By a happy coincidence, I met up with Dave Richards at the main
entrance of Nairobi National Park, and we spent the day birding
together. In addition we were getting very testy together, waiting to
be serviced for a half-an-hour (with the best birding time of day
completely wasted). There was a queue, and of course only one machine,
tour buses arriving with clients and having the most complex
configurations to be entered into the machines, with a host of cards.
For us the delay would have been unnecessary if the now inane KWS
management had taken some action and re-opened Langata Gate for smart
cards, when before there was never any delay. So now not only having
to face the queue at the entrance, we are now forced to get caught up
in the traffic congestion on Langata Road. Whilst we do support KWS,
the right way is to point out the error of their ways. Back to the
Main Entrance, several of the people in the queue were commuters. They
have an Annual Pass, and at Ksh 30,000 it is very good value for them
as they use the Park merely as a transit to exit out of East Gate and
avoid the traffic. This of course saves them time, saves them fuel,
they speed through the park disturbing the wildlife, that the clients
have paid to see. Believe me if you find a good bird along the road,
they will honk and flush it, in their one-eyed aim to get out of the
other end of the Park as soon as possible, should you stop and block
their way. Now for the resident, Ksh 30,000 is no bargain. For the
citizen it represents fifty visits of Ksh300 entry and Ksh300
(minimum) for the vehicle. Few will be in a National Park for fifty
days out of the year, and we are the people that are in the Park to
enjoy the very reason for its existence, and that is to appreciate the
natural beauty and all it contains, not to have that extra time in bed
in the morning whilst avoiding the traffic delays by using a shortcut.
It would appear that KWS policy has changed much from the original
concept.
For the past ten years I have been involved with the Kenya
Professional Safari Guides Association, it was set up to improve
guiding standards in this country. The Directors and Committee Members
are entirely voluntary and receive no remuneration for their services.
Our funding is entirely Membership, and Examination Fees. We are proud
that we have had over 5000 Kenyan Guides come in to sit our exams,
some of these are of such top standard, that they are incomparable on
the African continent. The attaining of their knowledge has brought
them great pleasure, and many have lately come to specialise in
different aspects of Natural History. Of course the client benefits,
Kenya gains kudos in the tourism market, and everyone benefits. It has
been very successful in identifying the guides with the highest
standard of knowledge, competence and ethics. We had initially a very
good relationship with KWS and enjoyed their support as they realised
that our interests were mutual, and they could only benefit from
having members of our cadre passing through their gates. Under a
previous Director members were encouraged to broaden their knowledge
by having a free pass to the National Parks during heir free time.
This was later taken away. We used to hold the examinations in their
building on Safari Walk free of charge, later they asked if we could
pay something and Ksh 3000 per examination, was agreed on. Last
Tuesday we paid the three-thousand for a Silver Level examination to
be conducted the following day, and had the receipt of course. Imagine
our surprise when the Chief Ranger at the gate refused to allow entry
for the examiners and over thirty keen examinees from all over the
country, unless we paid Ksh 20,000 for that morning…. Naturally the
people responsible for making such a decision without any pre-warning
were not to be found! So this is now the support and recognition that
the new management of KWS offers the KPSGA, now of course the bread
and butter of their revenue.
There are still great numbers of plains game in the Park, but they are
well outnumbered now by the cattle hence Nairobi National Farm! We saw
so many herds with their herdsman all along the Athi Basin now
penetrating all along the Mokoyiet Valley as far as Ruai Dam. I accuse
KWS of corruption in the highest order now, because it clearly states
that in the "Rules and Regulations" that no domestic animals are
permitted entry into a National Park, and nothing is being done to
stop this invasion, someone is receiving a considerable back-hander
and this should be addressed to the Chief Warden. I am sympathetic
with the plight of the people bordering the southern end of the Park,
this is a bad drought and domestic animals are certainly suffering.
Maybe cattle should be allowed in well controlled conditions into the
Park along the Mbagathi River, but not wandering over the entire Park.
The consumption of the grass is preferable to burning, and it does
help the community and improve relations. However this is out of
control, the cattle are mixing with the livestock (Dave and I took
some photographs of mixed Cattle and Zebra in the same group),
drinking the water which is precious enough at present, and who knows
what diseases are being transferred from domestic to wild fauna.
It is time for the various organisations involved in conservation and
wildlife to make an urgent contact with the Director to find out just
what is going on with KWS. First Nairobi, then what Park becomes the
next farm?
At present the effect on the birds of the Park is probably negligible,
although every time a habitat is changed, something suffers, and if it
is changed unnaturally, then something unnaturally suffers. Birding is
still great…….. the drought is having an effect with fast dropping
water levels.
