We were up and away at 0600 again today - I think my body clock has been wound back so it seems normal to be out that early! There were 9 of us in the car, but I was allowed to have the front seat, definitely a privilege on a hot day. We went to the Sabaki River on the other side of Malindi, and having crossed the bridge we headed through farm land and villages, looking for birds all the way, and left the car at a small hotel.
We walked along the lane a while and then set off across the mudflats. The mud was thick, deep, slippery and sticky and most of us were covered in it up to our knees. We were counting the waders around the river mouth, and there were quite a few, but most of them had migrated. Having got thoroughly coated in mud, we arrived back on terra firma - the same lane we had been walking on - and followed it until we climbed over a dune and emerged on the beach at the mouth of the river. It's a huge expanse of sand, patterned with different colours of sand blown by the wind. We found more waders, terns and about 100 Greater Flamingoes. The waves were enormous, raised by the strong winds that have been blowing for the last few days, but we were able to get most of the mud off while paddling in the edges. The leading edge of the waves running up the beach was bright green, presumably algae...
On the way back we went through the dunes and small pools behind the beach and found several more exciting new species of birds.
By the time we got back to the car it was after midday and very hot, so a cold Coke on the way home was really welcome. We were late for lunch, but they had kept some for us, which was very good too.
Another power cut meant a few of us could pop to Watamu later on in the afternoon, and then we went for a long swim to cool off. The waves at the end of the afternoon are good fun - quite large but fit to swim in. Jaap had his surf board out and Peter also used it for a while, but Ben and I just jumped about in the waves.
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