DOCSLIB.ORG

Kenya Eastern and Main Tours Tour Leaflet 2021

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kenya Eastern and Main Tours Tour Leaflet 2021 BIRDING AFRICA THE AFRICA SPECIALISTS Kenya Eastern and Main Tours Tour Leaflet 2021 © Tertius Gous © Tertius Superb Starling 21-30 April 2021 + 30 April-13 May 2021 Kenya 2021 Von der Decken's Hornbill BIRDING Tour leader: Michael Mills AFRICA Birding Africa Tour Summary Tour Africa Birding THE AFRICA SPECIALISTS Summary Tour Africa Birding mega-di�ersit� • Target Kenya's endemics, near- endemics and specials • Brilliant dry-country birding • Varied habitats: arid savanna, montane grassland, highland forest, coastal forest and lowlands forest © Tasso Leventis © Tasso • Two back-to-back shorter tours Michael's incredible focus, dedication and ability to locate and show Africa's toughest birds is probably Our Kenya Main Tour and Eastern Kenya Tour run Tour Focus unequalled on the continent. He has led dozens of back-to-back, giving you the option to bird all the Kenya off ers a mind-boggling array of birds and tours across Africa and his experience in locating top birding sites in Kenya in 23 days, or to join a habitats, including 20 endemics and near-endemics, birds on just the soft est of calls or briefest of views shorter 10-day or 14-day trip if you are time limited. making it a great destination for dedicated world impresses those who travel with him. Th ese tours have a strong emphasis on arid savanna listers and keen birders alike. Th e specials will be birding, with localised targets at Tsavo, Marsabit, the main focus of our trip, and we aim to fi nd them Dates Shaba, Samburu and Lake Baringo including all excluding the questionable Tana River Cisticola, Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver, Grant's Wood Eastern Kenya 21-30 Apr 2021 but we also expect to record well over 650 species Hoopoe, Friedmann's Lark, William's Lark, Masked along the way. Main Kenya 30 Apr-13 May 2021 Lark, Fire-fronted Bishop and Jackson's Hornbill. Highland grasslands and shrublands at Kinangop Being an arid country, bird breeding activity is and Aberdares hold Jackson's Francolin, Aberdare stimulated by rainfall, and for these purposes we Pro�isional Prices Cisticola, Jackson's Widowbird and Sharpe's travel during the wettest time of the year, important Per person sharing $TBA Longclaw, and in montane forests we'll search for when trying to fi nd rare species of lark. At this time Single supplement $TBA Olive Ibis and Abbot's Starling on Mount Kenya and of the year the overall bird diversity is slightly lower Taita Th rush, Taita White-eye and Taita Apalis in because Palaearctic migrants are absent. the Taita Hills. Two areas of lowland forest boost the Includes all ground costs. We will travel in one or two 4x4s. More details about diversity; in the eastern coastal forests at Arabuko- what to expect, how to prepare and what to pack are Sokoke we search for Clarke's Weaver, Amani provided in our Tour Instructions. Book online Sunbird, Sokoke Pipit and Sokoke Scops Owl, and in the western lowland forests at Kakamega our Let us know if you have target species or want to Visit www.birdingafrica.com main targets include Turner's Eremomela and Blue- know more about the species we might encounter. Deposit ($150) by credit card headed Bee-eater. A short visit to Lamu Island gives A species list will be handed out to you at the start of Email [email protected] us the chance to look for the rarely-seen Somali the tour and is available beforehand upon request. © Tasso Leventis © Tasso Sokoke Scops Owl Boubou. 