Day Tour Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park

The "Ultimate Panoramic Experience" is 85 km from Nairobi 25 km from Thika Town and 2km from Ol Donyo Sabuk town and is managed by Kenya Wildlife Service. Ol Donyo Sabuk National is one of the smallest parks in Kenya covering an area of 20 kilometers squared. The park was established in the year 1967. Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park is a preferred day trip out of Nairobi for hiking, birdwatching and general nature walks

Hiking trail

The expansive farm that now hosts the national park was once home to William Macmillan, a game hunter from America, who visited and decided to settle in Kenya in 1901

Macmillan Grave

At the farm, Macmillan built a castle in which, on different occasions, he hosted explorer and former American President Theodore Roosevelt and British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. The two renowned world leaders were on game-hunting trips to Kenya

But more interestingly is the fact that the late Tom Mboya, a popular politician in the Jomo Kenyatta era, was born at Ol Donyo Sabuk where his father worked as a casual laborer at Macmillan’s sisal farm. Far from its interesting history, Ol Donyo Sabuk is popularly becoming a must-go for Kenyans and tourists, in general, looking for more challenging exercise terrains, and a place closer to Nairobi. Oldonyo Sabuk National Park is busy, especially on weekends when 250 people visit the Park.

The whole trek from the Gate to the summit is 9 kilometers, but there are some breaks between, the first stop enables people to have good views of the surroundings, the vast pineapple plantations, the distant inselbergs (isolated hill or mountain rising from a plain) the famous fourteen falls

Fourteen falls

The other stopover is at the burial site of Macmillan and his wife although in their will they wanted to be buried at the summit of the Mountain. The peak in Ol Donyo Sabuk has a height of 2,145 meters (7,037 feet) and was named by Maasai pastoralists, meaning a big mountain. The forested part of the mountain has a large population of buffaloes

                                                        Summit 2145 meters

There are two campsites in Ol Donyo Sabuk, Turaco Campsite by the entrance of the main gate and the Lookout campsite 7 kilometers uphill, Also there is the Sabuk House (self-catering), which used to be a warden house

Hiking duo

                                                          Viewpoint

You need an armed ranger to escort you, the park has wild animals notably the buffalo, which comes with an extra cost of 1750 per ranger

Carry enough drinking water minimum, snacks, and wear comfortable hiking shoes, the camera is also useful

It's advisable to observe the rules on littering many people discard water bottles on the trails, they have some dumping areas along the hiking trail so make use of them

Martial Eagle

For Birdwatchers, Ol Donyo Sabuk has very interesting Bird species, among them the endemic Hinde's Babbler, Eastern Bearded Robin which was recorded recently, and Purple crested Turaco, on a good day 100+ species can be seen

White-browed Coucal

Crab Plovers in Mida Creek Watamu

The crab plover is remarkable for being the only representative of the Dromadidae family, which means that in evolutionary terms this unusual shorebird has no close living relatives  This species has a distinctive appearance, with white plumage on the body and head, contrasting with jet-black primaries and back feathers, and a long, black, gull-like bill. Like most waders, the legs are long with partially webbed toes, and the tail is short. Juvenile crab plovers lack the bright white adult plumage, appearing uniform grey-brown instead

A Crab Plover

The crab plover inhabits sandy and muddy shores on mainland coasts and on islands, as well as intertidal sandflats and mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, and exposed coral reefs  During breeding, this species has a specific requirement for sandy islands or extensive dunes in which nesting burrows can be excavated

Red Mangrove

Numbers are highest from September to April when over 1,000 can be present in Kenya around Mida Creek Watamu Malindi, Mida Creek is a tidal inlet that expands across an area of 32 km2. It comprises different types of habitats that are influenced by the tide, for example, mud and sand flats, open shallow waters and mangrove forests

Birders at Mida Creek

 The mud/sand flats are feeding and resting grounds for large populations of around 65 species of aquatic birds; some residents, others local or seasonal distant migrants. Mida Creek is an important passage and wintering area for Palaearctic migrant waders. Counts of over 6,000 waders have been made on Mida Creek including seven species that are regionally threatened. The mangroves around the edge of the creek are also important roosting places. 

