Fleur, Karen and I visited Nairobi National Park yesterday morning. The park was dry but below the Ivory Burning Site there was plenty of long and short grass to feed the large numbers of eland, Zebra, Giraffe, Kongoni and Wildebeest. What a lovely sight! There were many Cattle Egrets around the game and huge flocks of Wattled Starlings were wheeling around either landing in numbers on carrissa bushes and devouring the fruits or landing on the backs of zebras. Egrets and starlings were playing at being jockeys and we got some great photos including one, where we spotted a spotted zebra with a starling on its back (to see these photos click on the Kenyabirdsnet link at the top of this page. You might have to sign in again to yahoo to access the site if you haven't done so for a while). There were also masses of seed eating birds. White Winged, Red Collared and Jackson Widowbirds  were in various states of breeding and non breeding plumage... one with a bright sky blue bill made us pause for a while but I think it must have been a non breeding Jacksons in good light?  Quelea and finches were also abundant. 
We didn't drive too far but spent some time on the short green grass on the runoff from Hyaena dam and went to check that the Martial Eagle was on the nest still..and it was, calling repeatedly with its mate fairly close by, either perching on a tree  down the valley or flying above the plains. In the short damp grass by the Hyena dam there were loads more seed eaters, Yellow Crowned Bishops and Quail Finches amongst others. In a wet patch nearby we saw our first returning waders with a Green and a Wood Sandpiper. There were lots of Yellow Throated Longclaws and a pair of Rosy-Breasted Longclaws. The Banded Martins were numerous and active and there was the whinchat that had "oversummered"  in the park. A Black Bellied Bustard and a Black Sparrowhawk flew overhead. Interestingly the most common cisticola seen was Pectoral Patch. 
There were only two upsetting things in our day. One is that KWS have blocked off the access for the epauletted fruit bat colony that used to hang above the ticket box at the entrance to the park because they made a mess. This doesn't seem like a good model of how wildlife should be treated! 
Another was the huge new building on the very edge of the park (also it looks like in the flight path for Wlson Airport!) where a once pristine wetland has now been destroyed. 
However, it was a fantastic trip and how lucky we are to have this amazing park so accessible. 
  Fiona