Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day in the Lolldaiga Hills
After the remarkable success of World Migratory Bird Day last weekend, the excitement continues as we spot bird species left, right, and center! In just 24 hours, we spotted an astounding 128 species across Lolldaiga, an achievement that placed us at number 7 in Kenya. Kenya itself ranked number 5 globally, with Colombia and Peru leading the charge with impressive counts.
Last weekend, we celebrated World Migratory Bird Day in Lolldaiga Hills by observing a spectacular array of 128 bird species in a single day! This exhilarating experience not only highlighted the beauty and diversity of migratory birds but also underscored some critical conservation facts:
1. 44% of migratory birds across the world are in decline.
2. 1 in 5 migratory species face all-out extinction.
3. Loss of habitat and climate change are the biggest drivers of this decline in global migratory bird species.
So, what can we do to help? Here are three actionable steps to make a difference:
1. Reduce Your Lawn and Plant Native Plants
Birds need safe places to rest during migration and to raise their young, but habitat loss is making this increasingly difficult. By reducing your lawn and planting native plants, you provide essential nectar, seeds, berries, and insects that sustain birds and diverse wildlife. Native plants create vital habitats where birds can rest, hide, and thrive.
2. Stop Using Pesticides
Pesticides toxic to birds can harm them directly through contact or indirectly if they consume contaminated seeds or prey. Additionally, pesticides reduce the number of insects available, which birds rely on for survival. Opt for natural pest control methods to create a safer environment for birds and other wildlife.
3. Drink Bird-Friendly Coffee
It might sound surprising, but your coffee choice can impact bird populations. Three-quarters of the world’s coffee farms grow their plants in the sun, destroying forests that birds and other wildlife need for food and shelter. Sun-grown coffee often requires harmful pesticides and fertilizers. In contrast, shade-grown coffee preserves a forest canopy that helps migratory birds survive the winter. By choosing shade-grown coffee, you support sustainable practices that benefit birds and the environment.
4. Never, ever purchase or encourage the illegal animal market
Many wild birds are caught and sold as pets, like parrots and canaries, or caught, killed and sold as a delicacy - in Cyprus alone, over 435,000 migratory songbirds were killed for food mostly by criminal gangs in 2024 alone:
World Migratory Bird Day is a reminder of the wonders of nature and the urgent need for conservation efforts. By taking simple steps in our daily lives, we can contribute to protecting these magnificent creatures and ensuring they continue to grace our skies for generations to come.
Think you can do better? Book a safari in May 2025 and help us to beat this year’s record count of 128 species (ignore some of the slightly dodgy spelling below, written on the move in the back of an old Landy!):
Rattling cicocola
Red billed fire finch
White browed coocal
Gyptian goose
Common bulbul
superb starling
Greater blue earred
RC cordon Bleu
Gineau flowl helmeted
Tropical boubou
Superb starling
Violet backed starling
Ringed neck dove
Grey backed camaroptera
Red chested cuckoo
Dusty turtle dove
Black cocoo shrike
Slate colour boubou
Red eyed dove
Tawwy flanked prenia
Variable sunbird
Black headed Orial
Yellow bishop
Baglabetch weaver
Hildebrandt starling
Pale flycatcher
Brown crown tchaggra
Plain backed pippit
Red rump swallow
House Sparrow
Forked tail trongo
Pied wagtail
Pale flycatcher
Red crown lark
Brown parrots
Black saw wing
Blacksmith plover
Sandpiper common
Yellow billed Duck
Three banded plovers
Rufus sparrow
Rufus knape lark
Pectorial patch cicstocola
Auger buzzard
Yellow throated longclaw
Golden breasted bunting
Slate flycatcher
Brimstone canary
White eyed slatey flycatcher
Crested Frankolin
Purple grenadier
Yellow rumped seed eater
African white backed vulture
Hooded vultures
Tawney eagle
Pied crow
Green hoopoe
Northern ant eater chatt
LBR
Brown babbler
Rufus chatters
Hadada ibis
Yellow necked sparfowl
House martins
Marshall eagle
Steppe eagle
White browed coucal
grey headed bush shrike
streaky seed eater
Ground plover
Black Lorde babbler
Grey heron
African spoonbill
Little grib
Crested crane
African hoopoe
Red billed teal
Black crown tchaggra
Speckled mousebird
Common fiscal
Grey cap social weaver
Red billed hornbill
Yellow billed Oxpecker
Spekes weaver
Go away bird
Vonderdekken hornbill
Red billed oxpecker
Kestral
Secretary bird
Harlequin quail
Fawn coloured lark
Northern white crown bush shrike
Cardinal woodpecker
African grey flycatcher
Spotted thicknee
Cattle egret
Black heron
Long tailed comorent
Common wax bill
Hammer kop
Baglafetch weaver
Heartlaubs tauraco
Abisinian scimitarbil
Green wood hoopoe
Nubian woodpecker
Red headed weaverbird
Barn swallow
Scarlet cheastee sunbird