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!