22/03/2024
Greetings from Nairobi in Kenya. After 23 days of enduring Africa’s beating sun, inhaling its perpetual dust, answering endless questions throughout the day (many of which had been answered dozens of times previously) and constantly fighting to maintain my balance while standing on the front seat of a Land Rover as it bounced and swayed on the rutted roads we traversed, this marathon tour of Tanzania and Kenya has come to a close and I am thrilled to have a free day relaxing in my hotel overlooking Nairobi NP. Perhaps the best part of being here today is not having to fight the endless pitching and rolling of the vehicle. Everyday was like a terrestrial pelagic trip and if you know me well, you know that I am not a huge fan of pelagic birding!
Despite all of that, the tour was a great success and we ended with 551 species of birds and 40+ mammals including great views of all go the Big 5 as well an exciting encounter with 3 Cheetahs on our last afternoon at Buffalo Springs NR. If you have ever traveled in Africa you know that Cheetahs are always one of the toughest mammals to find, so we definitely saved the best for last. Birding highlights included 2 separate sightings of the rare and reclusive White-backed Night-Heron, a seldom seen Bush Pipit of which I was able to obtain excellent documentation photos, several Melodious Larks at Serengeti NP and a small flock of Black-rumped Waxbills for which there are just a few records in Tanzania. I have attached below links to our eBird Trip report that includes 186 photos and 24 audio recordings, and to a photo gallery that I have assembled.
Tomorrow I will fly with 3 clients to Pemba Island in Tanzania to look for the island’s 4 endemic species plus a few other specialties like Crab-Plover and Zanzibar Boubou. After that it’s back to Nairobi to meet my lovely wife who will join me for 10 days of relaxing birding in Kenya’s Coast district which of course will be the best part of this entire journey. Here presence will make all of the heretofore mentioned inconveniences well worthwhile!
Take care and I hope you are all enjoying the beginnings of spring migration.
One other note…..I still have two spaces available for my tour to the Colombian llanos scheduled for January 17-24, 2025. Details are available on my website if you are interested.
https://janhansen.smugmug.com/Kenya-Tanzania-2024
https://ebird.org/tripreport/207643
