The lake is fed by two rivers, El
Molo and Ol Arabel and has no obvious
outlet, despite this it's is one of
only two freshwater lakes (it is in
fact slightly saline, but not enough
to bother the crocs, hippos or people
who swim in it) in the Great Rift
Valley in Kenya. The climate in the
region is generally hot and dry and
away from the lake shore the surrounding
countryside appears quite barren.
However the imposing cliffs house
a variety of bird life and are also
home to the Rock Hyrax (a small rodent-like
mammal). The Hyrax are really rather
endearing and quite interesting to
watch, but from a birders perspective
they are of interest as the favorite
food of Vereaux's Eagle, which as
a result are sometimes seen soaring
over the basalt cliffs near the West
shore of the lake. The scrub around
the edges of the lake also has some
interesting birds -if you can find
them. Heuglin's or Three-banded courser
is not uncommon and you may also be
able to see Lichtenstein's Sand-grouse
and the Spotted thick-knee
While it lacks the spectacle of some of its saline neighbours such as Lake Bogoria and Lake Nakuru with their huge flocks of flamingos, it more than makes up for this with the sheer variety of birdlife to be found in and around its shores. (It's also very well placed for a daytrip to Lake Bogoria.) More than 470 species have been recorded there in total, and more than 300 have been recorded in a single day. A recent bird census, carried out in two three hour spells on consecutive days recorded just over 280 species in the 6 hours, and that was outside the main periods for northern or southern migrants. While you're unlikely to see all 470+ species in a short visit, there are plenty of birds to be seen even by novice birders. Pale and dark phase Gabar Goshawk, Paradise Flycatcher, African Fish Eagles, Marabou Storks, Shikra and White-faced Scops Owl are amongst the regular sightings, while some the less common birds that can be seen there include Hemprich's Hornbill (along the cliffs), the African Darter and occasionally the African Skimmer.
The lake is fed by two rivers, El
Molo and Ol Arabel and has no obvious
outlet, despite this it's is one of
only two freshwater lakes (it is in
fact slightly saline, but not enough
to bother the crocs, hippos or people
who swim in it) in the Great Rift
Valley in Kenya. The climate in the
region is generally hot and dry and
away from the lake shore the surrounding
countryside appears quite barren.
However the imposing cliffs house
a variety of bird life and are also
home to the Rock Hyrax (a small rodent-like
mammal). The Hyrax are really rather
endearing and quite interesting to
watch, but from a birders perspective
they are of interest as the favorite
food of Vereaux's Eagle, which as
a result are sometimes seen soaring
over the basalt cliffs near the West
shore of the lake. The scrub around
the edges of the lake also has some
interesting birds -if you can find
them. Heuglin's or Three-banded courser
is not uncommon and you may also be
able to see Lichtenstein's Sand-grouse
and the Spotted thick-knee 
