A cloudy, rainy and great afternoon guiding my client Tanya Burnett from Philadelphia, USA. We were meant to start at 9:30 but airport delays and eCitizen issues had other plans, so we got in a bit late. No complaints though, the birds made up for it almost immediately.
We entered through East Gate and went straight into logging some good birds; Marico Sunbird, our first of three seperate Brown Parisoma sightings, Spotted Morning Thrush and Spotted Flycatcher all right at the gate. It was Tanya’s first time birding in Kenya, so everything was worth stopping for. At East Gate Marsh, a lone breeding male Yellow-crowned Bishop was displaying, whilst a Western Marsh Harrier was still hanging around, hunting over the marsh (time to join your friends back in Europe!) Lesser Grey, Isabelline and Red-backed Shrikes made quick appearances but our attention immediately switched to three shy Greater Whitethroats flying quickly through the bushes.
We headed west towards the forest, with our first stop at Hyena Dam. Wood Sandpipers were on the shore alongside a single African Darter, and a Common Sandpiper was getting chased around by a very territorial Three-banded Plover. We also had a solid group of seven Long-toed Lapwings. Nearby, two Western Yellow Wagtails (thunbergi subspecies) in full breeding plumage were a cool find.
Off towards Main Gate, we found a stunning pair of Purple Grenadiers, too close for photos. Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters and Black Sawwings were out catching insects in the rain, whilst a large flock of European Bee-eaters were migrating above. An African Emerald Cuckoo was singing its heart out close to the gate! We managed some shots of the Kenyan endemic Kikuyu White-eye, though Collared Sunbirds were far more cooperative. The forest was alive with Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds and Rüppell’s Robin-chats singing endlessly, plus Black-backed Puffbacks & Tropical Boubous joining in.
Nagolomon Dam added a Lesser Swamp Warbler singing closeby, along with a Red-billed Duck, Great Cormorant and Yellow-billed Stork. An immature Ayres’s Hawk-eagle was circling above. The road towards Mbagathi Gate was full of many estrildid species, a Little Bee-eater sitting right on the road, and Dideric and Klaas’s Cuckoos singing.
Kingfisher Marsh had African Rails, a nesting Grosbeak Weaver, a pair of Holub’s Golden Weavers, and African Red-rumped Swallows flying low and perching on the ends of low hanging treebranches. The highlight here was a stunning gem, a Malachite Kingfisher that finally sat still long enough for photos. Kingfisher Picnic Site was lively too with Lesser Honeyguide, Buff-bellied Warbler and two pairs of Mountain Grey & Cardinal Woodpeckers having a territorial dispute on the same branch. We also heard Red-chested Cuckoo, Red-faced Cisticola and White-bellied Go-away-bird nearby.
At 16 murrams, we added Speckle-fronted Weaver to our list, and enjoyed a funny moment of a Yellow-billed Oxpecker feeding in a rather awkward spot on a giraffe before getting flicked off!
New Vulture Pools produced the resident pair of Tawny Eagles, Desert and Croaking Cisticolas, and two Rüppell’s Griffons among plenty of White-backed Vultures. No luck with the Martial Eagles at Sosian Valley, but we had plenty else to keep us busy; Yellow Bishop, hybrid lovebirds, Brubru, Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike and many Scarlet-chested Sunbirds. A Gabar Goshawk gave us the runaround, flying low and flushing Laughing & Dusky Turtle Doves before finally showing itself through a dense acacia.
The fever tree woodland was active thanks to arriving at golden hour. We picked up a Eurasian Golden Oriole, a quick Common Cuckoo flyby, Willow Warbler, Brown-crowned Tchagra, a pair of Fork-tailed Drongo, African Grey Hornbill and three White-bellied Tits. Two Rüppell’s Starlings posed nicely with a group of Marabou Storks in the background perched on tall fever trees.
At Athi Dam, both Thick-knee species were present, with Tanya spotting a pair of Spotted Thick-knees perfectly camouflaged in the grass. Three Openbill Storks were wading in their seperate spots at the dam nearby. We watched a strange Banded Parisoma not moving a muscle until its partner flew in, then both disappeared singing together. We also watched a pretty tense sighting between a group of four White Rhinos and a lone male.
As the sun dipped behind the clouds, we managed to squeeze in a few more good birds. A Grey Crowned-crane, one of the main targets, flew into Vulture Pools just as we were about to leave. A Short-tailed Lark and some Quailfinches showed briefly too, plus a hovering Pied Kingfisher that was successful in diving for a fish!
On the way back to East gate, a Black-bellied Bustard was walking along the road and a Red-tailed Shrike perched nearby. We wrapped up the day with two Shelley’s Francolins, completely unfazed by us, dust bathing and calling. A very solid finish to a great afternoon.