Photo by Scott Stoner-EbyPhoto by Scott Stoner-Eby
This species is easily encountered while birding moist grassland savanna like Nairobi national park,Masai Mara national reserve,Amboseli and the expansive Tsavo West and Tsavo West. The photo appearing above was taken in Nairobi national park.
Large, unusual brown warbler with a black tail, pale eye, and black “moustache” mark. Found in patches of tall, thick grass within savanna and scrub habitats. Generally skulking, and most often seen when it sits up to sing. The song is a chatty, warbling jumble with a distinctive fast cadence. Similar in overall shape and habitat to Fan-tailed Grassbird, but much larger, with a pale eye and black facial streak.
Brown Warbler as it is sometimes referred to is Remarkably plain brown warbler whose most outstanding features are a finely speckled throat and a white outer tail. Found in the canopy of acacia trees at middle or high elevations. Slow-moving and inconspicuous. Usually seen singly or in pairs.
We observed this bird last Saturday when Scott and I went birding Nairobi national park for a half a day which was quite successful.Other than the Brown Parisoma which I love always love to watch,we also managed to pick-up species like Hartlaub’s Turaco,Singing Cisticola,African Yellow Warbler,Red-throated Tit and Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike just to name a few.
Other than Nairobi national park,this bird can be seen in Aberdare national park,Western escarpment of the Rift Valley and Masai Mara .Have a remarkable birding week!
Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Crinifer zonurus,is a huge Turaco found mostly in areas around Lake Victoria and its environs.It is a relatively common and noticeable bird,and unlike their forest counterparts,they lark radiant co lours.Their plumage is overall grey above spotted with brown. The head, erectile crest, neck, and breast are brown streaked with silver. The underparts are whitish, and heavily streaked with brown.Eastern Grey Plantain-eaters have a thick bright yellow bill and show a white wing bar in flight.
In Kenya it is a very easy bird to see around Kisumu city at the shores of Lake Victoria,Ahero rice plantations,Busia,Homabay,Kongolai valley and Migori.
Males are more colorful or ornamented than females in most, but not all, bird species.The female Greater Painted-snipe is striking compared to the male.This two were photographed at Amboseli national park at Enkongo causeway which is also good for watching Blue-billed and Cape Teal,Southern Pochard,White-backed Duck,Saddle-billed Stork and giant looking Goliath Heron.
Greater Painted-snipe.Photo by Joe Aengwo.
This species can also be found at Mwea rice field,Lake Nakuru national park,Masai Mara and Nairobi national park.
Fischer’s Turaco is a commonly recorded species along the East Africa coast.Birders will surely encountered the species when birding subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest of Arabuko Sokoke forest,Shimba Hills national park and Amani nature reserve located in Eastern Usambara mountains.
Fischer’s turacos have amazing shades of green feathers marked with touches of red and white. Easy to distinguish with its crimson crest, nape, and primaries and inner secondaries. The crest is tipped with black at the tallest part, white on lower portion. The upper parts are green- blue to violet-blue, with lower belly being much darker. The red bill has white lines both above and below the black lore area; bare orbital skin is red and the eyes are brown. The wings are rather short and rounded; tail is long. Turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments, giving them their bright green, blue and red feathers.
Kakamega forest is the only remnant of tropical rain forest in Kenya.Its diversity in birds and butterflies is mind boggling.I am sure botanist and other biologist will have a great time here.Kakamega’s avifauna is unique not only nationally,but continentally. Several species have isolated, relict populations here, including Ansorge’s Greenbul,Blue-headed Bee-eater,Chapins’ Flycatcher and Turner’s Eremomela ,which are absent from all or nearly all of the superficially similar mid-elevation forests in Uganda.
White-tailed Ant-Thrush is a rare but regular in Kakamega forest both in the southern section(Isecheno) and northern part(Bhuyangu).There are also records of the species from Nandi south forest.Enjoy and keep birding!.
Nothing is more rewarding like encountering a group helmet’s shrikes on any birding trip in Kenya,they are beautiful birds to watch with their unique crest signature mark.In Kenya ,you can find four species of this group;White-crested,Grey-crested,Chestnut-fronted and Retz’s Helmetshrike. Most of this species are gregarious and fly around in a group of 6 to around 50 individuals.
