Lake Baringo
The lake is fed by two rivers, El Molo and Ol Arabel and has no
obvious outlet, despite this it's is one of only two freshwater
lakes (it is in fact slightly saline, but not enough to bother
the crocs, hippos or people who swim in it) in the Great Rift
Valley in Kenya. The climate in the region is generally hot and
dry and away from the lake shore the surrounding countryside appears
quite barren. However the imposing cliffs house a variety of bird
life and are also home to the Rock Hyrax (a small rodent-like
mammal). The Hyrax are really rather endearing and quite interesting
to watch, but from a birders perspective they are of interest
as the favorite food of Vereaux's Eagle, which as a result are
sometimes seen soaring over the basalt cliffs near the West shore
of the lake. The scrub around the edges of the lake also has some
interesting birds -if you can find them. Heuglin's or Three-banded
courser is not uncommon and you may also be able to see Lichtenstein's
Sand-grouse and the Spotted thick-knee
While it lacks the spectacle of some of its saline neighbours
such as Lake Bogoria and Lake Nakuru with their huge flocks of
flamingos, it more than makes up for this with the sheer variety
of birdlife to be found in and around its shores. (It's also very
well placed for a daytrip to Lake Bogoria.) More than 470 species
have been recorded there in total, and more than 300 have been
recorded in a single day. A recent bird census, carried out in
two three hour spells on consecutive days recorded just over 280
species in the 6 hours, and that was outside the main periods
for northern or southern migrants. While you're unlikely to see
all 470+ species in a short visit, there are plenty of birds to
be seen even by novice birders. Pale and dark phase Gabar Goshawk,
Paradise Flycatcher, African Fish Eagles, Marabou Storks, Shikra
and White-faced Scops Owl are amongst the regular sightings, while
some the less common birds that can be seen there include Hemprich's
Hornbill (along the cliffs), the African Darter and occasionally
the African Skimmer.