At the entrance there were a number of singing Willow Warbler, and
along the entrance road after passing the gate, a Common Buzzard was
perched, and Blackcaps were in incredible numbers, every one of the
males wanting to be heard. African Firefinches were along the approach
road to Ivory Burning Site where I found Dave. He had just had a
Darter flying east very high up. We found that the male Irania was
still there, a couple of Nightingales were singing, but nothing with
any of the past exuberance. Two Upcher's Warblers were active in their
"two-tree" territory. The only other bird of any interest here was a
single Willow Warbler. On the back road we were delighted and
surprised that the Aardvark hole has been filled in and no longer
represents a hazard for the unwary. There were a couple more
Nightingales and a Eurasian Reed Warbler calling, as was the African
Water Rail at the small swamp at the back of Hyena Dam. The dam only
provided the usual sub-adult Fish Eagle and Eurasian Marsh Harrier,
but a Sedge Warbler was churring from the reeds. The first of twenty
Lesser Kestrels, and first of four Northern Wheatear were found on the
way to Karen Primary School Dam, where the only migrant was a single
Green Sandpiper.
It was here that we ran into a very strange shrike. The course of the
day revealed seven Red-tailed Shrikes, all were males and all were in
breeding plumage. There were five phoenicuroides and two isabellinus.
Whilst still trying to understand what forms are visiting us,
following the splitting into different species, we found ourselves
checking a very odd bird. Size, shape and jizz not any way differing
from a normal Red-tail, but the plumage was not conforming with
anything. The bird was photographed, but was a little distant. The
underparts were entirely white, although a couple of photographs show
the faintest buff cast, this might be shadow and was not noticed in
the field. The crown and back were silvery-grey, the mask black and
long extending from forehead to the side of the nape, above the mask
there was a white supercilary, but the crown being so silvery the
contrast was negligible. At the bend of the wing there was a line of
almost concealed deep chestnut, much as we see on our female fiscal
species. As mentioned the back was silvery, but the flight feathers
were rufous-edged. So far we have an extreme pale variant of
isabellinus, but then although the rump was chestnut which barely
extended onto the base of the tail, this was all black! The underside
of the tail was white, but there were no white bases to the outer-tail
feathers. The black tail would lead to a reasonable conclusion that
the bird could be a Red-tail/Red-back hybrid. I know very little about
genetics, but if such a strong trait should appear on the tail,
shouldn't the genetic influence manifest itself in other ways,
lavender crown, peachy underparts, reddish back, white in wing or
tail? I don't think that the bird represents a hybrid at all, but yet
another form of Red-tailed Shrike to confuse the issue! Black-tailed
red-tailed Shrike!!!! A very attractive bird.
Has anyone ever seen anything resembling this, are their any photos 
available?
On the plains after the "Beacon" there was one of only two female
Montagu's Harriers seen that day, and half-a-dozen Athi Short-toed
Larks. The Lilac-breasted Roller was at the Ruai junction, and at the
dam a nice assemblage of waterbirds which included two White and eight
Pink-backed Pelicans. At Hippo Pools we watched the Violet
Wood-Hoopoes feeding their young in the nest, there was a female Giant
Kingfisher on the river something that has been scarce of late, two
Spotted Flycatchers were the highest count since the southern passage,
a Nightingale, a few Olivaceous Warblers, and a beautiful male Pallid
Harrier was about it. Athi Dam continues to dry, there is a new
island, the old one now having become an indiscernible part of the
mainland! The only member of the single irregular species remaining
was the Red-knobbed Coot. Four White Stork were amongst the assemblage
of Yellow-billed and Marabous, there were two Pink-backed Pelicans,
the white-winged Marsh Harrier was still about, and one Red-throated
Pipit. Waders would have been in lower numbers, were it not for over
fifty Ruff, Marsh Sandpipers numbered seven, with one Greenshank,
three Common Sandpipers and fifteen Little Stints. Black-winged Stilts
down to eight, Kittlitz's Plover three and Spur-winged Plover now five
adults. Rhino Circuit had but a single Steppe Eagle. Kingfisher Picnic
Site failed to produce anything, but at Nagalomon Dam was a pale
Booted Eagle flying with a pair of Lanners. In the region of twenty
Dusky Turtle Dove were coming to drink in the evening at the dam on
the edge of Kisembe Forest, amongst them were a number of strange
looking scaly immatures, there were three Nairobi Pipits along the
road (5-pm seems to be the best time for seeing them here), and the
pair of Crowned Cranes included an incubating bird on the dam near
Langata exit. Quailfinch were widespread and common, Barn Swallows in
very small numbers all day, but special mention should be made of the
Cinnamon-chested Rock Buntings which were met with throughout
including one party of six and one of four, there must be
extraordinary numbers in the Park.
In spite of the moans at the beginning of the report, we had a
fantastic day, and the place still has so much to offer the visitor.

Best to all

Brian