Trip Report to Kenya, December 11th-27th 2023
Nick Rossiter
Kenya: 119 species from 260 records, 4 complete lists, 15 places (all species assumed countable). Full records here
Summary for Kenya: 119 of 119 species from 260 records, 4 complete lists, 15 places.
A summary of raptor numbers in Kenya is here. Grand total was 92 raptors of 22 types: 3 vulture, 4 eagle, 3 accipiter, 2 harrier, 2 kite, 2 honey-buzzard, plus singles of falcon, buzzard, owl, osprey, harrier-hawk, secretarybird. This was the main focus of my attention but the animals were also recorded completely with the aid of my skilled safari guide.
A summary of other animal numbers in Kenya is here. This includes single tortoise and crocodile, plus 29 types of mammal, with all the big 5 (lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, elephant), hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe, a mongoose, a pangolin, 1 type of hyena, 2 types of dog, 10 types of antelope, 3 types of monkey/baboon and 3 types of rodent. Overall total was 31 animal-types with 16 in Nairobi National Park (595 individuals) and 25 on safari in Masai Mara.
December 28th: maximum 8C, minimum 4C, near gale moderate W, heavy rain early afternoon, strong winds later. Major temperature gradient in my life, and it's getting colder still!! Said goodbye to son in Welwyn. Journey back was smooth; good move to come up today in better weather. Took Uber to Stevenage (£19, including £3 tip), caught LNER train to Peterborough at 11:27, seeing 2 separate Red Kite; then LNER to NCL, getting in at 14:50, just 10 min late; then innovation, walked to Tokyo and hired Uber to take me home, just £32 plus 8 tip; driver was obviously not used to such rural settings as the 'Shire but he stayed the course so home at 15:45! Had left heating on low so not desperately cold in house but still a major effort at restoring warmth, Saved all files from Kenya to my desktop: 1331 piccies taking up 9.71GB. Charging up camera, laptop, toothbrush. Out to G4g4s to meet R/P with L on: a great reunion. Ordered W groceries for delivery on 2/1; need to shop in person tomorrow to plug the gap. So settling back in.
December 27th: maximum 11C, minimum 9C, moderate SW, wet all day. Through T4 in 45 min and got Uber to son's house in Welwyn for £71 plus 10 bonus. This is cheapest and quickest way for 2 people. We went straight to bed for a few hours: long flights particularly overnight are a strain! Travel to NE again disrupted today by Storm Gerrit so pleased planned journey for tomorrow. We made Greek restaurant Rodi in Welwyn for evening meal: I had Shish Kebab – very tasty and a glass of rw. So return is imminent.
December 26th: maximum 31C, minimum 26C, light NE, sunny and dry all day. Pottered around hotel, chilling out in sunshine, seeing a new stork, an Osprey, and sunbird. A flock of 50 White Stork was soaring to SW at 14:15. Four Amethyst Sunbird were on flowering shrubs. An Osprey was coasting S at 13:00 1. Also had 3 African Palm Swift, 16 Little Swift 1 2 3 4, 4 Drongo, 20 Indian House Crow 1 2 3 with occupied nest, 1 Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, 11 Common Swift to S 1 2 3, 2 Mosque Swallow, 6 Feral Pigeon, 4 House Sparrow 1, 2 Hadada Ibis, 1 Common Bulbul. Got taxi Uber at 16:00 to Moi airport, said fond farewell to always cheerful and helpful staff including Ruth our pool waitress. At Mombasa Airport (Moi) at 17:00 had 8 Little Swift, 1 Feral Pigeon, 15 Indian House Crow. First flight was internal Mombasa to Nairobi, a lot of turbulence as left the steamy coast. Had 2 similar security checks at each - not sure that's effective: best to have 2 different genre as in extra check on physical phone in online shopping. Anyway had to wait 4 hours as scheduled at NBO, which is very modern in design. We had 2 more security checks here and son had a bonus one at the gate. We had a snack here US$31, then noted gate was open for our flight but gate number was a mystery! Info desk solved problem and took off at 00:30 on time for 9-hour flight to LHR. Different route avoiding Red Sea, going far to W over Sudan and Chad, ending up crossing Med at Algeria rather than Egypt. Obvious why! Kenya Airways did well on both flights.
