Fantastic Kenya birding and mammal safari - January 8-23, 2016

[Alexander33]

I've been looking forward to this ever since you first reported the gerenuks while you were there on the ground. We've been talking about a Kenya trip next January, so I am most interested in hearing more on your thoughts as to a Green Season safari there.

 

That scarlet-chested sunbird is spectacular. Bird photos are always such a challenge. What camera set-up did you employ?

[SSF556]

@@offshorebirder....good to see a fellow South Carolinian getting to spend time in Kenya...we are up the road from you in Greenville and will be headed to Kenya in June. Looking forward to the pics.

[offshorebirder]

@@Alexander33 - thanks very much for the kind words.

 

The camera setup I used is a Canon 7D mk II paired with the new 100-400 ISII zoom lens. I think it is a fabulous combination for safari. You can go from 400mm (like 640mm on the crop sensor 7DmkII) shooting tiny birds down to 100mm (160mm) when an Elephant or other large target suddenly looms into view at close range. It is a very versatile rig and it did well on birds in flight and moving mammal targets. I used a Kinesis bean bag (largest model) and I loved it!

 

The 7DmkII also did surprisingly well on video. I had trouble panning using the bean bag but that was not unexpected...

 

I also took my Canon S110 point and shoot for landscapes and wide angle shots. Next time maybe I will get a 5DmkIII or other full frame sensor and a suitable lens for real landscape work. And I could have used a digiscoping rig for some distant perched birds (like Crowned Eagle) so that will be in my bag next time as well.

Edited January 29, 2016 by offshorebirder

[Alexander33]

@@offshorebirder

 

Thanks. I shoot Nikon, but had pretty much the same set-up as you: D7200 with the 80-400mm VR lens. I agree with you that this is a great combo for safari. Nevertheless, for birds, we always want more reach, don't we? Looks like you were able to get quite close to some of your avian subjects, as well. Great job!

[Tom Kellie]

@TomKellie, we stayed two nights in the Tented camp at Nairobi Nat. Park. We had a super safari there, Seeing both black and white rhino, a nice lion pride, sunni and lots of antelope species. As @offshore birder mentioned the grass is tall in all of Kenya. David our guide mentioned that he had not seen this much grass for ten years. The El Nino is making its presence known. It really did not hinder our game viewing too much. I'm sure we missed seeing some smaller species, but most of the game are in the patches of short grass they have grazed down and are staying out of the tall grass areas to be safe from the predators.

 

We also had a first rate guide at the Nairobi Tented Camp named Andrew. He was as good as any of our other guides in Kenya.

 

Enjoy Kenya Tom, I know you will and we will be looking for your great trip report.

 

~ @@mapumbo

 

Thank you so much!

Your very kind update about field conditions prepares me for tomorrow's game drive.

I'll pass along your greetings to Andrew, if I meet him.

I leave for the airport in ten hours...

Tom K.

[TonyQ]

@@offshorebirder

We did indeed meet that "nice Kansas couple"!

 

@@mapumbo and Mama Ndege were at Offbeat Meru - we shared part of a game drive and had a very enjoyable lunch and dinner. Great to meet fellow safaritalkers - excellent company.

[Patty]

So glad you had a good first trip! Looking forward to more.

[pault]

Excellent start, right from Purdy Arms. We really only had the mammals when we were there as it was a Sunday afternoon and busy and noisy with the bouncy castle set up for the kids.

 

Looking forward to the rest.

 

Something like the Offbeat vehicle suits me too for photography, although I like to have a little table attached to the armrest so you can leave your beanbag on it (with arm on top when driving so it doesn't fall off!). It saves a little time and effort sometimes.

[CDL111]

Good start to the report. Like the pics of the birds. Impressed that you saw such a large herd of ellies.

[xelas]

@@offshorebirder

 

Excellent start; and great photography! For persons like, who is not a birder, those close-ups are very valuable when needed to ID mine.

[TonyQ]

@@offshorebirder

What an excellent range of birds you saw - and high quality images. Very enjoyable to read and looking forward to the rest!

[Marks]

Really excellent, unobstructed bird images.

Thanks for your detailed breakdown of the vehicle experience, too!

