Window to Wildlife

Another transfer day, we drove through some spectacular scenery as we climbed away from the valley. At a comfort stop near the highest point an Amethyst Sunbird was nectaring at the top of a tree, revealing a jewel like throat. A Greater Blue-eared Starling shone with sparking iridescence in the sunshine and a white morph African Paradise Flycatcher added some interest to the break. Some large overflying swifts were identified by Alex, our guide, as Nyanza Swift, but only the two of us saw these. Greater Blue-eared Starling We continued on, arriving at our next base, the Rondo Christian retreat centre in time for lunch. Once replete, we congregated in the garden for an exploration of the forest and gardens. In a large tree within the grounds, a Crowned Eagle stood guard over a large chick perched just outside the nest. A Brown-capped Warbler foraged along the branch of a nearby tree and an Olive backed Sunbird fed in a flowering shrub. A local guide met us here and we split into two gr...

 Today was a day of two halves, with a fabulous boat trip in the morning and a guided tour of the local area in the afternoon,  searching for some specialist species.  As we woke ready for our boat trip, it was raining and dull outside, leading to Tim making the decision to leave his camera behind. Unfortunately this was a mistake, as the weather quickly brightened after we left and we had some stunning views of birds around the margins and perched on dead trees in the middle of the lake.  Lake Baringo is a freshwater lake at the heart of the Rift Valley. It has been subject to a significant increase in water levels in recent years -  the cause is not fully known, but it seems likely that shifting tectonic plates may be a factor. At one point we were told we were sailing over the site of a five star hotel! Indeed the ground floor of our own accommodation block had been flooded and rendered unusable. Farmland had also been flooded and all of this has had a signif...

 Having arrived at this attractive riverside location at dusk the previous day, in time for dinner, we took some time this morning to explore the grounds before departing for a long transfer with some scheduled stops en route to Lake Baringo. The gardens by the fast flowing river were lush and green with luxuriant flowering shrubs and tall trees. Birds were not abundant nor easy to locate, however a few interesting new species were found.  A Tacazze Sunbird with beautiful purple sheen when caught in the light was nectaring  on flowers around the gardens and a colourful African Paradise Flycatcher was spectacular with an extensive orange tail and bold blue facial markings, but unfortunately with the shade from trees the light was poor for photographs. As we approached the end of the garden, the vegetation opened out and led to a track behind and away from the lodge. A Hadada Ibis and various weavers were found in this area, and as we continued up the track we located a Red...

 We enjoyed another morning in the Samburu National Park, driving to a different part of the reserve and again encountering a good number of new birds and other wildlife. We passed close to the river where we found  a Grey-headed Kingfisher, with huge red bill, and an African Fish Eagle.  African Fish-Eagle Grey-headed Kingfisher Just a short distance further on we stopped again to admire a Rosy Bush-shrike, although this was at some distance, then a few White-throated Bee-eaters, with striking head markings and long, thin tail feathers, flew in and settled alongside the van giving superb views. White-throated  Bee-eater Continuing on, both Yellow-throated and Crested Francolin were spotted scurrying though the undergrowth, and an Emerald Wood-Dove pecked at the bare ground. A flock of  bizarre looking Vulturine Guineafowl gleamed in the brilliant sunshine and as we rounded a corner we stumbled on a Water Thick-knee sat on a scrappy nest just feet from the track...

 As we came out of our lodge in the early morning, there were already birds everywhere. Palm Swifts swooped low over our heads, and various sparrows and weavers pecked at the ground. An Augur Buzzard sat warming his back in the early morning sun and Van-Heusen’s Hornbill were sat in the trees. A group of Blue- naped Mousebirds flew noisily into a bush in front of us as we walked towards the open air terrace for breakfast. Here a Dodson’s Bulbul was tempted by the cakes on offer and a Yellow-billed Hornbill landed optimistically on a branch just beyond the terrace hoping for some titbits. The terrace overlooked a small pool where a Hamerkop stood, and the adjacent trees were full of Black-capped Social Weavers and their nests. Birding while you eat - what could be more perfect! Hotel terrace Dodson’s Bulbul Black-capped Social Weaver After a tasty breakfast, we started the morning with a guided walk around the grounds of our hotel, the Samburu Sopa Lodge. First up was a stunning Yel...

 At The Ark we started the morning with a short, informal birding session from the balcony by the watering hole. Little Swifts were roosting in the rafters overhead and Hunter’s Cisticola, Collared Sunbirds,  Tropical Boubou and many other birds were active in the shrubs and amongst the rocks below. I even saw a White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher and Common Bulbul on the open terrace inside the hotel. We spent some time birding the forest again, finding African Citril and Moustached Green Tinkerbird amongst others. Then we traveled for several hours, where the star bird of the journey was a tall, grey Secretarybird striding across the edge of a field. I was sat near the front of the vehicle so was lucky enough to spot this, but those on the wrong side of the bus, including Tim, were not so lucky and unfortunately this was the only time we saw this rather gangly species. Shortly afterwards we stopped at a restaurant for lunch, sitting outside in a lovely garden with many flowering shr...