KENYA – Sangare Tented Camp : Thorn Scrub

The surrounding thorn scrub and stately Yellow-bark Acacia trees produced many Dark-capped Bulbuls; a family of White-bellied Tits (below) easily locating caterpillars amongst the leaves; Grey and Cardinal Woodpecker, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Chiffchaff, Chin-spot Batis, Bronzy and Scarlet-chested Sunbird. Brown Parrots (top left), the smallest of the woodland parrots, fed high in the canopy with their single noted screech call at least giving me a direction to look for them! Pairs of Red-billed Oxpeckers were giving their short raspy calls as they searched for nesting cavities.

Lower down Tropical Boubous and Rufous Chatterers moved through the shrubs, the latter at least a little more conspicuous. Two other shrikes, Isabelline Shrike and Common Fiscals were hunting from exposed perches on acacias and a White-browed Coucal (right), a terrestrial relative of the cuckoos, ascended from marshy shrubs to sun itself. Along the more open areas Kenya Rufous Sparrow could be found as well as Greater Blue-eared Starling, Speckled Mousebirds and Baglafecht Weavers.