The Bigg Bird Forum

[Karwin]

Nairobi

From minus twenty centigrade to pluses of same amount with seven-years-old daughter. My first Kenyan bird is Apus affinis at the airport, where Wildtrek Safaris's driver has arrived to pick us to our hotel in Nairobi's Westlands suburb with modern malls. In the afternoon Soma and I join my wife's cooperation group to visit animal orphanage.

Before trip we were well informed that Nairobi is dangerous city. The only inconvenience we experienced was that my wife's cellphone was stolen at Nairobi airport (which was a pity, because it's operating system was Finnish and sim card only managed calls to Finland, so there was not much to enjoy for a Kenyan. She had to buy a cheap Nokia with a prepaid card to stay in touch. Now we have this Nokia with English/Swahili operating system, with dead Kenyan prepaid card, so if any Kenyan wants that, I can send).

By the end of my day in capital city I have gathered 14 Kenyan twitches, of which Plocepasser mahali is the only global point.

Plocepasser mahali
Poster: Karwin, viewed 3 Time(s)

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[Karwin]

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Mt Kenya

In the morning we meet our safari deiver & bird guide Suji. After leaving Nairobi I grab for my shades and notice thet I obviously forgot them in hotel. Our first stop does not sell shades and the next ones do not have my style..

Mt Kenya Mountain Lodge is an idyllic wooden fortress 2.195 metres above sealevel in the jungle. It sits next to a pond which is a drinking pool for local wildlife. Unfortunately, due to the surrounding wildlife, walking around is only permitted on few fenced paths. From the hotel there is brilliant view over the jungle, though.

Mt Kenya jungle pond
Poster: Karwin, viewed 3 Time(s)

In the afternoon hotel naturalist takes us for a guided walk in the jungle. We are accompanied by a gunman. Kikuju guide knows the birds well, also by voice, and I list several species that I hardly see.

Nighttime the pond is enlighted so that it is easy to see creatures visiting it. During the dinner naturalist asks which animals the hotel guests want to be waked up during the night. According to this list he goes from door to door knock whenever he observes rarer animals. Knock on the door is a mark for the guest to go to the window to see what's up. We choose to be waked up by almost anything, but unfortunately there's no wake-ups this night. It has been raining lately, making the slopes too slippery for elephants to proceed to the pond. A single hyena passes the hotel, howling dull in the jungle.

Kenyan bird count: 41 species.

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[Karwin]

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Sweetwaters Tented Camp

Tent at Sweetwaters means a luxury one with real beds, closets, toilet and shower (warm water comes from wood burning heater outside tents). Place is a forest patch on a steppe with animals' drinking pool (which is illuminated by night). Area is surrounded by electric fence to prevent for example buffalos entering the camp area. Of African beasts, buffalo is the most dangerous - ie. killing more people annually than predators.

One common bird on the camp is Corythaixoides leucogaster (go-away-bird). It is a magpie-sized grey bird, which looks funny with its crest, and its voice sounds funny, too. IMHO the most clownish bird of the world.

The aridity of Kenya has surprised me. Most landscapes are with sparse vegetation. Although country sits on the Equator, only one percent of the land is forested. Locals tell that due to climate change, there has been now drought for two years.

In the afternoon we do a "game drive", where we are especially interested in twitching snipes instead of elephants. After dark we have a night game drive, which unfortunately does not offer any owls or nightjars, but tawny eagle, plovers and a skunk.

Kenyan bird count: 95 species.

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[Corinna]

Hooray - at last!

Thanks Karri for your report so far- will be tuning in daily -!

Go -away- bird is a character - very amusing!

[Karwin]

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Nakuru

My Kenyan bird number one hundred is Circus pygargus in the morning when passing Ndaragwa on our way from Sweetwaters to Nakuru. During the trip we pass Nyahururu town whose tourist attraction is Thompson Falls. We are more interested in the Hippo Pool that sits close to the "highway", and stop for observing kingfishers, coots, ducks and waders there.

At famous Lake Nakuru we again encounter the Kenyan climate change: because of the drought lake level has dropped several metres in two years. As the lake is shallow, this means that waterline has retreated hundreds of metres. In Kenya there are few of these larger lakes on the Drift Valley, famous for their wildlife, all of them now rapidly vanishing.

Lake Nakuru
Poster: Karwin, viewed 3 Time(s)

There are both freshwater and salinelakes in Drift Valley. Saline lakes get their salinity from their watershed area - there are no river outlets, so when water evaporates under tropical sun, salts are left in the lake making it a hostile environment for much of wildlife.

When we arrive to Lake Nakuru Lodge at dusk, there is a dying buffalo on the road close to the Lodge. It looks dead but our guide says it is alive, because it is untouched.

