Leopard
On both of our trips, Leopards were very difficult to find, and on this particular occasion we were out one evening on a drive around near the lodge and we stumbled on this superb Leopard which had just woken up and appeared to be going out for an evening meal. Just managed to take a couple of photographs before it disappeared. Of all the wild cats we wanted to see, this was number one on our must-see list.
Adult male Rufous-Bellied Heron
It is always a good find, when you see a new bird which you were not expecting to see. On this occasion, we were exploring an area in the huge Masai Mara Nature Reserve which we hadn't visited before and we came across quite a large marshy area which we hadn't realised was there. Nigel Redman who was with us felt it would be a good idea to investigate this more fully and luckily there was a track leading around the marsh and we could drive the vehicle across the marsh.
To our great surprise, we flushed 4 of these unexpected Rufous-Bellied Herons. Although we hadn't picked any out on the ground in what was quite a dense swamp, I had my Nikon camera ready and managed to take one in flight.
Needless to say, as we were not expecting to see this species, it was not on my list of must-see-birds.
In Kenya, it has a very small range known only from a few widely scattered localities, although it is present in a number of other African countries. It usually remains motionless for long periods in reeds, and if flushed it usually flies short distances before drooping back into the marsh.
Male Mackinnon's Shrike
Lanius mackinnon
Way back in the 1940's when I lived in Surrey, I knew where 5 pairs of Red-backed Shrikes were breeding in a 5 mile radius from my home. On some fine days, I would cycle and enjoy watching these Red Backed Shrikes, not suspecting that just in a few years these would all be gone. With the chance of seeing several new Shrike species in Kenya I did not want to miss out on this opportunity.
Two Mackinnon's Shrikes were found near Kakamega forest on two dates and good views obtained. In Kenya they are a uncommon local resident in wooded grassland between 1500 to 2000 m in the W Kenyan highlands. The female shows a patch of chestnut on the flanks.
As we were spending several days birding in the Kakamega forest area, I had included it on our must-see-bird list.
Somali Fiscal
Lanius somalicus
On our visit to the Dida-Galgalla Desert near the Somali border, I was surprised that we saw eight on the 23rd and 6 on the 24th. of the Somali Fiscal. They generally gave excellent views., although getting near one to obtain some reasonable photographs in the open desert was another problem.
In Kenya, its an uncommon local resident of low semi-desert areas with scant vegetation and it has been recorded wandering as far south as Baringo.
We had included it on our must-see birds list.
Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
Bubo lacteus
In the grounds of Lake Naivasha there was a family party of 3 birds showing well in the grounds of the lodge. Two were partly hidden within the tree, but one was showing well and its pink eye-lids could also be seen. This Eagle Owl brought back happy memories of our first one in the Gambia where David, Terry and myself several years earlier had to walk out in the hot sunshine during the afternoon in an open area to see it, but it was probably the bird of our Gambian trip at the time.
In total we saw seven different birds on our two trips to Kenya.
In Kenya, it is considered to be common and widespread from sea-level to 3,000 m with a range of habitats. Its absent from arid areas in N and NE Kenya.
Pearl Spotted Owlet
Glaucidium perlatum licua
The Pearl Spotted Owlet is common and widespread in acacia woodland, savanna and riparian trees between 300 and 2000 m. It is absent from the Lake Victoria basin.
This individual spent sometime outside our lodge at Marsabit close to the Dida-Galgalla Desert.
We saw and heard a number during our two trips to Kenya, and I have included it here as I liked the photograph.
,