December 25th: maximum 31C, minimum 27C, light NE, sunny and dry all day. Christmas dinner in the tropics was a bit incongruous but it was celebrated well in our hotel with Indian-style food and hospitality. So at 18:00 we had chicken soup (clear), curried turkey and profiteroles, with in my case a large glass of dry red wine, son having freshly-squeezed lemon juice. All very tasty. Hotel has been very busy over the holiday period with the large local Indian population celebrating the holiday. Planned digital link up with daughter did not work: Wi-Fi speed poor as overloaded and took ages to get new app Botim set up! Did do a bit of birdwatching. 4 Black Stork migrants 1 2 3 4 5 6 coming S steered around the upcoming Mombasa by turning SW at 10:00. A Yellow-billed Kite was up twice over Haller Park 1. A Green Vervet Monkey was by the hotel pool in a tree! Also over the sea had a large gull, a Pallas’s adult 1 2, 25 Lesser Crested Tern 1, 7 Greater Crested Tern 1, plus on the reef 18 Crab-plover 1 2. Four Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird were in the trees nearby, latter shown here 1 2. Indian House Crow are very bold, often coming close 1. Also recorded was an African Pied Wagtail. Getting return journey organised, booked SVG-NCL for 28/12 around 11:00, I assume plane won’t be more than one day late! We’re checked in now, arrive around 06:30 27/12 in LHR, staying one night in Welwyn.
December 24th: maximum 31C, minimum 26C, light NE, sunny and dry all day (for second day). Adventure again, moving N with Uber to Jumba Ruins 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25, an old Swahili settlement from c1400, abandoned a few centuries later, probably due to water sources being invaded by salt water and diseases such as malaria. We hired a guide and he gave us lots of information on the role of Zanzibar in running the place as a trading centre. Some of the baobab trees were enormous 26 and the site ran out onto the beach 27 28 29 30 of the Indian Ocean; on the sea had a Lesser Crested Tern, a Greater Crested Tern, a Masked Booby. The Uber driver waited for us and took us on to Coba Cabana beach, where we had a leisurely lunch in a cafe on the beach 1 2 3. This was a marvellous area, like Watamu where stayed in 2021 with mangrove creeks 4 5, coral reefs and beautiful soft silvery sand. We tried to find another ruin but decided that it had been absorbed into a private development. We took a TukTuk back to our hotel, 15km away; sounds a bit rough but actually traffic was so slow it was almost as quick as taking an Uber; cost was 1500 KSh (£7.50). Then bit more time by the hotel pool, where we also had dinner. Had a Yellow-billed Kite N of Mombasa at Shimo la Tewa, along with 7 Little Swift, 16 Indian House Crow, 1 House Sparrow. At the creek we had a massive Goliath Heron, a Grey Heron perched in the mangroves 1 2 3 4, 7 Crab-plover, 1 Little Egret, plus another Masked Booby and a Bee-eater on edge of sea flying N 1. Back at the hotel the already impressive swift list was augmented by an Alpine Swift flying E. Have caught up on diary!
December 23rd: maximum 31C, minimum 26C, light NE, sunny and dry all day. Day at the ranch! Did some birdwatching (intermittently 10:40-17:40) from the first floor patio outside of our hotel; picked up 23 bird-types in a few hours, including a Red-necked Falcon briefly appearing overhead before dashing off to E and a Little Sparrowhawk climbing in the sky and moving off to NE. Saw a number of swift: 14 African Palm Swift, 4 Little Swift feeding 1 2 3 4, 6 Common Swift feeding 1 2 (last piccie with Mosque Swallow), 12 Pallid Swift S together. 2 Mosque Swallow were feeding 1 2 towards hotels near the sea and a Barn Swallow flew S. A Willow Warbler was calling from nearby flowering shrubs 1. Local birds included 5 Feral Pigeon, 5 House Sparrow 1 2 3 4, 2 singing Common Bulbul 1 2, 4 Drongo 1 2, a singing Spotted Palm Thrush, 18 Indian House Crow 1 2 3 including a pair nesting 4. Birds on the sea and coast (with reef 1) included 25 Lesser Crested Tern 1 2 3 4 5, 2 Greater Crested Tern, 2 Masked Booby 1, 2 Pallas’s (Great Black-headed) Gull (ad, 1w) 1 2 3, 1 Common Tern, 1 Sooty Tern, 19 Crab-plover 1 2, 1 Sooty Gull. There’s much more to follow for each day on the wildlife; need to study the piccies, notes and reference book Birds of East Africa by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe, before finalising lists. That will be done at home. Have over 9GB of piccies, held in camera, on laptop and on smart drive, so plenty of back-up.
