Dear All,
Rupert Watson, Karen Plum and myself, met at the Main Entrance to
Nairobi National  Park at 7-00am, this was later than I had commenced
the previous Sunday, and the dawn chorus had passed. There were a few
Willow Warblers calling in the car-park, and a couple of Blackcaps on
the way to Ivory Burning Site. Here there were a few Nightingales
singing, and a couple of Iranias churred. A female flew from one patch
of dense scrub to another but an obliging male perched low in a bush
on the sunny side was obliging enough to get videoed. A single
Upcher's Warbler was present, and singles Black-and-White Cuckoo and
Eurasian Roller. This was one of four seen today, others being near
Hyena Dam, Olmanyi Dam and Hippo Pools. A rarer visitor to the Park
was a Lilac-breasted Roller near Ruai Dam. On the back road towards
Hyena Dam there was a nice pair of Nairobi Pipits, whilst at the back
of Hyena Dam there were a number of Red-billed Queleas in breeding
plumage including one red morph, whilst surprisingly both Red-collared
and Jackson's Widowbirds were coming back into breeding plumage. With
no rain for nearly a month, there must be something these birds know
that we don't! There was a single Kori Bustard near the dam, but at
Hyena Dam itself the only bird seen was a female Zebra Waxbill
drinking at the edge. On the circuit road towards Mokoyiet bridge (via
8a) there were single Eurasian Marsh and two Montagu's Harriers, five
Lesser Kestrels, a couple of Rosy-breasted Longclaws and a Whinchat.
The first of fourteen Red-tailed Shrikes were found. All appearing to
be isabellinus.
Olmanyi Dam was fairly uninteresting  with only a Greenshank and two
Common Sandpipers. At Kingfisher Picnic Site, the Pied and Northern
Wheatears have been joined by another Northern Wheatear and a very
tame and attractive Eurasian Rock Thrush. Also of interest here was an
immature Diederic Cuckoo in reddish splendour being fed by a female
Speke's Weaver. African Silverbills which were met with twice on
Sunday were heard flying over here but not seen, but five were flushed
from the nearby river, two flushed from Karen Primary School Dam, and
heard but not seen along the road to the Hippo Pools. So there is
definitely a major incursion into the area. Single Northern and Pied
Wheatears, and a White-tailed Lark were flushed from the top of Athi
Basin, whilst at the Athi Dam itself the water level drops rapidly,
and many birds have since left. The Great Cormorant and the Collared
Pratincole were still present, there were a pair of Spur-winged Plover
and the very large chick, but Black-winged Stilts have fallen to under
twenty, Marsh Sandpipers to seven, Greenshank to three, Little Stints
to 25, Common Sandpiper now four, Northern Shoveler to two,
Red-throated Pipits down to five, but White Stork up to fifteen and
now a single Black Stork. Two Eurasian Marsh Harriers were hunting
over the area, one appeared to be trying to get to a dead Little Egret
which had become entangled in acacia thorns. There was a single adult
Black-crowned Night-Heron roosting in there. Along the Mbagathi we
found another Black Stork, which was probably he same individual from
Athi Dam, but another near the Main Entrance on leaving the Park, was
a different individual. There were also two Steppe Eagles, two Green
Sandpipers, pair of overflying Speckled Pigeons and a very beautiful
Pangani Longclaw as well. Karen Primary School Dam produced single
Green Sandpiper and Greenshank, and Ruai Dam eleven Common Snipe.
Ineresting mammals today were four Lions at Karen Primary School Dam,
four adult Chandlers Reedbuck with a young near the Ruai Dam junction,
a lot of mixed plains game around Athi Dam and near Lone Tree plains,
many cows in the southern portions of the Park, but the most alarming
of all, a line of local women walking out of the park with large
freshly cut bundles of wood (Acacia deranolobium) on their backs, near
Ruai Dam, and two more coming in to cut more. I took some close-up
photographs of these women, and they demanded money for taking these
photos.!!!!! We reported the incident to the Senior Warden, Michael
Wanjau, who has been sent the images for follow up. He requests that
when an incident like this is discovered that he be phoned immediately
so that they can take rapid action to trap the offenders. Could you
all please take down the details of his private mobile number on 0722
361181, and his email is micwanjau@kws.go.ke
Apart from this alarming discovery, we did of course have a quality
day as is expected in Nairobi National Park.