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Kenya 2005 Bird Photography Safari.

The purpose of this page isn't to provide a full list of species seen, as this would be long and boring, but is to provide photographers, who may be planning a similar trip, with information about the planning, the locations I visited, as well as some of the wildlife to be found there.

Planning.

I started planning the safari in October, nine months prior to departure. I researched heavily on the Internet, trawling though other people's trip reports and then looking up the birds in the field guide to the birds of East Africa by Stevenson & Fanshaw. From this I was able to produce a list of species that I really wanted to photograph. I then considered the locations that I thought would best provide the widest range of species and different habitats, to hopefully maximise the photographic opportunities. I narrowed this list down to five locations and then, again with the help of the Internet and a few guidebooks, I chose the accommodation I wanted to stay at. From this I produced an itinerary, which I sent to several of the numerous independent safari providers available on the internet, detailing everything I needed for the safari such as model and size of vehicle with a pop up roof, supply of beanbags, knowledge/qualifications of the guide(not just to know the wildlife but to understand the additional requirements of a wildlife photographer such as the importance of position of the vehicle and light), to name just a few

As a Bird and Wildlife photographer I knew that I had specific requirements, which meant I could not go on a shared safari. Most people's target species on Safari are the 'big five' mammals. I knew that if I went on a shared safari, people would get bored very quickly if I announced "Sorry folks I want to spend all day on this one bird", which is the sort of thing I would do to ensure the best images. I also knew that I could not share the safari with other birdwatchers, as they would also get 'twitchy' and want to rush around seeing as many birds as possible, no matter how briefly they saw them for. These are the reasons I planned and organised my own independent safari and shared the vehicle with two other people: Peter our guide/driver in the front of the vehicle and Hamish, my trusty birding companion.

Execution.

Of course for a long time before the trip we had been very worried that we knew very little about the Safari company that we had chosen. We had also paid half of the cost of the Safari earlier in February, and our biggest fear was that we would arrive in Nairobi and nobody would be there to meet us. On arrival at Nairobi about 8pm in the evening it took ages to clear customs and complete and pay for the entry visa. This of course could have been avoided by buying the visa in advance, which would have allowed us to sail through customs with no delays. I will certainly do this next time and would highly recommend that you do too. Once through customs, our fears began to evaporate, firstly when we met our guide Peter, who would also be our driver for the whole safari, and then when we got to our vehicle, which had everything I had expected. The windows even passed my 'big glass friendly' test. ie they opened in a way that would allow comfortable use of a big lens and beanbag. Then when we got to the Hotel Boulevard in Nairobi, Peter helped us check in, and then left us for the night. Before he left us, he gave us a welcome pack which said 'Karibu Kenya', Welcome to Kenya Martin & Hamish. This simple document confirmed that we had chosen well, and we would find out that everything we had requested would be provided and more.

The following morning Peter arrived to pick us up as arranged. Firstly we went to the office of our safari provider Sunworld Safaris in what seemed like a very nice location in Nairobi, to pay the outstanding balance on our safari. Seeing the fleet of 4WD vehicles that they had was further confirmation that they were a serious, professional company. Then we headed of towards our first destination where the adventure would really begin.

