Day 4 - To Nakuru

Today we departed Nairobi for the National Park that is Lake Nakuru. And departing Nairobi was a pleasure. While the hotel where we stayed was good with an excellent garden, the traffic and pollution of a big city like Nairobi was less endearing.

So our safari started and the first iconic new birds to fly past were a pair of Crowned Cranes. Soon we were at our first scheduled birding stop; Manguo Ponds. Here there were two main targets; White backed and Maccoa Ducks - which we quickly ticked off. New also were African Spoonbill and Jacana, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Teal and Duck respectively plus many others.

Birders at Gaitamayu forest plus Paul's bum

The next stop overlooked the Great Rift Valley to the west and here, with the view, we got aour first taste of the heavy sell as well as a few birds; including African Stonechat plus Sunbirds such as Golden winged and Eastern double- collared.

Rift Valley View

The Gaitamayo Forest was another site that we visited which was excellent for birds and, to set a pattern which would be re-visited many times, bad for roads. Jolting, thumping and banging along the road we actually got a few good species. The scenery alternated between forest, farms and tea plantations. A small pond enroute gave us our first African Dusky flycatchers, Black Saw wings and Cape Robin Chat.And the forest, when we finally arrived, was wonderful.

Golden winged Sunbird

Many species of Apalis, Weavers, Brown-chested Alethe, African Hill Babblers, Cabani's Greenbul, Five Star Robin, Grey Cuckoo Shrike and Black-fronted Bush Shrike were all new for our lists. Here, too, we got our first Black and White Colobus.

Streaky Seedeater

After another huge picnic lunch we were on to Nakuru Lodge, with Impala, Zebra, Giraffe and Buffalo on the way in. The hotel was excellent and all were immediately sorry that there would be only one night stay.

Male Jackson's Chameleon

Day 3 Olorgesaillie

Today we went for a little jaunt down the Lake Magadi Road. Thankfully it was lighter traffic than the day before and we were soon back at Nairobi NP where we had to re-check our safari card. [We were so late the night before that we did not check out of teh park properly and so had to return to ensure that we were not charged an extra day.]

Olorgesaillie

It had rained overnight and the weather was cooler however the sides of the road were muddy and Gary had decided to wear his white shoes.

Our first major stop - still quite high above the valley -was for a cisticola - which we quite quickly got.

Down the valley the vegetation changed to a small leaved acacia woodland. And further still, with the climate drying - the vegetation changed further. A steady drip of new birds accompanied the chnage in habitat. Kori Bustard, Beautiful, Marico and Eastern Violet backed sunbirds plus teh striking Norther White-crowned Shrike were seen.

Blue-naped Mousebirds

Pale Chanting Goshawk, Grey capped Social Weavers and our first Sparrow Lark - Fishers were recorded in the semi arid country as we approached Olorgesaillie.

From Wikipedia; Olorgesailie is a geological formation in East Africa containing a group of Lower Paleolithic archaeological sites.^[1] It is on the floor of theEastern Rift Valley in southern Kenya, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Nairobi along the road to Lake Magadi. Olorgesailie is noted for the large number of Acheulean hand axes, associated with animal butchering, discovered there.^[1] According to the National Museums of Kenya, the finds are internationally significant for archaeology, palaeontology, and geology.^[2]

History

Hand axes

The artefacts were first discovered by the British geologist John Walter Gregory in 1919,^[3][4] but it was not until 1943 that excavation began in earnest under the direction of Mary and Louis Leakey, with the assistance of paroled Italian prisoners of war.^[5] Work continued there until 1947.Glynn Isaac took up the excavation in the 1960s^[6] for his dissertation. In the 1980s, research was continued by Richard Potts of the Smithsonian Institution in conjunction with the National Museums of Kenya.

Finds

Animal fossils from Olorgesailie

Human tools are the most prominent of all historic items in the area. The abundant hand axes are characteristic of the Acheulean period, made by hominids between about 600,000 and 900,000 years ago^[7]along what was then the shore of a now dried-up lake. Fossils of various animals have also been found, including those of extinct species of hippo, elephant, zebra, giraffe, and baboon, likely to have been butchered with the aid of the hand axes.^[1][3]

In June 2003, a team led by Potts discovered a frontal bone in situ.^[8] Other parts of the small skull (designated KNM-OL 45500) were found in following months. The frontal bone is 900,000 to 970,000 years old and probably belonged to Homo erectus, thereby making it the first human fossil found on the site.^[9] The fossil remains were in the same stratigraphic level as two hand axes and several flakes, near dense deposits of hand axes.^[1]

White throated Bee-eater

Geology

Preservation of the Aechulean hand axe culture was made possible by heavy falls of alkaline ash from volcanoes near the site; volcanoes that were active at the time. Mounts Suswa and Longonot are volcanoes and their vents are likely to have contributed to the ash that accumulated in the Olorgesailie basin. Subsequent sedimentation covering the site has preserved the fossils and created a stratigraphy allowing for age determination.^[2] Existing temporary lakes and swamps give evidence of a humid climate during the middle Pleistocene. Sediments left by the lake cover an area of 50 square miles (about 130 square km).^[2] Of the artefacts, 99% were made from locally derived lavas, particularly trachyte, although small amounts of quartziteand obsidian have been found, indicating a transport over 16 to 40 km.^[10]

As we were lunching at this site Two banded Coursers, Red-fronted Warblers, D'Arnauds and Red and Yellow Barbets plus Yellow-vented Eromomelas, Slaty-coloured Boubous, White Browed Robin-chats and Grey Wren Warblers.

