By Aloise Garvey
The 2025 Ngulia migratory bird ringing season ran from 11th to 25th November, starting earlier than usual due to an early new moon. Dark, moonless nights are crucial for successful catches, as migrating birds become attracted to the lights set up by ringers and fly into the mist nets below, where they’re quickly ringed and released.
However, this year presented unusual challenges. The rains came late, leaving Tsavo exceptionally dry. The first week saw almost no mist, resulting in just 908 birds ringed. Mist is essential because it disorients migrating birds, making them more likely to fly towards the lights. Without it, catches plunge.
A Remarkable Turnaround
The second week brought better conditions. On one remarkable night, 1,706 birds were ringed, with 1,117 of them being Common Whitethroats. This species dominated the season, making up 51 percent of all catches, a dramatic shift from the usual 17 percent seen over the past decade. Typically, Marsh Warblers dominate at Ngulia, making this year’s Common Whitethroat boom particularly intriguing. Ringers believe this surge may indicate exceptional breeding success in their European nesting grounds.
Despite lower overall numbers compared to previous years, the season delivered extraordinary rarities. An African Golden Oriole became a Ngulia first, whilst a European Red-rumped Swallow marked only the third record for Kenya. A Red-naped Bush-shrike appeared in the nets for the first time in 30 years, only the fifth ever recorded at the site. Other notable catches included a Pearl-spotted Owlet, two Black-necked Weavers (the 10th and 11th for Ngulia despite nesting nearby), a second-ever African Golden Pipit, Eastern Nicators, and the third African Orange-bellied Parrot.
Migration Stories Unfold
Recaptures told fascinating migration stories. A Thrush Nightingale ringed in 2022, retrapped in 2023, and caught again in 2025 became the first bird recaptured in three consecutive years at Ngulia. A Marsh Warbler ringed in November 2024 was recovered in Sweden seven months later, 7,133 kilometres away. Another Marsh Warbler ringed in December 2023 was found dead in northern Saudi Arabia in October 2025, nearly two years after ringing.
Beyond the nets, visible migration was spectacular. Hundreds of Amur Falcons, Steppe Eagles, and Eurasian Rollers streamed overhead, along with Montagu’s Harriers, European Honey Buzzards, Alpine Swifts, Madagascar Bee-eaters, Peregrine Falcons, and Booted Eagles. Positioned perfectly along a major migration route, Ngulia Safari Lodge offers ringside seats to one of nature’s greatest spectacles.