Kenya 22/12-12 Part 1 of 2

During a night of little sleep I got to experience the African night. It was truly amazing! Two Comon Genets were feeding on the fish that had been laid out by the staff, and a Mongoose of some species came running by. And the Marabou that had tried to steel food the day before was sleeping in silhouette against the dark night-sky. And as the sun started to rise at about 06.20 its rays hitting the surface of Mount Kenya gave a truly amazing view. This Lodge is really situated in a magnificent place!

Mount Kenya at sunrise, seen from Mountain Lodge.

We drove off towards teh next lodge, and the binoculars and the camera were easily accessible. But what I really needed was my bird-guide. this country is something different from what I am used to from Norway. I figured out that I would just have to give up on identifying the small passerines, and to consentrate on the larger birds. While stopping for a hort while in the town of Aberdare, I got to see two Ibises walking on the grass. These were Hadada Ibises (Hadadaibis), and they seemed like they did not mind us beeing stood only a few metres away from them.

Hadada Ibis/Hadadaibis



Hadada Ibis/Hadadaibis



 After this brief stop in Aberdare we drove to the Equator, did the usual "tourist-things" there like looking at the water swirling different ways on each side of the Equator. Then we drove on to have a look at the Great Rift Valley where again there were lots of people trying to sell us the usual things. But both these places were nice to have actually seen with my own eyes.

The sign at the Equator

The sign at the Great Rift Valley

The car we drove around in was an old-style Toyota HiAce. This is probably the most common car in Kenya, since there were lots of them everywhere! And as I am used to from home, there were supporters of English football everywhere we drove! The picture I am adding here is for Lars Emil! ;) Looking at the motorcycles that drove along the road was also interesting, since they seemed to find all possible ways of filling all their posessions onto them.

Our ride

How many items can you put on a motorcycle?

Guess which team he cheers for???

  When we finally came to Sunbird Lodge I was positively surprised that there were bird-feeders along the patio in front of the restaurant. I only managed a couple of OK pictures of Purple Grenadier(Purpurastrild) and Red-Cheeked Cordonbleu (Rødkinnastrild), but I knew where to look for birds the morning after!

Purple Grenadier/Purpurastrild

Red-Cheeked Cordonbleu, female/Rødkinnastrild, hunn

Red-Cheeked Cordonbleu, male/Rødkinnastrild, hann

Birds seen this far on 22.12.-12:

Mountain Lodge:

Marabou - Marabou - Leptoptilos crumeniferus
Egyptian Goose - Niland - Alopochen aegyptiacus
Cinnamon-Chested Bee-Eater - Bergbieter - Merops oreobates
Rock Martin - Ravinesvale - Hirundo fuligula
African Pied Wagtail - Afrikaerle - Motacilla aguimp
Cape Wagtail - Askeerle - Motacilla capensis
Grey Wagtail - Vintererle - Motacilla cinerea
White-Eyed Slaty Flycatcher - Brillefluesnapper - Melaenornis fischeri
Tropical Boubou - Tropebobo - Laniarius aethopicus
Beglafect Weaver - Bergvever - Ploceus beglafect

Aberdare:

Hadada Ibis - Hadadaibis - Bostrychia hagedash
African Pied Wagtail - Afrikaerle - Motacilla aguimp
Pied Crow - Hvitbrystkråke - Corvus albus

Aberdare - Sunbird Lodge:

Cattle Egret - Kuhegre - Bubulcus ibis
Little Egret - Silkehegre - Egretta garzetta
Grey Heron - Gråhegre - Ardea cinerea
Bateleur - Gjøglerørn - Terathopius ecaudatus
Grey Crowned Crane - Gråkrontrane - Balearica regulorum
Speckled Pigeon - Spragledue - Columba guinea
Common Fiscal - Svartryggvarsler - Lanius collaris
Pied Crow - Hvitbrystkråke - Corvus albus
Cape Rook - Smalnebbkråke - Corvus capensis
Greater Blue-Eared Starling - Blåøreglansstær - Lamprotornis chalybaeus

Sunbird Lodge:

Laughing dove - Palmedue - Streptopelia senegalensis
African Pied Wagtail - Afrikaerle - Motacilla aguimp
Pied Wheatear - Svartstrupesteinskvett - Oenanthe pleschanka
Red-Winged Starling - Rødvingestær - Onychognathus morio
Superb Starling - Praktstær - Lamprotornis superbus
Beglafect Weaver - Bergvever - Ploceus beglafect
Red-Cheeked Cordonbleu - Rødkinnastrild - Uraeginthus bengalus
Purple Grenadier - Purpurastrild - Uraeginthus ianthinogaster



New species: 15

Total species of birds this far: 55