Following a 3-day birding safari with my clients Eileen & Juan Sada of
Mexico, herewith, are the highlights of the same. Fuller lists of the
birds of the visited sites can be found at www.worldbirds.org/kenya

Day 1: Friday, 31st August 2007, Nairobi National Park (06h50 -18h20)

The day's weather was rather gloomy following a prolonged cold and
cloudy spells most of the a.m. hours, with, brief sunny intervals,
only in the afternoon. 

Despite, all the odds of the weather, 134 birds' species constituted
the day's list. The highlight species were the arrival of the early
Eurasian migrants namely: Common Sandpiper, Eurasian Swift, Barn
Swallow, and Willow Warbler. 

On the raptors list, the following were observed and the numbers in
parenthesis are the individual counts: Secretary Bird (1),
Black-shouldered Kite (4), Black Kite (1), African White-backed
Vulture (c.200), Lappet-faced Vulture (1), Bateleur (2), Gabar Goshawk
(1), Great Sparrowhawk (1), Augur Buzzard (3), Tawny Eagle (2),
Long-crested Eagle (2), Martial Eagle (1), Verreaux's Eagle Owl (1),
and Marsh Owl (2).  

The following noted species were having young ones Gabar Goshawk,
Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Long-tailed Cormorant, Yellow-billed Stork,
Long-tailed Fiscal and Winding Cisticola.

The Cisticola list was impressive with Singing, Red-faced, Winding,
Stout, Rattling, Siffling, and Zitting topping-up the list. The
Violet-backed and Wattled Starlings were numerous, with the latter
species trailing the herds of the Zebras.

Day 2: Saturday, 1st September 2007, Manguo / Limuru Sewage Ponds /
Gatamaiyu Forest (07h25 – 13h20)

In the addition, to our company, Nick Kinyanjui, a local guide with
KENVO, joined us for the day outing.

The weather at start was rather inclement with chilly, windy morning.
The sunny spells in the afternoon, while, birding in the forest were
rewarding. 

At Manguo floodplains, 25 species were recorded. White-backed and
Maccoa Ducks were the main highlights. Numerous young ones of the
Red-knobbed Coots were noted. Hunter's Cisiticola were displaying and
singing to their fullest.

Limuru Sewage Ponds had 32 species. Notably were the Ruff, Glossy
Ibis, Golden-winged, Bronze, and Malachite Sunbird, Little Rush and
Lesser Swamp Warbler were identified through their calls.

Birding within the forest, was rather, rewarding with 34 species,
including, the birds seen while en-route to the forest. These included
Augur Buzzard, Black Saw-wing, Common Stonechat, Hunter's Cisiticola,
and Streaky Seedeater. Several "bird-hunting parties" were
encountered, which, led to the sighting of the forest species namely:
Hartlaub's Turaco, African Emerald Cuckoo (calls were heard, though,
it proved to be an elusive species to be spotted), Fine-banded
Woodpecker, Yellow-whiskered, Mountain and Cabanis's Greenbuls,
African Hill Babbler, White-starred Robin, Ruppell's Robin Chat,
African Dusky Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Brown Woodland
Warbler, Chestnut-throated, Grey, Black-throated and Black-collared
Apalis, Montane Black-headed Oriole, and the Brown-capped Weaver.

Other interesting wildlife in the area included c.20 Black & White
Colobus Monkeys and Jackson's Chameleon. Numerous spoors and newly
opened tracks of the elephants were evident. Moreover, Nick informed
us that during the recently concluded (2-weeks ago) biodiversity
monitoring exercise, over 20 young claves were counted, and that the
elephants will remain in the Kereita forest block/area until the end
of the "calving season" in November.
 
Day 3: Sunday, 2nd September 2007, Magadi (08h00 – 15h30)

On the contrary, the weather, Magadi was hot, dry and sunny. The area
seemed to have received some rain showers (the past night), as the
vegetation was turning into lush green, and the scattered Acacia
brevisipica in full blossoms, with sweet fragrances filling up the air. 

The day's tally count was 68 species; however, the commoner species
were missed out, including: Common Bulbul, Taita Fiscal. The five
raptors observed were Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk (1), Augur Buzzard
(1), Tawny (2) and Verreaux's (2) Eagles, and Common Kestrel (1).

The following species had young ones Yellow-billed Stork, Beautiful,
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbirds, and the Yellow-fronted Canary. 

To wind-up, I would wish to share with you the entire group the
following quote:

"What is man without the beast? If all the beasts were gone, Man would
die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the
beasts also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls
the earth, befalls the sons of the earth. Continue to contaminate your
bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. When the
buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret
corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view
of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket?
Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. And what is to say good-bye to the
swift and the hunt; the end of living and the beginning of survival." 

(Chief Seathl. A North American Indian in a letter to the President of
the United States of America – 1855).

It was a wonderful way to wind up the weekend's birding and in good
company!

Cheers and happy birding,
James Kuria Ndung'u