Kenya part 2 - Mt. Kenya, 5-6 September 2026

After the fantastic time we had in Aberdare NP, we continued to Mt. Kenya. We had only one night there (September 5^th), in the magical Castle Forest. Birding was superb. We didn’t climb very high up, rather we stayed in the lush mid-level forest. The opportunity to bird on foot, along the trails and tracks leading to and from Castle Forest, was much appreciated. The headline bird was Olive Ibis. On the first evening we only heard them as they flew up to their roost, out of view. Next morning, at first light, a noisy group of six birds landed on dead trees not too far away and we enjoyed fantastic views. My scope was very popular among the BirdLife International group. For Gary it was the first success with this elusive ibis after multiple fails. The Olive Ibis is globally threatened and rare across its patchy C African range. Castle Forest is the only reliable spot in Kenya.

Sorry for the shaky video, excitement was great

There were so many wonderful birds in the forest. It was pure pleasure birding there, following up on calls from the forest, finding the gems, taking some photos and sound recordings. Bliss. I wish we had more time there.

White-tailed Crested Flycatcher

Mountain Oriole

The curious Brown-capped Weaver, crawling along mossy trunks

Black-and-White Mannikin

Gergo appreciating Old Growth trees

Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul

Black-collared Apalis - stunning little bird

Listen to the amazing crescendo duet song of a pair of Evergreen-forest Warblers

Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters

Gergo sneaking up on a Giant Kingfisher - wait for it!

En route to Nairobi we slowed down a bit (didn't really stop) at the endless Mwea rice fields. I was blown away but the huge numbers of waterbirds (check the eBird checklist here). I guess that it's one of the most important sites in E Africa for waterbirds. From the car we saw people hunting, and also frequent use of pesticides, so surely the conservation challenges there are great. Most of the waterbirds were too distant for photography and we were pressed for time. I took only few photos.

White-winged Widowbird were in numbers

Malachite Kingfisher

Then it was on to Nairobi - stay tuned!

Kenya part 1 - Aberdare NP, 3-5 September 2026

In early September I travelled to Kenya. My primary reason was to participate in the Global BirdLife Partnership Meeting in Nairobi. However, with the amazing birding available in Kenya, I had to extend my trip by a few days for dedicated birding. I chose two destinations, not too distant from Nairobi, and where birding on foot is possible at some sections - Aberdares NP, and Mt. Kenya NP. This trip was really more about birds than mammals, unusually for E Africa. I had planned this trip together with my friend Gergo Halmos, director of MME (BirdLife Hungary). We used the services of Cisticola Tours, managed by Washington Wachira, another good friend. I strongly recommend Cisticola for your birding needs in Kenya.

Our driver and local guide, Jack, picked us up from the airport, and we set off birding immediately. It was Gergo's first visit to E Africa, so every Superb Starling and Northern Fiscal perched on a roadside wire was new and exciting for him, which reminded me how fantastic are common, roadside birds in Kenya. Our first birding stop was at Manguo wetland, on the outskirts of Nairobi. We saw there the expected selection of wetland birds, with some quality offered by a distant Maccoa Duck. Sad to see the wetland decimated by the expansion of the adjacent highway.

From there we started climbing up to the Aberdare ridge. A random stop by the Naivasha-Kinangop junction reminded me who much I love countryside birding in E Africa. So many birds, so much fun.

African Thrush

Cape Robin-Chat

Red-fronted Barbet

White-fronted Bee-eater

On the way to Aberdare NP, we stopped at Kinangop plateau. Our guide Jack is originally from there, and knows so much about the wildlife and conservation of this unique region. The main reason to visit the globally Endangered Sharpe's Longclaw. This rare pipit is found only in few grassland patches in in the Kenya highlands. Kkinangop plateau is probably the most famous place to track this bird down. It took a little bit of searching but thanks to Jack's knowledge and field skills, we found a pair and enjoyed great views. They were breeding (carrying food), so we left them in peace very quickly.

