African Openbill
Anastomus lamelligerus
Kenya, June 1999
Kenya, June 1999
In June of 1999, I spent 24 days in Kenya birding on a private tour led by Terry Stevenson.
Highlights
- 647 species seen (602 of them lifers)
- All three critically endangered Taita Hills specialties (Taita Thrush, Taita Apalis, Taita White-eye)
- The rarely seen Abbott's Starling
- Brilliant views of many shy birds — Taita Thrush, East Coast Akalat, Equatorial Akalat, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Baillon's Crake
- 48 species of weavers/bishops/widowbirds — all but one in full breeding plumage
- Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird at 11,500 feet on the moorlands of Mount Kenya
- Among 56 species of mammals: Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Caracal, Black Rhinoceros, Tree Hyrax, and 18 species of antelope from the tiny Suni to the huge Eland
- And in reptiles, a tiny Spitting Cobra and a 6-foot Jameson's Mamba!
Photos
Green-backed Eremomela
Eremomela canescens
Kenya, June 1999
Lesser Moorhen
Gallinula angulata
Kenya, June 1999
White-headed Woodhoopoe
Phoeniculus bollei
Kenya, June 1999
Baillon's Crake
Porzana pusilla
Kenya, June 1999. Immatures found here with adults were a first confirmed breeding record for all of East Africa!
Sharpe's Longclaw
Macronyx sharpei
Kenya, June 1999. Nearly a Kenyan endemic (only recently discovered on the Ugandan side of Mt. Elgon), restricted to highland grasslands.
Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird
Nectarinia johnstoni
Mt. Kenya moorlands, 11,500 ft, June 1999
Chestnut-throated Apalis
Apalis porphyrolaema
Kenya, June 1999
Red-and-yellow Barbet
Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
Kenya, June 1999
Black-faced Sandgrouse
Pterocles decoratus
Kenya, June 1999
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacus
Kenya, June 1999
Buff-crested Bustard
Eupodotis ruficrista
Kenya, June 1999
Tacazze Sunbird
Nectarinia tacazze
Kenya, June 1999
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Glaucidium perlatum
Kenya, June 1999
Southern Ground-Hornbill
Bucorvus leadbeateri
Kenya, June 1999
Narina Trogon
Apaloderma narina
Kenya, June 1999
Gray-crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
Kenya, June 1999
White-crowned Shrike
Eurocephalus rueppelli
Kenya, June 1999
Wire-tailed Swallow
Hirundo smithii
Kenya, June 1999. Look closely — there are wires there!
White-bellied Bustard
Eupodotis senegalensis
Kenya, June 1999
Von der Decken's Hornbill
Tockus deckeni
Kenya, June 1999
Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
Bubo lacteus
Kenya, June 1999. One of 9 seen roosting on this trip!
Lion
Panthera leo
Kenya, June 1999
Sykes's Monkey
Cercopithecus albogularis
Kenya, June 1999
Photos may be used freely with credit. Please do not hotlink images directly.
Itinerary
- June 6: Nairobi → Lake Magadi → Nairobi
- June 7: Nairobi → Thika → Mt. Kenya Lodge
- June 8: Mt. Kenya Lodge → Naro Moru Lodge
- June 9: Upper Mt. Kenya
- June 10: Naro Moru Lodge → Samburu
- June 11–12: Samburu
- June 13: Samburu → Baringo
- June 14: Baringo
- June 15: Baringo → Kakamega Forest
- June 16–17: Kakamega Forest
- June 18: Kakamega Forest → Busia District → Kisumu
- June 19: Kisumu → Naivasha
- June 20: Naivasha → Kinangop Plateau → Nairobi → (flight) → Masai Mara
- June 21: Masai Mara
- June 22: Masai Mara → (flight) → Nairobi
- June 23: Nairobi N.P. → (flight) → Watamu