December 22nd: maximum 30C, minimum 26C, moderate NE, mainly dry except for a few light showers, some more wispy cloud, sunshine a bit more diffuse. Out S of Mombasa (2 Black-headed Heron over Old Town area at 09:30). to near the Tanzania border at Diani Beach 1 2 3 4 5 6. Left by Uber at 10:00, complicated journey as while only c25km you need a car ferry crossing over the S strait of Mombasa, taking only 5 min but much hassle in boarding, including queues. Uber driver offered us return journey for cash if he could take us back, which we accepted! We had lunch at a restaurant on the beech, along with a local entrepreneur who arranged our boat trip and managed to sneak his Guinness onto our bill! We were entertained by a juggler and a gymnastic troupe (500 KSh each!). and son went for a swim 1 2 3. Many tern and some Sooty Gull were gathered on 4 boats. Took lots of piccies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40. Close analysis of these photos suggests following numbers: 51 Greater Crested Tern, 21 Lesser Crested Tern, 20 Roseate Tern, 19 Sooty Gull, 7 Common Tern, 4 Sandwich Tern. A few of these Sooty Gull landed on the beach 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and a Sooty Gull and a Greater Crested Tern were photographed against the coral reef 8. Some more terns were on boats to north but no close-up piccies so ignoring these; does mean these are minimal counts. Boat trip was to a sandbank 1 2 3 on the coral reef in a glass-bottomed boat, giving great views of the tropical fish. Son went snorkelling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 with the skipper! Trip took 2 hours and we then met up with driver at 16:50 for chaotic traffic conditions around the ferry and in Mombasa generally as people made their getaway before holiday weekend. At Diani Beach had 10 types of bird, including the 5 terns, 1 gull, and Pied Crow (1). Common Swift (3), Indian House Crow (20) and House Sparrow (2). At Maweni at 17:15 had 2 Common Swift, 1 Feral Pigeon, 8 Indian House Crow, 1 Black-headed Heron. We paid driver total of 14.6 KSh for return journey (£70). We ate in the Continental section of the restaurant for a change from the Indian section, which is very good. Funds finished week +31k (+43k over holiday to date) with annual performance (2023) of +249k gross (+9.2%), +206k net, after 43k withdrawals; put withdrawals for Xmas presents (16k) into New Year and some of current trip is on Mastercard; the £ (amazingly) appreciated against the $ over the year by 6% so rise in US$ terms would have matched the Dow, but much less than tech stocks or bitcoin both of which crashed in 2022. It’s been a tough year for both commodities (inflation quashing) and smaller companies (everyone loves the big 7 tech) so think performance is satisfactory. 2moro it’s rest day!
December 21st: maximum 32C, minimum 27C, moderate NE, dry except for one brief heavy shower, sunny. In morning we went to Bamburi Haller Park, a nature reserve 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 close to our hotel, made from abandoned limestone quarries, in a project partly funded by LaFarge, the cement maker. It’s a large area so able to accommodate 6 Giraffe 1 2 3 4 5, 2 Hippopotamus, 4 Nile Crocodile 1 2, 4 Green Vervet Monkey 1 2, 1 Giant Tortoise 1 2. Last 3 are new to trip but the tortoise is not wild in this area. Also visited a butterfly farm 1 2 3 in the Park and found some interesting birds: 30 Village Weaver 1 2 breeding in their hanging nests over the Crocodile enclosure (very safe!), 1 Pied Kingfisher, 4 Egyptian Goose, 2 Common Bulbul, 4 Indian House Crow. We travelled in TukTuk in both directions: cheap and quick in heavy traffic. At lunchtime spotted from hotel a Palm-nut Vulture drifting along the coast at 13:30 and an Hadada Ibis. In afternoon we went by Uber to Mombasa Jesus Fort 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and old town 1 2 3; we hired a guide and he told us about the Fort’s troubled history with the Portuguese, Oman and England all having control at some point. The Fort is in a very strategic position on the middle part of Mombasa overlooking the two estuaries to N 1 and S. Here had 6 Little Swift, 2 Black-headed Heron, 100 House Crow, 8 Feral Pigeon, 2 Common Bulbul, 1 African Palm Swift. Old town was very interesting, parts of it 400 years old. Traffic is a nightmare in Mombasa: mixture of bikes, TukTuk, cars, lorries, all fighting over every junction. Mombasa has a large Muslim population, like all settlements on the East African coast. 2moro it’s down the south coast towards Tanzania at Diani Beach.
December 20th: maximum 32C, minimum 27C, moderate NE, dry, sunny. A recovery day. Noticeably warmer and more humid. Caught up on quite a lot of charging of digital equipment: P1000 camera, Android phone, Runmifit watch, Lenovo laptop. Went for walk to Mall, for ATM, and to beach in late afternoon. Some regulars of coastal areas seen: 25 Indian House Crow, 1 House Sparrow, 2 Common Bulbul, 3 African Palm Swift, 2 African Pied Wagtail 1. Also had quick stroll to local beach 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 with lovely sand beside the Indian Ocean. Funds +19k wtd on solid rally. 2moro it’s Mombasa Jesus Fort and old town.
