Lualenyi and the Mara

First ten days of training in Lualenyi with AIEA, then two weeks in Mara North conservancy training guides of Saruni Mara camp.

Lualeny is in the Lumo consevancy bordering Tsavo, a beautiful place, dry and beautiful. Birdlife is quite stunning and running around with students  that have to learn how to bird gives great opportunities.

Loads of wheatear, Isabelline, Northern, Pied..... Loads of larks as the huge Red winged lark... Loads of pipits, the most striking being obviously the most stunning and beautiful of them all.

I saw my first Black capped social weaver, the white beak is really something, a shining bit of marble, contrasting with the dark forehead.

Grey headed kingfishers, European bee eaters, Eurasian rollers, Golden breasted starling, Pangani longclaw and Bateleurs were adding a bit of color to the otherwise quite arid environment.

Some areas were burnt and in one of this bit we spotted Chestnut backed sparrow weavers.

Amongst the most common birds of prey was the pigmy falcon, stunning pairs perching top of branches.

Kori bustards were all overe the place and also White bellied and Black bellied were often walking the grasslands. 

ok that is not a bird but i think it is worht to mention.... BLACK SERVAL!!!!!!! 

Mara north conservancy and the Mara itself are definitely cat's country, Cheetahs, Lions, Leopards almost everyday in stunning setting made of open planes, luggas covered with magic guarri and marshes.
Birds though were not a bit less exciting, Ruppell's long tailed starling was the first bird we saw out of the plane, followed by beautiful Grey crowned cranes, then a plethora of stunning ones revealed themselves in the next few days.
The similar Northern anteater chat and Sooty chat were always on termite mounds or in the grass hunting down their food.
A Pallid honeyguide entered the classroom one day and was quite a job to easy it out, hard job but easy opportunity to observe it.
Looking in the grass we often saw both Yellow throated longclaw and Rosy breasted longclaw, they were a bit shy but sometimes they would accept our presence a bit more.
The Red throated tit was ot so obliging and the only one we saw took off almost immediately, but not far in the same lugga we saw a Southern black flycatcher that did not know what th word shy does mean. Awesome.
One day we went on the back road from camp that runs on the hills overlooking the open plains, IT WAS UNBLIEVABLE..... Red throated wryneck first....... NARINA TROGON to follow.....
I could not believe it... i looked for the bird for so lng and in so many places and now was there in front of me even if briefly... Happyness!!
Back to the plains amongst many others we saw Caspian plover in breeding plumage and senegal lapwing as usual on the move.
Other birds are deserving a note like the White headed saw wing, Schalow's turaco,  Jackson's widowbird, Montane nightjar and a stunning pair of Verreaux's eagles that soared below us while William and I were trying to locate their nest!

Total count 464