Dear All,

I went camping for two full days with the Labrador Club to Elangata-
Wuas, which is at Maili 46 on the Kiganjo-Magadi Railway. This area 
has been known to a few groups for some time, and was visited the 
previous week by the Succulenta Club. However it appears to have 
been largely neglected by the Birding community. 

This is a shame because the local Maasai Group Ranch have set up a 
conservation area called Kudu Hills, where there are bandas plus 
dining room, picnic areas etc set in an attractive valley between 
two uninhabitated and fully intact acacia/commiphora hills. 

We camped along the Toroka River (now a dry sand river), some three 
kilometres south of Maili 46. From here I went walking within a 
kilometre of the camp both mornings from 6-45 am until 10-30 am and 
on one afternoon 3-30 pm until 6-30 pm. On the second afternoon we 
drove some five kilometres south down towards the plains. Our camp 
was at 4,200 feet asl, but was remarkably cool the entire time we 
were there, with a shower on the second afternoon.

Immediately around our camp I recorded the following species:

Common Ostrich, Black-headed Heron, Hamerkop, Knob-billed Duck, 
Tawny Eagle, Eastern Chanting Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian 
Hobby, Pygmy Falcon, Harlequin Quail, Hildebrandt's Francolin, 
Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Crested Francolin, Helmeted Guineafowl, Buff-
crested Bustard, Spotted Thick-knee, Crowned Plover, Speckled 
Pigeon, Namaqua Dove, Ring-necked Dove, African Mourning Dove, 
Laughing Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, White-bellied Go-away-
bird, White-browed Coucal, Diederik Cuckoo, Eurasian Cuckoo, Black 
and White Cuckoo, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Slender-tailed Nightjar, 
Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar, Eurasian Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, 
Little Swift, White-rumped Swift, Nyanza Swift, Blue-naped 
Mousebird, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Eurasian 
Roller, Rufous-crowned Roller, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Von der 
Decken's Hornbill, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, D'Arnaud's Barbet, Red-
and-yellow Barbet, Red-fronted Barbet, Spot-flanked Barbet, Black-
throated Barbet, Lesser Honeyguide, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal 
Woodpecker, Fischer's Sparrow-Lark, Fawn-colored Lark, Tree Pipit, 
Yellow Wagtail, Lesser Striped Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Barn 
Swallow, Common Bulbul, Rufous Chatterer, White-browed Scrub Robin, 
Spotted Morning Thrush, Irania, Nightingale, Common Rock Thrush, 
Northern Wheatear, Bare-eyed Thrush, African Grey Flycatcher, 
Spotted Flycatcher, Eurasian Reed-Warbler, Yellow-breasted Apalis, 
Grey Wren Warbler, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Desert Cisticola, 
Rattling Cisticola, Ashy Cisticola, Tiny Cisticola, Yellow-bellied 
Eremomela, Upcher's Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Banded Parisoma, 
Buff-bellied Warbler, Willow Warbler, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red-
fronted Warbler, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Barred Warbler, 
Northern Crombec, Red-faced Crombec, Abyssinian White-eye, Red-
throated Tit, African Penduline Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, 
African Paradise Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Northern White-crowned 
Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Taita Fiscal, Slate-
coloured Boubou, Grey-headed Bush-shrike, Sulphur-breasted Bush-
shrike, Brubru, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Common Drongo, Violet-backed 
Starling, Wattled Starling, Hildebrandt's Starling, Superb Starling, 
Red-winged Starling, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Marico Sunbird, 
Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Beautiful Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, 
Chestnut Sparrow, Yellow-spotted Petronia, Red-billed Buffalo-
Weaver, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Lesser Masked Weaver, Black-
necked Weaver, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Grey-capped Social-Weaver, 
Red-billed Quelea, Black-faced Waxbill, Red-billed Firefinch, 
African Silverbill, Green-winged Pytilia, Blue-capped Cordonbleu, 
Purple Grenadier, Straw-tailed Whydah, Pin-tailed Whydah, Yellow-
rumped Seedeater, Southern Grosbeak Canary and White-bellied Canary.

On the afternoon we descended to the plain we additionally found:

Abdim's Stork, Egyptian Goose, Pallid Harrier, Black-shouldered 
Kite, African Hawk-Eagle, Matial Eagle, Lanner Falcon, Lesser 
Kestrel, Capped Wheatear, Red-tailed Shrike, Pringle's Puffback, Cut-
throat Finch, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Grey-headed Silverbill, Quail-
finch, Steel-blue Whydah, Paradise Whydah and Somali Golden-breasted 
Bunting.

Black-chested Snake Eagle, Black-faced Sandgrouse were seen by other 
people but not by myself. This brings the total number of species 
recorded in the scrub and plains to an amazing 156 species, not at 
all bad for a semi-arid environment.

Of the more interesting species, from our camp Freckled Nightjars 
called from a nearby lava escarpment, whilst both Donaldson-Smith's 
and Slender-tailed called from the surrounding scrub. African 
Penduline Tit was seen in two places, and in the same bushes at the 
same time as Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit which was more numerous as 
would be expected. This is the first time I have ever encountered 
the two species together, and African is a species never recorded 
along the Magadi Road. Pringle's Puffback were frequent in the 
commiphora scrub on the way to the plains. I was surprised to find 
that they were normal black-backed birds typical of the Tsavo scrub 
well to the east, and not the silver-backed form found on the Ngong 
Hills. This extends the range of nominate Pringle's considerably, 
but brings the two forms much closer together than ever suspected. 
There were tens of thousands of Red-billed Quelea in the plains.

Migrant non-passerines were restricted to a couple of Eurasian 
Nightjars, one Hobby, a few Lesser Kestrels and one Eurasian Cuckoo.

Migrant passerines were much in evidence, good numbers of 
Whitethroat, a few Garden Warbler, no less than ten Barred Warblers, 
fewer Olivaceous than would be expected but two Upcher's Warblers. A 
good sprinkling of Willow Warblers and one Eurasian Reed Warbler. 
Only one each of Tree Pipit and Yellow Wagtail. Irania was quite 
common with about ten recorded, but only one Nightingale and six or 
more Eurasian Rock Thrush. Three Northern Wheatears were the only 
migrant wheatears seen. Spotted Flycatchers were numerous and Barn 
Swallows passed over in a steady stream. The first Lesser Grey 
Shrikes made an appearance (2) with five Red-backed and only one Red-
tailed Shrike. 

To access the area we took the Icross Road off the Magadi Road, for 
46 kilometres to Maili 46, this is the more direct and at the time 
we did this the road was in quite good condition, we departed via 
Kajiado Isinya, Kiserian which is longer but the roads are much 
better. To reach the area from this direction a sign "Kudu Hills" is 
well placed to the right about five kilometres after passing through 
Kajiado. Follow this road, there is only one junction, and again the 
road is signposted to the right for Kudu Hills and Elangata Wuas.

Camping fees are Ksh 300 per person per night both in the bush and 
in the compound. Bandas are Ksh 400 per person per night, items 
should be brought in, but there is a restaurant and bar. Dormitory 
Beds are Ksh 300 pp/per night. Power is supplied by Solar and Wind 
Generators, and there are Solar Showers. There is a resident 
extremely good bird guide Ezekiel who is from the area, and is 
additionally very good on the vegetation of the area . Locals are 
very friendly and cheerful. Bookings can be made through the 
National Museum (254 2) 751319, email info@rpsud.org

I highly recommend a visit to this place as at least at this time of 
year it is extraordinarily rich, and at no great distance from 
Nairobi.

Best Birding 

Brian