During the day we have several times crossed the Equator back and forth. When we go south, it is summer, and coming back we enter winter. Nonetheless, all the time it is suny and warm.

Kenyan bird count: 119 species.

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[Corinna]

Circus pygargus - Montague's Harrier

a beauty!

Apus affinis - Little Swift


Plocepasser mahali - White-browed Sparrow Weaver


And you didn't know I spoke Finnish!

[Karwin]

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Bogoria

When we pass yesterday's buffalo again, we now see it half eaten. Yesterday evening we observed several hyenas and one jackal around.

During the trip from Nakuru to Bogoria we pass a large sisal field with sisal factory. For example bags are made of this crop. Another common sight on Kenyan rural landscape are Coffea arabica fields. Forests are rare, and many of them are planted Eucalyptus forests. Eucalyptus is grown because it grows s fast - but same time it consumes much more precious water than the indigenous tree species.

In Lake Bogoria (970 m asl, 34 km2) we visit the hot springs where one could easily cook a meal in boiling water. Water is very clear and hot, but a species of Cyanoacteria - Spirulina platensis - lives in it. This alga is consumed few hundred metres away where the a-little-bit-cooled water enters the lake. The consumers are flamingos, which colour the lakeshores white with their massive numbers. By the way - Spirulina species are commercially digested by human beings, too.

Downwind of the springs it feels just like in sauna - hot steam in the air. We are warned to step too close to the springs because the soil can collapse.

In the evening I come across with hotel naturalist Raphael. As a talented birder, he leads me to a wetland next to Lake Bogoria Spa Resort and a flock of new species fly into my notes - Kenyan bird count at the end of the day is 170 species.

The wetland has little ponds but is mostly dry steppe. Where there is no grass, which is under heavy stress caused by grazing cattle, there is utterly fine red dust. Walking with sandals, my legs get dirty immediately when stepping in this dust. An interesting thing is that on slightly higher spots on the field the grass is longer - and my feet get wet. Under those spots there are hot spots in the ground, like hot springs without spring - but "hot mires". Many households on Rift Valley utilize hot soil water in providing hot water for example heating or swimming pools.

A dry wetland from Bogoria, Kenya
Poster: Karwin, viewed 3 Time(s)

In Lake Bogoria area we also see exceptionally many termite mounds, many of them twice as high as people. By the night Gryllidae (field crickets) give their own spice in the tropical scenery.

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[Karwin]

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Drought

This drought that has been going on for two years is a new phenomenon, and in a populated country such as Kenya it of course causes troubles. On the swamp desertification is well visible when the cattle is trying to graze on anything green and people are gathering wood for fire. It now looks that millions of people are forced to leave their homes, to move to places where it rains more. It is very easy to not realize this when living in Europe. The Copenhagen climate summit is a big news in Kenya.

The shores of Lake Bogoria are in natural state. People have never settled there because "there is nothing to eat". Soil is stony, no grasses, just thorny Acacia bushes.

This evening we go to our last target, Lake Naivasha. After dark at Sopa Lodge it is only permitted to go out with a guard, as Hippopotamuses come to graze between the cottages during the night. In daylight I am chased by a giraffe on the hotel garden.

Lake Naivasha's level has dropped several metres in two years, and the shoreline has retreated hundreds of metres. Flamingos and hippos have hard times.

Kenyan bird count: 183 species.

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[Karwin]

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Crescent Lake

Today we have a boat ride on Crescent Lake. Actually there is no such lake on maps, there is Crescent Island.

Located on the eastern end of Lake Naivasha, it is an extinct volcano's crater that is no more connected to the main lake, as maps tell. In the middle of a circular lake there is a little skerry. That skerry was born this year. Crater used to be the deepest part of Lake Naivasha with 18 metres. It is popular leisure area, on northern and eastern shores there is public swimming beach and several tourboat entrepreneurs. People share the little lake with rich avifauna (sea eagles, shorebirds, geese, cormorants and little grebes) and hippopotamuses. The main bird on the lake is Haliaeetus vocifer, which are used to the daily routine free fish meal from the nature guides.

These fish eagles have a loud screaming voice, which very much sounds like kids. Southern & western beaches belong to a private owned Crescent Island Bird Sanctuary.

Kenyan bird count: 201 species. Number two hundred was Dendropicos goertae during our evening walk on Lake Naivasha's shore bush.

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[Karwin]

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Naivasha

Overnighting in the humble accommodation of Lake Naivasha Resort (but with better food than in classy Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge). Tourist map (which cost 600 shillings in Sopa Lodge) tells that Lake Naivasha Resort is located close to shoreline with large Papyrus reedbeds. Due to the last years' drought there is not a sign of the reedbeds left but a bush zone of thorny Cirsium.