2 | Kenya 2021 Kenya 2021 | 3 Accommodation and meals Departure from Nairobi is possible any time from 22h00 on the night of 30 April 2021 if you are only INTRODUCTION Accommodation and meals are generally fairly joining the Eastern Kenya Tour, and on 13 May good by African standards, and vary from lodges 2021 if you are joining the Main Kenya Tour. Kenya, for a long time, has been regarded as among to search for Cape Eagle-Owl, and for an overnight and guest houses to rustic bush lodges and small the top few countries for birding in Africa. Not break at Nyahururu. The Baringo area offers a good hotels. Rooms mostly have private facilities and hot Please email [email protected] a copy of only does it list over 1000 bird species, but a good variety of birds, with highlights potentially including water. We may need to share ablution facilities on your proposed flight details for approval before network of parks protects a wide range of habitats, Northern Masked Weaver, Jackson's Hornbill and the odd occasion. paying for your ticket. from coastal forests and Central African lowland Northern White-faced Owl. For a complete change Birding Africa Tour Leaflet Tour Africa Birding forests to montane grasslands and forests, and of scenery we then visit Kakamega Forest in the far Leaflet Tour Africa Birding Meals are Western-style. Please advise if you are Kenya offers lots of easy, open country birding with west where our top targets will include Turner's vegetarian and what foods you enjoy, so that we can Group size plenty of arid savanna and deserts. Eremomela, Blue-headed Bee-eater and Jameson's cater for you. Wattle-eye, alongside a host of Central African Five to ten participants. Our 23-day Kenya tour is conveniently split in forest species. Finally we return to Nairobi with Water is not safe to drink so we supply two to allow you to sample some or all of the main time spent along the way in the Kinangop, Aberdare complimentary bottled water in the vehicle. birding sites. On our Eastern Kenya Tour we start and Gatamaiyu areas for Lynes's Cisticola, Sharpe's Walking off with a flight to Lamu Island to look for the Longclaw, Hunter's Cisticola, Jackson's Widowbird, localised Somali Boubou, Malindi Pipit and Golden This tour requires a moderate degree of fitness. Aberdare Cisticola and Jackson's Francolin. International flights Most walks will be done at a gentle pace, although Palm Weaver, before crossing to the Please plan to fly in to Nairobi by the night of 21 there will be one tougher walk on Mount Kenya to nearby mainland to visit Sokoke Forest, April 2021 if you are joining the Eastern Kenya look for Elgon Francolin, which participants and where an impressive range of forest birds Tour, or 30 April 2021 if you are joining only the easily opt out of. can be seen, including Sokoke Pipit, Main Kenya Tour. Sokoke Scops Owl, Clarke's Weaver and Amani Sunbird. Heading inland from the coast we first visit Tsavo East where Red-and-yellow Barbet we hope to find Fire-fronted Bishop, before visiting the Taita Hills for Taita Apalis, Taita Thrush and Taita White- eye. Descending back into the lowlands around Tsavo West we now look for Friedmann's Lark, Hartlaub's Bustard and Pangani Longclaw, before heading back to Nairobi to complete the Eastern Kenya Tour. Leading straight on to the Main Kenya Tour we now head off north of Nairobi to Mount Kenya, searching for Hinde's Babbler en route. On Mount Kenya we search for Abbot's Starling, Jackson's Francolin, Elgon Francolin and Scarlet- tufted Malachite Sunbird, before moving on to the open deserts north of Marsabit in the far north of the country, where we hope to find Masked Lark and, with some luck, Heuglin's Bustard. Returning south we pause in the Shaba and Samburu areas for a host of dry-country species, including William's Lark, Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver and Grant's Wood Hoopoe. We then make the long drive to Lake Baringo, pausing en route © Tertius Gous © Tertius Elgon Francolin © Callan Cohen 4 | Kenya 2021 Kenya 2021 | 5 DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY ------------------ EASTERN KENYA ------------------- Days 4-5 (24-25 Apr): Sokoke