Field guides & websites

Kenya lies on the Eastern coast of the African continent and is a must visit for its beautiful wildlife and birdlife. The flight from Mumbai takes nearly 6 hours across the Indian ocean.

 
The guides are well experienced to help you identify various species of flora and fauna. Our guide Ali was carrying Field guide books for mammals, birds, trees and shrubs and even a good book about the 42 different tribes of the country. However, to enhance your experience and help you document the list of species you see, purchasing guide books of your choice would be a good investment. I used the following guide books:
  1. "The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals" - Jonathan Kingdon published by A&C Black, London
  2. "Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania" - Dale Zimmerman & Ors Published by Princeton University Press
Both books give you detailed description and plates of each of the species and sub-species along with distribution maps as well information of the local habitat.
Of course, they will add about 2 Kgs to your baggage and lighten your wallet by US$ 85 - but it is well worth the effort and expense!

Some useful websites:
  1. Bombay Natural History Society   has many interesting activities for those interested in nature. Besides, they are actively involved in research and conservation efforts in the country. Visit their website at http://www.bnhs.org/
  2. Africanquest which organsed our entire itinerary at the Kenyan end http://www.africanquest.co.ke/
  3. Another good site that gives comprehensive info about travel in Africa is http://www.go2africa.com/

Acknowledgements

A great trip for which I would like to thank:
  1. Bombay Natural History Society for organising this trip & especially Nikhil Bhopale, an enthusiastic birder and naturalist and an excellent resource person.
  2. The team at Africanquest and our guides - David, Banda, Abdullah & most of all our own guide, Ali who showed us the beautiful sights of his country &  for being a wonderful troubleshooter as well!
  3. The courteous staff at Samburu Sopa Lodge, Lake Nakuru Lodge & the Mara Fig Tree Camp
  4. On a wildlife trip as this, your felllow travelers can add much to enhance your enjoyment. So thank you to all my fellow travelers especially those in my vehicle and particularly my room mate, Shireen Cama for being such great company!

