Ed improved his bird knowledge on a bird course in northern Laikipia

Nearly half a year ago, in November 2020, I bought Ed a bird course for his birthday. But, of course, it was postponed by Covid and only happened this month, May.

The course was held at Suyian - a beautiful camp inside a ranch in northern Laikipia. The area looks very different to Lolldaiga Hills as it is much more ‘typical Africa’ looking, with acacia trees, big rocks, wide open dusty plains and a much hotter temperature. However, since the two areas are not too far apart, the birdlife is similar.

Ed has always had a love of birds and enjoys watching them from the comfort of the mess tent through his binoculars (another part of the birthday present!). This course offered him the chance to understand these beautiful creatures better and get a bit of practice spotting and identifying them.

The course was three full days and taught by the amazing Washington Wachira - one of Kenya’s top bird experts. His knowledge was unbelievable and his passion for birdlife was unsurpassed. The course was the ‘beginners’ one, and was full of keen ornithologists, including a number of Ed’s friends including familiar Lolldaiga faces such as Paul Benson. Saying that, many of the course members were new faces including a guide from Bwindi National Park in Uganda.

Much of the course was spend walking around Suyian and learning to identify birds the group saw. No bird was left unspotted - nothing was too common or too boring! By the end of the three days, all the members felt ready to head off back to their homes to spot alone, in confidence.

Another surprising benefit of the course was Ed’s new-found interest in his camera, which he took on the course in order to photograph any birds he wasn’t sure of, and therefore study later in detail. In fact, he ended up taking some beautiful shots of some of the birds he saw. Check one of them out below!