Forest © Tasso Leventis © Tasso Sokoke Forest is arguably the most important forest Day 1 (21 Apr): Arrive Nairobi for birding on the entire east coast of Africa and we Welcome to Kenya! From the airport we transfer have two full days to explore its riches. Our main Birding Africa Tour Leaflet Tour Africa Birding to our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. targets are Clarke's Weaver, for which the entire Leaflet Tour Africa Birding Overnight on the southern side of Nairobi. world population is confined to Sokoke and some adjacent woodlands, Sokoke Pipit, Sokoke Scops Owl and Amani Sunbird. However, a long list of Day 2 (22 Apr): Nairobi to Lamu other specials can be found in the forest, including This morning we fly from Nairobi to the coastal Red-throated Twinspot, Lowland Tiny Greenbul, island of Lamu. Dry bush here is home to Somali Green Tinkerbird, fisheri form of Yellow-rumped Boubou, otherwise only known from Somalia. We Tinkerbird, Fischer's Greenbul, African Barred have an afternoon and morning to search for it in Owlet, Little Yellow Flycatcher, East Coast Akalat, coastal thickets, alongside Golden Palm Weaver, Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, Scaly Babbler, Malindi Pipit, East Coast Boubou, Scaly Babbler Kenya Crested Guineafowl, Fischer’s Turaco, Red- and Coastal Cisticola. Overnight in the historical tailed Ant Thrush, Pallid Honeyguide, Little Spotted town of Lamu with its atmospheric white coral Woodpecker, Mombasa Woodpecker, Plain-backed buildings. Sunbird, Forest Batis and Southern Banded Snake Eagle. Open areas around the forest hold Malindi Day 3 (23 Apr): To Malindi Pipit, Zanzibar Red Bishop, Coastal Cisticola and Golden Palm Weaver, and there is an outside After some final birding on Lamu we'll take a very chance for Violet-breasted Sunbird. Waterbirds at African Orange-bellied Parrot short flight to Malindi on coastal Kenya, where we'll Mida Creek and Sabaki River Mouth could include be based during our visit time in the area.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Species List (Note, There Was a Pre-Tour to Kenya in 2018 As in 2017, but These Species Were Not Recorded
    Tanzania Species List (Note, there was a pre-tour to Kenya in 2018 as in 2017, but these species were not recorded. You can find a Kenya list with the fully annotated 2017 Species List for reference) February 6-18, 2018 Guides: Preston Mutinda and Peg Abbott, Driver/guides William Laiser and John Shoo, and 6 participants: Rob & Anita, Susan and Jan, and Bob and Joan KEYS FOR THIS LIST The # in (#) is the number of days the species was seen on the tour (E) – endemic BIRDS STRUTHIONIDAE: OSTRICHES OSTRICH Struthio camelus massaicus – (8) ANATIDAE: DUCKS & GEESE WHITE-FACED WHISTLING-DUCK Dendrocygna viduata – (2) FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK Dendrocygna bicolor – (1) COMB DUCK Sarkidiornis melanotos – (1) EGYPTIAN GOOSE Alopochen aegyptiaca – (12) SPUR-WINGED GOOSE Plectropterus gambensis – (2) RED-BILLED DUCK Anas erythrorhyncha – (4) HOTTENTOT TEAL Anas hottentota – (2) CAPE TEAL Anas capensis – (2) NUMIDIDAE: GUINEAFOWL HELMETED GUINEAFOWL Numida meleagris – (12) PHASIANIDAE: PHEASANTS, GROUSE, AND ALLIES COQUI FRANCOLIN Francolinus coqui – (2) CRESTED FRANCOLIN Francolinus sephaena – (2) HILDEBRANDT'S FRANCOLIN Francolinus hildebrandti – (3) Naturalist Journeys [email protected] 866.900.1146 / Caligo Ventures [email protected] 800.426.7781 naturalistjourneys.com / caligo.com P.O. Box 16545 Portal AZ 85632 FAX: 650.471.7667 YELLOW-NECKED FRANCOLIN Francolinus leucoscepus – (4) [E] GRAY-BREASTED FRANCOLIN Francolinus rufopictus – (4) RED-NECKED FRANCOLIN Francolinus afer – (2) LITTLE GREBE Tachybaptus ruficollis – (1) PHOENICOPTERIDAE:FLAMINGOS
    [Show full text]
  • Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
    Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2.