Sharpe's Longclaw

This is the breeding habitat of Sharpe's Longclaw. Grazing is crucial for the pipit. However, even this site where we saw them isn't protected. Note the new development in the back left, a new fence ahead of some construction, destroying about a third of the available habitat at this site. Scary.

From there we climbed up to Aberdare NP, which we entered at Mutubio Gate. We spent two nights inside the national park: one night in The Ark, the second night in Cedar Retreat Lodge. Both lodges were great, though birding along the walking trail by the Cedar Retreat Lodge was better. Much of the birding was spent high up in the alpine zone, over 3500 m asl. Bird density and diversity aren't huge up there, but we were looking for some special species. Aberdare Cisticola is an endemic, confined to the Aberdare NP and another small highland area further west in Kenya, Mau Narok Molo grasslands. The weather was pretty tough when we searched for it, with rain and cold wind, but eventually we found a few. Awesome little bird.

Aberdare Cisticola

Aberdare Cisticola habitat in brighter weather

Sadly we failed to find the Elgon Francolin, a highly range-restricted bird. We did see a few Red-tufted Sunbirds, but I didn't get a proper photo - only this distant shot of a male:

And these poor photos of a female:

Another range-restricted species that we enjoyed great views of was Jackson's Francolin. They are found also in slightly lower elevations. From up-close they display a splendid plumage. 

A fascinating bird we saw was a potentially undescribed martin sp. It looks superficially like Plain Martin, but has a distinctly pale center of the throat. It breeds very high up on the Aberdares, at 3200 m. We saw them well but failed to get a photo. I did take a photo of their active nests.

Forest birding in lower elevations was spectacular. I really enjoyed it. So many cool birds.

Hartlaub's Turaco

Crowned Eagle

Sharpe's Starling - so smart

Eastern Double-collared Sunbird

Hunter's Cisticolas were everywhere

Moustached Tinkerbird - so tiny!

Best bird in the world - Brown Woodland-Warbler

Rameron Pigeon

Yellow-crowned Canaries

Malachite Sunbird - simply brilliant

How many Silvery-cheeked Hornbills can you count on this fruiting tree?

We didn't see too many mammals. Giant Forest Hogs were cool.

Plains Zebras up in the mountains

Next destination - Mt. Kenya. Stay tuned!

Pin-tailed Snipe in the Holy City

This morning I paid a visit to the beautiful Pin-tailed Snipe that was found in the Gazelle Valley in Jerusalem two days ago. As it happens so often nowadays, it was photographed by Shmuel Browns, posted on FB, and picked up and identified by the sharp-eyed Yonatan Gordon. This is the first record for Jerusalem, and only the 12th or so in Israel. I last saw one in October 2021.

The Pin-tailed Snipe, a young bird I think with neat pale fringes to all coverts, showed first thing this morning in one of the small wetlands in this wonderful city park right in the middle of Jerusalem. 

It was an overcast morning, so the light wasn't great for photography until I had to leave. However, the bird performed beautifully, foraging continuously, uninterested in the humans in the hide few meters away, so the experience was brilliant. 

Quick ID session - separation from Common Snipe: check the round head, 'open' face with rather unmarked pattern, slightly shorter bill, short tail, narrow mantle braces, and beutiful pattern to the lower scapulars, with even pale fringes on both webs.

This comparative photo was taken from a distance, but it shows well the structural differences between Pin-tailed Snipe (left) and Common Snipe (right). Common Snipe is also on average darker, and has a heavily marked face pattern. Remember that Common Snipe shows considerable variation in overall tones and size.

As snipes do, it was probing nonstop in the mud, and got its face and forehead coated with muck. 

Pulling a tapeworm out of the mud

Check that beautiful mantle pattern

To clean its face, the snipe often used its feet to scrape the mud off.

It was quite timid, often spooked or alarmed by a passing Moorhen or Teal. Sadly it did not spread the tail enough to see the pins.

You can't see me