December 19th: maximum 25C, minimum 16C, light NE, dry, sunny. Another big travel day. Saw daughter's family off at 10:00 in their car to the Mara North Airstrip, sad to see them go but its been a marvellous family reunion! We had leisurely morning in the camp, packing and looking around, spotted a Western Marsh Harrier adult male to W of camp 1 hunting at moderate altitude. Also had up to 8 Hippopotamus 1 2 3 4 5 6 in the Mara River 1 2 3 at the hotel, plus 2 Green Sandpiper, a Swallow, an African Pied Wagtail 1, 4 Helmeted Guineafowl, a singing Tawny-flanked Prinia, a calling Eurasian Golden Oriole. Photographed 6 butterflies on flowers at the Fairmont 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, none identified! We left at 13:30 for the airstrip, having paid £3,150 for our tent for 2 to the Fairmont, including about £950 for conservation fees, which very happy to pay. We saw a party of 10 Banded Mongoose and a Bushbuck as left. Gave tip of 12k KSh (£60) to our driver for the 6 days Samson; he deserves every 1p: we’ve seen all the big five and all the big cats: Leopard, Cheetah, Lion, and he’s been a most entertaining host. Near Naserian Camp on way had a Black-headed Heron, an Hadada Ibis, an Emerald-Spotted Wood Dove. While waiting for plane had 2 Bateleur and 2 White-headed Vulture 1 2 3 4 5 6 in the distance. A Meyer’s Parrot was perched in a tree 1 2 3 4 and also had a Drongo and 2 Helmeted Guineafowl here. Habitat was scrub and plain 1 2 3 with mountain in the distance 1. An Air Kenya small plane with 2 propellers 1 2 3 arrived first. Small single-propeller plane of Safari Link 1 2 3 4 arrived on time at 15:15 on our earth-made strip at Mara North, we waved goodbye to Samson and arrived in Nairobi Wilson at 16:05 after a smooth flight in our 12-seater. Then taxi across to Nairobi International (£20) for internal flight to Mombasa, scheduled 19:00 but delayed to 19:23. Security checks were very thorough! Flight took 45 min, then got pre-booked taxi to Bliss Hotel, where staying for a while. Nice hotel: we had dinner in their Indian restaurant; I had chicken biryani, quite spicy. Then set for good night’s sleep.
Son Alex took some piccies on safari: outside plane 1; inside plane 2; vehicle 3; family as labelled 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11.
December 18th: maximum 25C, minimum 16C, light NE, dry, sunny. The longest day!! Up at 04:30 to have cup of tea at 04:50 and departure of safari car at 05:10. Saw quite a lot on the drive to the balloon base, including a Spotted Hyena, 4 African Spring Hare; a giant Hippopotamus crashed across the road in front of us when just out of camp, on the trail they use between the River Mara for resting in the day and their grazing grounds at night. Time to board the safari balloon at 06:15; must admit this was a bit scary at the start as the basket was on its side and we had to lie down on one side, clinging on to rope handholds. The balloon was then inflated slowly, eventually raising the basket upright and we could all stand up. We had a 45-min ride, with brilliant views over the Mara plains with of course many animals in close-up view, including Topi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 with 6 Egyptian Goose 8 9, Impala 10 11, Thomson’s Gazelle 11a, Wildebeest 12 13, Hippopotamus 14 15 16, Cape Buffalo with 3 Red-billed Oxpecker 17 18 19, Zebra 20 with Flappet Lark 21, with Wildebeest 22, Spotted Hyena 23, 7 Cattle Egret 24, a Secretarybird, a Southern Fiscal 24a 24b with Dik-dik. We kept fairly low but twice made 400m above the plain 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56, with some human buildings, a Masai camp 56a and rangers’ huts 56b. Here’s our shadow across the plain 57 58 59 60 61 62. Coming into land we again had to lie down and the basket made 5 bumps before coming to a standstill. Our vehicles can be seen here closing in on our landing place 63 with balloon on the ground 64 and its passengers 65 66; here’s my certificate for the flight 67. At a waterhole, first seen from the balloon 1 2 3, we had a large gathering of Hippopotamus 4 5 6 7 8 9, with Spur-winged Plover 10, an Impala 11, 14 Egyptian Goose (including a brood of 7 chicks 12 13 14), 2 Black-winged Stilt 15 16 16a 17, 2 Spur-winged Plover 18 19, a Common Sandpiper 20 21, distant views at 7:44 of a male Honey-buzzard searching an area near the watering hole at moderate altitude 22 23 (13600) and a Yellow-billed Kite 24 25; at 7:45 a Montagu’s Harrier ringtail (plain face) and a Bee-eater closer to the waterhole 26 27; here’s a view of the Mara from the waterhole 28 and its dense aquatic vegetation 29. Meanwhile the breakfast equipment was being unpacked 68. We then drove to a lone Acacia tree, where we had a