    [Show full text]
  • 2009 Trip Report KENYA
    KENYA and TANZANIA TRIP REPORT Sept 25-Oct 23, 2009 PART 1 - Classic Kenya text and photos by Adrian Binns Sept 25 / Day 1: Blue Post Thika; Castle Forest We began the morning with an unexpected Little Sparrowhawk followed by a Great Sparrowhawk, both in the skies across the main road from the Blue Post Hotel in Thika. The lush grounds of the Blue Post are bordered by the twin waterfalls of the Chania and Thika, both rivers originating from the nearby Aberdare Mountain Range. It is a good place to get aquatinted with some of the more common birds, especially as most can be seen in close proximity and very well. Eastern Black-headed Oriole, Cinnamon-chested Bee- eater, Little Bee-eater, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Collared Sunbird, Bronzed Mannikin, Speckled Mousebird and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird were easily found. Looking down along the river course and around the thundering waterfall we found a pair of Giant Kingfishers as well as Great Cormorant, Grey Heron and Common Sandpiper, and two Nile Monitors slipped behind large boulders. A fruiting tree provided a feast for Yellow-rumped Seedeaters, Violet-backed Starlings, Spot-flanked Barbet (right), White-headed Barbet as a Grey-headed Kingfisher, an open woodland bird, made sorties from a nearby perch. www.wildsidenaturetours.com www.eastafricanwildlifesafaris.com © Adrian Binns Page 1 It was a gorgeous afternoon at the Castle Forest Lodge set deep in forested foothills of the southern slope of Mt. Kenya. While having lunch on the verandah, overlooking a fabulous valley below, we had circling Long-crested Eagle (above right), a distant Mountain Buzzard and African Harrier Hawk.
    [Show full text]
  • The Birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an Annotated Checklist
    European Journal of Taxonomy 306: 1–69 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.306 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2017 · Gedeon K. et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Monograph urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A32EAE51-9051-458A-81DD-8EA921901CDC The birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an annotated checklist Kai GEDEON 1,*, Chemere ZEWDIE 2 & Till TÖPFER 3 1 Saxon Ornithologists’ Society, P.O. Box 1129, 09331 Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. 2 Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise, P.O. Box 1075, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. 3 Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. * Corresponding author: [email protected] 2 Email: [email protected] 3 Email: [email protected] 1 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F46B3F50-41E2-4629-9951-778F69A5BBA2 2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F59FEDB3-627A-4D52-A6CB-4F26846C0FC5 3 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:A87BE9B4-8FC6-4E11-8DB4-BDBB3CFBBEAA Abstract. Oromia is the largest National Regional State of Ethiopia. Here we present the first comprehensive checklist of its birds. A total of 804 bird species has been recorded, 601 of them confirmed (443) or assumed (158) to be breeding birds. At least 561 are all-year residents (and 31 more potentially so), at least 73 are Afrotropical migrants and visitors (and 44 more potentially so), and 184 are Palaearctic migrants and visitors (and eight more potentially so). Three species are endemic to Oromia, 18 to Ethiopia and 43 to the Horn of Africa. 170 Oromia bird species are biome restricted: 57 to the Afrotropical Highlands biome, 95 to the Somali-Masai biome, and 18 to the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethiopia Endemics IV 2Nd December to 18Th December 2020 (17 Days)
    Ethiopia Endemics IV 2nd December to 18th December 2020 (17 days) Ruspoli's Turaco by Clayton Burne Simply put, Ethiopia is hands-down one of Africa’s most productive and rewarding birding destinations! The plethora of endemic birds to be found here, many of which are very tame and confiding, is further complimented by a rich assemblage of forest and savannah species, while the influx of Palaearctic migrants at the time of this tour all combine to make for a truly bird-filled adventure! To boot, you’ll be exposed to the kaleidoscope of cultures that grace this ancient land, all of these factors combining to ensure a fascinating experience of not just the country’s birds, but also its amazing mammals – including Ethiopian Wolf and troops of the incredible Gelada. The spectacular landscapes and scenery, fascinating history, good road infrastructure, diverse cultures RBL Ethiopia - Endemics Itinerary 2 and astonishing wildlife make Ethiopia an essential expedition for both hard-core and casual birders alike, and for many of our guides this remains one of their top destinations on the African continent! THE TOUR AT A GLANCE… THE ETHIOPIA ENDEMICS ITINERARY Day 1 Arrival in Addis Ababa Day 2 Addis Ababa to Lake Langano Day 3 Lake Langano area Day 4 Lake Langano to Harenna Forest Day 5 Bale Mountain National Park Day 6 Harenna Forest to Negele Day 7 Negele area Day 8 Negele to Yabello Day 9 Yabello area Day 10 Yabello to Lake Awassa Day 11 Lake Awassa to Lake Ziway, via Lakes Shalla and Abijatta Day 12 Lake Ziway to Nazreth Day 13 Nazreth to Awash National Park Day 14 Awash National Park Day 15 Awash National Park to Aledeghi Wildlife Reserve Day 16 Aledeghi Wildlife Reserve to Debre Bihran via Melka Gebdu & Gemasa Gedel Day 17 Debre Birhan to Addis Ababa via the Jemma Valley and depart RBL Ethiopia - Endemics Itinerary 3 TOUR ROUTE MAP… RBL Ethiopia - Endemics Itinerary 4 THE TOUR IN DETAIL… Day 1: Arrival in Addis Ababa.
