Karura Forest #56: King of the Skies
This is the 2nd in a mini-series of 6 caches celebrating the September 2016 nesting of this stunning bird in Karura Forest between Junctions 23 and 24 on the Mau Mau Trail. You may be lucky to hear and see the bird pair calling as they circle high above this eastern part of the forest.
The cache, a small black-taped push-topped micro-pot, is hidden near the base of the largest multi-stemmed tree in this area It is around 20m down a side trail from Junction 41 of the Wangari Maathai trail which runs the width of this mid-northern part of the forest.
To reach the cache location: enter the forest at the Shark's Gate (Gate C) on Kiambu Road @ S 01 14.395 E 36 50.644. After parking, pay the entry fee and then proceed north-west straight down the Wangari Maathai Trail to the cache location passing Karura Forest #55 along the way.
See here for a detailed map of Karura & Sigiria Forests and check GC4PD3V Karura Forest #1: Intro, info & entry for background info on the forest, opening times, entry fees, etc.
Continued from GC6V3P8 Karura Forest #55: Royal Raptor
The crowned eagle is a very large eagle (80-99cm long) and the 5th longest eagle in the world.] The female, at 3.2-4.7 kg is 10-15% larger than the male (2.55-4.12 kg). Overall, they are the 9th heaviest eagle. The wingspan is typically 1.51-1.81m but is quite short for a bird of this size.
In East Africa, the crowned eagle's range extends from central Ethiopia, to Uganda, forested parts of Kenya and Tanzania to as far south as eastern South Africa, with a southern distribution limit around Knysna (see Distribution map in Gallery).
It inhabits mainly dense woodlands, including those deep within rainforest, but will sometimes also be found in relict patches, wooded escarpments, riparian strips of Acacia, heavily wooded hillsides, and rocky outcrops throughout its range from 0-3,000m. Around stretches of East Africa where protected areas mostly consist of fairly open habitat, crowned eagles usually live in wooded areas of rocky hills and narrow riverine strips, only rarely ranging into savanna surrounding the hills.
See here for a web page on Crowned Eagle stamps.
Continues with GC6V43M Karura Forest #57: Flying Leopard.