Champagne breakfast with omelette, in a most incongruous setting, complete with white table cloths 69, a mini market and a bush loo! In the balloon trip had 13 species of bird. We were then driven back to base at 08:40, seeing an African Wattled Plover, a Bateleur (in flight), 3 Southern Ground-Hornbill 1 2 3 4 5, 1 Green Sandpiper, 6 Spur-winged Plover, 4 Crowned Crane 6 7; so 6 bird-types casually on this section. Mammals included 8 Spotted Hyena 8 9 10 11, 4 Banded Mongoose 12 13 14 15 16 17, a Warthog family 18 19 20. We arrived back at 11:30. What a marvellous trip, lovely birthday present from daughter. My Runmifit watch tells me pulse rate went to 95 when being loaded into basket, dropping to 60 just 3 minutes later and for rest of trip, except for landing when briefly rose to 75. You have to do things outside your comfort zone! Lazed around hotel complex in afternoon, seeing a Black-headed Heron, 2 Blue-naped Mousebird, an African Hoopoe, a White-fronted Bee-eater 1 and a Hadada Ibis 2, plus a colourful butterfly 3 4. Most interesting was hearing a series of alarm calls from the trees by the Mara River sounding just like Honey-buzzard, but cannot be the latter as they don’t make calls outside their breeding season; so think it was an African Cuckoo-Hawk, a close relative of the Honey-buzzard. So had 6 casual records for the home ranch. We had early dinner where given honour of Swahili song welcoming us to Kenya; think this is done for all people staying a significant time; tipped waitress KSh 4k for her attention (£20). Then out again on night drive from 20:00-21:30 with a spotter with a strong lamp; amazing to see the colossal Hippopotamus grazing in the fields, the almost asleep gazelles, the frogs croaking in their thousands, likewise the crickets, all under a clear starry sky with no light pollution. We also saw some African Rabbit, 2 Spotted Hyena, 2 African Spring Hare and a Bushbuck, last new for our trip. To bed at 22:30. Off tomorrow to the coast!
December 17th: maximum 25C, minimum 13C, light E, sunny, felt hot in sunshine. Went for walking safari from 10:00-11:30. Gives you much insight into the tracks and signs in the wilds. Escorted by a Ranger with a gun! Hippos gathered in strength by camp with 14 on river bend and up to 3 in view from dining tables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Had a Common Sandpiper on the river 1 2, 2 Tropical Boubou, 2 types of Bee-eater on walk, 6 of each, Eurasian and White-fronted 1 2 3 4 5 6, 2 Dark-capped Bulbul 1 2 3, 2 African Wattled Lapwing 1, a Greenshank heard, plus shots of walk in general 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20, and close views of footprints 1 2 3 4, droppings 1 2 3 4, refuge hole 1, flowers 1 2, termites 1 2, acacia 1 2 3, mushroom 1, zebra 1 2 3 4, giraffe 1 2 3, wildebeest 1, and impala 1 2. Here's the lake seen at end of walk: 1 2. Took some piccies of striking butterflies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 on the flowers of the hotel and on walk. Another gamedrive at 16:00. This was incredible as we saw a Leopard, resting and then going out hunting at dusk. He was a big male, beautifully coloured and while known to be present, not often seen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. He eyed up a Warthog 26 (Mara pig) but they have sharp tusks and was obviously not thought the risk. He sloped off looking for easier prey 26a 27 28 29 30 probably a gazelle. We also saw a Bat-eared Fox 1 2, 3 Jackal out hunting 1 2 3 4 5 6, looking for a young deer. The herds of Impala 1 2 3 4 5 6 were very anxious but did not see any success. We were first taken to the Rhinoceros protected area where the last 2 White Rhinoceros on Mara 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 are guarded 24/7, so sad that poachers are still a major threat. A male Honey-buzzard was hunting, hanging over the hillside 1 at 16:38 with cropped image 2 (13601). Here's the rhino habitat: 8 9 10. There are some in Nairobi National Park and a transfer scheme is being hatched. White Rhinoceros are misnamed from confusion with Afrikaans; should be called Wide (mouthed) Rhinoceros. So got all of big 5 now. Earlier on the game drive we visited a Hippo pond, where a number assembled 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 with habitat 16, also seeing Warthog 1, Giraffe 1 2 and Dik-dik 1. Birds in this second trip of the day included: an Egyptian Goose 1, 4 Lesser Blue-eared Starling 1 2 3, a Dark-capped Bulbul 1, 2 Eurasian Bee-eater 1, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Fork-tailed Drongo, 1 Southern Fiscal. Two Lesser Spotted Eagle were flying through a wide glade at dusk (18:00). Altogether 9 bird-types were noted in second game drive of day.