    [Show full text]
  • ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa; with Southern Extension a Tropical Birding Set Departure
    ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa; with Southern Extension A Tropical Birding Set Departure February 7 – March 1, 2010 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken by Ken Behrens during this trip ORIENTATION I have chosen to use a different format for this trip report. First, comes a general introduction to Ethiopia. The text of this section is largely drawn from the recently published Birding Ethiopia, authored by Keith Barnes, Christian, Boix and I. For more information on the book, check out http://www.lynxeds.com/product/birding-ethiopia. After the country introduction comes a summary of the highlights of this tour. Next comes a day-by-day itinerary. Finally, there is an annotated bird list and a mammal list. ETHIOPIA INTRODUCTION Many people imagine Ethiopia as a flat, famine- ridden desert, but this is far from the case. Ethiopia is remarkably diverse, and unexpectedly lush. This is the ʻroof of Africaʼ, holding the continentʼs largest and most contiguous mountain ranges, and some of its tallest peaks. Cleaving the mountains is the Great Rift Valley, which is dotted with beautiful lakes. Towards the borders of the country lie stretches of dry scrub that are more like the desert most people imagine. But even in this arid savanna, diversity is high, and the desert explodes into verdure during the rainy season. The diversity of Ethiopiaʼs landscapes supports a parallel diversity of birds and other wildlife, and although birds are the focus of our tour, there is much more to the country. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never systematically colonized, and Rueppell’s Robin-Chat, a bird of the Ethiopian mountains.
    [Show full text]
  • Kenya - 14-21 October 2011
    KENYA - 14-21 OCTOBER 2011 TSAVO REGION AND COASTAL KENYA by Bob Biggs Background I decided to take the opportunity to visit Kenya again when I saw the price of the Thomson flight from Manchester to Mombasa had reduced to £500. If I’d have waited a few more weeks, I could have got it for less than £300. I suppose the actions of the Somali pirates caused that. I can understand why people are nervous in such circumstances but the Somali border is a very long way from the areas frequented by most British tourists. Anyway, £500 is pretty good for a direct flight so off I went on the evening of 13 October, having driven from Northumberland earlier in the afternoon. 14 OCTOBER Arrived a few minutes late [missing Libyan airspace] and got a flyer. I was outside within 25 minutes and met by my friend Jonathan Baya [see www.tracktours.weebly.com for all the details]. Unfortunately, it had been raining very hard in the previous few days and roads were difficult. Heavy lorries have a tendency to tip over in such conditions and we got caught up in two long traffic jams, which cost us the best part of two hours. Eventually, we got going and we made our way towards Voi, and Sagala Lodge, where we were staying for the first night. We didn’t see much en route, Tawny Eagle and Pale Chanting Goshawk being the pick of a small bunch. We arrived at Sagala at 1pm and quickly got into our stride. There were several Pink Breasted Larks in the bushy areas alongside the road and a few Golden Breasted Starlings and White Browed Sparrow Weavers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Birds of the Dar Es Salaam Area, Tanzania
    Le Gerfaut, 77 : 205–258 (1987) BIRDS OF THE DAR ES SALAAM AREA, TANZANIA W.G. Harvey and KM. Howell INTRODUCTION Although the birds of other areas in Tanzania have been studied in detail, those of the coast near Dar es Salaam have received relatively little recent attention. Ruggles-Brise (1927) published a popular account of some species from Dar es Salaam, and Fuggles-Couchman (1939,1951, 1953, 1954, 1962) included the area in a series of papers of a wider scope. More recently there have been a few other stu­ dies dealing with particular localities (Gardiner and Gardiner 1971), habitats (Stuart and van der Willigen 1979; Howell 1981), or with individual species or groups (Harvey 1971–1975; Howell 1973, 1977). Britton (1978, 1981) has docu­ mented specimens collected in the area previous to 1967 by Anderson and others. The purpose of this paper is to draw together data from published reports, unpu­ blished records, museum specimens and our own observations on the frequency, habitat, distribution and breeding of the birds of the Dar es Salaam area, here defi­ ned as the portion of the mainland within a 64-km radius of Dar es Salaam, inclu­ ding the small islands just offshore (Fig. 1). It includes Dar es Salaam District and portions of two others, Kisarawe and Bagamoyo. Zanzibar has been omitted because its unusual avifauna has been reviewed (Pakenham 1979). Most of the mainland areas are readily accessible from Dar es Salaam by road and the small islands may be reached by boat. The geography of the area is described in Sutton (1970).
