KENYA: Solio Plains to the Aberdare Mountains

A slow drive across the bumpy dirt road that traverses the Solio Plains allowed us to enjoy many wonderful birds on this windy morning. A flock of Long-tailed Widowbirds, including several males in full breeding plumage, flew across the road and alighted on a wire fence. Along the roadside, amongst the short grasses, there was a steady stream of Yellow Wagtails, Northern and Isabelline Wheatear, Plain-backed Pipits and Red-capped Larks. We came across one or two small flocks of Black-winged Lapwings, a few Cape Rook, and many Northern Anteater Chats. While searching for Sharpe’s Longclaw we found Somali Short-toed Lark. On the rolling plains there were a few Thomson’s and Grant’s Gazelles, small herds of Zebra and the isolated Laikipia race of Coke’s Hartebeest, known as Kenya Highland Hartebeest (below).

A stop along the main road at Paul’s quarry, produced a nice scope look at Mackinder’s Eagle Owl (below). The water in the quarry held Yellow-billed Duck, Red-knobbed Coot and along the edge Cape Wagtail. In the surrounding acacia we found Red-fronted Barbet, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Chin-spot Batis, Eastern Black-headed Oriole and Western Citril.

By late morning we reached the Ark gate, one of the eastern entrances to the Aberdare Mountain Range in Central Kenya. It is a long 6 hour journey through the National Park and over the range, winding our way through various ecosystems, rising in altitude to the highland grass tussocks and down the western side.

As we begin our climb from 6800’ through the lower elevation forests we encounter Hunter’s Cisticola, Golden-winged Sunbird, Long-crested Eagle, a pair of Crowned Eagles circling high above us, Scaly Francolin, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Grey-headed Negrofinch along with Black and White Colubus, Sykes monkeys, Forest Buffalo, Warthogs, Bushbuck, Defassa Waterbuck, and three Giant Forest Hogs (below).

After a pleasant roadside picnic lunch, where a Great Sparrowhawk glided over our heads, we moved through the Broadleaf Croton and dense Bamboo stands that give way to the lovely moss-covered Hagenia glades above the forest. Flying above the steep drops that lead to valleys below, there were many Plain Martins, White-rumped Swifts, Horus’s Swifts, and African Black Swifts. For other birds it was rather quiet with only Mountain Greenbul, White-starred Robin, Brown Woodland Warbler and Whinchat all seen well.

Above the tree line we entered the scenic rolling alpine moorland at around 10,000 feet and encountered a new set of fauna. Montagu’s Harrier quartered over the tussocks; a migrating Black-shouldered Kite was perched on a small bare tree, and Jackson’s Francolins (below) slowly walked the grassy roadside edges. Along with Golden-winged and eastern Double-collared Sunbirds we watched several Malachite’s and caught sight of an immature male Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird. Moorland Chat’s were very confiding and our only Aberdare Cisticolas, a Kenyan endemic, came when we stopped after hearing one, and had several perch for us. Mammals included a Common Duiker crossing the road and two Chandler’s Mountain Reedbuck tucked into the moorland.

Our last stop in the National Park was at the small though spectacular Chania waterfalls. This being the headwaters for the same river that flows though Blue Post in Thika. We arrived just as a flock of Slender-billed Starlings (below) descended to bathe and drink, at the point where the river cascades over the falls.

Once out of the park, it was a bumpy drive along rough dirt roads to the Kinangop Grasslands, west of the range, where there is a small population of endemic Sharpe’s Longclaws. Unless areas can get protected, the future looks bleak as increasing crop cultivation is replacing the short grasslands. However, in fading light we had two birds, one which flew closer to us and was out in the open as it walked along the edge of a gully.