KENYA – Castle Forest Lodge : Part 1

On the southern slopes of Mt. Kenya at an elevation of about 7000 feet lies the Castle Forest Lodge. They have not had any rain here for 2 weeks which is unusual though by the color of the grass and forest you would not know it. Once you reach the Castle you are in a cleared area where cottages dot the landscape and cattle and horses keep the grass well groomed. Pied Crow’s and White-eyed Slaty Flycatchers were conspicuous with Hunter’s Cisticola continuously calling in the background. I started my walk around 4pm but things were really quiet. Taking the northern trail I soon find a pair of very vocal African Stonechats (above). There may be some debate as to whether this is a full species but the black back and overall darker coloration of this resident bird certainly deserves to be.

Maybe it was the bright sunny day but it was not until about an hour and half later that things began to pick up. Several Cinnamon Bracken Warblers called from low in a bush and one briefly showed which is typical behavior for this species. A Thick-billed Seedeater perched briefly before being chased by a Hunter’s Cisticola (left). A party of Montane White-eyes moved through the forest edge and another yellow bird a Mountain Oriole flew into the canopy above them.

Heading back to the clearing male Silvery-cheeked Hornbills (below) could be seen following females either in the trees or in flight. The lovely large Mosque Swallows with their cinnamon-orange and cream underwing pattern flew around the cottages as did, Lesser Striped Swallow which could be seen skimming water from the top of the swimming pool. Red-eyed Doves descended to the edge of the pool to get a drink and a pair of Pin-tailed Wydahs caught my attention as they flew up from a taller patch of grass. I must admit I lost track of the female once I noticed the stunning male perched in an evergreen tree.