September report from Mara, Ol Pejeta, Sosian, Sabuk and Samburu

Following a very busy August at Naibor Camp, Vicki and I took two weeks leave and planned a safari to central and northern Kenya with the managers of Naboisho Camp (and formerly of Rekero Camp), Dudu Beaton and Jono Raynor. Although I was the only serious birder on the trip, the others were happy to indulge my many “bird stops” along the way. It was a very successful birding trip for me personally as I recorded 23 lifers (bold in the text), and added several other birds to my Kenya list. I have uploaded several bird images from the trip on the Surfbirds website (www.surfbirds.com), under the “World Birding” gallery (or click here http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery25 ).

On 1^st September, Vicki and I took an early drive to the newly built Naboisho Camp in Naboisho Conservancy, where we met with Jono and Dudu. The camp is one of the prettiest in the Mara and very well run. A gentle walk around the camp before lunch produced several Red-throated Tit and plenty of Purple Grenadier, Brubru and Buff-bellied Warbler, with a pair of Abyssinian Scimitarbill also seen. We relaxed in camp for most of the afternoon but took a slow drive into the Olare Orok Conservancy in the afternoon where the only bird of note was a Curlew Sandpiper flushed from a dam late in the day.

The first birds seen as I stepped out of the tent were a pair of Buff-bellied Penduline Tit, which I had recorded on call at Siana Springs earlier in the year but no seen well previously. These birds allowed a close approach and many images were taken. A walk down to the mess tent and surrounding area produced several more Red-throated Tit and two Bush Pipit seen briefly on the ground before taking flight. Around 4pm, I took another walk around the camp and located three Bush Pipit, a Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike and a single Mottled Swift, low overhead, among the many other resident acacia scrub species. Around 5pm, we took a drive around the Naboisho Conservancy, passing through superb habitat for Karamoja Apalis (the camp in located <2km from where I photographed three birds in January) but none were seen. Three Caspian Plover were seen early in the drive (my first for the season) and the area had plenty of Taita Fiscal and White-bellied Bustard. Sundowners were taken next to a large herd of elephant before a delicious dinner.

A relaxed start to the morning walk produced several more Red-throated Tit and I finally caught up with a pair of one of my Kenya “bogey-birds”, Banded Parisoma. Departing Naboisho for Nairobi, we passed 4 Caspian Plover on the way out of camp and then a Yellow-bellied Eremomela at a pit-stop on the road out of the Mara. Dudu remained in camp for a few more days and we were to rendez-vous at Nanyuki on 5^th.

We drove straight to Nanyuki, with the only sighting of note being a single African Hobby about 20km south of Naro Moru, before stopping at Barney’s for lunch, where several displaying Red-collared Widowbird were seen. As we entered the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in the middle of the afternoon, I was impressed to see a large flock of Speke’s Weaver nesting under the numerous solar panels at the gate – quite a cool sight. After a few kilometres, an adult Cuckoo Hawk flapped and soared in front of our vehicle, my first sighting in Kenya. Despite the onset of rain, we enjoyed the game viewing here which included Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe and Jackson’s Hartebeest. Poor driving conditions resulted in us getting bogged down in some black cotton soil which delayed our arrival into camp by an hour.

The day started bright and we made the most of the dry morning. Several Ethiopian Swallow were seen well along with Taita Fiscal, Quailfinch, Black-lored Babbler and Rufous Chatterer. Hildebrandt’s Francolin called in the deep scrub and many Yellow-necked Spurfowl were seen. Despite hearing them on several occasions, I had never had good views of Siffling Cisticola before and many were seen in the scrub here, as were many Black-headed Oriole.

Game sightings included a Cheetah catching a young warthog very close to our car and then chased itself by three yapping Black-backed Jackal, a Lioness, Black Rhino, Bush Duiker, plenty of elephant and good numbers of other plains game. Over lunch, Alex Hunter, the manager, told me that Red-throated Wryneck is regularly seen in and around the camp and Finfoot are sometimes seen in the river nearby (both well worth a re-visit).

