Dear All,
On 20th March I met Patrick Lhoir and his father at the Main entrance
to Nairobi Nation Park at 6.30am. It was a grey morning, there had
been a light drizzle since just before dawn, but nothing of any note.
It was quiet along the entrance road, and we saw nothing until
descending towards Ivory Burning Site. A female Barred Warbler and a
Whitethroat were feeding low in bushes near the road as were a pair of
African Firefinch. At the picnic area itself it was gloomy and the
birds not at all active. There were a party of ten Eurasian
Bee-eaters, three Nightingales singing half-heartedly, a Spotted
Flycatcher, and a couple each of Olivaceous Warbler and Whitethroat. A
Great Sparrowhawk swooped at some doves but continued on without
breakfast, finally some twenty Grosbeak Weavers left their roost on
Nagalomon Dam. Along the back road there were no migrants, but a pair
of Quailfinch were collecting vegetable matter from some Rhino dung
and flying off with it, presumably nest-building but a strange
component. They were in small numbers all over the Park and obviously
there has been quite an influx, and presumably to breed. The Squacco
Heron was still on the small marsh and Red-collared Widowbirds were
very widespread and numerous.
Nothing of any note was at Hyena Dam, and on the run-off there were a
pair of Saddle-billed Storks, a Crowned Crane that appeared to be
incubating, not in the swamp, but on the open plain. Perhaps with the
other four active nests in the area, ideal breeding habitat was at a
premium. Mind you there are still plenty of small swamps that look
ideal.  There were Rosy-breasted Longclaws all over the eastern area,
they were very conspicuous, singing from low shrubs. On the inside
road to Karen Primary School Dam there were White-tailed Larks singing
high in the sky, a couple of displaying Red-capped Larks and an Athi
Short-toed Lark standing in the middle of the road. Innumerable
Rufous-naped Larks and various Cisticolas brought the grassy plains to
life. There was little at the dam, but a female Western Marsh Harrier
was hunting over the area. There not a lot on the way towards Athi
Basin, eight Lesser Kestrels and a couple of Whinchats being about it,
but the highlight was a female Kori Bustard with a young bird
one-third of its size, but almost a perfect "mini-me" having all the
plumage patterns of the adult. Always good to have a breeding record
in the Park, there aren't that many. There were two male Koris seen in
the area but not with this pair. There was a steady SE movement of
Barn Swallows over the plains.
The top of the Athi Basin had over three-hundred Wattled Starlings, of
these less than 5% were in breeding plumage, but contained one was the
most spectacular males I had ever seen, having long wattles hanging
down like a basset hound! The attraction seemed to be tent
caterpillars but there was a lot of foraging on the ground as well.
Another bird in very unusual numbers here was Speke's Weavers. There
were flocks of up to thirty birds all over this area, and many were
starting new colonies in the acacias and balanites. One party had a
breeding plumage Chestnut Weaver. Along the road towards Athi Dam
there were two Eurasian Rollers and singles Red-backed and Red-tailed
Shrikes and a Capped Wheatear. On the descent there were a few Athi
Short-toed Larks, and a very nice White-tailed Lark singing from the
top of a low shrub. The Dam was most disappointing, a solitary White
Stork, adult Fish Eagle, three Black-winged Stilt, a Spur-winged
Plover and the only migrant waders being five Little Stints. It
started to pour with rain whilst we were there, and two Speckled
Pigeons were feeding amongst the seasonal weeds, one of these fell
over on its side, raised a wing and let the rain fall on the
underwing, it obviously felt good! The road became very sticky very
quickly and we decided to get back to the murrum. Arriving on the
Cheetah Gate road there were nine Temminck's Coursers. A stop at the
"Orange" Tower rewarded with three Eurasian Rock Thrush, a beautiful
male Irania and a couple each of Olivaceous Warblers and Whitethroats
as well as at least five Willow Warblers. There was a Red-and-yellow
Barbet calling somewhere and Banded Parisoma were bursting into song
after the heavy shower. There were a couple of Speckle-fronted Weavers
amongst a good selection of scrub species. Continuing along to Cheetah
Gate provided a Common Buzzard, a few more Olivaceous Warblers, but
the most interesting here, was a White-browed Sparrow-Weaver with a
necklace of streaking across the throat like the southern race
pectoralis. Towards Rhino Circuit we had a Northern Wheatear, our only
migrant wheatear of the day, and only the second Red-tailed Shrike. On
the circuit was our first Common Sandpiper on the river and five
Violet Wood-Hoopoes (and more Olivaceous Warblers). On the way to the
Hippo Pools there were a pair of Secretarybirds building a nest in the
top of a Balanites. The Hippo Pools was quite low, three Common
Sandpipers were present, a Dusky Turtle Dove was unexpected here and
the Red-faced Cisticolas still around. On the other side of the bridge
there was a handsome Eurasian Nightjar roosting high up in an acacia,
three African Hoopoes, a single Tree Pipit, two Spotted Flycatchers, a
few Olivaceous and two each of Garden and Willow Warblers, a couple of
Speckle-fronted Weavers, two male and two female Village Indigobirds
and the male Straw-tailed Whydah in the same place as a week ago. The
most interesting bird here was a phylloscopus all snow-white below
that I first thought a Wood Warbler with no yellow in the plumage, but
the tail is too long. I have treated this strange bird separately.
After leaving the Hippo Pools we found a Mountain Wagtail at the
Mokiyiet Bridge, and a Steppe Eagle near Leopard Cliffs.
It was a great birding day, and mammals also fared well. There was a
Slender Mongoose near the Main Gate, whilst at Ivory Burning Site an
adult and young Spotted Hyenas came out of the bushes and walked onto
the open grass, a Suni towards Splash, a female Black Rhinoceros
trailed by two identically sized youngsters, did it have twins?, and
finally a nice Lioness in Athi Basin. Otherwise a good selection of
normal mammals, most variety being in the Athi Basin.
A good day with more rain build-ups towards the evening, and the hope
of more showers soon. Where are the falcons this year, it seems that
they are in central Tanzania in good numbers already?
Best to all
Brian