birding – Page 2 – Kenya Birding

Rufous-crowned Roller (Coracias naevius)

Rofouse-crowned Roller

Photo@Yan Van Danne

Rufous-crowned or Purple Roller has it is sometimes referred to is a very uncommon compared to other species of Rollers, with exception of Abyssinian Roller.It feed on big insect and it can be observed from one spot for some time as it scanned and goes for his prey and returning to the same location .

The bird is generally purple as the name suggest with violet tailed and a little spot on the wing shoulder.It is the biggest roller we have in East Africa, therefore identifying this bird should never be a problem at all.

It is very common in areas around Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, Kerio Valley, Kapedo, Samburu National reserve and Meru National Park.

Bird of the Week

Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)

Photo@Joseph Aengwo

Southern Ground Hornbill is a large, turkey sized terrestrial bird, black-plumaged except for white primaries, conspicuous in flight. Adult bird has a bright red bare skin around eyes and on the neck, where usually somewhat inflated;eyes pale yellow; bill back, with small casque at the base above.

Pairs or small groups walk about in search for insects and small vertebrates.It will tend to take flight only when disturbed or alarmed.Widespread but partially distributed in open grassland and savanna around Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara, Central Rift Valley a round Lake Nakuru and Naivasha and Kakamega forest, Mt.Elgon and Kapenguria.

Bird watching

Trip Report: January 25 – February 8, 2012

Hello my fellow birders!

I’ve finally posted my trip report under Birding Trip Reports for January 25 – February 8, 2012. I will be updating it with photos shortly.

Here is an excerpt from the report! Click the link above to view the full report.

Trip Leader Joseph Aengwo

Participants: 5 Clients

Bird Species Recorded: 445

Animal Species: 34

For many bird people across the globe, the beginning of the year is a wonderful time. Yearly lists can start anew, and who knows what the next twelve months will bring? While rarities whet the appetite of any birder, the expected birds are much more frequently counted. And this was not any different for us when we started our 14 days birding trip that took us to birding hotspot found in eastern and coastal part of Kenya.

There were of course numerous avian highlights during our grand tour of that part of the country and of the nine or ten Kenyan endemics we encountered four, namely;

Taita Thrush
Taita Apalis
Taita White-eye
Clarke’s Weaver

We also saw rarities and restricted-range species such as:

Sokoke Scops Owl
Friedmann’s Lark
Malindi and Sokoke Pipits
Golden Palm and Taveta Golden Weavers

Of the other near-endemics and specials rarely recorded on other tours we also managed to record the following:

Somali Ostrich
Mountain Buzzard
Shelley’s Francolin
Vulturine Guineafowl
Somali Courser
Sooty Gull
Black-faced Sandgrouse
Fischer’s and Hartlaub’s Turacos
African Barred Owlet
Montane Nightjar
White-headed Mousebird
Eastern Green Tinkerbird
Brown-breasted, White-eared, Red-and-yellow and D’Arnaud’s Barbets
Pallid Honeyguide
Mombasa and African Grey-headed Woodpeckers
Fawn-coloured, Pink-breasted and Red-winged Larks
Fischer’s Sparrow Lark
Golden Pipit
Pangani Longclaw
Stripe-cheeked Fischer’s and Tiny Greenbuls
Northern Brownbul, Dodson’s Bulbul, Scaly and Northern Pied Babblers
East Coast Akalat
Ashy Cisticolas
Quil-Plover
Somali Long-billed and White-browed Crombecs
Red-throated Tit
Little Yellow Flycatcher
Forest Batis Long-tailed
Taita Fiscal
Three-streaked Tchagra
Black-fronted Bush-shrike and Rosy-patched Bush-shrikes,
East Coast Boubou
Hildebrandt’s, Fischer’s and Magpie Starlings
Plain-backed, Amani, Eastern Olive, Mouse-coloured, Hunter’s, Tsavo Purple-banded Sunbird,
Parrot-billed,
Kenya Rufous Sparrow
Zanzibar Red Bishop
Jackson’s Widowbird
Black-cheeked Waxbill
African Silverbill
Village Indigobird
Steel-blue and Straw-tailed Whydahs
African Citril and White-bellied Canary

Bird Photography

Sokoke Scops Owl (Otus ireneae)

I captured this owl recently in Arabuko Sokoke Forest while traveling with guests in Kenya.

