KENYA: Tsavo East

There was only time for a short afternoon visit to Tsavo East (above), which meant we were never able to give this wonderful park, Kenya’s largest, its due.

Grey-headed Kingfisher, Hunter’s and Amethyst Sunbird, Von der Decken’s and a tailless Red-billed Hornbill were seen upon entering the park at the Voi Gate. Taking the loop road around the headquarter hill we soon came across Red-billed Buffalo-Weavers, Grey Hornbill and our first look at a Tsavo Bush-shrike (above). Groups of Yellow-necked Spurfowl foraged between thickets, as Barn and Lesser Striped Swallows were seen flying over the more open grasslands.

Elephants, covered in red dust, ambled in areas of taller grasses. Like most of the places we had visited Tsavo was reeling from the drought. There was the occasional Isabelline Wheatear hopping on the ground, and in a tree where a Golden-breasted Starling flew out of, a Northern Crombec was spotted. The only yellow weaver we came across was Vitelline Masked. In a small roadside pool Jan found a male Greater Painted-Snipe walking along the mudflats on the far side. Unfortunately when it did settle down it was right behind some shrub stems making it tough to see.

Our attention was diverted away from a circling Black-chested Snake Eagle when we startled two Leopards (above) in the open. We thought we may have interrupted a romantic interlude – but in the middle of the afternoon? One Leopard ran across the track and into the thorny scrub while the male briefly looked at us before walking away in the opposite direction across the short savanna. The shyer of the two then made an attempt to join the male but changed its mind, returning back to the safety of the shrubs. It was as it walked away from us that we noticed it was another male. I am not sure why two males would be out together, since they are usually solitary.

We crossed the Pipeline Road and had Taita and Long-tailed Fiscals perched alongside the track; a few Red-winged Larks singing from prominent low posts, and a White-bellied Bustard walking slowly away from us, hoping that we did not see it! Though Savanna Monitors (above) are suppose to be relatively common, we usually only find one per trip. Along a five kilometer stretch we happened to run into three of these smaller, arid-loving relatives of the Monitor Lizard. Four Lesser Kudus brought our total of mammal sightings for this safari to an impressive 84.

We had been so lucky in dodging rain on this trip, that it came as a surprise when we had to pull down the pop-up roof and do the best we could to view from inside the vehicle. Sadly there was just enough rain to make it almost impossible to find anything amongst the thickets for almost an hour.

Once we reached the more open area around the Aruba Dam the rain had let up enough to pop the roof. Kori’s Bustard, the largest of all bustards paced the short grasses in search of a potential mate. Gabar Goshawk and Peregrine scared up any small passerine in their path. Close to the vehicle we watched Chestnut-headed Sparrow-Larks (above) and pondered over a wet Singing Bush-Lark, before deciding that is what it was. Eurasian Rollers had just arrived on their wintering grounds and we got to see two of them. On the way out of the park new birds for the day included Red-backed Shrike, Yellow-spotted Petronia and Southern Ground Hornbill.