Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Birds!

Hi all, 
One of the best selling points of the Mara is its sheer amount of biodiversity: with 60+ mammal species, 470+ bird species, and 30+ amphibian/reptile species (numbers from Mara Triangle), the Mara surely has something for everyone. I was lucky enough to participate in the Global Big Day last weekend: Stratton and his friend, Pete, invited me to tag along with them as they attempted to find as many different birds as possible in the Triangle. Unlike me, Stratton and Pete are some serious birders, so we managed to see/hear 196 species in a single day. My one and only contribution to this list? The secretary bird… hey, better than nothing! Below is just a small selection of birds I’ve seen during my time in the Mara – a big thank you to Brian, Lila, Matthew, and Stratton for helping me ID them all.
Secretary Bird - easy to spot, even easier to ID :)
White-faced Whistling Duck
Grey Crowned Crane
Egyptian Goose
Juvenile Dark-chanting Goshawk
Black-chested Snake-Eagle
Rosy-breasted Longclaw
Spur-winged Lapwing
Rufous-naped Lark
White-browed Robin-chat
European Roller
Black Coucal
Speckled Mousebird
Pied Kingfisher
Sooty Chat
Striped Kingfisher
Southern Ground-hornbill
Hybrid Blacksmith/Spur-winged lapwing
African Marsh Harrier
Martial Eagle
Lilac-breasted Roller
Black-bellied Bustard
Yellow-billed Stork
White-bellied Canary
Rufous-chested Swallow
Hooded Vultures
African Grey Hornbills
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Black-shouldered Kite
Malachite Kingfisher
Red-collared Widowbird
Red-billed Firefinch
Black-headed Weaver
Sacred Ibis
Grey-backed Fiscal
African White-backed Vulture (front) and Ruppell's Griffon Vulture (back)
Pin-tailed Whydah
Greater Painted Snipe
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Rufous-bellied Heron
Black-lored Babbler
Spotted Thick-knee
Tawny Eagle
Superb Starling
Hamerkop
Juvenile African Fish-Eagle

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