Grey-crested Helmetshrike.Photo by Joe Aengwo
White-crested Helmetshrike is widespread and can easily be seen in any habitat in Kenya ranging from the Tsavos,Samburu,Baringo and Kongolai escarpment in West Pokot.Grey-crested Helmetshrike is an East African endemic and found areas around Crater Lake and Hell’s National park in Naivasha area,Masai Mara and the Serengeti national park.They are strictly restricted to acacia and leleswa bush habitat.
White-crested Helmetshrike.Photo by Joe Aengwo.
Retz’s Helmetshrike is quite stunning to watch with its bright red bill and eye wattles and yellow eyes contrasting with is darker body appearances , this is common but rarely seen along the Kenyan and Tanzania coastline and extending upcountry to areas around Kibwezi, Makindu and Chyulu Hills.Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike is mostly restricted to coastal areas and easily picked up in Arabuko Sokoke forest.
A medium-size Bush-shrike that inhabit the papyrus vegetation around Lake Victoria and the extensive Yala swamp in Western Kenya.The sexes are similar; the crown is dull yellow, the head, upper parts, wings and tail are black apart from a broad white bar on the wings.The breast and upper belly are vivid orange-crimson, and the lower belly whitish.
Photo@Joe Aengwo
This species can difficult to observe as prefers lurking among the vegetation and only flying occasionally, usually a short distance over water to another patch of papyrus. Its presence can often be detected by its calls, which consist of brief whistles and grating tearing sounds.
The photo above was taken in June at shores of Kisumu town ,the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria.Gorgeous bird to watch!.
I went back to Arabuko Sokoke forest last week again and it was the first time we explored the forest without the guidance of David Ngala.Like they say good teachers leave good students behind,we were guided by David colleague Willy Gombe who I must admit did exceptionally well in helping us track and photograph the Sokoke pipit and other highly sort after species like the Sokoke Scops Owl,East Coast Akalat,Gorgeous Bush-shrike,Little-yellow Flycatcher,Red-capped Robin-chat, Bat Hawk, Chesnut-fronted Helmet-shrike,Forest Batis, Plain-backed and Amani Sun Sunbird.
Photo@Joe Aengwo
The Arabuko-Sokoke forest is the largest relic of a formerly larger contiguous East African coastal forest. It forms part of the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal forest ecoregion which is a global biodiversity hotspot with considerable species endemism. Despite such conservation significance, the forest is undergoing rapid modification and habitat loss mainly from anthropogenic pressures, with negative impacts on sensitive species such as the Sokoke Pipit ( Anthus sokokensis ), one of the globally-endangered birds
Photo@Joe Aengwo
The weather at the coast when we were there was not very friendly to birding,it was really cloudy and rainy, though we kept on with our birding taking break here and there to shelter from the rain when it gets heavy. Overall, I think we did well considering the small challenges we faced that was not within our control.
African Golden-breasted Bunting is a stunningly-colored seed-eater with a brilliant golden breast, a yellow throat, a boldly black-and-white striped head, a chestnut back, and white wingbars. When flushed, it shows white outer tail feathers. The female is duller. Pairs and small flocks are resident, but make local movements in arid savanna and broadleaf woodland, where they forage on the ground and fly up into trees when flushed or singing.
The similar Brown-rumped and Somali buntings differ from Golden-breasted Bunting by having gray (not chestnut) shoulders and back of the neck. This species is found in a variety of open woodlands. Flavigaster favours acacia steppe and savanna, with the other subspecies occurring in a wider range of lightly wooded country including gardens.It feeds on the ground on seeds and insects.
You are likely to see Golden-breasted Bunting if you are birding areas like; Nairobi national park,Karura Forest,Lake Nakuru national park,Lake Naivasha and generally in any Central highlands birding area.
Birding in Kenya is fun and fantastic but it’s always better with an experienced local guide. Whether taking a birding tour in Kenya or birding on your own, an experienced local guide may have knowledge of roosting owls, sites for various rare birds, local logistics, and other useful information that an active local birder is much more likely to know.
Kenya Birding 