A great stay at Mountain Lodge 11th and 12th February 2011

After a great stay at Solio, Vicki and I were wondering how to “top it” in the Mount Kenya area and having read Brian Finch’s mouth-watering report about a recent stay at Mountain Lodge, we decided to give it a whirl for a couple of nights before heading back to the Mara. One word describes the experience – AMAZING!

We were given a choice of rooms by the friendly staff and opted for #32 at the top left of the hotel (if you are facing the waterhole). I have never felt inclined to recommend a particular room anywhere before but I have to admit that I would probably not have seen certain birds had we not stayed in that very room. We decided to stay on our own balcony rather than the roof-top so, with the luggage in and a drink in hand, we began our vigil from 4pm and I was rewarded with 9 lifers before dusk;

Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon - flocks of up to 20 coming down to the waterhole area to collect grit - or so it seemed.

Scarce Swift - two singles seen with big numbers of House Martins (maybe 300+)

Cape Wagtail - two around the waterhole

Hunter’s Cisticola - a group of five calling regularly and noisily just below our room

Black-throated Apalis - four birds landed in the low scrub on the otherside of the waterhole and fed in the open. Blinding views through the scope of these stunning little birds. Males showed lots of white in the wing.

Montane White-eye - a couple of small groups seen

Oriole Finch - two males seen in same bushes as the B-t Apalis

Although I could not confirm the ID of the following two species, based on distribution alone there were almost certainly two Slender-billed Starling and a couple of Mountain Oriole also seen but the views were not sufficient to be 100%.

Other goodies included a fine Olive Pigeon among the Bronze-naped's, a male Golden-winged Sunbird and Montane Nightjar heard calling at dusk but not seen. Game at the waterhole that evening included 20 Bushbuck, 25+ Waterbuck and two Spotted Hyena.

The vigil from the room continued from 6.10am the following morning and produced a very obliging Oriole Finch directly under our room (see image attached), a pair of Abyssinian Crimsonwing there also, and plenty of Yellow-crowned Canary dotting around (the latter two being new for me). An immature Black Stork (my second in a fortnight) landed at the pool for an hour or so, and a pair of Crowned Eagle displayed within sight of the room. Later, they perched across from our room and made sorties for Black-and-white Colubus out of sight from us but we could hear the commotion. I took a break in the early afternoon but play resumed at 4pm when two Black-headed Waxbill popped up in the reeds of the waterhole and a Mountain Greenbul fed in the tree next to the room (both new for me). At least two Emerald Cuckoo called in the afternoon but I couldn't locate them.

25+ Buffalo attended the waterhole in the evening as well as single White-tailed and Marsh Mongoose, and many Bushbuck, but the highlight was a Giant Forest Hog that we had never seen before.

On our last morning, we saw many of the same species again but also a pair of Brown-capped Weaver in the bushes below the room and just as we were getting into the car, a Grey-headed Negrofinch sat on top of a bush next to us.