    [Show full text]
  • Uganda: Shoebill, Albertine Rift Endemics, Green- Breasted Pitta, Gorillas and Chimpanzees Set Departure Trip Report
    UGANDA: SHOEBILL, ALBERTINE RIFT ENDEMICS, GREEN- BREASTED PITTA, GORILLAS AND CHIMPANZEES SET DEPARTURE TRIP REPORT 1-19 AUGUST 2019 By Jason Boyce Yes, I know, it’s incredible! Shoebill from Mabamba Swamp, Uganda www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T Uganda 2019 TOUR ITINERARY Overnight Day 1 – Introduction to Uganda’s birding, Entebbe Entebbe Day 2 – Mabamba Swamp and Lake Mburo National Park Lake Mburo Day 3 – Lake Mburo National Park Lake Mburo Day 4 – Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Kisoro Day 5 – Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Kisoro Day 6 – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Ruhija Ruhija Day 7 – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Ruhija Ruhija Day 8 – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Buhoma Buhoma Day 9 – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Buhoma Buhoma Day 10 – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Buhoma Buhoma Day 11 – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park Mweya Day 12 – Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kibale National Park Kibale Day 13 – Kibale National Park Kibale Day 14 – Kibale to Masindi Masindi Day 15 – Masindi, Budongo Forest Masindi Day 16 – Masindi to Murchison Falls National Park Murchison Falls Day 17 – Murchison Falls National Park Murchison Falls Day 18 – Transfer to Entebbe Entebbe Day 19 – International Flights Overview Interestingly enough this was one of the “birdier” Uganda tours that I have been on. Birds were generally in good voice, and fair numbers of birds were seen at most of our hotspots. Cuckoos were a little less vocal, but widowbirds, bishops, and weavers were in full breeding plumage and displaying all over the place.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethiopia Budget Birding 26Th November to 7Th December 2018 (12 Days) Trip Report
    Ethiopia Budget Birding 26th November to 7th December 2018 (12 days) Trip Report Ethiopian Wolf by Jan Pienaar Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Jan Pienaar Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ethiopia Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia - Budget Birding 2018 2 Tour Summary Ethiopia is a country that has a lot to offer its visitors – high mountains steeped in alpine moorland, dense woodlands and forests, Acacia woodland, semi-desert and lest we forget the Great Rift Valley with its associated lakes, woodland and cliffs. On our 12-day exploration of this marvellous country, we sampled a great cross-section of these habitats and came away with great sightings and even better memories. We met on the first afternoon at our hotel in Addis Ababa, where the gardens offered the first taste of Ethiopian birding. Tacazze Sunbird, Brown-rumped and Streaky Seedeaters, Dusky Turtle Dove, scores of Hooded Vulture and Yellow-billed Kite, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, Brown Parisoma and Wattled Ibis kept us entertained. After breakfast the next morning, we headed east of the capital towards the town of Debre Birhan. A few birding stops along the way bagged us Blue-winged Goose, African Black Duck, Black Stork, Bearded Vulture, a Lanner Falcon that literally flew between members of the group, unmistakeable Thick-billed Raven, near-endemic White-winged Cliff Chat, Long-billed Pipit and Yellow-crowned Canary. Our main targets for the day, though, were a ways past Debre Birhan to an area called Gemesa Gedel. Here, on steep cliffs overlooking the Great Rift Valley, we had Ankober Serin (only described to science in 1976) and the impressive Gelada Baboon.