Edited January 31, 2016 by Marks

[offshorebirder]

Thanks for the kind words everyone - much obliged.

 

@@Marks - you're very welcome - thanks for your question which allowed me to organize my thoughts and share info regarding vehicles.

[offshorebirder]

Sunday, January 10, 2016.

 

John and Francis picked us up at the Purdy Arms at 6:30am and we were on our way to Nairobi National Park. Traffic was very light that time on a Sunday morning and we were at the main gate in no time.

 

While John proceeded with formalities around our entrance tickets, Francis and Tommy and I birded around the parking area. In addition to some nice but common birds, we also had Black-faced Vervet and Olive Baboons strolling the grounds. One large male in particular looked as if he owned the place - we dubbed him "His Lordship".

 

Entering the main gate at 7am, the road passed through a fairly mature forest with thick understory. And the birding was great! It took us 2.5 hours to reach the Ivory Burning Site 2.4 kilometers from the main gate! The first kilometer of road led through a nice mature forest close to the river, then the second 1.4 kilometers was drier and more grassy as it led between Acacias and shrubs. Forest birds the first hour, then Sunbirds, Cisticolas and more dry-country birds the second hour. The action was nonstop!

 

One of the first birds to greet us was a Grey-backed Camaroptera - a common warbler species that specializes in thick undergrowth in forests, gardens and bush.

 

Grey-backed Camaroptera

 

 

Then as I was examining a White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Francis exclaimed "There's a Suni on the road ahead of us!" Tommy and I watched in awe as one, then two Suni Antelope ambled across the road. One faded into cover on the other side, but one lingered on the pavement, unafraid apparently.

 

Suni Antelope

 

We watched the tiny Suni walk into the forest, and then switched our attention to a Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater. In terms of markings, it was like a big version of Little Bee-eater. Moving on, we stopped almost immediately to admire a White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher. Then WHAM, we had a triple sighting - African Paradise-Flycatcher, Amethyst Sundbird, and Bronzed Sunbird. I chose to admire, then photograph the stunning male African Paradise-Flycatcher. There was also a female present, but she stuck to the thick foliage and did not present good views.

 

African Paradise-Flycatcher

 

Not to be ignored, a Spot-flanked Barbet popped up to our left (what an amazing bird!), and overhead were a group of Little Swifts. Then a pair of Hartlaub's Turacaos began their grunting calls and they moved into view as the Paradise-Flycatcher moved away into cover. Hartlaub's Turacaos are proving a challenge to photograph well - always skulking in the shadows and heavy cover it seems. But very handsome and vocal birds.

 

Then African Palm-Swifts appeared overheard, along with Lesser Striped-Swallows. LSS are very handsome swallows! Just then, a parade of forest species began appearing - Tropical Boubou, Black Cuckoo-Shrike, Yellow White-Eye, African Emerald-Cuckoo. Emerald Cuckoos were a species I had been eager to see - and they are even more alluring in person. Gorgeous birds!

 

Tropical Boubou (a perfect profile photo was interrupted by a pesky twig)

After more good birding, we eventually moved into a drier, more grassy area with acattered Acacias and low shrubs. The bird species shifted to Prinias, Cisticolas, Buntings, Citrils, Waxbills, Widowbirds and Sunbirds! I have long wanted to see a Nightengale, and my wish was finally granted. But Sunbirds were the highlight of the hour.

 

Twice we were treated to amazing closeup views of male Variable Sunbirds - they are astonishingly beautiful when the light catches them just right. We got to watch one of the sunbirds catch and consume a small green inchworm / leaf-roller. The other was busy singing and defending his territory.

 

Hungry male Variable Sunbird

 

 

 

 

Singing male Variable Sunbird

 

 

 

I hesitate to inflict too much birding detail on the ST community at large - but we reveled in multiple male Red-collared Widowbirds hopping up and down in long grass during their display flights, and at two male Singing Cisticolas arguing over their territorial boundary. Again - how does one choose between equally enticing spectacles?

 

Then we visited the Ivory Burning Site out of respect and curiosity. Pretty good birding there, and one can set up a spotting scope as well.