December 16th : maximum 24C, minimum 16C, light NE, dry and sunny. No early gamedrive as we made visit to Masai village in morning from 09:00-12:00, including short drive. We were given a dancing display (see video), a talk on their customs by their chief, shown around, seeing stockades 1 2, huts 3 4, Spotted Hyena droppings from a visit 5, introduced to students and the school 6 7 8 9 10, encouraged to buy some ornaments and sundries. All very pleasant and between us we purchased quite a lot, donated 100US$ to school and paid 150US$ entrance, for grand contribution of £500 to their funds. Birds in this morning trip included an Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, 4 Ring-necked Dove 1, 4 Dark-capped Bulbul, 4 Baglafecht Weaver 1, 2 Brown-throated Martin, 8 House Sparrow, 4 Rufous-naped Lark 1. A Jackal was seen on the road. In afternoon we had a game drive from 16:00-19:00, going E for a change. Had some marvellous sightings of Elephants (including young) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, Topi (with young) 9 10 11, Zebra (with young) 12, Wildebeest 13, a herd of Impala 14 15 16, a family group of Warthog 17, a Dik-dik 18, plus 2 Bat-eared Fox. This elephant was in musth, a little horny 19 20 21 22 23 24; our driver gave the animal a wide berth, because they can be unpredictable and dangerous. The forest in our vicinity 1 2 3 4 looks good for raptors, such as Honey-buzzard. Birds on the late drive included 2 Grey Crowned Crane 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, 1 Red-tailed (Turkestan) Shrike 9, 2 Hamerkop, 2 Egyptian Goose, 4 Bee-eater, 3 Dark-capped Bulbul, 2 Spur-winged Plover, 5 Lilac-breasted Roller, 1 White-throated Bee-eater, 4 Yellow-fronted Canary 10, plus one chat-type, unid, and many other small birds. Termites and dung heaps were often visible. Our vehicle broke down with shaft problem but a replacement quickly arrived to take us back to base; gather vehicle was quickly fixed by a mechanic, experienced with these conditions. A Black-bellied Pangolin was new to the list. 2moro it’s a walking safari for myself, son and daughter.
December 15th: maximum 24C, minimum 16C, light NE, some more rain overnight, dry daytime. Early gamedrive was from 06:30-09:30. Roads were so wet but we managed to get around. Two Lion were seen resting in the bushes 1 2 3 and we also saw 8 Hippos in a flooded area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, 2 male Elephant 1 2 3, 1 Wildebeest, 3 Giraffe 1 2, 2 Topi 1 2, 2 Jackal, one of which caught a Rabbit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11, a copse 1, a family of Bat-eared Fox 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, a Dik-dik 1 2. The rain had created this temporary watering hole 1. Birds included a Hadada Ibis, 10 Cattle Egret in a flock in flight 1 2, 3 African Wattled Lapwing, 2 Hamerkop. Had 2 interesting raptors back at Fairmont from 10:00-12:15, a Wahlberg’s Eagle pale-phase flying over at moderate height at 10:07 1 2 3 4 5 and an African Harrier-Hawk flying over at moderate height at 11:11 1 2. Some Hippos (3) were active on the River Mara, walking along under the surface 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, and I also explored the boundary fence 1 2 3, seeing a Taita Fiscal. Late afternoon game drive from 16:00-19:00 was out of this world, watching 10 Lion (adult male, 2 adult female, 7 cubs), pride from yesterday, all playing at dusk at very close range 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46. Magical!! Also on drive had a herd of 200 Cape Buffalo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, complete with 150 Cattle Egret 11 12 13 14 15 16, 30 Yellow-billed Oxpecker 17 18 19 20 21, a Saddle-billed Stork 22, 2 Red-billed Oxpecker. A few Cattle Egret were photographed on their own, in the vicinity of the buffalo 23 24. A Jackal was seen at finish 1 2 3 . Some Impala 1 2 3 and c20 Giraffe were seen 1 2 3 4 including these marching in a line on the horizon 5 6 7 8. We also saw some Hippopotamus 1 2 3 and a Dik-dik 1. Other birds comprised 2 Pied Crow, 11 Hadada Ibis, 1 African Wattled Lapwing, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Eastern Chanting Goshawk (flushed from a tree at 18:16), 2 Rufous-naped Lark 1 2 3, 11 Egyptian Goose 1 2 3 4 (1 single adult, 1 pair adult, 1 pair adult + 6 young). 11 bird-types were noted. Whole trip is going very well, daughter and I are going on balloon trip on Monday as birthday treat for me, cost US$1k for both of us. Funds +12k on week as economic data strengthens.