Former lake bottom from Naivasha, Kenya
Poster: Karwin, viewed 4 Time(s)

Shoreline is almost one kilometer away, and what used to be Lake Naivasha's northeastern bay is now downsized to a little mudpool. Good for birding, though - large number of shorebirds and swallows are gathered around this spot. Here and there in the Cirsium bush wander maasai people with their cow and goat herds. To these herds the diminishing lake has created new grazing grounds. My wife has studied Finnish land upheaval coast and Texan subsiding coast vegetations: here would be another scientifically interesting form of zonal succession.

Lacking the beach, Lake Naivasha Resort's two boats are now placed to children's playground.

Kenyan bird count: 208 species.

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[Karwin]

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Reforesting

When waiting for our transfer from Lake Naivasha Resort to Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge, we witness local holiday group burning gasoline while preparing their lift off. In Finland it is illegal to keep car motor running for one minute without driving. Finnish people are aware of climate change, as are Kenyans too - or on Kiribati, but evenso they all keep motors running.

Another thing that seems to be not illegal in Kenya is littering. Along popular roads it almost looks like throwing rubbish out of cars is a common pastime.

Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge is our first hotel where toilets have also water-saving flush option.

Our safari ended in luxurious Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge, whereafter we had chosen more humble accommodation in Lake Naivasha Resort. However this budget hotel did not have rooms for christmas, and for the last two nights we had to change for Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge. Both of these latter options are birdwise better locations than Sopa. Sopa looks the best but food is better at Resort and Simba has an observation tower at the beach.

When arriving in Simba, our room isn't ready yet and so we are guided on the beach by the security guy. Simba is inside electric fence, as was Resort, which means that there is less dangerous animal traffic at the hotel after dark. In Sopa Hippopotamuses and giraffes were able to roam right among the buildings. Close outside Simba's fence there is a pool, where a single Hippopotamus spends its day accompanied with ducks and waders. In the edge of the forest there is this large observation tower with brilliant view over the southeastern end of Lake Naivasha. Tower is roofed which is good, as our last days in Kenya are rather rainy. Of the drought tells the boat channel next to the tower: earlier there was no need for a channel, but now the boats sit two metres below ground level a the tower.

Hippo Highway:

On the beach a lady comes to chat with us. She proves to be Indian owner of Simba Lodges. As many people who we have met during these weeks, she also is worried of the two-year drought - "which has even killed one Hippopotamus on the hotel shore" - we later encounter its remains, here is the end of Hippo Highway:

She is hopeful though, thinking that when the forestation programmes around the lake proceed, water will return to the lake. Big cake of the lake is right now consumed by several massive flower farms - which on the other hand provide lots of jobs for local people.

The owner is proud of the place, explaining how they have taken care of the environment in Lake Naivasha Simba: they have own water treatment and recycling facilities (lawns are watered underground) and for the electricity they use solar panels. They have planted 90 000 trees on the hotel grounds - native species, and later hotel chief gardener teaches my botanist wife many of them. The gardener knows also the scientific names of the plants, which is very uncommon.

As my wife tells that the reason for our Kenya visit is her cooperation project, where they have eg. participated tree planting campaign in Nyahururu, the owner asks her to plant one tree on the hotel area. In Kenya, thanks to Nobel-awarded Wangari Maathai, planting trees is rather popular. Later in the afternoon Naivasha Simba's manager leads us to plant that Warburgia ugandensis on hotel yard. In Nyahururu tree planting had been somewhat tacky performance, rubbish had been left around and some even triend to plant their tree without taking it out of its plastic bag. Simba's gardener assists planting with clear expertacy.

Kenyan bird count: 213 species.

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[Esa]

Quite unfortunate for the local people. And they are often simple country folk who do what they are told. Same people planted coffee in central america on hillsides where it will not grow. It takes some planning. The hillside is now all eroded away.

Also very unfortunate with IPCC, as they have got stuck in politics and bad PR. The professional science leader has not evolved, they are either in politics or in science.

I have had years of debate here, K can read most of it, though many quotes are in English as well.
http://viestit.etusivu.net/showthread.php?t=1569

[Karwin]

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Rain

Last day in Naivasha is rainy. We had planned a trip to Mount Longonot, a dead volcano, but have to cancel that because of the unusual weather. Santa Claus visits the hotel with colourfully painted choir and together with a black girl Soma gets to cut christmas cake.

Kenyan bird count: 223 species.

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[Karwin]

[Esa]

I walked around some light snow yesterday, it was fun. Under it was mud. There were four hunters there, I think they shoot turkey or something.

The snow will be gone next week, the trail will be muddy for months. The winter sparrows will be gone.