After a rough ride the previous afternoon we decided not to go into Amboseli National Park the second afternoon but rather photograph birds around the camp and later in that afternoon to drive around Elephant Garden’s conservancy.

“Wild beasts and birds are by right not the property merely of the people today, but the property of the unborn generations, whose belongings we have no right to squander.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt

Around the Elephant Garden Camp we found two pairs of Red and yellow barbets. The plumage of this species is a mix of bright red, yellow, white and black. It has a red face and white ‘comma’ behind its eye. Its throat and belly are yellow and it has a black and white collar. The top of its crown is black and its beak is a pinkish-red colour.

The Red-and-yellow barbet is a colourful ground barbet which spends a lot of its time foraging on the ground. It is omnivorous, feeding on seeds, fruit, and invertebrates. It is commonly seen in dry bush and woodland where there are plenty of small termite mounds.

Males of red-and-yellow barbet have distinctive black (spotted white), red, and yellow plumage. Females  are similar, but less brightly coloured.

The walkways between the main reception area and tents were lined with flowering shrubs which attracted a variety of sunbirds. An Eastern double-collared sunbird was foraging for nectar in the flowering bushes.

This species of sunbird had gorgeous iridescent greens and blues on its head, neck and back. The perched position of this sunbird images did not reveal the double collar on its breast.

Away from the camp in the dry acacia woodland of Elephant Garden’s Conservancy, we saw many White-headed buffalo-weavers. Apart from its white head, neck and belly, this species has a vivid orange rump which makes it instantly visible in the dry acacia areas.

A long-tailed fiscal shrike. This species follows mammals walking through the grass and bushes. The mammals disturb insects which is just what this shrike is looking for.

A Superb starling not to be confused with its darker cousin with red eyes, the Hilderbrand starling. This bird feeds primarily on the ground or in acacia trees. It seeks various types of insects, but will also take berries and fruits, and nectar from some plants when available. Both adults are similar having glossy blue-green upperparts, with a darker blue tinge on the nape. Their upper wing coverts have a glossy metallic green iridescence, with black spots on the covert tips. The tail is relatively short and glossy blue-green.

The Grey-headed silverbill is a small African finch unique for its distinct grey head covered in fine white, pearl-like spots. It has a highly sociable nature, and a very bulky, large, silvery bill. It is found in dry, grassy, and bushy areas. These birds live in small flocks (up to 30) and often sleep in old weaver nests. During rivalry, males raise the white-spotted feathers on their head to intimidate competitors. Males display with a blade of grass in their beak, then drop it and sing while wagging their tail to a receptive female.

“Watching birds has become part of my daily meditation affirming my connection to the earth body.”
~ Carol P. Christ

White-browed sparrow-weaver. This species is found all over southern and central Africa. Groups of ten to sixty inverted-U-shaped nests of dry grass appear in the outside limbs of trees, although only several are used for breeding or roosting. While breeding nests have only one entrance, roosting nests have an entrance located at each of the two nest extremities. Research has shown that, throughout a region, nests are located at the leeward side of a tree. This behaviour preserves a greater number of intact nests for breeding and roosting.

The Kurrichane thrush is primarily distinguished from other similar African thrushes by its white belly and bold black “moustache” (malar) stripes. This species is a “master of melody” known for its ability to mimic the calls of other bird species. Unlike birds that use only dry materials, Kurrichane Thrushes often line their cup-shaped nests with mud.

A female Isabelline wheatear. This species is a pale arctic migrant found in east Africa between September and April and prefers dry open countryside.

Fischer’s lovebird is a small bright green parrot with distinctive head and rump markings. The Fischer’s lovebird is commonly found along the Kenyan Tanzanian border. This species is bright green with a relatively dull orange-red face and yellow collar that extends around its neck. We found this character because of its loud call which is a series of squeaks. This species has a diet of small grains like millet, seeds, fruit, berries and leaf buds.