December 14th: maximum 22C, minimum.15C, light NE. massive thunderstorm in afternoon, continuous thunder and frequent lightning strikes. Rain continuing overnight but thunder ceased. Everywhere was under water but we went out for a game drive from 16:00 to 19:00, having great views of a hunting male Cheetah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13, presumed to have caught an Impala from the squeal. Many Lion seen, first spell 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15, second spell 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26, including an adult pair and a pride of 10, comprising 2 lioness and 8 cubs of various ages. Also saw an Eland 1 2 3 and a Spotted Hyena 1 2 3 4. Birds comprised 2 Red-rumped Swallow, a Hamerkop, 3 soaring African White-backed Vulture, a Spotted Thick-knee, a Golden Oriole, 2 African Wattled Lapwing 1 2 3 4 5, 20 Helmeted Guinea-fowl, 8 Egyptian Goose 1 2 3 4 (family party, 2 ad, 6 young).
Earlier in Nairobi W (around hotel and Airport Wilson) we had 7 types of bird: 8 African Palm Swift, 6 Speckled Pigeon, 1 Marabou Stork, 1 African Sacred Ibis, 7 Black Kite, 6 Yellow-billed Kite, 2 Rock Martin. Flight over from Nairobi in 12-seater Cessna was smooth, single prop, 2 pilots handling the plane. We took off from tarmac at Wilson Airport at 9:55, passing over plains habitat below 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 and landed on an earthy strip at Mara North at 10:35. We were met by our driver Samson who stopped many times to show us the animals. On the drive to the Fairmont lodge from 11:00-12:20 we saw 11 Topi 1 2 3 4 5, 32 Warthog including young 1 2 3 4, 28 Thomson’s Gazelle, 32 Wildebeest 1 2, 61 Zebra 1 2 3 4, 23 Giraffe 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, 2 Olive Baboon, 8 Elephant 1 2 3 4, 40 Impala 1, 1 Spotted Hyena 1 2 3 4, plus 3 African White-backed Vulture and a Hamerkop 1 2, near a pond 1.
December 13th: maximum 26C, minimum 17C, dry and sunny. Great excursion to Nairobi National Park from 06:30-11:30 (07:00-11:00 inside the Park). Had driver in safari vehicle. At the entrance, by the elephant ivory burning monument 1 2, saw 4 Kenya Rufous Sparrow 1 2, 8 Pied Crow 1, 6 Black Kite 1, 2 Yellow-billed Kite 1 2. By big lake had 3 Hippopotamus 1 2 3 4 5, 87 (overall) Impala 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15, a Yellow-billed Stork, a Grey Heron 1, a pair of Egyptian Goose 1 2, 4 Red-collared Widowbird 1 2 3 4, 7 Greenshank 1 2, 1 African Darter (1w) 1 2 3 4. Near another wetland area we found 2 Rhinoceros (adult, young) 1 2 3 4 5, 30 African Buffalo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, complete with 20 Red-billed Oxpecker 1 2 3, 1 Yellow-billed Oxpecker 1 and a Cattle Egret 1. Also here were a Black-winged Stilt, a Blacksmith Lapwing 1, 20 Rufous-naped Lark 1 (with 2 Impala), 8 Helmeted Guineafowl 1 2 3 4 5 6. On a flattish plain had 2 Cheetah together 1 2 3 4 5, a Giraffe 1 2 3 with young 4, 10 Helmeted Guineafowl, 3 Common Ostrich 1 2, 3 Long-tailed Fiscal (a pair) 1 2 plus a single, 1 Superb Starling 1. In wooded area 1 2 around valley had an African Fish Eagle, 3 Waterbuck 1 2, 20 Olive Baboon 1 2 3, 2 Hadada Ibis on a tree 1, 2 Dik-dik 1 2, a Francolin Coqui, a Shikra hunting in the distance, a Long-tailed Fiscal 1, 20 Common Ostrich 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, an African Striped Ground Squirrel, a Steppe Buzzard, 4 Yellow-billed Stork. The woodland here was more sparse 1 2 but with some scrub 1. Moving to a large plain we had 25 Zebra 1 2, 20 Topi 1, 20 Impala, a Black-headed Heron in flight, a White-backed Vulture adult in low-level flight 1 2 plus 2 birds on a tree 1 2 3, 20 Impala, 6 Giraffe 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, a Spotted Hyena 1 2 3 4, 4 Rhinoceros (2 pairs of adult 1 2 3 4 5 6 7), 15 Cattle Egret 1 2 3, 4 Red-billed Oxpecker, 1 White-backed Night Heron 1, 6 Superb Starling 1. On the large open plain towards the Chinese-built railway line we had 6 Thomson's Gazelle 1, a soaring White-backed Vulture 1 2 3, 8 Swallow, 4 Warthog 1, views of the plain 1 2 3, 3 Red-collared Widowbird, 2 Crested Francolin, 3 Common Swift, 3 Black-headed Heron 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, 1 Greater Blue-eared Starling 1 2 3, 21 Impala, 1 Long-tailed Fiscal, 2 Bee-eater, 2 Giraffe 1 2 3 4, 7 Impala, 1 Martial Eagle soaring 1, 2 Yellow-crowned Canary 1. In the bushes by the entrance had some Blue Monkey (c15). It's amazing how close Nairobi City is to the game park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
Totals for animals were: 3 Hippopotamus, 87 Impala, 6 Rhinoceros, 30 African Buffalo, 2 Cheetah, 10 Giraffe, 2 Dik-dik, 25 Zebra, 20 Topi, 3 Waterbuck, 20 Olive Baboon, 1 African Striped Ground Squirrel, 1 Spotted Hyena, 6 Thomson's Gazelle, 4 Warthog, 15 Blue Monkey. Total 15 types.