 

We pulled away from the Ivory Burning Site at 9:37, and at 9:43 we were onto a skulking Reed-Warbler of some sort. Giving us the fisheye from the thickets just before Kiboko / Hippo Dam if I'm correct. Worked it patiently and it turned out to be an African Moustached Warbler - good stuff. Eventually he popped up to the top of some brush to sing a little. Photos!

 

African Moustached Warbler

 

At the dam, so many birds to see. A large rookery island of Sacred Ibis dominated the scene, but my eyes went straight to the muddy shoreline looking for shorebirds. There they were - Blacksmith Plovers, Wood Sandpipers, Green Sandpipers, and Common Sandpiper. And African Fish-Eagles perched by themselves, and African Spoonbills among the Egrets and Night-Herons. Then an African Jacana flew in - excellent to see this major target bird. Grosbeak Weavers and African Marsh-Harriers were also competing for our attention - which was hijacked when some Hippos came a little out of the water.

 

By 10:40 we were back into the grasslands listening to Rufous-naped Larks (as heard in the background of so maany documentaries). Then we were excited to see a Coke's Hartebeest herd. It was a nice healthy-looking herd. Just beyond were a pair of Grey-crowned Cranes - distant yet marvelous. But then right in front of us - up popped a Stout Cisticola singing its little rattle song and making its 'chip chip chip chip' call sequence. Husky little fellow and yes, I could see those interesting reddish wing panels.

 

Stout Cisticola. Note the unstreaked nape, lightly streaked crown, heavily streaked mantle and dark tail with pale tip.

 

 

After admiring a Winchat hawking for insects from a low perch, we got into a nice bunch of mammals - including a large Impala herd, a herd of Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, and some Zebras. It was good to soak them in for a long moment, before getting distracted by a Winding Cisticola, a Pin-tailed Whydah and a White-rumped Swift overheard - all "new birds for the trip" as Francis was fond of saying.

 

Maasai Giraffe.

Then we were approaching the rushes and reeds around Hyena Dam and the birds and reptiles started coming. A big Nile Crocodile was sunning and a couple of smaller ones were not quite completely submerged in the water.

 

 

Another Eurasian Marsh-Harrier wheeled about, and shorebirds like Spur-winged Lapwing and Long-toed Lapwing paraded the shoreline. Hammerkop, Squacco Heron, Grey Heron and Yellow-billed Storks roamed the shallows or preened on the shore. Then a Marabou Stork came sailing down. Black Crakes skulked in the fringes of vegetation and Common Moorhens clucked and muttered their disapproval of something. We also had Speke's Weaver, White-browed Coucal, Olivaceous Warbler and Pectoral-patch Cisticola before a nice herd of Grant's Gazelle and several Giraffe (Maasai).

 

Black Crake (immature)

 

 

We then saw a Nile Monitor Lizard slinking off through the flooded grass along the little drainage channel below the dam. A mother and her lone White-faced Whistling-Duck chick came scurring out of the undergrowth and into open water. They may have been bearing mute testament to the loss of the other ducklings at the hand of the Monitor...

 

White-faced Whistling-Duck and her lone surviving chick

 

 

Later we enjoyed Jackson's Widowbirds displaying to each other, White-bellied Bustards, Giraffes with Red-billed and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers in residence, and Zitting Cisticola.

 

 

Zitting Cisticola.

 

We later enjoyed good looks at Black-shouldered Kite (another friend from back home like Common Moorhens and Glossy Ibis) and Bushbuck.

 

Then the game herds began.

 

We saw a nice mother and calf White Rhino - among Zebra, Impala and Buffalo.

 

 

 

Then we saw a larger herd of all the above - including four White Rhino with a big bull, a cow and calf, and another female.

 

 

We also enjoyed good scope looks at a Northern Pied Babbler - the southern form called "rufuensis" - a lighter brown overall, with pale feather edgings on the crown giving a flecked appearance.

 

Then more Zebras and Maasai Ostrich. And Common Drongo, Martial Eagle, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Banded Martins, European Bee-eater and several other neat species - how could one choose where to look!

 

Well, truth be told, I could stand looking elsewhere than this stern-looking female Kenya Rufous Sparrow.

 

I was grinning ear to ear when the proverbial dust settled - though NNP was blissfully free of dust our entire day. Side effects of recent rains I suppose. But the roads were not in too bad a shape - I was pleasantly surprised. And we did see a road grader making its way around.