    [Show full text]
  • Ultimate Kenya
    A pair of fantastic Sokoke Scops Owls. (DLV). All photos taken by DLV during the tour. ULTIMATE KENYA 1 – 20 / 25 APRIL 2017 LEADER: DANI LOPEZ-VELASCO Kenya lived up to its reputation of being one of the most diverse birding destinations on our planet. Once again, our Ultimate Kenya recorded a mind-boggling total of more than 750 species. This was despite the fact that we were prioritizing Kenyan specialities (a task in which we were extremely successful) rather than going all out for a huge list! 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Ultimate Kenya www.birdquest-tours.com The first leg of our epic adventure saw us focusing on the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest where the birding is tough but the rewards are great. Over the course of the two and a half days our talented local guide helped us find all of the main specialities, with the exception of the difficult Clarke’s Weavers, which were presumably on their recently discovered breeding grounds in marshes to the north. Crested Guineafowl and Northern Carmine Bee-eater. We spent much time creeping along sandy tracks, gradually finding our targets one by one. We succeeded in getting great views of a number of skulkers, including a rather showy East Coast Akalat on our last afternoon, some reclusive Eastern Bearded Scrub Robins, a very obliging Red-tailed Ant Thrush and skulking Fischer’s and Tiny Greenbuls. Once in the Brachystegia we kept our eyes and ears open for roving flocks of flock-leader Retz’s and Chestnut-fronted Helmet Shrikes, and with these we found awkward Mombasa Woodpeckers and a single Green-backed Woodpecker, and a variety of smaller species including Black-headed Apalis, Green Barbet, Eastern Green Tinkerbird, dainty Little Yellow Flycatchers, Forest Batis, Pale Batis, cracking little Amani and Plain-backed Sunbirds and Dark-backed Weaver.
    [Show full text]
  • Remote Tanzania
    The wonderful Usambara Eagle Owl... our inevitable bird of the trip! (Pete Morris) REMOTE TANZANIA 27 SEPTEMBER / 1 – 16 / 24 OCTOBER 2016 LEADER: PETE MORRIS Our 2017 tour to ‘Remote Tanzania’ turned out to be a fantastic adventure that way-surpassed most of our expectations. And with the addition of a pre-tour Northern Tanzania endemics extension, and a post-tour Ud- zungwa Mountains extension, the tour really was converted to an ‘Ultimate Tanzania’. For most of the tour we were accompanied by our ever reliable, super friendly and effcient local driver and excellent local guide, and were blessed with largely good weather, most importantly when we were camping up in the mountains. With such a good set up and conditions, there were few excuses, so we effciently set about our task of hoovering up the endemics, whilst enjoying the other wonders that this great country has to offer. 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Remote Tanzania 2016 www.birdquest-tours.com The stunning Swynnerton’s Robin... a highlight of the Udzungwa Extension (Pete Morris) The pre-tour extension involved a whistle stop trek from Arusha to the Lariboro Plains and then down to Ndutu on the edge of the great Serengeti Plains and back via the amazing Ngorongoro Crater. Our task was to fnd the endemics: Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Yellow-collared and Fischer’s Lovebirds, Beesley’s Lark, Rufous-tailed Weaver and Ashy Starling all performed well alongside an excellent cast of other hoped-for birds and mam- mals. The main tour saw us travelling through arid plains and on to the South Pare Mountains, the East and West Usambaras, the attractive Pemba Island, the remote Uluguru and Ukaguru Mountains, the impressive Mikumi National Park and its surrounding miombo woodlands and the little explored Kilombero Plains.
    [Show full text]