Golden Pipit	Samburu All the planning above was extremely important but wouldn't have mattered if the wildlife viewing didn't live up to expectation. After a long drive we arrived at Samburu and there I was soon to realise that I wasn't going to be disappointed; in fact it was simply sensational. The diversity and number of species and the fact that they are so approachable because most photography is done from a vehicle, which is not seen as a threat, makes it a wildlife photographer's paradise. Samburu is a semi-arid habitat with wildlife adapted to dry conditions. These include localised species such as Reticulated Giraffe the endangered Grevy's Zebra, Gerenuk, with its elongated neck making it look like it is an antelope half way to becoming a small Giraffe and Vulturine Guineafowl. All these and others were seen within the afternoon of our first day, in fact three of the images in the 2006 Calendar were taken during this first afternoon, Grevy's Zebra & Oxpecker, Grey-headed Kingfisher and 'The 'PAW'. We were staying at Samburu Intrepids tented camp, its name giving no indication of the luxuriant place it is. The following days were to be just as rewarding with fantastic photography opportunities with other species like Pygmy Falcon and White-throated Bee-eater. After two nights at Samburu, definately not enough, we headed of to our next destination.
Leopard	Lake Nakuru This was the first of the Great Rift Valley lakes that we were to visit. The Great Rift Valley is a geological and geographical feature that cuts through East Africa from Ethiopia to Mozambique. It has been caused by the rifting and separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates. Lake Nakuru is an alkaline soda lake and is famed for the huge flocks of Flamingos that turn the edges of the lake into a pink haze. The park is also well known for the numbers of both Black and White Rhino which are very evident. Unfortunately, for me the weather was not very good, and so for the two days that we were there, I didn't get the shots of Flamingo that I had hoped for, so that was a little disappointing. We did however have the chance of the Leopard in the tree, which was particularly rewarding as it was such a beautiful animal. We were staying at Lion Hill Lodge, the quality of which again left nothing to be desired. The afternoon of the penultimate day here we found a pair of Secretary birds that were nest building, again the very poor light during this afternoon and the rain of the following morning were to prevent me getting any exceptional images and after our two night stay again we set off for the next location.
African Fish Eagle	Lake Baringo Lake Baringo is the most northerly of the Great Rift Valley Lakes and unlike Lake Nakuru is almost freshwater. It is also, like Samburu, surrounded by arid habitat, which makes it an oasis to animals and especially birds. Over 470 species have been recorded here. One of the things I had planned for Baringo was to photograph the Fish Eagles and my exploits to do this are detailed in the text that accompanies the October Image of the calendar on the charities page. We stayed at Lake Baringo Country Club. Although not as luxurious as some of the other places we stayed at, (not because it is a poor standard, but because the others are so ridiculously high), it was one of my favourites, as the staff were very friendly and the place seemed less anonymous than the others. It was right on the lake, and at night, a guard escorted you back to your chalet, as the Hippos came up from the lake to graze the lawns. The grounds were full of birds, many breeding at this time. I was able to get shots here of another target species - Red and Yellow Barbet, which nests in the termite mounds around the camp. Red-chested Cuckoo was also numerous but stayed high in the canopy. There is also a great mixed colony of Jackson's Golden-backed Weaver and Black-headed (Village) Weaver. After three nights we moved on again.
Specle-fronted Weaver	Lake Naivasha Lake Naivasha is the last of the three Great Rift Valley lakes that we visited and also the highest at around 1880m. We stayed at Lake Naivasha Country club. This was the least favourite location we stayed in. To us it had an old colonial atmosphere, which for us is not something to be proud of. This was re-enforced when we discovered that they had no guide accomodation and Peter had to leave us and stay somewhere else each evening. I suppose this could be a good thing if you didn't like your guide, but for us, by then, Peter was our friend. Perhaps we had got a false impression, who knows, but we are not staying there on our next safari. There were some very productive locations for us around Naivasha. We visited the nearby Crater Lake Game Sanctuary around an inactive volcano. Although the sunken caldera is very impressive from the rim, at the bottom there was not much wildlife when we were there, having said that it was the heat of the day. We had lunch at the lodge and the food was outstanding, the best of the safari. If only it wasn't such a descent to get to and ascent to get out. We also visited Elsamere and you can find out more about this on charity page for months April & June of the 2006 calendar. After two nights we set of for the final and probably most well known destination.
Hamerkop	Masai Mara No trip to Kenya would be complete without a trip to the Masai Mara. The reserve is located west of the Great Rift Valley and is an extension of the Serengeti Plain in Tanzania. The Mara's location and altitude above 1,500m produce a climate that is milder and damper than many other areas in Kenya and certainly more than the other locations visited on this safari, and this again would bring different species. The reserve was inaugurated in 1961 to try to protect a wild and uninhabited area and control the mass killings and possible extinction of many species due to the 'sport' enjoyed by white hunters. We stayed at two different locations, each for two nights. The first was Mara Serena Lodge. The chalets were strange looking, like a fancy shaped mud hut. Inside however they were beautifully and very individually decorated and, as the camp was perched on the side of a ridge, all had sensational views over the mara. Although the rooms were excellent, I hated the restaurant, not for the quality of the food, but because it was simply not big enough and it was like being in a fast food outlet, the staff just wanted to push as many people through, as quickly as possible. As the lodge was amongst the most expensive this is just not acceptable. The second place was Mara Fig Tree Camp. Sunworld had recommended this place as an alternative to my choice of Keekerok Lodge, which had burnt down a few months before our safari. Fig Tree was a very nice camp, accessed by a lovely bridge accross a small river. The food and accommodation were the usual high standard and we were woken each morning by the roosting Ground Hornbills, the call of which we all initially mistook for a large owl. The Mara is famed for its wildebeest migration during the months of July to October. But I had organised this safari earlier in order to photograph certain bird species in their breeding plumage in some of the other locations. This was consequently probably not the optimum time to visit the Mara. Having said that there was still a large variety of photographic opportunities although the density of the bird species was nowhere near that of the other locations. Favourites of mine that I had hoped for but failed to get in Gambia were the Yellow-throated Longclaw, these were also accompanied by the even more, beautiful but less frequent, Rosy-breasted Longclaw.