 

We ended up adding 76 new bird species to the trip list, plus others we had encountered previously. 115 species within the borders of Nairobi National Park.

 

Thanks for bearing with us, Safaritalk mammal enthusiasts, Ye shall have your day soon with Samburu + Buffalo Springs and a week in the Mara!

Edited February 2, 2016 by offshorebirder

[TonyQ]

@@offshorebirder

It is amazing how much a proper birder will see in this situation - and great pictures as well. The variable sunbird is particularly beautiful.

[offshorebirder]

Thanks @@TonyQ - I should note that without our guide Francis, we would have gotten a LOT fewer birds. His eyes and ears are uncanny - on mammals as well as birds.

[CDL111]

What a quantity of new species of birds, it just proves that a safari isn't just about big cats. My wife and I are really enjoying this report.

[Safaridude]

@@offshorebirder

 

Suni… that's a find! I have yet to see one.

[offshorebirder]

@@offshorebirder

 

Suni… that's a find! I have yet to see one.

 

WHAT? I am flabbergasted. Did not realize how lucky we were at the time!

 

In retrospect I should have shot some video. <kicking self>

[offshorebirder]

Monday, January 11, 2016.


John and Francis picked us up at the Purdy Arms at 6:30am for the final time, and we were on our way to Mount Kenya. On the way, we stopped in northwest Nairobi to meet the famous Ben Mugambi and to collect some printed + bound bird checklists. These booklets list all Kenyan bird and mammal species line by line, and have sixteen columns for individual days. Great for keeping track of which species you saw on which days and totaling them up at the end of the trip.

It was great to meet Ben and chat a little while, and we learned that he and John had just been at Mount Kenya and Samburu + Buffalo Springs the previous week with different clients. So we would have up-to-date scouting info for both places.

We got underway again and drove for a while, then at 10:30am we stopped at the Sagana Getaway Resort to do some birding and stretch our legs to break up the long drive. We had been a bit too pressed for time for a birding stop at the Blue Post Hotel in Thika... The resort looked uncomfortably empty and I felt bad for the staff without any guests. So we tipped the bellhop well who accompanied us for our short birding walk around the property.

Walking around the small brushy pond, we had good looks at Striated Heron both perched and in flight. We also enjoyed a very cooperative Pied Wagtail perched in a small Acacia beside the pond. A Grey Kingfisher was a bit more stand-offish and did not present good photo opportunities. We also saw African Golden-Weavers building their nests in an Acacia overhanging the pond. Red-headed Weavers also put in an appearance.


Striated Heron

Pied Wagtail



Walking the trail along the south side of the pond, we had good looks at Black Cuckoo - the western gabonensis form which I think is more attractive than the all-dark nominate / eastern form.

Black Cuckoo - gabonensis

On the trail we also had Northern Black Flycatcher, a female Bearded Woodpecker, a pair of White-bellied Go-away Birds, and previously observed + common birds like Common Bulbul.


Bearded Woodpecker



Around the grassy field we had Bronze Mannikins, and then in the Acacias around the parking area we had skulking African Black-headed Oriole and Sulphur-breasted Bush-Shrike.


African Black-headed Oriole





Sulphur-breasted Bush-Shrike.

After the brief birding stop, we got back underway and then stopped at a vast ricefield complex near Mwea just after noon.

Charleston and surrounding coastal South Carolina were founded on rice cultivation, so Tommy and I were keen to see how Kenyan rice production works. We expected to see rice trunks (water gates), but instead found a different setup. Fresh water ran down from Mt. Kenya in little streams, which then ran into large canals feeding the ricefields. The larger canals then divided into smaller canals which then fed into tiny ones. The way water flow was stopped and started appeared to be done by adding and removing dirt and fill material to create and remove little dams. By hand in many cases it appeared.

Out in the vast ricefields on both sides of the highway, we could see tall lush areas of rice, short-cropped areas where it had recently been harvested, and occasional mounds of rice stalks piled high. We could also see people and oxen out working in the fields.

Mwea ricefield 1

Mwea ricefield 2



There were many Egrets, Herons, Widowbirds and Bishops out in the ricefields. Pools and lagoons around the edges held ducks, shorebirds, gallinules and wading birds.


