Kenya: Nairobi to Lake Naivasha

Kenya: Nairobi to Lake Naivasha (2nd of 8 posts)

If you leave Nairobi driving West, there are plenty of good things to see on the way to Naivasha and along the south shore of that Lake. 

We visited two small road-side wetlands and then after lunch headed to the Hippo Camp area on Lake Naivasha. Walking carefully alongside the road you can see amazing wildlife here and you do not need to enter the camping compound if you do not want to go to the lake-side. We did not enter the lake from here but chose to go to Fishermen's Camp instead. Fisherman's Camp is popular among Kenyans, many come to camp here. We met Francis, the local bird guide, who showed us around for a bit until it got too windy. After this we drove north towards Nakuru for our first night in Kenya.

Fabulous first day on the road. 

We wish to thank Simba Pride Adventures for car rental service. Highly recommended!  www.simbaprideadventures.com

Kenya: Ornithological records and itinerary

 

Kenya: Ornithological records and itinerary (1st of 8 posts from our Kenya Familiarization Trip)

Birds are indicators of landscape condition. Frequently used in landscape ecology and various acts of applied ecology. 

East Africa has a long tradition of ornithology and also of promoting wildlife watching. And birds are also important in outdoor recreation (specialit birding tours and such things). A landscape full of birds is a living landscape and with great potential for ecotourism development.

In the following posts I present results from our six-day fam trip to Kenya. This is trip was supported by my home institution with local invitation and assistance from Kenyan colleagues. We focused on inland waters (documentation); landscape assessment (using the LAP protocol for the first time in Africa) and tallying birds along the way. 

We track our bird sightings (as we often do) on the eBird database (https://ebird.org/home). 

We tallied 19 ebird checklists and a total of 183 bird species. Also we identified 18 mammal species in our six day sojourn. 

Here we present the itinerary and map in order to help others in such trips. 

And to promote high-quality ecotourism in Kenya. 

Obviously we had incredible help with our pre-planning work, people on the ground (National Museums of Kenya) and the rent-a-car agency (Simba Pride Adventures, see at the end). 

A schematic of the itinerary from the 7th to the 12th of February, with departure just after midnight on the 13th. In these days we focused on the four areas shown and did some stops inbetween. 

These are the sites we contributed lists of birds through the ebird database. In red: Known ebird hotspots, in blue: New sites explored (some of which were recommended as ebird hotspots). For further ornithological details see the trip report at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/204140

We wish to thank Simba Pride Adventures for car rental service and assistance in the field. Highly recommended!  www.simbaprideadventures.com

Birding in Požarevac city in Serbia!

 

Požarevac 

January 7th 2023

The Čačalica Memorial Park in Požarevac city is a fairly large park (28ha) and a monument to the fallen heroes of World War II. It is located very near the bus station of the city and is a low-sloping hilly park reaching almost 200m elevation. The park is in a city with an urban population of about 50000 so it is an important green space. Even more important thant the park itself is the surrounding area of open fields, corn, hedgerows, gardens and woodlots. The mosaic is really quite interesting if your base is Pozarevac. 

I went for a two hour walk and then walked outside the park at its highest most position to two transmision towers. I saw 29 species of birds in just two hours and enjoyed finding them in the quiet woods and meadows. 

The yellow line is a general path I used going up-hill (from left to right), all the way to the telecommunication tower which has nice fields and hedgerows. I came back a slightly different way.

I followed the road starting from the entrance of the park up, where you can see a few monuments and sculptures as well. People pass by and I usually said "dobar dan" to everybody. At the top-most part of the park, there is a 32m high sculpture called "Звезда" (Star), symbolizing freedom and the fall of fascism. Besides the main path to the top, there are other paths that go through the woods, most is deciduous with some small groves of rather large trees and some clumps of interesting confers as well. Quite varied. Čačalica  is a must-visit if you are staying in Požarevac! And more people should try birding here. 

My top birds today were: Yellowhammer, Merlin, Brambling, Bullfinch, and two species of woodpeckers.

You can access my ebird list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S158370494

Along the Danube in Serbia

 

The Danube, downstream of Belgrade in Serbia. 

January 5th 2024

There are a string of intriguing birding spots along the right bank of the Danube downstream of Belgrade. I am now based at Pozarevac and enjoying the Serbian Christmas holidays. Today we drove down the right bank of the river to a grand castle monument just before the famous Iron Gates of the Danube. The Romanian shore was very close. The unique landscape of this great river valley is really beautiful. There are hills, rocky slopes, small woodlots and rather mature woodlands nearly everywhere. Very different from Western European agricultural landscapes. Authentic small villages with their poultry varieties,  summer homes along the river, forts and more castles. Highlights for me were the Common Goldeneyes a duck I usually rarely see further south....And we also saw several Pheasants! Not a option in heavily-hunted southern Balkan states. So the 'Northern Balkan' area is a realy escape for anyone from Greece.

These are the birding sites catalogued in the birding site "Birding Places". I was based at the village of Pozarevac, east of Belgrade (the place with the concentration of birding sites at Left). 

Birding in Belgrade Serbia!

 

The City of Belgrade

4th of January 2024

Beograd is a regional capital and one of the most important cities on the Danube. It could be a fantastic place for birding and bird photography. We spent a day here and wondered around the big castle park and along the river. Highlights include a wonderful sunset with 110+ Mute Swans, a magestic White-tailed Sea Eagle and wonderful flights of gulls and crows. 

Here are some of our snapshots, more to follow!