In afternoon, we headed back into Nanyuki to collect Dudu and, on the way, stumbled across 7 Shelley’s Francolin feeding in the open. Late in the afternoon, a Spur-winged Goose was seen on the main marsh and 3 more Black Rhino revealed themselves.

On our morning drive out of Ol Pejeta, we located another 7 Shelley’s Francolin, in two groups, 4 Kori Bustard on the northern plains and a Sectretarybird on flight, as well as two Lion and the usual large numbers of plains game. After reading Brian and Nigel’s mouth-watering report of their stay at Sosian ranch, we headed there in the afternoon. Along the way, we encountered our first of many flocks of the stunning Vulturine Guineafowl (which somehow got corrupted to “Wolverines” for the rest of our safari!), as well as Eastern Chanting Goshawk and Grey-headed Silverbill.

We arrived at Sosian for a fine lunch by the pool and were warmly received by the manager Steve Carey, assistant guide Simon Kenyon (a superb spotter by any standards, in case I forget to mention it later), Rosie the camp assistant and the rest of the wonderful Sosian team. Despite some mid-afternoon rain, we all decided to go for a long evening drive which happened to coincide with an enormous flying-termite hatch. This encouraged two Heuglin’s Courser to chase them on one of the main tracks and good daytime views were enjoyed. This was followed by a brief flight view of a male Harlequin Quail. At the northern section of the ranch, we stopped to scan for game and birds and it seemed that our arrival was very well timed. As I scanned the horizon, I counted no fewer than 12 Marsh Owl in one pan of the skyline, all apparently pursuing the termites in flight, and there were almost certainly several more on the ground. Unfortunately, none of them were close enough for photos but the sighting in itself was very rewarding. No sign any Grass Owl that are rumoured to be present but a fine adult male Hartlaub’s Bustard was seen flying in the distance. It was interesting to compare “bustard notes” further to Brian’s report on the Sosian “Black-bellied/ Hartlaub’s” conumdrum; I only saw a single Black-bellied Bustard during our 3-night stay here but around 10 Hartlaub’s including one that I photographed in flight and posted on surfbirds. More rain threatened but we stayed mostly dry for the night drive which produced half a dozen more Heuglin’s Courser and several nightjars in flight only, which appeared to be Dusky but I could not confirm. The game was great and we saw our first Zorilla, plus Striped and Spotted Hyena, and a pride of many Lion.

One of the reasons our group was so keen to stay at Sosian was the presence of Wild Dogs, something that Jono and Dudu had not seen before and were itching to see on this trip. There are two packs in the area, consisting of 13 and 38 individuals, both of which contain collared animals for tracking purposes. Our remit for the day was to track and find the dogs and it didn’t take long for Steve and Simon to locate them behind a nearby cliff. We drove as close as we could then followed our guides on foot to where the dogs were seen resting less than 100m in front of us – a highly memorable encounter. We stayed with them for about 15 minutes before they started to make tracks and we did not see them again that morning. That didn’t stop us travelling across Sosian and neighbouring ranches in search of the other pack and the journey afforded good views of Vulturine Guineafowl, Martial Eagle, Pygmy and Pied Kingfishers, Red-billed and Von der Decken’s Hornbills, Blue-naped Mousebird, Fawn-coloured Lark, White-browed Scrub Robin, Straw-tailed and Pin-tailed Whydah and Chestnut Weaver. Probably the most entertaining bird sighting for the group was an immature Harrier-Hawk seen chasing agama lizards down a bare rock face and was successful in its quest. A pair of Bare-eyed Thrush was the highlight for me.

On the open flooded marsh, a Gull-billed tern was the first that Steve had recorded there and other goodies included Squacco and Purple Heron plus many Red-billed Teal and Yellow-billed Duck. Migrant waders included Wood, Green and Marsh Sandpipers and 6 Greenshank. After brunch by the river, we headed back to base where the place was full of bird activity. Overhead were Alpine, Nyanza, Eurasian, Little and White-rumped Swifts, Ethiopian Swallow around the horse paddocks, and around the gardens were Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, Chestnut Sparrow, Spotted Morning Thrush, Violet-backed, Hildebrandt’s, Ruppell’s Long-tailed and Greater Blue-eared Starlings plus noisy D’arnaud’s and Red-fronted Barbets.

