From: chege wa kariuki <chege@birdwatchingeastafrica.com>
Date: 2010-05-28 07:39
Subject: Shaba/Samburu N Reserve: Friedmann's, Williams' Lark, Grey-crested Helmet Shrike
Dear all
Greetings hoping this find you all well. Here is a quick report of a short birding trip with half a day in Nairobi National Park, 2 days in Samburu/Shaba National Reserve and 2 hours in Naivasha. On the 18th of May, Gareth Bullock and I visited Nairobi National Park between 0900 -1400hrs. It was already quiet and though we supposed to arrive at 8 to the park gate but I were late to pick him as I had reroute after part of the thika road was blocked which costed a whole hour. However, at the main gate we had the resident Northern Double Collared Sunbird just before entering.  At the Ivory Burning site were 2 or more Scaly Francolin that were never seen, Good looks and songs from the African Mustached Warblers,  both Little and Horus Swifts and later in the Kisembe Forest 3 Nairobi Pipits, a Ruppell’s Robin Chat mimicking an African Crowned Eagle and later a Narina Trogon before singing out her usual 1,2,3 song/count. A Great Sparrowhawk flew above the forest, and were 2 Hartlaub’s Turaco, 2 White-headed Barbets, were seen.

In the grass plain 2 separate Harlequin Quails (male and female) and 1 Pangani Longclaw near the Kingfisher Picnic site and not far away from the Yellow-throated Longclaw we had seen before, Red-billed Oxpecker missing the Yellow-billed,  a few of the park’s cisiticolas were seen including Winding, Rattling, Siffling, Stout and Singing. At the Kinfisher Picnic site were 2 Red-throated Tits together with the White-bellied Tits and which was my first ones that far from the Hippo pools. Lot’s of White-winged and Red-collared Widowbirds in breeding plumage but not any Jackson’s.

We left the park at 1400hrs picking Jonathan Angliss from the hotel heading to Thika’s Blue Post Hotel. A late afternoon one and a half hour walk produced the usual Olive Grey Greenbuls (one of the 26 species Jonathan wanted) and was a bit hard to hear them as the river turbulence was such a noise, Zanzibar Greenbull was heard but not seen, 2 Giant Kingfisher flew along the river and my first one for Blue Post Scaly Francolin ( a single individual perched on the tree at 1830hrs) Not sure it’s a resident as I have neither heard them before nor seen them here. This reminds me twice I have seen single Muscovy Duck by the river sharing the water and perch not far from the African Finfoot . There was also a Green-backed Honeybird, Red-fronted Tinkerbird and on the fig perched a Great Sparrowhawk.

The following morning we left at 0700hrs for Shaba Game Reserve making a first stop at the Tana Power Station where.  Here we got the endemic Hinde’s Babbler (one well seen and a few more calling from the bushes) The birds appearing here was a great relieve and saved our 40km to and fro to the Wajeeh Nature Park as it was another most sort out bird for the party. I wonder when last they may have been seen here Other birds here included 2 Tawny Eagle, our 3rd sighting of the Great Sparrowhawk, consider Jonathan’s last 3 or 4 visit he had not seen any until last year in sept when he saw only one, now they were appearing like to be  common. A single African Mustached Warbler singing, Lots of African Golden Weavers nesting in trees submerged in the water. The level is high and the power station must be busy charging there batts while it’s raining. A flock of African Green Pigeons flew above us, 2 White-headed Barbets. The plains near Naro Moru produced another needed bird the Jackson’s Widowbirds about 4 individual and only one male was pomping up and down the courtship. Also a few Long-tailed. Timau had Augur Buzzards and a Long-crested Eagle along the road and the usual site at the junction had a Boran Cisticola who was readily singing. There was also unconfirmed sighting of the Northern Grosbeak Canary which we left as unknown or a just a Brimstone Carnary as we only had a few secs of view. But had a heavier bill and much larger than a Brimstone but left it out as it seemed much higher for the species. However, anyone visiting the site please just keep an eye.

Just before the gate to the Shaba National Reserve a couple of Bristle-crowned Starlings and a few hundreds of Chestnut Weaver, Red-billed Quilea, 2 Black-throated Barbet, an assortment of Emerald spotted Wood, African Mourning, Ring-necked, Laughing, Namaqua Doves quench their thirst along the stream.

Arrived at the Sarova Shaba Game Lodge for late lunch and there were Water Thicknees by the bank opposite the lodge, one Little Sparrowhawk in the lodge gardens. Immediately after lunch we set out for game drive at 1530 hours birding. Very green or very above the areas standard and had a Harlequin Quail fly from the road, the dry wet land near the lodge hard over 50 males Cardinal Quilea and apparently happens to be new record for the atlas square 51B, 30 Males Fire-fronted Bishop,  5 White-winged Widowbirds,  1 male Yellow-crowned Bishop another new record for the atlas square, 1 Yellow Bishop away from the site.  All the 4 bishops were new for me in these area.

A single Shikra was seen too, and 1 Red-necked Falcon another new one of the part of the reserve, White-fronted Bee-eaters were  common all over the reserve. Lots of Fischer’s Sparrow Larks and only 2 Chestnut-headed Sparrow Larks, some of the birds that had taken us there like the Friedmann’s Lark were (8 individuals) in plenty singing and displaying and a few more heard but not seen so guessing somewhere more or less than 20 in the area we visited before I have seen one or even heard just one. Never seen them displaying and wonder if they could be nesting in such a period of heavy long rains? Had a 2 Taita Fiscals and no Somali Fiscal, one male and one female Eastern Paradise Whydah individually, Black-bellied and Hunters Sunbirds, Golden Pipits were common in their breeding pajamas doing their butterfly dance.

The following morning spent the half day in Samburu National Reserve returning for lunch and that’s where we found our first Vulturine Guineafowl, 2 female Somali Ostriches, a Hooded Vulture, 2 Verreaux’ Eagles, 2 Tawny Eagles, 1 Bateleur, 2 Pale Chanting Goshawk, I Black Kite,  1 Pigmy Falcon, 2 Martial Eagle, and could not locate the resident Palm nut Vulture, 1 imm Great Spotted Cuckoo and probably the resident at this time of the year,  a White-headed Mousebird,  Taita Fiscals again with no Somali, thousands of Red-billed Quilea with a few hundred Chestnut Weavers a male Steal-blue Whyday was a new for me too in the reserve.

Back to the Shaba and after lunch we headed out again just to find 2 more Black Kites the bird I usually associate with towns which may mean the Archer’s Post is quite growing:; it’s all tarmac’d, electricity, 1 Shikra and 1 Gabar Goshawk, an immature Martial Eagle who stared at us 3 mtrs away and one who kept rotating the face and starring at us; eyes in vertical position….no idea what that meant but he was youngstar though,  2 African Hawk Eagle perched on a dead tree,  10 Friedmann’s Larks again 6 seen and others heard, Fawn Collared Larks and Pink-breasted Larks and 2 Secretary Birds in a nest. A Pearl-spotted Owlet replied a call at the lodge in the evening.

The following morning of 21st left for the Williams Lark and on the way was 4 helmeted Guineafowls with 3 juvs, 1 Secretary Bird, 8 Vulturine Guineafowl, a Black-chested Snake Eagle, 2 African Hawk Eagles flying high (prob the same individual seen last afternoon), African Orange-bellied Parrots, a Dark Morph of a Black-and-White Cuckoo (my first dark morph), over 20 White-throated Bee-eaters, 2 Yellow-billed Hornbills.

It was so scary for me when I arrive at the William’s Larks plain just to find the area was fully covered by grass (easily the grassy plain could be sold to a potential wheat farmer just to find the boulder lava desert after the rains are gone), first I thought they would no longer be there as it was a total change of habitat type and secondly if they were spotting one would the hardest thing and may be day after. Went through the first patch with no luck and moved further and immediately saw four of them displaying just like other larks flying up flapping like they are learning how to hover and coming down. In one area of about 0.6 km2 there were a 10 individual most displaying while 2 of them were seen carrying food, Though there really was not time to find the nest I was granted some time and I did spend like 15 min to do that but in vain.  Very eager that this would have been the first nest ever of the species but also probably the first bird reported to have been seen carrying food meaning the birds must have been feeding some youngones. Unless the males will lure the females with some token like some cuckoos I have observed. My other wonder and feeling is that these are the periods they probably nest, year of heavy and such long rains. Something else important to note were the huge influx of tiny grasshoppers, katydids and or locusts too may be this is part of their diet though I have to say that the 2 individuals carrying food were caterpillar/worm types and none of the three. In the area was atleast a single Red-winged Lark while most of the trees around was a nesting site for the DonaldsonSmith Sparrow Weavers. We did missed the prestige Masked Lark but unfortunately had little time again.

On our way back we had 5 more Friedmann’s Lark, 3 Ashy Cisticolas, about 20 Magpie Starlings, a couple wattled Starling and Golden-breasted Starlings, a pair Red-fronted Warbler and Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, 1 Fire-fronted Bishop.

Way up on the Timau again a single Long-crested Eagle and 6 males Jackson’s Widowbirds on the wheat fields with  a few Yellow-crowned Canary, a late lunch at the Naru Moru River Lodge where the garden had a few Tacazze sunbirds and afterwards left for the Mackinder’s Eagle Owl and with the help of Mureithi “the Owl Man” we found 1 (if you ever can’t reach him on fone try stopping at the small trading centre 3 km before and ask the guys selling onions, they know him as “Dudu Man” –Owl Man in Kikuyu. This has worked more than a few times for me.) In the vicinity was a pair of Long-billed Pipits and a bunch of Nyanza Swift. While dropping Gareth at Nyeri for a transfer to the airport a single Peregrine Falcon flys above.

On 22nd the interest was on Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Mustached Green Tinkerbird, Kenrik’s Starling and Fine-banded Woodpecker. This would have taken us to Met Station, Sirimon route and Meru and knew it was a long day. On arrival at the main gate to Mt Kenya National Park we were told the roads were unpassable or were washed by the recent rains having an option of only walking.  We opted to leave for Naivasha for the Grey-crested Helmet Shrike which was still a mystery bird for Jonathan. I did want to stop at the Nyahururu at the forest as I knew there were the tinkerbirds there but gave priority to the hard species helmet shrike. We arrived at the Crater Lake at 1600hrs and had only 2 hours before dark. After an hour 10 min a family of 6 showed up becoming Jonathan’s 20th bird of his wanted list. Watched them for like 15 min then we left for Nairobi calling at the Elsamere Centre for the Hilderbran’t Francolin which are resident there and we were lucky again one started calling and we tracked and later he came out and perched on a dead log to sing. We left at 1847hrs for the airport arriving close to 2100hrs.

good birding
and many thanks
chege