KENYA: The Coast

Under overcast skies, we arrived at Mida Creek (above). It’s a magical place lined with Mangroves, where the tide moves in the blink of an eye, like few other places in the world. We strolled into the water up to our ankles, following the birds as they receded with the tide before us. Mida Creek serves as an important overwintering area for the globally endangered Crab Plovers, feeding their appetite for small crabs. This specialty species spread out before us in good numbers. The Crab Plovers were accompanied by Terek Sandpipers, Curlew Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, all feeding intently on the now-exposed mudflats. Brightly-colored Eurasian Oystercatchers, Eurasian Curlews, and Whimbrels were feeding a little farther away, just inside the waterline.

We were fortunate to find a couple of Western Reef Herons and Dimorphic Egrets (above), studying them closely to confirm their I.D. An uncommon Saunder’s Tern roosted on the sand, while a handful of Lesser Crested Terns flew overhead.

A short stop at Malindi’s (above) dazzling white beaches provided great looks at gulls and terns. Floating calmly in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean were mostly Sooty Gulls, along with a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Hueglin’s Gulls and picturesque fisherman’s boats. Perched on a shallow sandbar were Greater Crested Terns beside Lesser Crested Terns for comparison, and one Caspian Tern.

We reached the Sabaki Estuary (above) after a slow drive down a rough, winding dirt road through a local village. Small children chased after our vehicle, lively and curious. We alighted and walked towards the river mouth, between the sand dunes and the shimmering waters. Close to the brushy sides we found Rufous Bush Chats and Northern Brownbul. The tide was out, exposing ample mudflats on which myriad shorebirds were actively feeding. We moved slowly, stopping often to scope sandpipers, plovers and wading birds, many already seen at Mida Creek. We added White-fronted Plover to our list, amidst many Common Ringed Plovers and Little Stints. African Spoonbills, Pink-backed Pelicans, Great White Pelicans, Greater and Lesser Flamingos stood tall behind the peeps.