Bird of the Week

February 21, 2012: Yellow-necked Spurfowl (Francolinus leucoscepus)

This groundbird is usually cryptically –coloured, though it is frequently spotted on the side of the drive ways in Tsavo West and East National Park, Amboseli ,Samburu and Meru National Park. It is large francolin with a blackish bill, distinctive bare yellow throat and red-orange skin around the eyes. Brown upper parts have some narrow buff streaking, underparts more heavily streaked brown and white. It should be a straight forward bird, and its identification shouldn’t be a problem as such.

Bird of the Week

February 2, 2012: Greyish Eagle Owl (Bubo cenerascens)

This Greyish Eagle Owl was formerly classed as a race of Spotted Eagle Owl, with the latter found in the southern part of the equator , while former is located in northern part of the equator, this is as far as my Kenyan distribution knowledge is regarding this species.

It is a medium to large greyish (grayish) brown owl with dark eyes. Finely vermiculated above and densely so below with barring.

All my records of this species has been from Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria National Reserve and Kerio Valley. I have been informed of records from Samburu and Meru too.

Stay tuned as I return later next week from a tour and will be preparing a tour report, new photos, bird songs and much more!

– Joe,

have a happy birding week

Bird of the Week

January 23, 2012: Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)

Hello fellow birders!

I am off on a birding adventure for the next few weeks with some guests! I am armed with binoculars, a scope, a Canon Rebel XT, and a panasonic mp3 recorder, with which I hope to capture some special birding moments to share with you.

In the meantime, enjoy the Bird of the Week; this unique and beautiful stork.

One of the tallest species of storks is the Saddle-billed Stork, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, which stands up to 58 in. high. It has a large crimson bill with a black band and a triangular yellow frontal shield (or saddle), and has black legs with reddish joints. The overall coloring is black and white–the head, neck, tail and wing-coverts black, the remaining plumage and the flight feathers white. It breeds in sub-Saharan Africa, generally by rivers. The large nest is built of sticks in the tops of tall trees. It lays one egg. It feeds on grasshoppers, fish, frogs and lizards.

They can either be found in solitary or pairs, they prefer moist habitat of lake shores, swamps and rivers. In Kenya they are widespread and be spotted in areas like Maasai Mara game reserve, Lake Baringo, Nakuru, Naivasha and Lake Victoria, Meru National Park and the coastal strip.

Bird Songs

Slender-tailed Nightjar Song

Enjoy the song of a Slender-tailed Nightjar that I recorded in Lake Baringo.

– Joe

Bird of the Week, Bird Photography

January 15,2012:Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus)

Common Ostrich is one of the two species in Kenya, the other is Somali Ostrich found in the northern eastern part of the country. Their distribution in Kenya is widespread. They are the tallest and heaviest birds in the world and belong to a primitive group called rarities. Because of their poorly developed sternum, they do not have the place where the muscle required to aid flight can be attached. They are adopted to terrestrial lifestyle. They can run incredibly fast.

Ostriches have sexual dimorphism where the male is brownish black with white wings, tail and neck ring. The female appears in a generally grey-brown with pale feather edge with neck and legs being pale-pinkish.

The photos taken show the male performing their normal interesting courtship display mostly referred to as kantling, whereby they squat down and then sway from side to side while fanning and quivering their outstretched wings. This is thought to induce the female into wanting to mate.

I managed to capture these outside my home in Lake Baringo. This guy is a bit confused as he performed the dance for me! Perhaps I look like a female Ostrich. Enjoy this rare glimpse at the Common Ostrich’s courtship display.

Bird Photography, Bird watching

Birding Trip Reports

I’ve been updating the blog with new sections, including Birding Hotspots in Kenya and East Africa, which I will be updating throughout this week, as well as Birding Trip Reports. Below is the most recently added report from a non-birding tour I hosted over the holidays. Enjoy the Birds! Kenya may have turned my guests into birders!

On my recent trip with two Canadians, which took us to Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lake Baringo, Kaptagat Forest and Diani Beach, we managed to see 155 species, though they were not really serious birders as such. It was more of a Christmas holiday. I was however impressed of how many species came our way!!! Kenyan birdlife is impressive!!! Have a great birding new year. The photos were taken during this trip.

Species seen during the tour: