Majestic Moorlands, Peaks and Falls - a Return to the Aberdares

[dlo]

Great report. Sandai and the Aberdares are options that I had never considered and get added to my never ending list.

[Alexander33]

@@michael-ibk

 

I am so far behind on trip reports! Sorry to have come across this one after the fact, but it was most enjoyable.

 

As we've previously discussed, you've convinced me to break out of my shell and consider giving Kenya a try. In fact, I just may be posing a few questions in the "Trip Planning" forum in the next few weeks.

 

Great series of shots of the Little Bee-Eaters in post # 38. Seeing that camel would have stopped me dead in my tracks!

 

The 1-week old rhino calf with mom was certainly a touching sighting. A reminder of how precious life is.

 

Congratulations on the African Harrier Hawk in post # 47 AND the Crowned Eagle in # 134 (a lifer also?).

 

Like everyone else, I think your series of Syke's monkey portraits at #59 may be among the best photographs I can remember your ever having posted here. I just keep returning to them and then finding myself staring at them. Their soft brown eyes are so expressive.

 

Sendai Farm looks like the perfect place for rest and relaxation, and I'm glad you and AndMic found some time for that. It's a vacation, after all. Those 4-leaf clovers you came across apparently paid off for you on that last day -- some sunshine in the Aberdares with the eagle, that gorgeous Hartlaub's Turaco (a full-view shot, no less, with sharp eyes) and, ultimately, the Giant Forest Hog you were in search of.

 

Thanks for another great trip report and for sharing your experiences.

[CaroleE]

@michael-ibk

And I suppose like most good things it had to come to an end. But what a great last few days! Loved the walk up the mountain (despite the rain, hail, broken car....) Looks stunning. Could very well be Scotland if you ignore the definitely un-Scots like, but still fab plantlife Hopefully you will be able to go back and summit the mountain very soon!

 

What a great last day in the park: Giant forest hog. And a Crowned Eagle....wow!

 

Thank you for a great TR. The Aberdares and Solio most defintely on my 'to visit in Kenya' list now. I think you have also helped sell the 'only a week' trip to me as well.

[michael-ibk]

Thanks again everybody!

 

Is your mongoose a Slender Mongoose? Very bushy looking tail but I can't think what else it would be. There is a Bushy-tailed Mongoose in those parts (still looking!) but I think it has a shorter tail and more black on the tail and legs (not that you can really see the legs in the picture).

 

@@pault I think it must be a Slender Mongoose. Our guide Paul said so as I recall, but I didn´t take notes and am not quite sure. The bushy tail was what confused me, too - it looks nothing like the drawing in my Kingdon´s. @@armchair bushman , maybe you could help out with this one?

 

Thank you for a great report - it is amazing how much you saw in a week - and it looks like a great place to stay. (And it looks like you will both be going back soon?)

 

@@TonyQ Thanks, nothing definite yet, but I´m strongly considering another Kenya trip for next November/December. It´s my 40th then - have to be in Africa for that.

 

@@michael-ibk

Congratulations on the African Harrier Hawk in post # 47 AND the Crowned Eagle in # 134 (a lifer also?).

 

Thanks, @@Alexander33 , yes the first time we have seen it. A stunning bird indeed! Curiously, African Harrier Hawks - which I had never seen before - were quite numerous this time, I think we saw at least five of them.

Edited July 20, 2015 by michael-ibk

[Whyone?]

Good evening @michael-ibk

 

I am sorry to be so late to your tremendous trip report, but better late than never I guess!

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your trip, and your photographs are tremendous. It is strange and refreshing for me to see such a green Africa, and I especially like the 'travelogue' shots that you mix in with the more usual (but still wonderful) animal pictures.

 

Thank-you for taking the time and care to put this all together.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Whyone?

[dlo]

I think 40ths are required to be in Africa at least that's what my wife has told me. Her 40th is the end of October and Ithumba has been mentioned to me. Maybe we'll be seeing you out there.

[armchair bushman]

Thanks again everybody!

 

Is your mongoose a Slender Mongoose? Very bushy looking tail but I can't think what else it would be. There is a Bushy-tailed Mongoose in those parts (still looking!) but I think it has a shorter tail and more black on the tail and legs (not that you can really see the legs in the picture).

 

@@pault I think it must be a Slender Mongoose. Our guide Paul said so as I recall, but I didn´t take notes and am not quite sure. The bushy tail was what confused me, too - it looks nothing like the drawing in my Kingdon´s. @@armchair bushman , maybe you could help out with this one?

Slender indeed. Galerella sanguinea. The reddish body colour, coupled with the long tail with a black tip. Sizing it is difficult from a photograph with no reference points nearby, but the only other SOMEWHAT similar mongoose is an Egyptian, but it is a fair bit larger, much more grey (rather than reddish brown), and has has a bushier tail base than the Slender. Their tracks are easily distinguished if you come across them.

[michael-ibk]

Thanks a lot, @@armchair bushman - really helpful to have a "goldie" around.

[armchair bushman]

Haha. I'm not the be-all and end-all of wildlife information. Always look things up for yourself as well!

[Big_Dog]

Awesome stuff - my promised like storm!
The Kenyan landscape shots are just incredible. The vast, sprawling and above else varied landscapes throw away the notion Kenya is just the Mara.
The lion and the jackal - shere khan and tabiqui style - may be some winning photos of the TR.
The first times such as the crowned eagle and giant forest hog were fantastic shots.

The moorlands again were epic, and the accomodation looks wonderful and homely. The dogs look like a lot of fun too!
And of course, great hyaena shots!

[Atravelynn]

I think 40ths are required to be in Africa at least that's what my wife has told me.

Darn, I missed out. My 40th was spent teaching accounting. At least I went out to a bar for a nip with some students afterward--all adults, no corrupting on my part.

 

Listen to your wife!

 

"Paul Kung´u Mura, our guide. A great guy whose love for animals and nature always shone through. Really enjoyed his style and hope to drive with him next year again."

 

You've planned another trip! It probably started on the first day of your safari and was completed before you landed back in Austria.

 

I enjoyed bidding farewell to all your species in the "closing credits." In a week's time, that species list can really grow!

 

Along with all your wonderful experiences and insights gained from this trip is: Inspiration can be found in the most surprising places. I'm referring to the title.

 

The profile page countdown to safari meter can be reset and can commence counting down again.

[michael-ibk]

Thanks, @@Atravelynn

 

That safari meter was of course reset the day of my return, down to 88 now in my profile.

 

 

@@Big_Dog

 

Thanks, and welcome back, had a good time in Kwazulu-Natal?

Edited July 22, 2015 by michael-ibk

[Sangeeta]

I had to flip page after page to find this report - in the old days, this TR would have been front page news for months, but we've got so many great reports these days that it takes persistence to find the ones you're looking for! Great stuff, both of you! It takes courage to actually do something like this and not get tempted to slip in a couple of days here or there and nip down to the Mara for a quickie Good for you that you hung in there and saw all this lovely stuff. Wonderful images all - love the video clips too.

 

Thanks to both of you for sharing this.

[michael-ibk]

Thanks, @@Sangeeta ! Well, with only a week, it would have been hard to slip in a couple of days elsewhere. But I know what you mean, "Mara quickies" are of course always tempting. I confess going to Ol Pejeta was important to see lions - an African trip without Big Cats does feel a bit incomplete.

[FlyTraveler]

Great report and photos @@michael-ibk! It took me quite a while to catch up, but I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for the effort to put everything together and share it with us!

[Kitsafari]

I'm back to your report late.

 

but once again the skye's monkey is just so adorable. together with the colobus monkeys, the forest hogs and the dromedary camels - they are conspiring me to want to put Aberdares on my neverending-want list.....

 

thanks @@michael-ibk and @@AndMic for yet another wonderful TR with tantalising photos.