Species seen

MAMMALS

1. Guenther’s Dik-Dik Madoqua guentheri

2. Kirk’s Dik-Dik Madoqua kirkii

3. Ochre Bush Squirrel Paraxerus ochraceus

4. Anubis Baboon Papio anubis

5. Black Backed Jackal Canis mesomelas

6. Banded Mangoose Mungos mungo

7. Spotted Hyena Crocuta crocuta

8. Lion Panthera leo

9. Leopard Panthera pardus

10. Greyy’s Zebra Eqqus grevi

11. Common Zebra Eqqus quagga

12. Grass (White) Rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum

13. Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius

14. Warthog Phacoechorus africanus

15. Reticulated Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata

16. Masai Southern Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi

17. Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus

18. African Elephant Loxodonta afrcanus

19. Jackson's Hartabeast Alcelaphus buselaphus cokei (8 sub-species)

20. Topi Damaliscus lunatus

21. Brindled Gnu (Wilderbeast) Connochaetes taurinus

22. Gerenuk Litocranus walleri

23. Grant’s Gazelle Gazella granti

24. Impala Preyceres melanous

25. Red-fronted (Thomson’s) Gazelle Gazella rufifrons

26. Cape Buffalo Syncerous caffe caffer

27. Beisa Oryx Oryx beisa

28. Vervet Monkey Cercopithecus (aethios) pygerythrus (5 species of savannah monkeys)

29. Scrub Hare Lepus saxatilis victoriae



Reptiles:
Nile Crocodile

Bird species:
Sr.  Name


1 Gull-billed Tern

2 Whiskered Tern

3 Grey-headed Gull

4 Black-headed Gull

5 Yellow-billed Stork

6 Marabou Stork

7 Grey Crowned Crane

8 Glossy Ibis

9 Hadada Ibis

10 Sacred Ibis

11 Greater Flamingo

12 Lesser Flamingo

13 Purple Heron

14 Black-headed Heron

15 Goliath Heron

16 Grey Heron

17 Hamerkop

18 Striated Heron

19 Cattle Egret

20 Great White Pelican

21 Long-tailed Cormorant

22 Great Cormorant

23 Little Grebe

24 Egyptian Goose

25 Red-billed Teal

26 Cape Teal

27 Black-winged Plover

28 Blacksmith Plover

29 Crowned Plover

30 Spur-winged Plover

31 White-fronted Plover

32 Three-banded Plover

33 Kittlitz's Plover

34 Little Stint

35 Curlew Sandpiper

36 Ruff

37 Common Greenshank

38 Black-winged Stilt

39 Greater Painted Snipe

40 Red-knobbed Coot

41 Crested Francolin

42 Hildebrandt's Francolin

43 Coqui Francolin

44 Red-necked Spurfowl

45 Yellow-necked Spurfowl

46 Helmeted Guinefowl

47 Vulturine Guinefowl

48 White-bellied Bustard

49 Crested Bustard

50 Black-bellied Bustard

51 Kori Bustard

52 Southern Ground Hornbill

53 Secretary Bird

54 Somali Ostrich

55 Common Ostrich

56 Hooded Vulture

57 Egyptian Vulture

58 Ruppell's Griffon

59 African White-backed Vulture

60 Lappet-faced Vulture

61 Gabar Goshawk

62 Tawny Eagle

63 Lesser Spotted Eagle ???

64 Augur Buzzard

65 Martial Eagle

66 African Fish Eagle

67 Bateleur

68 Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk

69 Black-shouldered Kite

70 Long-crested Eagle

71 Amur Falcon

72 Pygmy Falcon

73 African Orange-bellied Parrot

74 Lovebird sps.

75 Brown Parrot

76 Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse

77 Black-faced Sandgrouse

78 Yellow-throated Sandgrouse

79 Laughing Dove

80 Ring-necked Dove

81 African Mourning Dove

82 African Green Pigeon

83 Rock Dove

84 Speckled Pigeon

85 Namaqua Dove

86 Emerald-spotted Wood Dove

87 White-bellied Go-away-bird

88 Hartlaub's Turaco

89 White-browed Coucal

90 Senegal Coucal ???

91 Verreaux's Eagle-owl ???

92 Little Swift

93 African Palm Swift

94 African Black Swift

95 Blue-naped Mousebird

96 Speckled Mousebird

97 White-headed Mousebird

98 Woodland Kingfisher

99 Grey-headed Kingfisher

100 Pied Kingfisher

101 Little Bee-eater

102 Somali Bee-eater

103 Lilac-breasted Roller

104 Rufous-crowned / Purple Roller

105 Hoopoe

106 Von Der Decken's Hornbill

107 Red-billed Hornbill

108 Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill

109 Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill

110 White-headed Barbet

111 D'Arnaud's Barbet

112 Grey Woodpecker

113 Green-backed / Little Spotted Woodpecker

114 Nubian Woodpecker

115 Rosy-breasted Longclaw

116 Yellow-throated Longclaw

117 Mountain Wagtail

118 African Pied Wagtail

119 Plain-backed Pipit ???

120 Fischer's Sparrow-lark

121 Fawn-coloured Lark

122 Banded Martin

123 Plain Martin / African Sand Martin

124 Mosque Swallow

125 Lesser Striped Swallow

126 Wire-tailed Swallow

127 White-headed Saw-wing/Rough-wing

128 Common Bulbul

129 Superb Starling

130 Golden-breasted Starling

131 Greater Blue-eared Starling

132 Violet-backed Starling

133 Wattled Starling

134 Red-billed Oxpecker

135 Red-winged Starling

136 Black-headed Oriole

137 Fan-tailed Raven

138 Pied Crow

139 Grey Cuckoo-shrike

140 Square-tailed Drongo

141 Common Drongo

142 Black-backed Puffback

143 Tropical Boubou

144 Rosy-patched Bush-shrike

145 Long-tailed Fiscal

146 Grey-backed Fiscal

147 Common Fiscal

148 Taita Fiscal

149 Northern White-crowned Shrike

150 Chin-spot Batis ???

151 Unid Flycatcher

152 African Paradise Flycatcher

153 Southern Black Flycatcher

154 African Blue Flycatcher

155 Rufous Chatterer

156 Black-lored Babbler

157 Sooty Chat

158 Olive Thrush

159 White-browed Robin-chat

160 Spotted Morning Thrush ???

161 Montane White-eye

162 Grey-backed Camaroptera

163 White-bellied Tit

164 Northern Grey Tit

165 Malachite Sunbird

166 Bronze Sunbird

167 Golden-winged Sunbird

168 Red-chested Sunbird

169 Varialbe Sunbird

170 Hunter's Sunbird

171 Scarlet-chested Sunbird

172 Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird

173 Chestnut Sparrow

174 House Sparrow

175 Rufous Sparrow

176 Grey-headed Sparrow

177 Yellow-spotted Petronia

178 Black-capped Social Weaver

179 Donaldson-Smith's Sparrwo-weaver

180 White-browed Sparrow-weaver

181 Yellow Bishop

182 Jackson's Widowbird

183 Baglafecht Weaver

184 Black-headed / Village Weaver

185 Speke's Weaver

186 Lesser Masked Weaver

187 Black-faced Waxbill

188 African Silverbill

189 Cut-throat Finch

190 Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

191 Blue-capped Cordon-bleu

192 Purple Grenadier

193 Red-billed Firefinch

194 Yellow-fronted Canary

195 White-bellied Canary ???

196 Streaky Seedeater

197 Golden-breasted Bunting

198 Somali Golden-breasted Bunting

199 House Bunting

200 Vitelline Masked Weaver ???

201 Yellow-rumped Seedeater

202 Grassland Pipit



Thank you to Hitesh Chowhan and Nikhil Bhopale for compiling the list