GATAMAIYU FOREST & LIST

KENYA

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00o00´/00o00´ N/A ha m, tropical forest

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Birding Site Guide

This highland forest lies north of Nairobi-Naivasha highway which takes about 45mins to 1hr drive. You will pass the Manguo swamp on your way to this forest. Before you approach this forest, you pass through a tea plantation. Along the road going to the forest, you will get to see birds like Common Stonechat, Hunter’s Cisticola, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher and many more. In the forest, there is a camp site where you can also do birding before going in to the forest. At the camp site, you may see species like Cinnamon-chested Bee-Eaters, Ruppell’s Robin-Chat more often heard than seen, but can be seen along the forest edge. 
Abbott’s Starling (Shailesh Kumar Patel)

























 
 
 
 
 

In the forest the trees are quite tall so most of the birds are high up in the canopies. Here are some of the highlight species seen in the forest Hartlaub’s Turaco, Slender-billed / Yellow-whiskered / Mountain / Cabanis’s Greenbuls, Chestnut-throated / Grey / Black-collared Apalis, Mountain Oriole, African Paradise / African Dusky / White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Fine-banded Woodpecker, White-starred Robin, African Hill Babbler, Black-fronted Bush-Shrike, Montane White-eye, Brown-capped Weaver, Bar-tailed Trogon and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird. The rare Abbott’s Starling has also been recorded from the forest.

Not far from Gatamaiyu forest there is a small town called Magumu. It is about 30-45mins drive to this town from Gatamaiyu. Here you get species like Cape (African) Rook, Capped Wheatear and Red-capped Lark. This area is also known for the endangered Kenyan endemic species; Sharpe’s Longclaw.

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My name is Shailesh Kumar Patel, I was born and brought up in Kenya and started birdwatching in 1996. I have 12 years’ experience and because of this experience, as a guide, I can locate difficult species such as Sharpe’s Longclaw, a Kenyan endemic. To learn more about species present try African Bird Club .

If you would like to know more about me and my fees go to Our Explorer testimonials and view clients comments. I guided Bram Piot (Switzerland) twice, and in Nairobi National Park on one day we recorded 107 species. Another client Andrew (South Africa) has also placed comments about my guiding at Kenya Bird Watching .

Try Kenya Bird Watching for the personal touch!

Bird list

  • White Stork Ciconia ciconia
  • Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii
  • Black Kite Milvus migrans
  • African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus
  • Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus
  • Augur Buzzard Buteo augur
  • Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis
  • Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria
  • Olive Pigeon Columba arquatrix
  • Lemon Dove Aplopelia larvata
  • Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
  • Red-fronted Parrot Poicephalus gulielmi
  • Hartlaub's Turaco Tauraco hartlaubi
  • African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus
  • Scarce Swift Schoutedenapus myoptilus
  • Mottled Swift Tachymarptis aequatorialis
  • Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus
  • Bar-tailed Trogon Apaloderma vittatum
  • Eurasian Bee-eater Merops apiaster
  • Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater Merops oreobates
  • White-headed Wood-hoopoe Phoeniculus bollei
  • Crowned Hornbill Tockus alboterminatus
  • Silvery-cheeked Hornbill Bycanistes brevis
  • Moustached Green Tinkerbird Pogoniulus leucomystax
  • Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus
  • Fine-banded Woodpecker Campethera tullbergi
  • Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens
  • Bearded Woodpecker Thripias namaquus
  • Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica
  • Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne holomelas
  • Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
  • Mountain Wagtail Motacilla clara
  • Black Cuckoo-shrike Campephaga flava
  • Grey Cuckoo-shrike Coracina caesia
  • Yellow-whiskered Greenbul Andropadus latirostris
  • Slender-billed Greenbul Andropadus gracilirostris
  • Mountain Greenbul Andropadus nigriceps
  • Cabanis' Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi
  • Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus
  • Black-fronted Bush-Shrike Telophorus nigrifrons
  • Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus
  • Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla
  • White-starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata
  • Rüppell's Robin-Chat Cossypha semirufa
  • Brown-chested Alethe Alethe poliocephala
  • Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceus
  • African Hill Babbler Pseudoalcippe abyssinica
  • Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
  • Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
  • Brown Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus umbrovirens
  • Evergreen Forest Warbler Bradypterus lopezi
  • Cinnamon Bracken Warbler Bradypterus cinnamomeus
  • Chestnut-throated Apalis Apalis porphyrolaema
  • Grey Apalis Apalis cinerea
  • Black-throated Apalis Apalis jacksoni
  • Black-collared Apalis Apalis pulchra
  • White-browed Crombec Sylvietta leucophrys
  • African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta
  • White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher Dioptrornis fischeri
  • Chin-spot Batis Batis molitor
  • White-tailed Crested Flycatcher Elminia albonotata
  • African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis
  • White-bellied Tit Parus albiventris
  • Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris
  • Olive Sunbird Nectarinia olivacea
  • Green-headed Sunbird Nectarinia verticalis
  • Amethyst Sunbird Nectarinia amethystina
  • Northern Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia preussi
  • Montane White-eye Zosterops poliogastrus
  • Yellow-crowned Canary Serinus canicollis
  • Streaky Seedeater Serinus striolatus
  • Thick-billed Seedeater Serinus burtoni
  • Grey-headed Negrofinch Nigrita canicapillus
  • Abyssinian Crimson-wing Cryptospiza salvadorii
  • Yellow-bellied Waxbill Estrilda quartinia
  • Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis
  • Brown-capped Weaver Ploceus insignis
  • Waller's Starling Onychognathus walleri
  • Abbott's Starling Cinnyricinclus femoralis
  • Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
  • Montane Oriole Oriolus percivali
  • Pied Crow Corvus albus

Author: Shailesh Kumar Patel

www.birdingsiteguide.com