[Anomalure]

@@michael-ibk

 

Can't believe it took me this long to find this! Awesome trip report... Aberdare NP is now at the top of my list when I return to Kenya for those awesome Giant Forest Hogs! Btw, one minor correction your "Bush Duiker" is actually Mt Kenya Black-fronted Duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons hooki) - pretty rare and localized and a difficult one to spot. Really great photo you have there. Also, your unidentified mongoose looks to me like a Slender Mongoose; they can be really variable in coloration and appearance depending on region.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Anomalure

[michael-ibk]

@@Anomalure

 

Thanks a lot, the Aberdares are a unique place which are very special (at least to me). We are returning next year, and who knows, I haven´t given up on those Bongos.

 

About the Duikers - thank you, I was very unsure about which species was which when I was posting this report. I believe there´s Harvey´s Duiker, Mt. Kenya Black-Fronted Duiker and Common (Grey) Duiker in the park. Unfortunately the drawings in Kingdon´t Field Guide mainly confused me.

 

For example, this one (apparently the Black-Fronted one) has a white tail, and according to Kingdon´s it should have a less bushy, more tuft-like one - and it should be black! That´s why I had ruled Black-Fronted out.

 

 

This one, photographed at higher elevations, looks superficially similar, but I have the impression its body shape is a bit less plump, its ears less bat-like, and it has those white tufts at the frontside - do you think it´s Black-Fronted as well? The black on the face seems much thinner, too, more a line than a blaze, which would fit a Harvey´s.

 

 

And this one must be a different species, I´m quite sure it would be a Bush/Common/Grey Duiker.

 

 

What do you think? And Guru of all things on hooves, I would appreciate your input, too. (Yes, that would be you, @@Safaridude . )

Edited December 19, 2015 by michael-ibk

[Anomalure]

@@michael-ibk

 

The bottom 2 are definitely Bush Duiker. The top one I still think is Black-fronted. This species can be very variable (for example, Handbook of Mammals of the World splits Black-fronted Duiker many ways into lots of different species on account of this) - the coat color is pretty variable between the subspecies and can get bushier up at high altitudes (see this stock photo for an idea of the tail): http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/126559042-kenya-kenya-highlands-a-mount-kenya-black-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=1QQ3TQ4GtQIXGTJbHRuhKtS4JX1mxZFZ1%2BSNbnVxVS8Ey%2BbTG9YkgdkZEM1zUgob

 

From what I know, Harvey's is primarily found in dense montane or riverine forests, so you'd be most likely to find that one in the Salient, not in the moorlands - where Bush and Black-fronted Duikers are the dominant species. Classic sites for Harvey's Duiker are montane forests in Arusha NP and riverine forest/thicket along the lower Tana River (i.e. Tana River Primate Reserve). Harvey's will also have a much redder coat with little to no grayish or yellow tints, though again this can change given which population you are seeing.

 

In my experience, the Kingdon field guide illustrations can be a little inconsistent/misleading for ID'ing Forest Duikers (Cephalophus). When I was in CAR this summer, I was going on the word of locals and of Rod Cassidy for ID'ing Duikers, not so much the Kingdon field guide as many of these species can be very variable depending on where exactly you are (rivers, etc. make a big different in the Congo Basin in particular). For example, Rod told me that the Peters' Duikers in Dzanga Sangha have a much wider black dorsal stripe than that depicted in the illustration (maybe based on a Peters' Duiker from Gabon, where they are very common and have been researched a fair bit in the past) and when I actually observed a Peters' Duiker a few days later - the wide black dorsal stripe on the yellowish-brown coloration was what cinched the ID for me! Forest Duikers can be really tough.

 

And yes, Aberdare NP has LOTS of attractions for the mammal enthusiast - Giant Forest Hog, Mt Kenya Black-fronted Duiker, melanistic Serval, Mountain Suni, Zorilla, and of course - Bongo, Jackson's Mongoose, and possibly even Golden Cat if you're really lucky! Apparently there is a tree house/observation platform over a salt lick that Bongo frequent near Honi Valley in the park but I haven't looked into visiting it...

Edited December 19, 2015 by Anomalure

[Safaridude]

@@michael-ibk

 

I believe the first photo is that of a black-fronted duiker as @@Anomalure suggests. You may have captured a very rarely seen species. Anomalure is correct that some illustrations in Kingdon's books can be slightly off. The tail of a black-fronted duiker has a white tip (as in the photo), but the illustration in Kingdon's African Mammals does not reflect this.