                                  Different species of Waders
The populations of Greater and Lesser Sandplover and Crab-plovers at Mida Creek are internationally important. The creek is a significant feeding area for Dimorphic Egrets, Lesser Crested and Roseate Terns. Common migrant shorebirds here include Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, and Greater and Lesser Sandplover. In the landward area around the creek, a further 115 species have been recorded. 

                                 Waders flying

 Mida Creek is a recognized International Bird Area and together with Arabuko-Sokoke Forest forms a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is not only a paradise for national waterfowls but also migrating birds from Europe and Eurasia to find a place to rest during their journey or they choose to stay at Mida Creek to over-winter. 

Woolly-necked Stork

Sempaya Hot Springs Semliki Uganda

The Sempaya Hot Springs are Semuliki National Park Uganda most famous attraction. The “male” spring, known as Bintente, measures 12m in diameter and is set in a lush swampy clearing. The “female” spring Nyasimbi, meaning "the female ancestors”, is a boiling geyser (103°C) that spurs bubbling water and steam up to two meters high - the steam cloud can be seen from as far as 2km away. Local people used to cook their food in these boiling pools

Semuliki National Park has an area of 219 sq km and is part of the Central African Congo Basin forest system of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), being separated from the Ituri forest of the DRC only by the Semliki River. It is separated from the rest of East Africa by the Rwenzori Mountain range and with it being located within the Albertine Rift, the western arm of the Great Rift Valley, it is included within the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot

                                           Semliki River

                                                 Sempaya Hot Springs

Sacred Ibis

The Sacred Ibis is an omnivorous scavenger who feeds up on insects including grasshoppers and locusts, insect larvae, amphibians and other small aquatic animals such as crustaceans, frogs, fish and small reptiles. They have also been known to eat eggs, carrion, snakes, other small birds and even refuse

Giraffe Feeding

Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Their extreme height allows them to eat leaves and shoots located much higher than other animals can reach. In particular, they seek out acacia trees. Their long tongues are helpful in eating because they help pull leaves from the trees. Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb.) of leaves and twigs a day.

Lake Naivasha Boat Ride

Boat Ride Lake Naivasha

Red-headed Weaver

Red headed Weaver building a nest on acacia nilotica in Samburu Game Reserve

Maasai Giraffe in Nairobi National Park

In intense bouts, male giraffes compete for dominance by steadying their legs and swinging their necks to deliver sledgehammer blows to each other with the stout ossicones atop their heads.

Vultures

                                     Lappet faced Vulture

   

Extremely efficient in locating dead animals by mastering the art of soaring to great heights from where they can spot carrion – unmatched  ability to fly and glide through the air for  long periods  of time without losing altitude comes from having large  wings  area in relation to body size, combined  with skilful understanding of their environment to detect rising air  currents this make them proficient at travelling long distances effortless in search of food .

                                 Ruppell's Griffon Vulture

Vultures needs to be heavy and larger to soar at great speeds, hence they have to feed  huge amount of carrion(upto 20% of their body weight) quickly to take back to their chicks. Added advantage of their size helps in defending themselves and their food against Hyenas and Jackals, also allows them to store fat and go longer periods between meals

                                  Vultures feeding on a carcasses

Bare skin on their heads and necks helps them keep clean, despite sticking their heads into rotting carcasses, their bills are sharp and powerful to tear through meat and sometimes through rawhide, feet are weak, they are designed for walking  rather than grasping ,More importantly this bare skin help them radiate heat in hot conditions thus avoiding heat stress, Vultures are not very good at spreading diseases, their stomachs are highly acidic Ph = 1.0

