Samburu National Reserve
These reserves are in the north of Kenya, about 200 miles from
Nairobi. All three are fairly small; Samburu and Buffalo springs
which started life as one park are adjacent to each other and
Shaba is a few miles east of them. The area is very dry (semi-arid
officially) with a lot of scrub and some acacia trees, except
along the banks of the Uaso Nyiro river where there's a narrow
band of doum palms which quite often contain groups of Orange-bellied
Parrots. The parrots are noisy but sometimes quite shy so you
usually hear them before you can see them. Brown or Meyer's parrot
can also be seen. Samburu is noted for the presence of both the
Common Zebra and the far more rare Grevy's Zebra. It's also home
to Gerenuk, Beisa Oryx, Reticulated Giraffe and a lot of crocodiles.
The three
areas do differ slightly in character. Shaba is the dryest, almost
barren seeming in except in the North along the river, Buffalo
Springs is the least arid seeming and is mostly rolling plains
while Samburu is more rugged with a number of rocky outcrops.
The reserves are on the southern end of the range for birds of
the arid northern bush.
The Uaso Nyiro
river runs through all three reserves and in parts is the border
between the Samburu and Buffalo Springs; there's usually plenty
of bird life in the Acacias and Doum Palms along the river banks.
The shade provided by the trees also makes them a favourite place
for elephants in the middle of the day.
The river is generally wide and shallow but vanishes completely
in very dry seasons while it rises high enough to flood both banks
after especially heavy rains. In drought or very dry spells the
weavers which normally nest along the banks seem to become less
common, while birds such as the Yellow-billed Hornbill seem to
move down closer to the river. The Isiolo river which runs mainly
through Buffalo Springs keeps flowing after the Uaso Nyiro has
dried up.
When that happens the meeting point of the two rivers (confluence
is too grand a name for it) is a good place to find snipe and
other waders while stretches of the Isiolo with overhanging grass
are good for small herons. If you're looking at maps or signs
for the river beware - the spelling is highly variable. Take your
pick from Ewaso, Waso or Uaso combined with Nyiro, Ngiro or Ng'iro.
