Of all varied productions of nature; birds are the most admired, the most studied and the most defended. They appeal to the senses - musically and visually. Because they fly where they want to, when they want to, they symbolizes freedom. (even though they are as subject to natural laws as we are - or more so).

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 The number of birds in East Africa is usually calculated to be between 800 and 850 species, give or take a few score, depending on one's taxonomic views. New species are still being discovered, especially in the deep forests and on islands, but at a very slowly yearly rate. Birds have adapted to the sterile concretes canyons of our largest cities, the driest deserts, the most humid jungles, and the highest mountains. Some birds such as the Swallows and Martins, even lives in caves so dark that they must employ a kind of vocal sonar to guide them. Divers and some sea ducks pursue their finny prey to depth that man cannot reach without special diving equipments.

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Have you ever been enthralled by the variety of avian shapes, colours and patterns? what functions are served by all those adornments? Is there survaival value not obvious to us, or is beauty its own reason for being?, Certainly some birds signal with their plumage as well as by their movements and voices, but it is not clear why a peacock should be so much more elegant than a sparrow. Natural selection has undoubtely decreed it and a million years from now, after a million generations peacock have displayed aggressively and their hens have made choices, Peacock may have become even more gorgeous. Certainly at this point in time, The East Africa is blessed with a breathtaking galaxy of birds. Few are bizarre as Peacocks or birds of paradise, but all are are worthy of our attention and our explore.

Those of us who watch birds-what should we call ourselves? 'Ornithologists'? Perhaps that presumes too much. 'Bird-lovers'? I believe the term is inappropriate because loving (in the usual sense) invites reciprocation and birds simply do not reciprocate.
'Birdwatchers'? This is better, a catch-all term that can include bird-oriented people of practically every hue and stripe, from the watcher at the window to the academic. To be more specific, 'bird-listers' well describes the tally-hunters, those who tick off their finds on little white check lists. Usually, they are simply called 'birders'.
As I have stated elsewhere, birds are far more than robins,
thrushes and finches to brighten the suburban garden, ducks and
grouse to fill the sportsman's bag, or rare waders and warblers to be
ticked off on the birder's check list. They are indicators of the
environment-a sort of 'ecological litmus paper.' Because of their
high rate of metabolism and furious pace of living, they reflect
changes in the environment rather quickly; they warn us of things
out of balance. They send out signals when there is a deterioration
of the ecosystem. Inevitably, the intelligent person who watches
birds (or mammals or fish or butterflies) becomes an
environmentalist. He may be called an 'eco-freak' by those who are
biologically illiterate, but he is dedicated to the preservation of the living world on which we depend ultimately for our own survival.

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 'The observation of birds may be superstition, a tradition, an art, a science, á sport, a pleasure, a hobby, or a bore; this depends entirely on the nature of the observer.' 

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ITENERARIES