Day 1, Friday, March 6, 2026
I picked up my Norwegian friend Jørgen Lønø from Wilson Airport in Nairobi in the afternoon. He had been in Masai Mara and had experienced a lot of rain so the plane were slightly delayed. We drove to my hotel, had a nice chat and ordered dinner before we retired early to bed.
Day 2, Saturday, March 7, 2026: Nairobi National Park
My guide were waiting for us at the reception of the hotel. We drove to the park entrance and again I was denied entrance to the park with my Private TZ registered car! I had to call a friend and have a friend of him drive us. Since I came home, I have contacted the park management and they have assured me that a mistake were made in October 2024 and this time. If anyone tries to stop me now, I have a contact person at KWS that will ensure I am guaranteed entrance with my car going forward. While we waited for the new car to arrive we birded at the entrance and ticked some species: Baglafecht Weaver, Abyssinian Thrush, Amethyst Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Kikuyu White-eye, African Dusky Flycatcher and White-bellied Tit. The car and driver arrived and we were soon in the park. We drovew towards the Kingfisher Picnic Site and added: White-backed Vulture, African Paradise Flycatcher, Red-cowled Widowbird, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Red-faced Crombec, Common Buzzard, Lesser Swamp Warbler, Winding Cisticola, Yellow-billed Stork + many waterbirds, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Stout Cisticola, Red-tailed Shrike, Whinchat, Spotted Palm Thrush, Long-crested Eagle, Hartlaub’s Turaco, African Citril, White-winged Widowbird, Northern Pied Babbler, Montagu’s Harrier and Sentinel Lark. We reached the picnic site and added Superb Starling, Red-throated Tit, Red-fronted and Spot-flanked Barbet, Grey-capped Warbler, White-browed Scrub Robin and Moustached Grass Warbler. We had breakfast and drove back the way we came and ended up at the Hyena dam. Here are some of the birds we registered: Malachite Kingfisher, Brimstone Canary, Highland Rush Warbler, African Rail, Purple Grenadier, Speke’s Weaver, Cuckoo-finch and Spotted Thick-knee. It were very muddy around the Hyena Dam, so we continued deeper inside the park. Here are some of the birds we registered until it started raining again at around 16:00: Marabou Stork, Little Egret, Spur-winged Lapwing, Gabar Goshawk, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Tawny Eagle, Reicenow’s Seedeater, Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Short-winged Cisticola, Western Marsh Harrier, Great Egret, Red-billed Quelea, Lanner Falcon, Bronze Mannikin and Common Sandpiper. We drove slowly back towards the gate waiting for the rain to subside, but in the end, we decided to return to the hotel. It had been raining severely in Nairobi since I arrived on March 4 and we were actually lucky to get almost a day without rain. At night the news told us that more than 21 people had drowned in Nairobi due to the severe weather. We had dinner and retired early to bed.
