MAGADI ROAD

KENYA

(), ()

01o52´S/36o17´E 10,500ha 580m, open water and lakeside vegetation 

Birding Site Guide

This area lies south of Nairobi. Your first stop if the weather is good the Ngong Hills. From this hill, you have good views of the Great Rift Valley and Nairobi. As you start going down, the vegetations changes to more acacia bushes and woodland. You can make at least 3 or more stops for birding along the road where you can do bit of walking. Here you get to see species like Black-throated / Red-fronted Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Blue-naped Mousebird, Banded Parisoma, White-bellied Canary, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk, African Grey / Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Southern Grosbeak Canary, Green-winged Pytilia, Grey Wren Warbler, African Grey Flycatcher, Abyssinian Black (Schalow’s)Wheatear, Rattling Cisticola and Black-necked Weaver.

The other best time to visit this area is just the raining season, when the vegetations are greener. You will get to see birds which are now in their breeding plumage like Straw-tailed / Paradise / Steel-blue and Pin-tailed Whydah. Other include large flocks of breeding Chestnut Weavers busy building their nests.

The other place is Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site, one of the sites under the National Museums of Kenya. It is situated on the floor of the Eastern Rift Valley some 40 miles (about 64 km), southwest of Nairobi. Here you get to see species like Taita Fiscal, Grey-capped Social Weavers, Emerald-spotted Wood / African Mourning Dove, Grey-headed / African Silverbill, Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, Beautiful / Eastern Violet-backed / Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Chesnut Sparrows, Red-and-Yellow Barbet, Somali Golden-breasted Bunting and Yellow-spotted Petronia.

At this site there are 4 new/old bandas and a camp site. You need to book at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi. Please carry your own food, water for drinking / washing and bed sheet / pillow. You can spend a night here and on the following day drive to Lake Magadi for more birding. It is better to arrive in Magadi before it becomes too hot for birdwatching.

ADVERT

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!

Author: Shailesh Kumar Patel

www.birdingsiteguide.com