Useful Tips.

Seasons & Timing: Kenya has two rainy seasons: The main rains from the end of March to the beginning of June and the smaller rains during November and December. I chose to go a couple of weeks after the main rains in the hope that many of the birds that changed plumage during the rains would still be in this breeding plumage. This worked to a certain extent, but was probably detrimental in the Mara, as the mass migration of the Ungulates had not commenced. I will be going back again next year, mostly to the same places, but later, during the migration period. This will produce different species and will enable me to compare the timing. Another advantage of going early was that the cost was much lower than the high season which seems to be just about any other time outside the rainy seasons.

Flights: There are many daily scheduled flights to Nairobi, not direct from Manchester however. I managed to get a flight during the BA sale which reduced the cost by about 1/3. I chose flights that arrived into Nairobi in the evening about 8pm, and departed Nairobi about 9am in the morning. This meant additional costs of two hotel nights at the beginning and end of the safari, but I would highly recommend that you do this. It means that after a long flight you get a good nights rest before the first day of your safari. It also gives you time to get all your camera gear ready for loading for use in the safari vehicle, and you set off alert and ready to enjoy the photography, rather than tired and it being hard work. Likewise on the return leg you spend your last night in Nairobi, again you can then pack your gear away ready for the flight, without having to do this in the confines of a tent, on your last night, which for me would ruin the last night of the safari. It also gives you the opportunity to carry on shooting on the way back to Nairobi, before packing.

Clothing & cases: Any serious photographer will be out every morning before dawn and coming back at dusk and I was no exception. It was really quite cold at this time so ensure that you have enough warm clothing with you. As we were changing location every couple of days I didn't bother unpacking my cases. What I did take though, was a lightweight fold-up bag, which I put all dirty clothing in, keeping it away from the clean clothes I kept in my case. This was then simply put in the back of the vehicle when we changed locations, and on the last night in Nairobi, emptied and packed away again. Next time however I will take fewer clothes, as all the lodges we stayed in had a laundry service, and I will simply use this halfway through the safari.

Choice of Vehicle: This is one of the most important decisions to make. There were predominantly two types of vehicle: small minibuses and 4 wheel drive land-cruiser type vehicles, both with the essentail pop-up roof. I knew at the planning stage that I would want maximum manouverability so chose the 4 wheel drive. I also chose an eight seat version (not including the front bit where the driver is) rather than six, even though there would only be two of us using these seats. This again I would highly recommend. I was using two camera bodies one with a 500mm +1.4x and one with a 100-400mm. This enabled me to cope with most photo opportunities as they happened. (Again I would highly recommend you do the same, you don't want to spend all that money getting to Kenya to then keep missing shots as you change the lenses on a single body, and there really are so many opportunities that this will happen very frequently, every day). With all the extra seats I had enough room to spread the gear out ready for immediate use. The remaining seats and space were soon filled up with bags, bean bags (essential that at least 1/2 dozen come with the vehicle so they can be placed in position around it ready for you to use them the moment an opportunity arises), warm clothing, tripods, water etc, and I was the only photographer in the vehicle.

Conclusion.

By the end of the two weeks on Safari I had taken around 6,000 images, which equates to nearly 170 rolls of film, so if you are a film user make sure you have enough rolls and if digital you will need more than 40gig storage capacity and even then you'll have to edit in the field. I now use only digital bodies so I was able to edit these down in the field bringing back about 2,700. These have been further filtered to around 70 species of bird and mammal where I have more than just record shots. Kenya is a fantastic country to visit. The wildlife is incredible and presents endless photo opportunities and the scenery is magnificent. The people are extremely friendly and in many cases know a lot about the wildlife. The staff of the lodges showed me so many fantastic birds, which I would never have seen without their help. The last words of this report must go to Peter our guide and the rest of the Sunworld team, without whom this would not have been the fantastic experience it was. Peter was simply excellent throughout the entire trip, with phenomenal eyesight and knowledge, and a very friendly and totally professional manner. We have already booked another trip next year with Sunworld and Peter, this time it will be during the great Wildebeest migration in Kenya. I'm sure it will be just as fantastic as this one was.

More images of this and other Kenya trips can be seen in the Kenya image Galleries.

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