                                           Hooded Vulture

Also they don’t groom each other so it’s unlikely to transfer germs

Head and bill colour, flight pattern, underside of wing, ventral body and general body shape   are useful in identification,

They nest singly or in loose groups in trees or cliffs

Central Bank of Kenya at 50 Exhibition Nairobi National Museum

The exhibition showcases not only currencies but also various historical currencies over the 50 years of the Central Bank’s existence. The display includes notes and coins from the East African Currency Board era as well as Kenya’s first post-independence legal tender. A special section of the exhibition is dedicated to young learners. The exhibition will remain open to the public for the next six months for more details visit their
 website Central Bank of Kenya

Early form of trade

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) was established in 1966,under the central bank kenya act cap 491

Its Vision & Mission

East Africa currency shillings

The Jurassic Shoebill

 The Shoebill is also knowns as the Whale-headed Stork, Whalebill, it acquired its name from the gargantuan shoe-shaped bill. The bill is specialized to allow the bird to catch and grab its prey. Reaching up to five feet tall, the shoebill has a grey plumage with a wingspan of 8 feet, their feet are long and thin which enables them to wade on the vegetation of freshwater wetlands in Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Zambia. The Shoebill can stay immobile for many hours waiting for the opportune time to catch their favorite Lungfish

Shoebill, Balaeniceps rex  

Very large marsh birds, endemic to Africa, found in locally tropical swamps, unique characteristics, huge swollen, bulbous bills tipped with the strong hooked nail, mandible with sharp edges, legs with very long toes supporting the bird when walking on submerged vegetation, in-flight head and neck retracted like heron, not outstretched like storks; walks on aquatic vegetation very slowly and deliberately, often sinking in up to the tibiotarsal joint, fishing birds normally stand motionless for long periods, intently regarding water

Ranges & Status: Swamps in, Southwest Sudan, Western Ethiopia, Uganda, Zaire, Tanzania, and Zambia. Food: fish, frogs, water snakes, fish including lungfish, catfish

Breeding: Nest singly in swamps, on floating vegetation, Eggs 1-3, Both sexes incubate. Shoebill reaches maturity at three years and the breeding pair are customarily monogamous, the nest is built on floating vegetation where the female lays one to two eggs, and both the female and male incubate and look after the eggs and chicks when they hatch. The incubation period is 30 days, and both adults  feed, brood, and tend the chicks 

Butterfly Pollination

Soldier Pansy

Butterflies are very active through the day and visit array of wildflowers. Butterflies are less competent than bees at moving pollen between plants. Highly perched on their long thin legs, they do not pick up much pollen on their bodies and lack specialized structures for collecting it.

                           Green banded Swallowtail

Butterflies search for nectar, their flight energy, and typically favours the flat, clustered flowers that provide a landing pad and abundant rewards. Butterflies have excellent vision but a weak sense of smell. Unlike bees, butterflies can see colour red well

                              Forest Mother of Pearl

                                     Soldier Commodore

Bird Ringing in Kenya

The Nairobi ringing group was initiated by Colin Jackson in 1994,in Ornithology department of National museums of Kenya, Bird ringing is a tool used by researchers to study birds,its involves  trapping birds using special nets
 called mist nets,

Extracting Birds from mist nets

 then carefully extracting and examining them,putting a light metal ring with a unique number on the tarsus,then ageing the bird(adult,juvenile,immature or sub adult),weight, among other biometrics,

Extracting Birds from mist nets

Ringing session

The Group has trained more than a 100 ornithologists in Kenya in bird ringing techniques,ageing, sexing and scoring moults

Ringing session

The Ringing is normally done every Tuesday at Nairobi National Museums grounds starting 8am until 11am,the grounds are rich and productive with many  bird species ringed every session

 Checking notes on Field Guide

an Indigo Bird

putting the metal Ring on a bird

 For more updates you may visit their website & Facebook page link below

Ringing Scheme of East Africa

Ringing Scheme of East Africa

All photos courtesy of Mwangi wa Gitau