Some pictures from Day 2:
Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Cinnyris reichenowi
Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Female, Cinnyris reichenowi
Winding Cisticola, Cisticola marginatus
Red-cowled Widowbird, Euplectes laticauda
Red-faced Crombec, Sylvietta whytii
Lesser Swamo Warbler, Acrocephalus gracilirostris
Yellow-throated Longclaw, Macronyx croceus
Stout Cisticola, Cisticola robustus
White-browed Scrub Robin, Cercotrichas leucophrys
Spot-flanked Barbet, Tricholaema lacrymosa
Red-tailed Shrike, Lanius phoenicuroides
African Rail, Rallus caerulescens
Long-tailed Fiscal, Lanius cabanisi
Puple Grenadier, Granatina ianthinogaster
Speke’s Weaver, Ploceus spekei
Spotted Thick-knee, Burhinus capensis
Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
Pin-tailed Whydah, Vidua macroura
White-winged Widowbird, Euplectes albonotatus
Short-winged Cisticola, Cisticola brachypterus
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Emberiza tahapisa
Common Waxbill, Estrilda astrild
Northern Pied Babbler, Turdoides hypoleuca
Western Marsh Harrier, Circus aeriginosus
Reed Cormorant, Microcarbo africanus
Red-billed Quelea, Quelea quelea
Day 3, Sunday, March 8, 2026: Nairobi via Sagana to Castle Forest on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
We left the hotel at 06:00 in the morning. It were a Sunday so the traffic were light. We made good speed and stopped at the turn off to Sagana Gateway Resort. The normal road to the Resort were closed so we ended up birding along the road. We located quickly 3 groups of the endemic Hinde’s Babbler our main target for the stop. Other birds observed in the area included: Tawny-flanked Prinia, Yellow Bishop, Northern Brownbul, Hildebrandt’s Starling, Red-headed Weaver, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Orange-breasted Bushshrike , Rüppel’s Robin-Chat, Black-bellied Sunbird, Pied Crow, Black-backed Puffback and African Grey Hornbill. We continued and reached the entrance to Castle Forest at 10:00. Breakfast tasted good by the river and we added Cape Wagtail, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater and Brown-capped Weaver. Our next stop were on the bridge over Thiba River. Here we had African Hill Babbler, Thick-billed Seedeater and Mountain Wagtail. We walked up the road and found Grey Apalis, White-eared Barbet, Abbott’s Starling, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Mountain Oriole, African Emerald Cuckoo and Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul. A little further up the road towards the lodge: Black-throated Apalis, Bar-tailed Trogon, Waller’s Starling and Baglafecht Weaver. The rain came and we drove up to the Lodge. We managed to check in and return for lunch. After lunch we took a walk around the big garden of Castle Forest Lodge. Here are some of the birds we added that afternoon: Hunter’s Cisticola, Tacazze Sunbird, Kikuyu White-eye, Tree Pipit, Northern Wheatear, Kandt’s Waxbill, Eastern Double-collared Sunbird, Black-collared Apalis, Brown Woodland Warbler, Scaly Spurfowl and down by the lodge we spotted a Red-fronted Parrot in it’s nesting hole. We stayed around a little bit for the Olive Ibis, but no show. I went inside my room and then heard the Blue-headed Coucal calling. I got Jørgen out of his room and we got a view as the bird were flying off. We freshened up, had dinner and retired early.
Some pictures from Day 3:
Yellow Bishop, Euplectes capensis
Golden-breasted Bunting, Emberiza flaviventris
African Grey Hornbill, Lophoceros nasutus
Red-headed Weaver, Female, Anaplectes rubriceps
Village Weaver, Ploceus cucullatus
Cape Wagtail, Motacilla capensis
Brown-necked Weaver, Ploceus insignis
Thick-billed Seedeater, Chritagra burtoni
Collared Sunbird, Hedydipna collaris
Grey-headed Nigrita, Nigrita canicapillus
Tacazze Sunbird, Nectarina tacazze
Fine-banded Woodpecker, Camphetera taeniolaema
Jørgen and I in some muddy conditions at Castle Forest
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Melaenornis fischeri
Day 4, Monday, March 9, 2026: Castle Forest
As I opened the door to my cabin that morning I heard the calls of Olive Ibis. I rushed to Jørgen’s door and we got views of 5 of them flying over. We met up with our guide and drove down to the bridge. We found one Olive Ibis perched in a tree providing for pictures. The same bird did a few fly overs in order for Mr. BIF (Bird in Flights) Jørgen to get some nice shots. I remember Jørgen from his visit to Tanzania last year that he were never satisfied unless he got a picture of a bird in flight. The combination of his camera and his talent yielded magnificent results. We continued birding down the road for a very productive morning. Here are some of the birds observed: White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Red-chested Cuckoo, Slender-billed Greenbul, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Olive Sunbird, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Grey Apalis and Black-throated Apalis. We continued down to the gate and got African Black Duck and Giant Kingfisher. We drove back to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast we drove down to a path I discovered some years ago. We had just entered the forest when the guide pointed out our target bird, Abyssinian Ground Thrush. We got beautiful views of and adult and a juvenile. As we finished taking our pictures, it started raining. We drove up to the lodge and the rain had stopped. Then we walked the grounds of the lodge and added Crowned Eagle and White-browed Crombec. After lunch, we walked the grounds again. The guide and Jørgen disappeared into the forest: We added Crowned Hornbill then I walked the grounds on my own and took pictures of some common birds. We met up again and walked a little down hill from the Lodge. Here we added Scarce and Alpine Swift. As we walked up to the lodge again, we could hear the Red-fronted Parrot calling from it’s normal tree. We managed to get some pictures of the Parrot. We went to our cabins, freshened up, had dinner and retired early to bed. I were very nervous about the weather that day, but it turned out to be a magnificent day with just a tiny bit of rain.
