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