After a snooze, I woke to a fine Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike calling just outside the room and it posed wonderfully for photos. For the afternoon drive, we went back towards where we lost the dogs in the morning and were fortunate enough to spot the pack from the top of the Baboon cliffs, which we had scaled for sundowners. We put the drinks back on ice and raced down to the river next to where they huddled together. Just as we arrived, the dogs jumped into the fast flowing river and swam to our side. While everyone else was in heaven about the dogs, I was over the moon at the sight of an African Finfoot swimming down the river just 20m away, my first sighting in East Africa. Steve says that he often sees them of this stretch of river but I’m not sure if this is part of their known range as neither F&S or ZTP mark this location in their maps.

We followed the dogs but they were unsuccessful in flushing prey from where we were watching. As night fell, we began to hear Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar (sounding more like a bushshrike to my ear) which Steve expertly ID’d on call. We saw a few other flying nightjars but views were poor and a definite ID not possible. Night-time game sightings included a close-up male Leopard and several genets.

Jono and Dudu were keen to extend their luck with the Wild Dog pack and were fortunate enough to locate them again. Meanwhile, Vicki and I took a bird-drive with Steve in search of some of the finer dry country birds of the area. Around the ranch we quickly found some Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse and ten minutes later we stumbled across an immaculate male Steel-blue Whydah. Black-capped Social Weaver were also new for me and at 8.15am, we headed back to the open swamp where the Gull-billed Tern remained. Steve suggested we wait a short time as the sandgrouse were expected to come for water at any point. Sure enough of stunning flock of 14 Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse arrived followed by a single Black-faced. Around 15+ White-faced Whistling Duck flew around before settling down and a solitary Spur-winged Goose was also seen. We took a small walking safari along the edge of the swamp and soon located a male Painted Snipe, 5 Little Stint plus many of the other common Palaearctic migrant waders. Several Quailfinch were flushed along the marsh edge while in the centre of the marsh, the Purple Heron and a Madagascar Pond Heron were seen. Steve’s Samburu guide then latched onto a “chipping” Greater Honeyguide and it lead us 300m to a small bees-nest in the ground – quite a thrill to experience. Also here, we came across the most confiding male Namaqua Dove I’ve ever seen which allowed a great approach for photos. As we left the marsh, we clocked an odd wagtail which was soon identified as a Cape Wagtail, the first which Steve had seen at this site. We tried our luck for Buff-crested Bustard but no luck so headed off in search of Rosy-patched Bushshrike instead. This bird was very high on my wish list, and Steve didn’t take long to find a singing male.

We took brunch along a stretch of the flooded river, close to base, where we enjoyed Red-headed Weaver, Pied Kingfisher and Fish Eagles nearby. Among the mixed flock of swifts, I noticed one which looked daintier in its flight and similar to a Palm Swift. I quickly got my bins onto the bird; it was definitely too dark and not showing a long enough tail. Despite the distance from the nearest decent forest, it was a Scarce Swift, which Steve had not recorded here before.

For our evening drive, we headed back to the north of the reserve but despite being at the same place around the same time, no Marsh Owl were seen. We did, however, get some great views of several Hartlaub’s Bustard and a single Black-bellied. At our sun-downer spot, two Dusky Nightjar churred before flying around our heads. On the journey back, we had great views of a Donaldson-Smiths Nightjar on the road, and several Dusky Nightjar as well, plus three Heuglin’s Courser and three Spotted Thick-knee. Good game included single Aardwolf and Striped Hyena but our “most-wanted” animal, Aardvark, eluded us AGAIN!

Vicki spent the morning horse-riding, Jono and Dudu went looking for dogs again (this time seeing them kill a Dik-Dik), and I took a short drive with guide Peter to a new marsh to see if we could find African Water Rail. We failed to lure them out with playback but a Black Crake put in a brief appearance, along with a Squacco Heron. From there we headed to the main marsh and along the way found Rosy-patched Bushshrike and 2 Northern Grey Tit. There we no sign of any sandgrouse and the marsh was quieter than it had been previously. On the way back to camp, we flushed a Buff-crested Bustard and 4 Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse.

