Naivasha Lodge for a 2 hours boat-trip. As
we walked to the landing stage we had a large group of Grey-backed Shrikes
sitting together in a tree. The weather was perfect for a boat trip having
sunny weather and almost no wind. The view on Crescent Island was really superb
with the contrast of the lake and reeds in front and the wildlife, savannah
woodlands and mountains in the back. During the boat-trip we saw amongst
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron,
Red-billed Duck, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt and hundreds
of Red-knobbed Coots and Great-white Pelicans. Back at the shore
we birded the track towards the main road having African Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo
and Pearl-spotted Owlet new for the list. I arrived back at the lodge
around noon and relaxed a bit until 4:00 PM. We then went to the Fisherman’s
Camp on the south side of the lake which was about a 20 minutes drive. We birded
the camp for about 1½ hours having new birds like Fischer’s Lovebird, Hybrid
Lovebird (fischer’s x yellow-collared), Lesser Swamp-warbler and
Buff-bellied Warbler new for the list. We arrived back at the lodge at
6:30 PM and updated the checklist while enjoying a cool beer. The day total came
at 90 with 15 new resulting in a trip list of 466 species.
Day
16: Sunday 18 June
After
a relaxed breakfast we left the lodge at 8:00 AM for our journey back to
Nairobi. Wilma was feeling a bit better now but she still felt weak. We took the
new Naivasha to Nairobi road and after about 60km we took a turn-off towards the
Kinangop grasslands, a highland plateau which is the stronghold for the endemic
Sharpe’s Longclaw. We found the bird within 15 minutes and also had
Capped Wheatear here. We then headed further and about 60km before
Nairobi we took a side road leading to the highland forest of Gatamayu. The
birding was really great here having 38 species within 2 hours and having some
excellent new birds for our list like Lemon Dove, Bar-tailed Trogon, Mountain
Greenbul, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, White-tailed Crested-flycatcher, Abyssinian
Hill-babbler, Evergreen-forest Warbler, Uganda Wood-warbler, Chestnut-throated
Apalis, Black-headed Apalis and White-browed Crombec. We arrived back
at the van around 1:00 PM and
continued our way towards Nairobi. About 15km before Nairobi we stopped to check
out Limuru Pond located next to the
main road. We saw several ducks and other water birds having Intermediate
Egret, White-faced Whistling-Duck and White-backed Duck new for the
list. We had hoped for Macoa Duck here but unfortunately we dipped on that one.
Nevertheless we had some excellent birds on our last day of the trip. The whole
trip I had hoped for the Bar-tailed Trogon. Seeing it on the last day at
close range gave me a very satisfied feeling about the day and also about the
whole trip. We arrived at the Meridian Court Hotel at around 4:30 PM and said
goodbye to Peter who was not going to bring us to the airport tomorrow. The
rooms in the hotel were excellent with a separate bathroom and living room with
TV. While I watched the World Cup football Wilma went to bed for a few hours
since she was still suffering a bit from her stomach problems. In the evening we
had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. After that I finished my checklist having
62 birds for the day with 14 new ones. Our trip list ended up at a fantastic
number of 480 species.
Monday
19 June
After
breakfast Joseph picked us up at 8:15 AM. The drive to the airport took about 20
minutes. We said goodbye to Joseph and thanked him for organizing a fantastic
trip. Our flight left on schedule at 11:10 AM and went trouble free. In
Amsterdam we had our connecting flight to Duesseldorf arriving there at 9:45 PM.
Another
excellent trip has come to an end. Hopefully one time we will have the
opportunity to return to Kenya doing a trip in the south-east and the coast. We
will certainly ask Joseph again to organize it !!!
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