We arrived in Kenya at 05:00 after a 9 hour flight with very little sleep, but were straight into the birding, relying on adrenaline to keep us going. Around the airport forecourt we had many Palm Swifts, with needle like pointed tails, and dumpy Little Swifts with white rumps circling overhead. Large Pied Crows perched on the rooftops. An African Pied Wagtail flicked its tail on the path and a Speckled Pigeon fed on the grass whilst an appropriately named Superb Starling, with iridescent blue and orange plumage, rested on a nearby lamppost. In the distance some Red-winged Starlings flew across, black and long tailed until they flew, revealing flashes of orange-red… and we hadn’t even reached the coffee shop yet!
After a quick drink we piled into our Land Cruiser vehicles and set off for Nairobi National Park. The roads were hair-raising, with heavy traffic and no road signs or traffic lights, just cars pushing assertively in all directions, but seemingly all knowing just when to pause to avoid hitting another vehicle. There were also huge numbers of pedestrians walking along the muddy tracks adjacent to the road - no pavements here. It was also striking that this was a much younger population than in the cities of the UK.
On arrival at the National Park we stopped for a comfort break and to wait for the other vehicle before driving around the park. Our flying start continued apace, with many birds busy feeding by the car park, including delightful Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu and the ubiquitous Baglafecht Weaver, (present at most of our locations and subsequently dubbed ‘Baggy’ as it was easier to pronounce!) A colourful Abyssinian Thrush hopped on the lawn while a Red eyed Dove sang from a branch over our head.
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| Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu |
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Abyssinian Thrush
Before long we set off in the vehicles, quickly adding new species in the roadside bushes - White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Variable Sunbird, White-browed Scrub-Robin, Cape Robin-chat to name a few. Why are the names of African birds so long?! |
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| Variable Sunbird |
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| White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher |
After some time we arrived at a small wetland area with a different assortment of bird species. Alongside two species of Cormorant (Great and Long-tailed) were rufous headed, elegant African Darters. A Pied Kingfisher came obligingly close to the vehicle for photos, whilst Common And Wood Sandpipers fed briefly at the water margins before flying off, and a Lesser Swamp Warbler balanced precariously for a few moments on the reeds before that too disappeared from view.
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Pied Kingfisher
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Other noteworthy species here included some basking Hippos and Crocodiles, and a Maribou Stork, which sadly won’t be winning any beauty contests in a hurry…
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| Maribou Stork |
Next we arrived at a more open part of the reserve, where alongside more birds such as Grey-headed Warbler, Kenya Sparrow and Helmeted Guineafowl and many others, we were thrilled to get close views of Black Rhino and a couple of young Lions, as well as Zebra and several species of antelope. A Giraffe was also seen in the distance.
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| Common Zebra |
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| Black Rhino |
By now it was well into the afternoon so we paused at a designated picnic spot within the park grounds.
As we ate several birds hopped close on the ground or in the nearby bushes, providing good opportunities for photography. New species included Holub’s Golden Weaver and Speke’s Weaver. A broad billed bird amongst the Kenya Sparrows was identified as a White-winged Widowbird in non-breeding plumage. Several Raptors soared overhead, inducing a huge Martial Eagle and the beautiful red-tailed Augur Buzzards, while a White-backed Vulture rested in the treetop.
Our species list continued to grow as we progressed. Stunning Little Bee-eaters showed brilliantly on the roadside right next to our vehicles.
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| Little Bee-eater |
At a small marshy pool we found a beautiful buttery Yellow-throated Longclaw and a pair of Malachite Kingfishers. In one of the trees I spotted a green bird perched, which our guide identified as a Diederik Cuckoo. A Yellow- throated Francolin wandered across the road and scurried into the vegetation. We found both male and female Common Ostrich, together with a cluster of fluffy chicks. One female flapped her wings and puffed her tail, in a joyful dance for several minutes, despite there being no male bird in sight.
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| Common Ostrich |
It is impossible to name all the species since but by the end of the visit we had seen over eighty different species, making an impressive and somewhat mind blowing start to our trip. Finally we drove to our hotel in Nairobi for an overnight stop, ready for an early departure tomorrow. We were all in need of a good night’s sleep ready for the next day’s adventure.
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