I went on a birding tour of south-western Kenya with the UK company Sunbird
this January.
The trip was about 15 days and included Nairobi National Park, the
Highlands inc lower slopes of Mt Kenya, the Rift Valley Lakes, Kakamenga
Forest in Western Province, the shores of Lake Victoria, the Masai Mara
Game Rerserve.
The trip total was 574 spp, of which 514 were new to me. The trip also has
an extension down to the coast for another week (which I didn;t go on)
which would have added another 100 species or so. The trip is called
'Birders' Special' and Sunbird run it in January and November. The price
seemed comparable with African tours out of Australia, and for smoothness
and organisation it couldn't be faulted. [I should make the usual
disclaimer about not having any interest in Sunbird besides being a
satisfied customer]. The leader, David Fisher, and the two Kenyan guides
Mel and Kit certainly knew their Kenyan birds.
With such am enormous list it would be difficult to pick out highlights,
but these would include:
* the enormous number of eagles and other birds of prey (probably something
like 15 species of eagle, including the huge, menacing, monkey-eating
Crowned Eagle, 6 spp of Vulture, and other raptors);
* Ground Hornbill, like huge ragged black plastic rubbish sacks, they must
be the terror of the plains for lizards, snakes and so forth;
* various bustards including the Kori Bustard;
* a group of Painted Snipe at the Marsh in the Masai Mara, in the driving
rain;
* 100s of 1000s Lesser Flamingos at Lake Elementaita, like a pink carpet
around the edges;
* two spp of Eagle Owls in one day at Hell's Gate NP;
* the usual madding, frustrating, but ultimately rewarding closed forest
birding at Kakamega;
* the brightly coloured Turacos (Ross's is a cracker);
* catching up with various European migrants I never saw in Europe (White
Stork, Olivaceous Warbler, Hoopoe &c)
I could go on, but suffice it say it was a wonderful trip and I would
recommend it to anyone.
John Leonard
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
John Leonard (Dr),
PO Box 243,
Woden, ACT 2606,
Australia
http://www.spirit.net.au/~jleonard
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