After a hearty breakfast, we started to journey to the Sabuk Conservancy, just east of Loisaba Conservancy. We narrowly avoided a small Leopard Tortoise in the road but I was soon distracted by an African Hobby darting across the muddy track and, as I slowed down for a look, I got us stuck in the mud. About 30 minutes, and whole lot of stone-gathering and mud-digging later, we were on our way again and my low mood changed to joy as I found a Lilac-throated Roller next to the road. This was the first time I’d ever seen this northern subspecies of Lilac-breasted and the three seasoned safari-goers with me had not even heard of it. I felt redeemed for a bit. After short-cutting around Loisaba, seeing our first Gerenuk, we made it to Ol Malo where we enjoyed close-up views of Straw-tailed Whydah and two Mottled Swift whizzed overhead. The first of several Rufous-crowned Roller were seen as we approached Sabuk, just in time for a late lunch. The views from the lodge were exceptional and I saw my first Verreaux’s Eagle of the trip here. Vicki and I relaxed in the room for the afternoon, while Dudu and Jono took a walk with a guide and encountered a huge male Leopard just 200m away which they were thrilled with.

At breakfast, I saw a Stone Partridge calling just below the mess (others were calling nearby) and I was already making plans on how to stalk them for photos the next day. Envious of their Leopard sighting, Vicki and I joined the others for a walking safari but seeing how rocky the terrain could be, I decided not to take the camera with me. Within minutes we were enjoying many great birds, such as Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Vitelline and White-headed Buffalo Weaver, many Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting, Taita Fiscal and a few Long-billed Pipit. As we came to the furthest point of the walk, I caught sight of two male Paradise Whydah on a bush. The left hand bird was clearly an Eastern Paradise on account of its long slender tail streamers and showed a substantial inner bulge (or “balloon”) at the base. The other bird had a much broader tail and lacked the very long slender streamers. It immediately suggested Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, which Vicki and I had both seen well in Tanzania but, knowing how scarce they are in Kenya, I had to be sure that the bird was not an Eastern in a strange moult. The tail streamers were considerably wider than those of the Eastern sitting next to it and the black “balloon” feathers were also ‘fatter’. I believe that this male was still growing its longest tail feathers but they were so wide at the stage we saw them that it could only have been Broad-tailed and not Eastern. Unfortunately, the birds took flight and I didn’t get a chance to gauge the neck colour as the birds were backlit the entire time but even as they flew, the breadth of the Broad-tailed’s tail was obvious and I am confident the bird was indeed a Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah. If only I had taken the camera…! Otherwise buoyed by the sighting, we went on to see many good birds, including various other whydah species, both Silverbills, a Banded Parisoma and a pair of Cut-throat, my first in Kenya. Both Red-chested and Diederik Cuckoo were seen and heard. During a relaxing afternoon in camp, we saw Marico and Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Yellow-spotted Petronia and some beautiful Crimson-rumped Waxbill next to our open-air room.

Encouraged by the manager, Verity (“there are lots around”) I started my quest to photograph Stone Partridge at 6.30am. Despite hearing several birds and trying to entice them closer with playback, I failed to see a single one on my 2 hour trek around the camp. Other good birds seen included a singing Northern Crombec and a male Black Cuckooshrike. Before breakfast, I went back to the room where a Spot-flanked Barbet called just outside and a stunning white morph Paradise Flycatcher hawked nearby. Just as I was preparing my camera for the days walk (I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again!), a Stone Partridge began calling right next to the open section of the room and I was lucky to shoot three images before it took to cover. So much for early mornings! At breakfast, a pair of White-bellied Tit called next to the mess and a pair of Red-winged Starling came in to feed on the fruit scraps put out for them.

