Wed May 9, 2012 3:30 am (PDT)
Dear All,
I have just completed the 26-Day Rockjumper Kenya Mega-Tour for 2012, co-leading with Rich Lindle. This was not an entirely hard-core trip, there was a mixture of listers and Africa neophytes. As a result of this there were no ridiculously early starts, and for the best part we were in the accommodations in the late evenings. The Nightjar list is pretty abysmal this was put down to the vagaries of the weird weather conditions we are experiencing which cost us many species as we were either faced with a wall of silence where the rain had not fallen and could not get to some locations because of flooding. We had mixtures of dry birdless places to those overflowing with avian life, this irregularity of the rainfall these long rains has left places inundated whilst others are dry and appear lifeless.. Other places that should have had birds singing were silent, amongst these were every forest on the tour. Sokoke was miserably difficult, Kakamega we did extraordinarily well considering so little was calling, Mt Kenya was silent and Mountain Lodge so very quiet in the mornings in spite of the rain that had fallen. Taita was like a grave, and Kieni required a physical search of the local avifauna.
A summary of conditions as we found them, in the order we visited them, Shimba had had very light rain, Sokoke was bone dry with Arabuko Swamp, and other seasonal pools non-existent, Tsavo East has had patchy rain towards Aruba and Voi, the Sala area was dry and scant cover, Aruba Dam was empty, Taita Hills was lifeless, but had received some rain, Tsavo West had received some rain, and Lake Jipe was quite dry in the surroundings, the lake was full presumably from the rains at the start of the year, and it poured on us all the way back to Maktau, and stopped as we entered the western Maktau Gate! Magadi Road must have had a few light showers as there was a greening to the vegetation. Thika was quite lush but the rivers and dams low, Kieni was parched and Kinangop very dry for this time of year,
Naivasha was healthy on the southern side and the lake looked good, Mutubio and the Aberdare Moorland was dry for the time of year and the rivers and darns very low, and Mt Kenya was receiving some rain, and it rained heavily at the Met Station. Samburu and Buffalo Springs were parched with no water in the river and with the connecting Buffalo Springs/Samburu Bridge still down, driving across the riverbed presented no problem, yet Shaba was much greener with a lightly flowing river, Naro Moru was dry and the river very low, Solio also looked very dry for the time of year, but had had some showers and Mweiga much the same. Nyahururu was dry with low water levels, whilst Nakuru was
green with a fairly high but falling Lake level. Baringo was dry but the lake was still extremely high with the lake on the lawn of the club and a crocodile in it! The Kerio was dry, and the river very low. Iten dry with low levels in the swamps, but rain was in the area. Kitale district only had its first rain of the season three days before we arrived, and water levels were very low. Kakamega was fairly dry with very little water in the rivers, but it rained whilst we were there, Busia very dry for the time of year. Kisumu looked healthy, the lake was much higher than this time last year. Across to Bomet, Lemek and NE Mara the environment was green there having been much rain and the river was high, falls here were heavy and very dramatic and Serena was isolated from the western Mara, the roads became impassable swamps and it looks like this will continue. The southern Mara bridge was a raging torrent with water only a few feet below the bridge, and if this continues it is doubtful that the bridge will survive. When it was as high as this, there is little doubt that the northern Mara bridge was covered by water although we had no confirmation of this. The eastern Mara lush and healthy as far as Keekerok, during the evening we were to get to Siana Springs a torrential downpour resulted in considerable swelling of all luggas in the area, and the whole of the slopes became a flowing carpet of water, it was very dramatic but the next morning there was no trace and it had all drained away into the quartz and murrum.
Great news in that Manguo Ponds is back and very extensive, no sign of all the sedges that have choked it for the past two years. It is still new water so has not attracted the ducks yet although there were three White-backed Ducks.
NAIROBI MOMBASA SHIMBA HILLS
On 1st April having flown down from Nairobi, we had lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge and in the afternoon spent a couple of hours in the National Park. We found a single Northern Hobby, a pair of Wood Owls roosting in the car park, just two Eurasian Rollers, thirty White-throated Bee-eaters heading through, but only three Eurasian Bee-eaters, a mere eight Red-backed Shrikes, three of the small coastal Pale Flycatchers.
During lunch there was a party of Angola Colobus, in the evening we were entertained by White-tailed and Marsh Mongooses, Common Genet and Small-eared Galagos.
A couple of Zambian Hinged Terrapins basked on the weir wall, White-headed Dwarf-Geckoes were on the building walls, and up to six monster Nile Monitors lazed under the bird (mammal in reality) table, and at night large satanic looking Tree Geckoes were around every light. The staff amused themselves and us by throwing bread for the Fish Eagles that resided there. The fish would rise for the bread, and the eagles would be very successful in catching them. This was an example of man using a tool!
SHIMBA HILLS MOMBASA SOKOKE JILORE
Before breakfast on 2nd April we had a drive in Shimba Hills National Park. The open grasslands were rather lacking in birds but twenty Sable Antelope were some compensation. These were the first of no less than 27 species of Antelopes recorded on this tour, failing only on Greater Kudu. We found a single Eurasian Roller, eight Common Cuckoos and two Lesser Cuckoos, two Red-backed Shrikes,but apart from a few Barn Swallows these were the only migrants on the plains. Makadara Picnic Site was quiet, there was a non-responsive Thick-billed Cuckoo which called twice, but the surprise was a call like a hurried version of Madagascar Cuckoo which was located sitting on a high branch calling away, and was an (Asian) Lesser Cuckoo. I have never heard of the species singing in East Africa before. There was also an early male African Golden Oriole amongst the eight Eurasian Golden Orioles, just a single Willow Warbler was seen. We returned for breakfast, sharing some of it with the fiery Red-bellied Coast Squirrels.
Leaving here we headed north to Mida Creek, but the tide was low and birds were quite some distance, although the two-hundred or more Crab Plovers were easier to identify than the smaller waders.