Some pictures from Day 4:
Olive Ibis, Bostrychia olivacea
Red-chested Cuckoo, Cuculus solitarius
Slender-billed Greenbul, Stelgidillas gracilirostris
Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Female, Campephaga quiscalina
Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Campephaga quiscalina
Chestnut-throated Apalis, Apalis porpyrolaema
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Pogoniulus bilineatus
Grey apalis, Apalis cinerea
Black-throated Apalis, Apalis jacksoni
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Eurillas latirostris
Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Geokichla piaggiae
Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul, Arizelocichla kikuyuensis
Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Female, Cinnyris reichenowi
Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Cinnyris reichenowi
Eastern Double-collared Sunbird, Cinnyris mediocris
Baglafecht’s Weaver, Ploceus baglafecht
Streaky Sedeater, Chritagra striolata
Hunter’s Cisticola, Cisticola hunteri
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Merops oreobates
Brown-capped Weaver, Female, Ploceus insignis
Abyssinian Thrush, Turdus abyssinicus
Red-fronted Parrot, Poicephalus gulielmi
Day 5, Tuesday, March 10, 2026: Castle Forest to Samburu National Reserve
We packed our bags and loaded the car. We started birding right below the lodge and got beautiful views of the Blue-headed Coucal. I discovered that I had left my laser pointer at the lodge and drove up to fetch it. When I joined the boys, Jørgen had gotten beautiful pictures of both Female and male Abbott’s Starling. We drove down to the path we took the day before and tried for the Orange Ground Thrush. It responded but did not want to show itself. Instead we got another beautiful view of the Abyssinian Ground Thrush. We were now left with only one possible target in Castle Forest, White-headed Wood Hoopoe. We tried and tried at the normal places, but could not get it to respond. We reached the gate and started our journey to Archer’s Post. Just begore Nanyuki, I stopped so Jørgen could get pictures of a Cape Crow. We bought some lunch in Nanyuki and continued to Archer’s Post. We arrived earlier than anticipated and were checked in at the gate before 13:30. At the gate we observed Banded Parisoma, Little Swift, Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Fan-tailed Raven, Red-bellied Parrot, White-throated Bee-eater, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Hunter’s Sunbird and White-headed Buffalo Weaver. We started our drive. Here are some of the birds we observed: White-headed Mousebird, Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, Fischer’s Starling, Pale Prina, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Namaqua Dove, Somali Ostrich, African Grey Flycatcher, Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Golden Pipit, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Black-capped Social Weaver, Kori Bustard, Donaldson Smith’s Sparrow-Weaver, Chestnut Sparrow, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Parrot-billed Sparrow, Fawn-colored Lark, Augur Buzzard, Vulturine Guineafowl, Somali Bee-eater, Pink-breasted Lark, Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Yellow-vented Eremomela, Taita Fiscal, Secretarybird, Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow, Common Hoopoe, Somali Crombec, Golden-breasted Starling, White-crested Helmetshrike, Eatern Chanting Goshaw and Von der Decken’s Hornbill. It were now 17:00 leaving us with one and a half hour to get out of the park so I decided to turn around and take another route out. We stopped at some cliffs and played Stone Partridge and got an immediate response. This were a LIFER for me. We also called out a Brown-tailed Rock Chat. On the rest of the way out we only added Yellow-necked Spurfowl. The light were very good, but not so many photo opportunities. We were at the gate a few minutes before closing time and drove direct to our lodge. We had ordered dinner for 19:00 the day before and it was served at 20:00. We retired to bed after dinner.