We took off for our walk around 9.30am and were rewarded with a diving Lanner, Rosy-patched Bushshrike and a new mammal for Vicki and I – a Klipspringer! Goodness knows how they’ve eluded us for so long but it was great to enjoy a close encounter. As we entered a grassy high plain, we saw 2 Greater Kudu and found ourselves surrounded by calling Harlequin Quail, at the very least 6 but more likely nearer 10. Deciding that friendship was more important than photographing flying quail, I pulled myself away and followed the crowd down to the fast-flowing river where we enjoyed a great swim before relaxing in hammocks and a fine lunch under the nests of Vitelline and Red-headed Weaver. A Common Sandpiper and three more Klipspringer were seen from here before we hiked back up the hill where four camels were waiting to take us back to camp. Another Stone Partridge greeted us back at the room but it was too quick to photograph.

Sad to leave, we departed Sabuk at 6am in order to get Dudu on a flight from Nanyuki to the Mara where work awaited. Along the 2.5 hour drive, we saw Kori Bustard, a probable Somali Ostrich (it was just a bit dark to be sure) and our first Temminck’s Courser of the trip. With a good Barney’s breakfast under the belt (now I understand the attraction!), we headed into Nanyuki for a few supplies but a mini-disaster struck; a lot of water was dripping out of the radiator. Three hours later, we were patched up and grateful that Vicki spotted the leak right next to a garage rather than overheating 2 hours later on the long drive to Archer’s Post!

We arrived at the gate to Kalama Conservancy, north-east of the adjoining Samburu Reserve, at 3pm and once inside, a run of exciting northern specialities came into view; Pink-breasted Lark, a flock of 12 Golden-breasted Starling, Fan-tailed Raven and lots of Vulturine Guineafowl. Also, our first Gerenuk – what an amazing animal! It was 4pm by time we arrived at Saruni Camp, greeted by the very hospitable manager, Daryl. I have to confess to having some serious “camp envy”; Naibor is pretty swish by anyone’s standards but Saruni is simply “off-the-scale” with the most breathtaking views from any accommodation I have stayed at anywhere in the world. Daryl took the three of us out on an evening drive in a funky old Land Rover and we enjoyed sundowners under a rising full moon – superb!

At first light, our veranda was visited by a Brown-tailed Rock Chat and we headed off on a drive just after 6.30am. There were many Straw-tailed and a few Steel-blue Whydah around plus some good views of Chestnut Sparrow. As we drove a circuit of the Kalama bush tracks, we caught sight of two Caracal resting under a thorn bush before they dashed off into the scrub and minutes later, six Fischer’s Starling were found next to the main track. Several parrots were calling nearby but not seen well, almost certainly Orange-bellied Parrot that would also be new for me. A handful of vultures, including Hooded and Ruppell’s, soared overhead and then a very relaxed immature Tawny Eagle was found sitting among a colony of Black-capped Social Weaver and Chestnut Sparrow.

We returned for breakfast at mid-morning. Back at the suite, a tame pair of Cliff Chat performed well for the camera, several Rock Martin swooped by and there were various comings and goings between Red-winged and Bristle-crowned Starlings. After a quick bite at lunchtime, I was drawn to a sunbird calling outside which turned out to be a stunning Shining Sunbird, with a fabulous red breast band but not showing yellow pectoral tufts, and it allowed a very close approach for photos. At 3pm, we headed south into the Samburu reserve, finding three Somali specials along the way; Somali Ostrich, Somali Bee-eater (2) and Somali Golden-breasted Bunting. A small flock of Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse and a single female Black-faced were seen well, and we enjoyed a quick encounter with two beautiful Black-cheeked Waxbill. Our quest for the evening was a ‘Samburu’ Leopard but we failed to locate one and headed back to camp in the dark.

Once again, an early departure was in order as we were driving straight back to the Mara for work the next day. Following a fine Fan-tailed Raven sitting outside the suite, we set off at 7am, stopping only for our second group of Golden-breasted Starling. We opted to try hopping over the Aberdares from Nyeri but as we really didn’t know the way, and the tracks were very wet from recent rain, it was a bad decision on our part, only made better by the sight of my first Jackson’s Francolin, and we had turn back to Nyeri. Still keen to avoid the Thika highway and Nairobi traffic, we opted to head back via Nyahururu and Nakuru, getting back to the Mara around 9pm.