Dominic Kimani, Samuel Bakari and I had the run of Marania Farm near Timau on 5 December 2016 with the kind permission of the Murray family, who own the farm, and by prior arrangement with Jamie Murray, who generally manages it. It is a mixed farm that lies at an altitude of some 2,400 m and covers 2,600 ha. Half of it is for arable crops, the other half is for grazing sheep and cattle. The farm’s native grasslands and wheat fields also provide territories for a significant population of Sharpe’s Longclaw, whose numbers and movements Dominic and his field assistant, John Kamau, have been monitoring. We flushed several of these Endangered endemics and inspected four of their active nests that John had previously located. Other birds that we recorded on our walk around the farm included Common Quail, Black-headed Heron, Rufous-naped Lark, Hunter’s, Levaillant’s and Wing-snapping Cisticolas, Plain Martin, African Stonechat, Jackson’s Widowbird, Grassland Pipit, and Yellow-crowned Canary. We also saw a good selection of raptors – African Harrier-Hawk, Martial, Steppe and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Pallid Harrier, Augur and Mountain Buzzards, and Eurasian Hobby.
The following day, 6 December 2016, Bakari, Dominic and I visited Ngare Ndare Forest. The dominant trees in this largely intact, indigenous forest are Red Cedar and African Olive, some of which are hundreds of years old. From our vantage points on the canopy walkway in the middle of the forest, and the elevated platform at the end of it, we saw quite a number of Hartlaub’s Turaco (some were bathing in a stream) and small groups of noisy Red-fronted Parrot. Other birds seen here included Grey and Black Cuckooshrikes, Northern Puffback, Grey Apalis, Black Saw-wing, Eurasian Blackcap, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey and Mountain Wagtails, and Tree Pipit. Later we walked along a track to a waterfall and among the birds seen on the way were Dusky Turtle Dove, Great Sparrowhawk, Narina Trogon (which was common), Violet Wood Hoopoe, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Lesser Honeyguide, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Black-headed Oriole, Brown-crowned Tchagra, White-bellied Tit, Black Saw-wing, Garden Warbler, Brown Parisoma, Little Rock Thrush, and African Yellow White-eye. The Trust that maintains the forest, under KFS’s supervision, charged us 2,000 Ksh each for entrance. These fees also paid for a local guide and ranger who accompanied us. The road to the forest, off the main Nanyuki-Embu road, traverses the Murrays’ Lolomarik Farm, where we saw a pair of Secretarybirds and a flock of Black-winged Plovers.
On 7 December 2016 Dominic, Bakari and I drove from the Naro Moru Park Gate to the Meteorological Station, walked up the path to the edge of the moorland and retraced our steps. Near the Met Station we saw Abysinnian Ground Thrush and heard an owl, calling from inside a dense stand of bamboo, that we failed to locate. Higher up, in the Hagenia forest and Hypericum scrub, we saw Scaly Francolin, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Mountain Yellow and Cinnamon Bracken Warblers, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Mountain Greenbul, Brown Woodland Warbler, Kikuyu White-eye, African Dusky Flycatcher, White-starred Robin, Eastern Double-collared and Tacazze Sunbirds, Thick-billed and Streaky Seedeaters, and Kandt’s Waxbill. On the moorland we saw, appropriately, Moorland Chat, while overhead were resident Augur Buzzard and migrant Eleonora’s Falcon.
We went to Lake Ol’ Bolossat with George Muigai on 8 December 2016 to see the single largest population of Grey Crowned Crane in Kenya, which George is monitoring. We saw around 100 of these Endangered birds by the lake, and around 300 more were feeding in nearby stubble fields and grasslands. Water birds on or at the edges of the lake that we recorded were Egyptian Goose, Southern Pochard, Garganey, Hottentot Teal, Northern Shoveler (which was the most numerous duck), Eurasian Wigeon, Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed Teal, Northern Pintail, Yellow-billed Stork, Glossy and African Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill, Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Egret, Grey, Black-headed and Goliath Herons, Red-knobbed Coot (which were abundant), Black-winged Stilt, Common Ringed Plover, Long-toed and Blacksmith Lapwings, Kittlitz’s Plover, African Jacana, Ruff, and Common, Green, Marsh and Wood Sandpipers. We also saw African Marsh Harrier, Angola Swallow and Red-throated Pipit.
On 9 December 2016 Bakari and I birded a stretch of Meru (Upper Imenti) Forest, which we accessed via a track off the main Nanyuki-Meru road. Here we came upon a mixed-species flock that included a pair of Green Malkoha (Eastern Yellowbill). Other birds in this party were White-eared Barbet, Fine-banded and Bearded Woodpeckers, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Black-fronted Bushshrike, Black-headed Apalis, Collared Sunbird, and Brown-capped Weaver. Apart from the bird party we saw Tambourine Dove, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Black Stork, Lizard Buzzard, Crowned and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, Mountain Oriole, Slender-billed, Yellow-whiskered and Placid Greenbuls, Willow Warbler, what looked more like African Yellow than Kikuyu White-eyes, Ruppell’s Robin-Chat, and Kenrick’s Starling. At the nearby Nkunga Sacred Lake, we saw Pied Kingfisher, Green-backed Honeybird, Sedge Warbler, Eastern Golden and Vitelline Masked Weavers. We also heard African Emerald and Red-chested Cuckoos. We were accompanied throughout by two armed KFS rangers, whom we picked up at Meru Forest Station. The Forester charged 1,000 Ksh each for them, 600 Ksh for me and 400 Ksh for Bakari.
Bakari, Dominic and I were staying at Colobus Cottages http://colobuscottages.com/ near Naro Moru. Birding on the property and along the road to it, we saw an interesting mix of species. These included Klaas’s Cuckoo, Sombre Nightjar, Black-chested Snake, Crowned and African Fish Eagles, Blue-naped and Speckled Mousebirds, Common Scimitarbill, Red-throated Wryneck, Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Slate-coloured and Tropical Boubous, Red-backed Shrike, Yellow-breasted and Chestnut-throated Apalis, Rattling Cisticola, Rufous Chatterer, Violet-backed, Hildebrandt’s, Greater Blue-eared and Superb Starlings, Pale Flycatcher, Northern Double-collared, Green-headed, Scarlet-chested, Amethyst, Bronze and Variable Sunbirds, Red-collared Widowbird, and Golden-breasted Bunting.
A stopover for a walk at the Ndaragwa Nature Trail on 3 December 2016 produced Slender-billed and Sharpe’s Starlings. And driving along the road crossing the Solio Plains the same day and on 8 December 2016, we saw Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Black-bellied Bustard, a flock of around 20 Grey Crowned Crane (do they breed in the Solio Game Reserve?), Crowned Lapwing, Black-winged Kite, Tawny Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Red-capped Lark, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, Banded Martin, Barn Swallow, Whinchat, Northern Anteater Chat, Northern, Capped and Isabelline Wheatears, Western Yellow Wagtail, and Plain-backed Pipit.
It was a wonderful trip and over all too soon.
Best,
David Fox