Meru County seeks to become a birdwatcher’s paradise.
Listening to birds chirping is soul-soothing effect and watching them is mind-calming.
Tourism chief officer in Meru says the county government is collaborating with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to market the tourism segment.
For years, bird watching has been an alien activity for most Kenyan tourists. There was little to no pleasure seeing sparrow weavers or the brown snake robins in the wilderness or watching the male Black-headed Lapwing make a courtship display and a sound that is memorable but very hard to capture.
But now birding is drawing enthusiasts travelling to different locations to spot rare species and others widening their experiences into something bigger by curating photos of birds.
Kenyans are even using apps such as BirdLasser, where they post photos and record their sightings and share with friends and other birders. To court more guests, especially Kenyans, game parks with an abundance of rare species have started selling birdwatching as a new outdoor adventure.
Muraya Githinji, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) senior warden at the Meru National Park, one of the wildlife sanctuaries popular with bird watching, says they are positioning the park as an attraction for birders.
On a sunny day at the Meru National Park, I set off in the morning with Mishek Kathenya, a guide and Muraya to look for birds.
We should have started the game drive by 6 am to witness a spectacle of birds chirping as they wake up, but I thought early drives are for spotting a cheetah hunting and a pride of lion licking blood off its mane. I was wrong.
We spot some birds which Muraya says are immigrants. That they have flown in from as far as Europe. Others come and stay at the park for a short while before heading to Tanzania.
“This is what is attracting researchers, students and individuals and groups of Kenyans coming to view birds as a hobby. The number of bird watchers visiting the park has grown remarkably,” he says.
Bird watching requires patience since the difference in some species is minor. For instance, when a bird is in flight, it is not easy to identify the exact type. Also, you need to have some knowledge of different species to enjoy birdwatching.
“A common characteristic with birds is that males are more colourful, a feature used to attract the female,” he adds.
Meru park has an estimated 400 bird species. During our tour, we spotted at least 60 bird species, which Kathenya identified.
He adds that birds exhibit interesting characteristics besides their alluring colours.
“While the white-browed sparrow is known for its early morning chirrups that wake you up, the bird also makes a nest with two ‘doors’, one for emergency. The hammer cop which has a big head and long beak builds a big nest with a very small hidden entrance to ward off predators,” he says.
“The predator which is not privy to this trick takes long to locate the entrance. Watching the bird enter into the nest is interesting because it tilts the head and squeezes through the small entrance,” Kathenya says, adding that the common drongos which produce an interesting whistle sound have an interesting mating characteristic.
They mate while in flight and at times fall down in an “embrace”. You would think the birds have been hurt but they are enjoying. He points at the secretary birds with long legs “cat walking” in pairs, taking off and landing just like an aircraft.
Listening to birds chirping is soul-soothing effect and watching them is mind-calming.
To give the domestic market a taste of this outdoor adventure, Titus Murungi, the Tourism chief officer in Meru says the county government is collaborating with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to market the segment of tourism.
“We are targeting the domestic market, and we are getting a lot of positive feedback on bird watching at the Meru park,” Mr Murungi said.
“Meru has a huge potential since we have some of the biggest habitats favourable for bird watching in East Africa. We have several forests that create a good habitat for birds, including Nyambene, Ngae, Ngare Ndare and Imenti forests where birds breed and there is sufficient food supply. We are also at the middle of the migratory route where most birds that migrate follow the equator,” he says.
