This trip report documents a four-day bird-guiding training programme delivered for nine KFEET rangers at Karura Forest. The course covered bird identification, bird ecology, migration, bird vocalisations, bird tourism, guiding techniques, the use of Merlin and eBird, and practical field skills. Daily checklists represent the species observed after the presentations during the morning training sessions and are intended to provide a record of both the birds encountered and the learning experience.
Despite the consistently hot and sunny conditions, bird activity remained rewarding throughout the course and we finished with a nice selection of species.
Day 1
The course began with a classroom session where I presented on bird identification, bird tourism and the common bird species of Karura Forest. Following the presentation, we spent the remainder of the morning in the field around the KFEET auditorium, putting newly learnt identification and guiding skills into practice.
The first highlight was a calling Hartlaub’s Turaco hidden in the canopy, followed by a pair of Long-crested Eagles perched together nearby. A flyover Augur Buzzard gave everyone an opportunity to study the species in flight, while a stunning male Black Cuckooshrike showed exceptionally well. We also encountered Green-backed Honeyguide, several sunbird species and numerous common forest birds.
Continuing towards Gate D produced another excellent selection of species, including a pair of White-headed Barbets, a Lesser Honeyguide, Reichenows Seedeater and a singing Brown-backed Scrub Robin.
Day 2
With no classroom session scheduled, we devoted the entire morning to birding. Starting at Lily Lake, we slowly worked our way beneath the forest canopy before finishing at the bridge west of the waterfall.
Lily Lake was immediately productive, with a family of seven Eurasian Moorhens providing excellent views alongside a Black Crake running across the water hyacinths. Several nesting weavers were present. One of the morning’s best moments came when a Klaas’s Cuckoo landed right in front of the group, allowing everyone prolonged and unobstructed views.
A small puddle nearby held a Great Egret together with three Hamerkops. Along the forest edge we enjoyed excellent raptor diversity with Long-crested Eagle, African Goshawk and Black Goshawk all recorded during the morning. Flocks of Bronze Mannikins mixed with a few Black-and-white Mannikins were feeding in the tall grass.
The forest itself produced a pair of Mountain Wagtails at the bridge. Other highlights included a Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird peering from a nesting cavity originally excavated by a Cardinal Woodpecker, both Green-backed and Lesser Honeyguides, pairs of Cardinal and Brown-backed Woodpeckers, another striking male Black Cuckooshrike and a family group of Cabanis’s Greenbuls. The morning concluded with one of Karura’s signature species, a magnificent male Narina Trogon showing beautifully in the mid-storey.
Day 3
The morning began with another classroom presentation where I covered bird migration (including Palearctic, intra-African and altitudinal migration), followed by bird plumages, discussing breeding and non-breeding plumages, sexual dimorphism and the different stages in a bird’s life. We finished the indoor session by looking at the various types of bird vocalisations and how they can be used for identification in the field.
Afterwards, we birded along the Family Trail before ending once again at Lily Lake.
Although bird activity was quieter than on previous days, there were still some memorable sightings.
Raptors included a juvenile African Harrier-Hawk, both the light and dark morphs of Augur Buzzard, and a Long-crested Eagle circling low overhead while repeatedly calling. A Grey-headed Kingfisher also showed well and rounded off another enjoyable morning in the field.
Day 4
The final day began with my presentation on identifying Karura’s swifts and hirundines, the major threats facing birds and the importance of citizen science in modern bird conservation. We then headed out for one final field session before concluding the training with the certificate presentation.
Our final morning proved to be the most productive of the course. Beginning at the wetland near the tennis courts, we enjoyed outstanding views of a calling Brown-backed Scrub-robin, Black Crake, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, loud Red-faced & Singing Cisticolas plus a few Lesser Swamp Warblers. A Brown-backed Woodpecker was also heard nearby.
Along the river an African Black Duck was initially resting on a rock before swimming upstream. The highlight of the morning came when we tracked down a pair of African Emerald Cuckoos from their songs, and didn’t know whether to focus on them or a male Narina Trogon perched barely two metres above the trail! A pair of slender-billed greenbuls were also calling to eachother in the canopy.
Raptors again featured prominently with Crowned Eagle, a nesting pair of Black Goshawks and another Long-crested Eagle. The final memorable sighting came in the form of a confiding pair of Brown-chested Alethes, bringing the field sessions to a fitting conclusion.
Throughout the four days, Plain Martins, Red-throated Crag Martins, African Palm Swifts and Black Sawwings were familiar companions overhead and around forest clearings, providing excellent opportunities to discuss the identification of Karura’s common aerial insectivores.
Overall, the training was a great success, combining classroom learning with practical field experience. It was rewarding to see the rangers’ confidence in bird identification and guiding skills grow over the four days, and I hope the course will help them continue promoting bird conservation and bird tourism within Karura Forest for years to come.