Total for birds was 35 types, not recorded as a complete list as with experience could pick up some more types. Raptors were of 7 types: 6 Black Kite, 2 Yellow-billed Kite, a Steppe Buzzard, a Martial Eagle, an African Fish-eagle, a Shikra, 4 White-backed Vulture.
In the hotel area in SW Nairobi had some birds around the pool from 17:30-18:30 (and a few earlier at 06:30): 14 Black Kite (possibly including a few Yellow-billed Kite), 2 Yellow-billed Kite 1 2 3, 1 Marabou Stork non-breeding in flight 1 2, 3 Speckled Pigeon, 1 Blue-naped Mousebird, 1 African Pied Wagtail 1, 1 Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird 1, 2 Dark-capped Bulbul. Son enjoyed the hotel pool, which was quite busy.
December 12th: maximum 26C, minimum 17C, light NE, sunny, dry. Well we’re at 1600m asl but nice weather. Looked out at 11:15 local time and there were 2 Yellow-billed Kite perched on parts of the hotel 1 2 3 4 5, which is on the SW edge of Nairobi!! Also had a Great White Egret here and 1 Pied Crow. Earlier at 05:00 had the hoarse calls of Verreaux's Eagle Owl. We took a hotel car at 13:00 to the Kenyan National Museum 1 2 3 4, which was packed as today was a national holiday to celebrate 60 years of independence from the British and admission was free for locals but not for us, cost 3.2k KSh (£15). All well laid out, we were very interested in the Cradle of Humankind (4 above) which showed the early hominids and relatives, many of which were found in Africa. I also found the Joy Adamson section fascinating with early conservation efforts at Naivasha. We also visited the Botanical Gardens, the Park and a cafe for tea. Our driver was there to meet us at 17:00 and we went back to the hotel where we had dinner (5k KSh); two trips in the car cost 60 US$. Birds in museum area and on drive included 20 Little Egret, 16 Black Kite scavenging everywhere (may include a few Yellow-billed Kite), 1 Marabou Stork, 1 singing Chiffchaff, 15 Hadada Ibis, 3 Greater Blue-eared Starling juvenile, 6 Barn Swallow, 1 African Pied Wagtail, 8 Dark-capped Bulbul. Hotel Boma is very modern, attractive and friendly 1 2, run by the Red Cross to generate money for them. 2moro we’re going to Nairobi National Park for a 5-hour safari.
December 11th: maximum 12C, minimum 8C, moderate NW, mainly dry. Kenyan Airways flight was delayed from 11:30 to 14:45, notified night before so delayed taxi to 10:30 to LHR, cost £100 but very smooth way to travel. Flight was fine – food OK, took 8 hours 20 min in flight time, with 11 hours superficially but Kenya is 3 hours ahead of UK. Arrived at Nairobi at 03:00 local time and took an hour getting through immigration. Then taxi for £50 to Boma Hotel where booked for 3 days. So relieved to get to bed!!
December 10th: maximum 8C, minimum 5C, moderate NW, rain on and off. What a day travelling: East coast cables between Grantham and Peterborough were down over whole weekend so train to Stevenage cancelled and no other way through. So went to Carlisle instead of Newcastle, getting taxi from home for £100, as Northern services also disrupted. Then caught 15:48 Carlisle to Euston, arriving 19:30, just in time to walk to Kings X and catch 20:02 to Cambridge via Welwyn Garden City, where got off at 20:31 and caught taxi to Welwyn where son lives. He cooked Lasagne for me with boiled potatoes and salad. Further news is that major flight tomorrow is delayed by 3 hours so taxi 2moro to Heathrow put back from 07:30 to 10:30: some relief! Had 2 Common Buzzard in taxi ride: one at Bardon Mill W, other at Gilsland S, both around 14:30. Did manage to write all c20 Xmas cards on the train from Euston, plenty of space, surprised more people not trying it. And catch up on emails. Great to meet son again and so nice to think we'll be travelling together for over 2 weeks.
