Dear All,
On 23rd November, I met Patrick Lhoir and his son Johan at the Main
Entrance of Nairobi National Park at 6-30am. There were Willow
Warblers singing in the car-park and a couple of Blackcaps feeding in
a fruiting shrub.
We first went to the Ivory Burning Site, where the most extravagant
wedding I have seen, was to take place that morning. Nevertheless we
walked around the area. There were at least five Nightingales, several
Willow Warblers and the Upcher's Warbler, with Tree Pipit and Yellow
Wagtail passing overhead. It was cloudy and cool, there had been no
rain for four days and sadly the day was soon to get sunny and warmer
than usual. The difference between going to the Park when it is or has
recently been wet and when it is dry is like chalk and cheese. All the
flooded areas of last Wednesday had vanished, the dams had not moved
in the level of the water and the ground had just sucked up all of the
moisture. The southern parts of the Park look as arid as ever. The
birds on the two days were remarkably different.
We found another two Nightingales and a Marsh Warbler along the back
road towards Hyena Dam, but in a circuit from the dam through the
run-off and back round to the dam we had seven Whinchats, and only one
elsewhere in the Park.  Although this is a good concentration other
migrants were not very complementary.
At Hyena Dam the highlight was a male nominate palearctic Little
Bittern, there were also the Glossy Ibis, a Squacco Heron, a couple of
Green Sandpipers (only one other seen all day), and between here and
the run-off three Great and two Yellow-billed Egrets.  African Water
Rails were excessively vocal all around the dam, but not seen. A
couple of Common Kestrels were in the area, as was the tamest Northern
Hobby I have ever seen, sitting on a rock next to the vehicle as if we
weren't there. A further four Northern Hobbies were seen during the
course of the day. There was one very dark Eurasian Marsh Harrier and
for not far off a year of residency, no sign of the Jacana! On the
run-off there was far less than Wednesday, a sub-adult Fish Eagle, two
male and a female-type Pallid Harriers, several migrant Black Kites,
and a single Wood Sandpiper. We had at least seven Rosy-breasted
Longclaws in the area, but saw the species scattered all through the
Park, more than I had ever seen on a day before, and all singing, but
only a couple of Jackson's Widowbirds. Continuing on the circuit
around and back to Hyena Dam, there were twenty-five Eurasian
Bee-eaters along the Mokoyiet, the first of a dozen Red-tailed Shrikes
(no Red-backs today),  a couple of Yellow Wagtails, three Parasitic
Weavers of which a pair were displaying, actually the male was
hovering in front of the female whilst she appeared disinterested, and
they flew off before any deed could be witnessed. We continued our way
past birdless Nagalomon Dam, and nearly dry and birdless Olmanyi Dam.
On the way there were a pair of Ostriches with only a single young!
Crossing the plain towards Kingfisher Picnic Site, the male
Black-bellied Bustard and the Common Kestrel were in the same places
as on Wednesday. Closer to and at Kingfisher we had the first of seven
Isabelline Wheatear (no Northern today), and a couple of Pied
Wheatears although there is no sign of the tame adult male back at the
site yet. Chin-spot Batis were nest-building whilst we had our morning
refreshments. The dam at the back of Kingfisher  had what looked like
the same adult Black Stork seen on the previous two visits, and a
Saddle-billed Stork was parading over a distant open area but the
eye-colour couldn't be determined.
We then drove through a part of the Kisembe Forest but all was quiet
as it was so hot by now. There was a nice Nairobi Pipit on the road.