Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park – Known as the home of birds, Lake Nakuru National Park was first recognized in 1960 as a bird sanctuary to protect the many birds around Lake Nakuru. Later, in 1968, it became a national park.
Lake Nakuru is famous both in Kenya and internationally for its large number of flamingos that live along its shores throughout the year. In the past, millions of flamingos could be seen here. Although the numbers have gone down due to changes in climate and lake water levels, thousands of flamingos still gather, painting the lake’s edges in pink.
Lake Nakuru is a soda lake rich in blue-green algae, which the flamingos feed on. This is why so many flamingos come to this lake. The Great White Pelican is another bird commonly seen here, along with many other bird species that stop by during migration.
Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park is a great activity. The park covers about 118 square kilometers and is home to over 450 bird species, both resident and migratory.
The park is most known for its pink flamingos, but it also has other birds like pelicans and rare species such as the Madagascar pond-heron, pallid harrier, greater spotted eagle, and grey-crested helmet-shrike.
Birds can be found around the lake and also in the park’s grasslands, acacia woodlands, and euphorbia forests. Other birds include the black-necked grebe, long-tailed widowbird, maccoa duck, montane white-eye, yellow-billed stork, Rüppell’s vulture, Rüppell’s robin-chat, Schallow’s wheatear, shining sunbird, African spoonbill, slender-billed greenbul, grey-headed gull, and northern puffback.
Lake Nakuru National Park is open for bird-watching all year. The best time to visit is usually after the rainy season, when food is more available and the vegetation is thick. This makes it easier for birds to feed and find shelter. In Kenya, June and July are good months for birding. The best time of day to see birds is from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM, though birds can be seen any time of day.
During a four-day birding tour, most people watch from their vehicles or stand quietly along the lake’s shores.
Lake Nakuru National Park is located in central Kenya, northwest of Nairobi. You can get there by road or by air.
