Kenya Birds & Wildlife & Masai Mara Extension Nov 01—19, 2009
Posted by David Wolf
David Wolf
David Wolf is a senior member of the VENT staff and one of our most experienced tour leaders. After birding the U.S. and Mexico for over a decade, an interest in the wildli...Related Trips
Even now, 35 years since my first visit, Kenya amazes me. How can there possibly be such incredible diversity in such a small area—so many different birds, animals, even peoples? The answer lies in the complex terrain and climate, but what it means for the visitor is an inexhaustible wealth of things to see. We took full advantage of this abundance on this trip, from our first birding strolls in Nairobi to our final game drive in the Masai Mara. In-between came an impressive array of mammals, over 535 species of birds, and a lifetime of memories of Africa.
The previous year the rains had failed and severe drought hit most of the region, a very difficult time for the people and domestic livestock, as well as the wild animals and birds. It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise to find out upon arrival that at least some rain had fallen almost everywhere in the previous weeks. The response from the birds and animals was immediate, as the countryside turned green and new food resources became available, and with each passing day we found more and more clues that the recovery had begun. Birds from a wide variety of families were breaking into song and starting a new nesting cycle. Especially noteworthy were the many singing cuckoos that we found, as these brood parasites do not appear until their hosts are breeding. We also saw all of the weavers possible on this route. This is a large and important family in Africa, notable for their unusual breeding habits, and most of those seen were starting work on their fascinating nests.
In the Rift Valley water was slowly trickling back into the lakes, and as their levels rose the birds arrived. At Nakuru we found at least a quarter of a million Lesser Flamingoes (or was it half a million?), one of the most incredible bird sights in the world. In the Samburu/Buffalo Springs Reserves we found ourselves amidst herds of up to 100 elephants just arriving back in the area from their dry-season refuges. Unfortunately, they were eagerly pushing over many of the acacia trees to get at the tender new leaves sprouting from the rain.
By the time we arrived in the Masai Mara, much of the western grasslands of the reserve had become a vast, shallow marsh. Here we found all eight of the African storks, most of them feasting on frogs, grasshoppers, or termites brought out by the rain, plus a surprising variety of other waterbirds. The great migratory herds of wildebeest were gone, lured back to Tanzania by the rain, but the resident wildlife was conspicuous. Many of the antelope and buffalo had small calves, each of them born at a good time for a nutritious head start in life. This also meant for easy pickings for the large predators. Lions were observed so many times that we lost count, while an hour spent watching a female cheetah with three large cubs finish off a big meal was never to be forgotten. Especially thrilling was the leopard that jumped up and scampered away as we were photographing a huge male giraffe.
Each area visited yielded highlights, but try to pick just one! Was it the stunning pair of Bar-tailed Trogons that capped our very successful time in the Kakamega rainforest? Or the three Black Herons at Lake Naivasha, feeding in their unique manner with wings spread to form a shady canopy? What about the magnificent pair of Saddle-billed Storks, standing twice as tall as their cohorts around them? Or the "brancher" Martial Eagle screaming loudly for food, fledged but not yet capable of feeding itself—or balancing well on the treetops? Maybe the trio of Three-banded Coursers and the sleepy Grayish Eagle-Owls found for us by the "bird boys" at Baringo? The stately crowned-cranes or huge Kori Bustards? The glittering green and yellow Emerald Cuckoo or the tiny and brilliant African Pygmy Kingfisher? Surely it wasn't the obscure Toro Olive Greenbul, cisticolas, or Chapin's Flycatcher that your leader got so excited about. All, however, were part of our wonderful Kenya safari.
Much of our success was due to the incredible skills and patience of our driver-guides, Bernard Koinange for the main safari, Nick in Samburuland, and Willie in the Masai Mara. To them we extend a special "thank you."