Lagoon with shorebirds and ducks



Driving on towards Mt Kenya we passed through more rice-growing areas, as well as coffee, tea, and pineapple. Plus smaller groves of bananas and other fruit crops. We loved seeing Oxcarts traveling the roadside with big wooden wheels (similar to Costa Rica but less gaudily painted). And various donkey carts had either 1, 2, or 3 donkeys depending on the load.

Finally we reached the gate at the track up to Castle Forest Lodge. The rainforest engulfing the track was spectacular, and at intervals it was criscrossed by Forest Elephant trails. We had fleeting glimpses of Sykes' Monkey and Black-and-white Colobus as we ascended to Castle Forest Lodge. We reached the lodge at 2pm, just in time to enjoy lunch.

Lunch was an amazing pasta and vegetable dish - very simple and subtly seasoned, yet one of the best meals I had in Kenya.

After checking in and unpacking, we met Francis on the verandah of the lodge to plan the afternoon's activities. We had a hard time concentrating for the bird life. A female Tacazze Sunbird had built a nest among the ivy on the walls of the lodge. She would not visit the nest if you looked at her, but averting one's eyes let her dart in and visit the nest. She delivered small insects to the nestlings and took away fecal sacs. The nestlings were 100% silent - no chattering and begging noisily for food.

We enjoyed Northern Double-collared Sunbirds, Mosque Swallows, Black Saw-wings, Silvery-cheecked Hornbills, Hartlaub's Turacaos, and White-bellied Tits while standing in one spot.

Then a flock of Red-fronted Parrots flew by and perched in a large tree with bare branches. As we left the porch to scope them, a light rain began. Then the rain got a little harder. Tommy decided to go have a little rest and Francis and I soldiered on in our rain gear.

But the birding was good - Spectacled Weaver, Brown-capped Weaver, Brown Woodland Warbler, Willow Warbler, and Gray Cuckoo-Shrike. Then we got good looks at a cooperative Grey-headed Negro-Finch and Black-headed Waxbill. Then we spotted an Oriole-finch! Great bird! It was foraging down low, amid dense fern undergrowth beneath Crotons. The following photo gives an idea how well the Canon 7DmkII and 100-400ISII lens work in low light compared to their predecessors.

Oriole-Finch, 4:05pm, under heavy cover, cloudy conditions and light rain. F/5, 300mm, ISO 2000, 1/128 second shutter speed.



Then we walked the grounds and nearby access road and enjoyed watching Yellow-bellied Waxbills, Yellow Wagtail, Thick-billed Seedeaters, Black-and-white Mannikins, Hunter's Cisticola, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeons, Plain Martins, Tuhlman's Starlings, Green Pigeon, Olive Pigeon, and Black-throated Apalis. We also saw a big troop of Black-and-white Colobus. One of the neat sightings for the day was a Starling whacking a Chamelon over and over again on a branch. Eventually it swallowed the Chameleon and sat for a long time in seeming contentment.

That night after dark we had good looks at Montane Nightjars and tried for roosting African Black Ducks but to no avail. Montane Nightjars are huge Caprimulgids!

Despite spending much of the day driving, we added 62 new bird species to the trip list and some neat mammals as well.

Edited February 2, 2016 by offshorebirder

[amybatt]

@@offshorebirder, that heron shot leading off this last post is exquisite. I'm not that into birds but that one really caught me. Nicely done.

[AKR1]

@@offshorebirder, that heron shot leading off this last post is exquisite. I'm not that into birds but that one really caught me. Nicely done.

+1

[pault]

 

WHAT? I am flabbergasted. Did not realize how lucky we were at the time!

 

In retrospect I should have shot some video. <kicking self>

 

 

<shaking head> Kicking self probably not enough - self-flagellation may seem more appropriate one day.

[pault]

Like the unusual stopovers very much. Would like to know why you chose Castle Forest Lodge.

[offshorebirder]

Thanks very much for the compliment @@amybatt and @@AKR1.

 

I almost did not include that flight shot of the Striated Heron, since the focus is a little too soft for my standards. But I was having trouble coming up with enough decent photos for that day's post so I included it. Just goes to show - one person's "marginal photo" can still bring enjoyment to other people.