BEAUTIFUL BEE-EATERS OF NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK

A car stopped next to me and asked ‘Where are the lions?’ I answered them in the way I often do and said “Well actually, I usually pray before going to the park, that God will allow us to see the glory of creation, then we just go bird watching, and really enjoy our fantastic feathered friends, and amazingly, often larger creatures like lions just “get in the way” of our feathered friends!

It is very rewarding to drive very slowly and watch and sometimes wait, to see many different species. When watching birds it is always useful to have a good pair of binoculars and if possible a good camera. A bird identification book for East African species is also useful to keep in the car when driving. The park has a great variety of birds, over 500 different species at certain times. The park is looking very lush and green at the moment due to the recent rains and many bird species are thriving at the moment.

One of my favourite bird species are the various types of bee-eaters that frequent the park, some of them are seasonal migrants and others are permanent residents. It is believed up to 5 species have been recorded in the Nairobi National Park with the attractive little bee-eater being the most commonly seen and the Northern Carmine bee-eater being very rarely seen. Other species include the European bee-eater, White-throated bee-eater and Cinnamon bee-eater. Although they are given the name “bee-eater” in reality they eat mostly insects and “yes!” they do also eat various bee species. Apart from being beautifully marked with many vivid colours, it is fascinating when sighting bee-eaters to just sit quietly and watch them. It is especially rewarding if they are close by, as they have a very high strike rate. After the rains when everything is lush there is also an abundance of insects and this attracts bee-eaters.

The bee-eaters were first named as a scientific group by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz, who created the bird subfamily Meropia for these birds in 1815. The name, now modernised as Meropidae, is derived from Merops, the Ancient Greek for “bee-eater”, and the English term “bee-eater” was first recorded in 1668, referring to the European species. The bills of bee-eaters are curved, long and end in a sharp point. The bill can bite strongly, particularly at the tip, and it is used as a pair of forceps with which they snatch insects from the air and crush smaller prey. Insects with poisonous stings are first smacked on the branch, then, with the bird’s eyes closed, rubbed to discharge the venom sac and stinger. This behaviour is innate, as demonstrated by a juvenile bird in captivity, which performed the task when first presented with wild bees. This bird was stung on the first five tries, but by ten bees, it was as adept at handling bees as adult birds. Bee-eaters consume a wide range of insects; beyond a few distasteful butterflies they consume almost any insect from tiny Drosophila flies to large beetles and dragonflies. At some point, bee-eaters have been recorded eating beetles, mayflies, stoneflies, cicadas, termites, crickets and grasshoppers, mantises, true flies and moths.

Bee-eaters spend around 10% of their day on comfort activities. These include sunning themselves, dust bathing and water bathing. Sunning behaviour helps warm birds in the morning, reducing the need to use energy to raise their temperature. It also has a social aspect, as multiple birds adopt the same posture. Finally, it may help stimulate parasites in the feathers, making them easier to find and remove. Due to their hole-nesting lifestyle, bee-eaters accumulate a number of external parasites such as mites and flies. Together with sunning, bouts of dust bathing (or water bathing where available), as well as rigorous preening, keeping the feathers and skin in good health. Bathing with water involves making shallow dives into a water body and then returning to a perch to preen.

I always find it a joy to see birds when driving in the park, God has created such amazing diversity. So remember, when we go on into the Nairobi National Park with the attitude of “bird watching”, all too often the larger species like Rhino, Buffalo and even Lions, just “get in the way!”.

The park is open daily from 06h00 to 19h00.