Mount Kenya, an ornithologist’s paradise
With over 1, 070 species of birds, Kenya has the second-highest country bird list in Africa, while the Mount Kenya region boasts 130 species. For the amateur and serious ornithologist alike, we offer a range of half or full day outings which can be custom-tailored to the interests of your ornithological party. The services of a professional ornithologist and up-to-date bird checklists are included, and picnics, bush lunches, camp suppers and sundowners can be scheduled to suit your needs.
The best time for bird watching is early morning and late afternoon in the rainy seasons, and during the winters of the northern world, when Kenya hosts a wide range of European migratory species.
Mount Kenya's birdlife, abundant and rare
The mountain is rich in montane bird fauna with 53 out of Kenya's 67 African highlands biome species, at least 35 forest-specialist species and 6-8 of the species that make up the Kenyan montane endemic bird area.
What to see, and where
In the forests that cloak the lower slopes, pairs of Hunter's cisticolas duet on top of bushes, Hartlaub's turacos glide across the road with a flash of scarlet wing feathers, silvery-cheeked hornbills swoop and sun themselves (especially near the Naro Moru Gate) and red-fronted parrots flock around the fruiting Podocarpus trees.
As you walk you may see white-headed wood hoopoes probing the cracks of the gnarled forest trees for insects, or the cinnamon-chested bee-eaters which snap up prey from exposed branches. The forest also hosts two species of francolin, the Jackson's francolin and the scaly francolin, both of which will scurry away into the undergrowth at your approach.
In the deep, marshy forest glades, you may spot the rare Mount Kenya race of the green ibis, while another great rarity the Abyssinian long-eared owl has been recorded in the high forest near the Sirimon track.
High on the moorlands alpine chats perch fearlessly at arm's length while jewel-hued sunbirds probe the everlasting flowers, gladioli and brilliant blue delphinium. Scarlet-tufted malachite sunbirds may be seen feeding on half hidden lobelia blossoms. Slender-billed and red-winged starlings also hunt through the lobelia for the thin-shelled snails that make their home there.
Above 3, 300 m the birdlife includes African snipes in the grasslands, African black ducks on the tarns and white-naped ravens scavenging around the huts. High above the crags cruise the mighty lammergeyers (especially around Sendeo or Terere Peaks on the Sirimon Route). Mottled and scarce swifts are also common and alpine swifts can often be seen near Two Tarn Hut.