“Birds chirping around you is a beautiful realisation that life is incredibly good. Let this sound be a gentle break in your routine.” ~ Hiral Nagda

The White-bellied go-away bird is a large grey and white bird which sits on top of the canopy of trees and has a loud onomatopoeic call which gives it its name. The White-bellied species is found in Kenya and Tanzania while the Bare-faced go-away bird and Grey go-away bird are found mainly in Tanzania. The plumage of both sexes of the White-bellied go-away birds are similar but the male has a black beak while the female has a green beak.

A male Gerenuk. The Gerenuk, whose name means “giraffe-necked” in Somali, is an exceptionally long-necked antelope. Its head is small for its size, but its eyes and ears are large. Only the males have horns, which are stout and heavily ringed, and consequently have a more heavily muscled neck than the females. They have a coat that is brown on the upper back and lighter on the sides. The short tail looks longer as it ends in a tuft of black hair.

“Nature’s hydration hack, the Gerenuk, with its waterless survival and unique feeding habits, is a testament to nature’s ability to adapt and evolve.” ~ Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

At a quick glance from a distance, the Gerenuk looks like an unusual impala. Some of the most notable characteristics of the gerenuk are its long, slender neck and thin legs. Gerenuks have also wedge-shaped skulls and shorter noses than many antelope species, giving them a giraffe-like appearance.

Gerenuks use a specialised preorbital gland located in front of their eyes to scent-mark their territory. Males deposit a dark, sticky, tar-like substance from these glands onto twigs and branches to define boundaries and warn rivals. They also have glands on their knees and hooves which they also use as a primary method for marking their habitat.

Male Gerenuks use a specific courtship behaviour to assess if a female is receptive to mating. The male approaches the female and uses a stiff foreleg to gently tap or kick her hind leg or belly. This tapping encourages the female to urinate. The male then samples the urine in a flehmen response to detect pheromones that indicate if the female is in estrus.

Unlike other antelopes who eat by grazing, the Gerenuk often stands on its two hind legs and uses its two front legs to graze from tree branches. By standing up like this in combination with their long necks mean they can sometimes reach plants up to two metres high.

The Elephant Garden Conservancy, although small turned out to be a good choice for the second afternoon of our trip. The conservancies place a vital role in protecting the wildlife in the greater Amboseli ecosystem. There is no single “Tsavo-to-Mara” conservancy, but a network of community-led and private conservancies across Kenya’s Southern Rift Valley that form a vital wildlife corridor connecting the Tsavo and Greater Masai Mara ecosystems. These corridors act as “genetic highways,” allowing species like elephants and large carnivores to move between these major habitats to maintain healthy populations.

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect”
~ Aldo Leopold

The connectivity between these ecosystems is maintained through several distinct corridors and conservancy clusters:

Amboseli-Tsavo Corridor: This link connects Tsavo West to Amboseli National Park. It is secured by community group ranches like Mbirikani, Kimana, and Kuku, which keep pathways open through wildlife-friendly land use.

Southern Rift Landscapes: Between Amboseli and the Mara, viable populations of lions and wild dogs live in community lands. Critical links here include the Western and North-Western corridors near Shompole, which facilitate movement toward the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

Greater Masai Mara Conservancies: Once wildlife reaches the Mara ecosystem, a ring of conservancies—including Mara Naboisho, Ol Kinyei, and Mara North—serves as essential buffer zones. These conservancies allow for the “mini” Loita Migration of wildebeest from the northern plains into the reserve.

The key difference between private wildlife conservancies in Kenya and national parks is ownership. As the name suggests, private conservancies are either owned by private landowners or local communities, such as the Maasai. Conservancies primarily focus on wildlife conservation for tourism. The conservancies came about when Maasai land owners with neighbouring land came together to agree that safari camp operators could use their land for tourism purposes, in return for either a percentage of profits or leasing fee. While this varies between conservancies, in some instances the Maasai retain livestock grazing rights in their conservancies. Most of the conservancies have only a few lodges with strict limitations on the number of tourist beds and number of safari vehicles permitted at wildlife sightings. Self-driving is not permitted in any of the conservancies. Local communities also gain employment as guides and drivers.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its connectedness and let it be,

Have fun, Mike