Birding safaris in Kenya | Birding in Kenya

Bird watching in Kenya is in a class of its own. Kenya, a home to over 1000 bird species lies on the equator. Seasons like ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ have no meaning, only wet and dry. The absence of these extreme climatic changes gives rise to the best home for birds.
Guideforafrica.com introduces you to the National Parks and Reserves of Kenya. These reserves form various habitats, from Highland forests and afro-alpine moorlands, Savannah, Lakes, forests to Desert and semi-desert surroundings. Depending on the time you have and your interests, they will be included in your birding in Kenya package.

It has been estimated, give or take a few million that as many as 6000 million birds make the annual migration each year. Combine the migratory birds to the incredible variety of local birds and the result is an ornithological paradise.

Each of the National Parks and Reserves has their own quota of the ‘paradise’. With a few exceptions each one of them covers a different habitat or overlaps one, which also has to be taken into account by the keen ornithologist. Between 300 and 500 species can be spotted and with a little more combined effort, over 400 can be recorded in a two-week birding tours.

Bird watching is an upcoming favourite past time amongst the Kenyans. It is evident that this has been influenced greatly by tourists visiting our country. Bird watching is just that – watching the birds without hunting or catching them. The are mainly interested in knowing more about birds – their names, origin characteristics, eating habits, etc. It is common to see people with binoculars gazing up the sky just observing the birds. Usually they will have a book on birds to refer to just to try and identify the birds.
There are many spots in Kenya where one can go for bird watching.
The bird gallery at the National Museum displays about 900 species and serves as an introduction and varied birdlife of Eastern Africa. The gallery is arranged to follow the order in which scientist believe birds evolved. Many of the exhibit cases include eggs and nests.
Species of interest include the greater and lesser flamingoes, which provide magnificent spectacles on saline lakes such as Nakuru and Bogoria. The skill of the weaver birds, of which Kenya has over forty species, is impressive. The colorful and often iridescent sunbirds occupy a similar ecological niche as the hummingbirds in the Americas.

Following are some of the spots to visit for birdwatching.
• Nairobi Snake park
• The Ostrich farm
• National Museums.