Dear all

Brian Finch and I visited Nairobi National Park on Good Friday (25th March)
with two objectives, namely to try and observe over 200 species and to check
out the migrants.  Despite the lack of waterbirds, we managed to observe 218
species between 6.45am and 6.30 pm.  But the purpose of this note is really
to highlight the Palearctic migrants observed.

1. 3 Black Storks (immatures), 1 Europen Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 1
Steppe Eagle, 1 Booted Eagle (pale phase), 1 Common Kestrel, 1 Amur falcon
(female), but at least 80 Lesser Kestrels.
2. 1 Ringed Plover, 3 Little Stint, 1 Ruff, 1 Marsh Sandpiper, 3 Common
Greenshank and 2 Green Sandpiper
3. Eurasian Bee-eaters, 5 Eurasian Rollers, 30 Pallid Swift
4. Barn Swallows, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 12 Tree Pipits,  60 Red-throated Pipit,
5 Whinchat, 2 Northern Wheatear, 4 Isabelline Wheatear, 5 Spotted Flycatcher
5. 1 Great Reed Warbler, 2 Olivaceous Warbler, 8 Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcap,
20 Willow Warbler, and 1 Wood Warbler in fresh breeding plumage
6. 3 Red-backd Shrike, 4 Red-tailed Shrike and 5 Eurasian Golden Oriole

The other species of note however, were 1 Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage
(Athi Dam), Brown Parrots, 1 Von der Decken Hornbill, 3 Violet Wood Hoopoe
(courtship feeding at Hippo Pools), 1 Golden-winged Sunbird, 1
Black-collared Apalis (Langata Gate), Dusky Flycatcher breeding at Langata
gate and a male Straw-tailed Whydah in breeding plumage very near to Cheetah
gate.

On Easter Sunday (27th March), we went to the Kedong valley to search the
Acacia drepanolobium and then to drive back along the valley and up the
escarpment to Ngong.  After 5 hours of walking the whistling thorn and
playing a tape, we found no sign of the Karamoja Apalis.  This area is some
100kms from the location, where they have been recently discovered, and
suggests that the bird has not crossed the western escarpment wall.  There
were still several Montague's Harriers in the valley and 1 European Hobby.
Horus Swift were busy inspecting the river sand banks and Athi Short-toed
Larks were in breeding mode.  We also came across Coqui Francolin, thus
placing them within 50 kms of Nairobi.  In addition, the day produced 1
Double-banded Courser, 1 Temminck's Courser, 1 Rock Thrush (male in breeding
plumage), 2 Northern Wheatear, 7 Isabelline Wheatear, 1 Whitethroat  and 1
Lesser Grey Shrike.

Best regards

Nigel