Slate coloured Boubou

Somali Golden chested Bunting

White-browed Scrub Robin

Capped Wheatear

Soon we were back at the hotel where we dined.

Birds of Nairobi National Park

Purple Grenadier

Pin tailed Whydah

Red billed Oxpecker

Rufous naped Lark

Rufous Sparrow

Go Away Bird

Three Banded Plover

Ruppell's Starling

Day 2 Nairobi National Park

Eland

Giraffes - obviously

Bob getting an eye full of Zebra

Russ reflecting on his second lion for the day.

Our first lion of the day

WOW!! Our first full day in Africa was smokin'! It was exhausting however I could not imagine a more satisfying way to begin an African adventure. Think wonderful birds in both numbers and variety. Think plentiful game and, in particular iconic animals such as zebra and giraffes. Think distant rhino grazing. Think cats - one too fat lion sleeping and a more spirited female and.... Serval. Think grasslands with distant city views. Think too many cisticolas.

Nairobi National Park

Day 1 - The Arrival

White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher

This morning we arrived in Nairobi, Kenya after travelling half way around the world. This involved flying nine hours to Bangkok, Thailand, then having to waste some four hours of time at the Bangkok airport without falling asleep and missing your onward flight. Then travel for another nine hours to Kenya on Kenyan Airlines.

In Kenya we witnessed a beautiful dawn and soon we were on our way to our hotel in downtown Nairobi. It is a well-positioned place with wonderful gardens filled with birds. Despite the jetlag the gardens beckoned and soon we were ticking new birds off and meeting the rest of our crew who were, not surprisingly, birding in the garden. The afternoon featured a visit to the nearby Nairobi Arboretum which was filled with noisy Kenyans making the most of their Sunday. We tried some of the less popular tracks and were rewarded with a steady trickle of species. During this walk, energy levels plummeted and concentration began to wane such that early tea was taken from birding and the recent group of folks arriving; Megan and I, John and Glenis and Russ, headed back for a kip.

I’m now resting up; preparing my list of today’s 49 species for bird call. The only things after that are dinner, shower and passing out. Tomorrow’s plans involve an early start for an explore of Nairobi National Park – can’t wait for that one…  

 [Words to the wise – June travellers. You will need to get your Kenyan Airline boarding passes from the Kenyan desk which is located in the west section of the airport. You will need to ask its location at an information desk as it is a little hidden and it will not be open for the first hour or so when you arrive.

Also regarding visas – we got Kenyan visas as paperwork for the East African ones was not obvious. The Canadians made a special effort of asking and got theirs done.]

Baglafecht Weavers

Bronze Sunbird

Common Fiscal

Gardens at our Hotel boulevard

Hadada

Bronze Mannikin

from Gary Davidson - our [first] man in Africa [Photos by Paul Whalen]

Now I hope you all realise that just because I called this email Day 1, that doesn't mean I intend to send one every day! But Day 1 in such a new place is pretty significant!

Our hotel here in Nairobi has a bit of nice habitat, with grass and trees, and a creek and forest on the neighbouring property. Our main tour doesn't start for a couple of more days, we just wanted to get here a bit early to used tot he place and have a little tine to explore on our own. After our 17 hour journey yesterday we weren't too ambitious today. We spent most of the morning just sorting out the birds in the gardens. By lunch I was fairly comfortable with the16 species I had managed to identify. There were a couple I was unsure of, so we left those out for now. The very first species identified was a BLACK KITE, I know this bird from Australia, (although some authorities consider the Asian subspecies to be a full species). The dark ibis wandering around the lawn was easily identified as a HADADA IBIS, by its heavy bill. The black-and-white crows flying about were easy to: PIED  CROW. The black and yellow 'thing' required a bit more research but was eventually pegged as a BAGLAFECHT WEAVER, (not sure who saddled this bird with such a clumsy name!) [Yes, I know, Ken, this was on our list of things to learn, but apparently I didn't learn that one well enough.] My study did, however, allow me to immediately recognise the COMMON FISCAL, RED-EYED DOVE, OLIVE THRUSH, WHITE-EYED SLATY FLYCATCHER, and AFRICAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER. I also recognised the BRONZE MANNIKIN as a manikin, but I had to check the species. Such was the case for the AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL, VARIABLE SUNBIRD, RED-BILLED FIREFINCH, CINNAMON-CHESTED BEE-EATER, and YELLOW WHITE-EYE. Other species we identified today were HOUSE SPARROW, SPECKLED MOUSEBIRD, COMMON BULBUL, SACRED IBIS, and WHITE-BROWED SPARROW-WEAVER.

Tomorrow we will venture a little further afield; the grounds to the museum have lots of trees and this is just five minutes from our hotel. That should keep us occupied tomorrow morning.

'The Canadians' have landed

Well by now the first four folks of our first tour have arrived in Nairobi and hopefully they are sleeping soundly as it is about 11-30pm, Kenya time,  as i write this entry.

Welcome to Nairobi!!