Here are some Pictures from Day 5:
Blue-headed Coucal, Centropus monachus
Abbott’s Starling, Arizelopsar femoralis – Picture by Jørgen Lønø
Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
White-throated Bee-eater, Merops albicollis
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Tockus flavirostris
Somali Bee-eater, Merops revoilii
Red-bellied Parrot, Poicephalus rufiventris
Golden-brasted Starling, Lamprotornis regius
White-crested Helmetshrike, Prionops plumatus
Eastern Chanting Goshawk, Melierax poliopterus
Stone Partridge, Ptilopachus petrosus – LIFER
Vulterine Guineafowl, Acryllium vulturinum
Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Pternistis leucoscepus
Parrot-billed Sparrow, Passer gongonensis
Day 6, Wednesday, March 11, 2026: Samburu National Reserve – Nairobi
We were at the gate 07:00 and enjoyed beautiful morning light. Here are some of the new birds we added for the park that morning: Brown Snake Eagle, Ashy Cisticola, Red-winged Lark, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Abyssinian Sunbird, Marico Sunbird, Speckled Pigeon, Crowned lapwing, D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Wattled Starling, Rufous Chatterer, African Woolly-necked Stork, Mottled Swift, Mourning Collared Dove, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Black-bellied Sunbird, Little Bee-eater, Red-backed Shrike, Common White-throat, Barred Warbler, Pygmy Falcon, White-backed, Rüppel’s and Lappet-faced Vulture and Wahlberg’s Eagle. We had now reached the river and had breakfast at the Public Campsite. After breakfast we drove towards the gate. Here are some of the new birds we observed: Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Cut-throat Finch, Lilac-breasted Roller, Crested Francolin, Batelur, Hamerkop, Palm-nut Vulture, Grey Wren-Warbler, Lesser Masked Weaver, Red-fronted Prinia and Black-cheeked Waxbill. We were at the gate at 11:30 and started our drive towards Nairobi. We stopped South of Isiolo at the wildlife tunnel and added Boran Cisticola and Violet-backed Starling. a little furher south: Village Indigobird. In Nanyuki our guide left us and we bought some lunch. Just before Nairobi we got into some heavy traffic caused by accidents, but we arrived at Hotel Troy before dark as I had planned. Jørgen used my room to freshen up. Then we had dinner and a driver came to pick Jørgen up and take him to the airport.
Here are some pictures from Day 6:
Ashy Cisticola, Cisticola cinereolus
Taita Fiscal, Lanius dorsalis
Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow, Gymnoris pyrgita
Magpie Starling, Speculipastor bicolor
Rufous Chatterer, Argya rubiginosa
Whiter-headed Mousebird, Colius leucocephalus
White-headed Buffalo Weaver, Dinemellia dinemelli
Somali Ostrich, Struthio molybdophanes
African Grey Hornbill, Lophoceros nasatus
Red-winged Lark, Corypha hypermetra
Mourning Collared Dove, Streptopelia decipiens
Kori Bustard, Ardeotis kori
Black-bellied Sunbird, Cinnyris nectarinioides
Little Bee-eater, Merops pusillus
Wahlberg’s Eagle, Hieraaetus wahlbergi
Cut-throat Finch, Amadina fasciata
Bateleur, Terathopius ecaudatus
Hamarkop, Scopus umbretta
Grey Wren-Warbler, Calamonastes simplex
Black-cheeked Waxbill, Brunhilda charmosyna
Jørgen and I at the gate of Samburu National Reserve
In 4 1/2 days Jørgen managed to see 285 species of birds so I believe he were quite happy with the results. I managed to get one lifer taking my East African List to 1171 species seen and 1116 species photographed and my Kenyan List to 773 species seen and 575 photographed. This were my second trip to Kenya this year with 5 more to go! My next trip is a combined Tanzania/Kenya trip starting on April 8th. Stay tuned for more trip reports!