 

The third photo is that of a common duiker.

 

The second photo is problematic… I wouldn't rule out Harvey's red duiker, as it has been recorded in mountain forests up to 11,000 feet in elevation. But its face looks somewhat like that of a common duiker from the photo (though the coloration suggests it is not). SCI, which is a "splitter" as opposed to an "aggregator" when it comes to speciation, lists the common duiker population in the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya as a separate race (altivallis)… but does not describe it. The white patch on the front is peculiar. The "leggy-ness" of it doesn't fit the mold of Harvey's red duiker, which are stocky. On the other hand, the dark patches on its legs don't fit the mold of common duiker. It's a mystery, but if you put a gun to my head, I would say a strange looking Harvey's red duiker.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Safaridude

[michael-ibk]

Thanks, @@Safaridude and @@Anomalure .

 

You made my day, since I now have upped my species count without even being in Africa. And with a rarely-seen, too - very cool. The Kingdon Field Guide states that the Black-Fronted Duiker "seems to have disappeared from the Aberdares" btw.

 

About the second one: Could it be some kind of hybrid? Harvey´s seem to hybridise with Peter´s Duikers and Natal Duiker, maybe with other species as well?

 

BTW, I´ve read about Honi valley, but it seems to be more of a rusty board pardition than an observation platform. Could be tricky to get there (walking only) but i would like to try next time.

Edited December 19, 2015 by michael-ibk

[Anomalure]

Not 100% sure, but I've never heard of Bush Duiker (Sylvicapra) hybridizing with any of the Cephalophus duikers (i.e. Harvey's, Peters', Black-fronted, etc.). I don't think that's very likely. Harvey's definitely hybridizes with Natal Red Duiker in large portions of Southern Tanzania and I guess Weyns' in W Kenya, as you said @@michael-ibk.

 

Taking another look at it, that second one could conceivably be Harvey's but the overall profile of the animal, some aspects of the coloration (especially that white fur on the front!), and habitat (brushy, but somewhat open moorland not montane forest) still bug me. "Not sure" is my final verdict on that one, given that I've seen photos of very reddish Bush Duikers in the Aberdares in Swara. Does anyone have a photo of a confirmed Harvey's from Aberdare NP or Mt Kenya? I've never seen a photo of a Harvey's Duiker from either place - would be good to have as a reference as the coloration of this species changes quite a bit depending on where you are and the Mt Kenya/Aberdare are may have a different race from the places we're more used to seeing Harvey's in...

Edited December 19, 2015 by Anomalure

[Safaridude]

@@michael-ibk @@Anomalure

 

It could be that race of common duiker I mentioned (per SCI). No physical description of it though from SCI.

 

And I do think it's possible for it to be a hybrid of some sort. Hybridizing tends to occur when a species' number is so low that the animals get desperate to mate (e.g., giant sable x roan in Angola; sable x roan in Kruger; Grevy's zebra x plains zebra in southern Laikipia). Since the highlands are a marginal habitat for Harvey's red duiker (presumably very few individuals present), it could look to mate with other duikers.

[AmyT]

Thank you, @@michael-ibk, for directing me this more recent trip to Sandai and the Aberdares. Wowza! It seems almost sacrilege to pin down the details of a safari after only a month of research, but your travels are conspiring for me to nail down my plans ASAP.

 

Our time in Kenya 2016 is allocated between 15 Jun and 15 July (work and life commitments.) I'll definitely be spending time in Samburu and the Mara; what do you recommend as best time to spend at Sandai?

 

Thanks in advance!

[michael-ibk]

@@AmyT

 

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. About best time - I am sorry, but do not really know. Since it´s a very narrow timeframe anyway, I don´t think it would make much of a difference, since weather patterns in East Africa are pretty unpredictable anyway. This trip was end of May (IIRC), and the weather was so-so, a few days of rain, but also a few very sunny ones. I´m sure Petra Allmendinger could give you the best advice if you contact her.