Dear All,

My first bird of the day was a Eurasian Cuckoo winging itself across
the road as I set off for the Park. On the 5th we had a calling
African Cuckoo around the garden for much of the morning, joining the
noisy Red-chested, African Emerald, Klaas' and Diederics that have
been calling furiously the past week.

I met up with Nigel Hunter at the Main Entrance at 6.30am, there were
no other vehicles going in that time, possibly envisaging sticky roads
after the recent rains. There was little evidence of any heavy
inundation, and many small dams are worryingly low for so late into
the wet season.
The day was dry and for the main part overcast and cool, the rain that
had fallen in the Park had been in the north-east, as this is the
catchment for all of the rivers in the Park, they were all flowing
well and the water level at Hyena Dam was higher than normal.
Our first stop was Ivory Burning Site, and as is often the case there
had been a hamusi kubwa, and the massive tenting still up. There
wasn't much of any note here, a Scaly Francolin was waking along the
road towards us, and there was a distant female Red-backed Shrike. Two
noisy White-browed Sparrow-Weavers were unusual at this site.
Along the back road to Hyena dam, there were large numbers of
Widowbirds, and at the dam a pair of extravert Swamphens were busily
feeding and African Water Rails were calling. On the run-off things
were more interesting with a pair of Saddle-billed Storks, a Great
Egret, what was probably the same Madagascar Pond Heron as seen on
Hyena Dam the previous Sunday, a couple more of calling African Water
Rails, two Rosy-breasted Longclaws, the first of a dozen Barn Swallows
seen today, a Great Reed Warbler fed openly in the sedges, the first
of four Lesser Grey Shrikes (the other three being in Athi Basin),
some sixty attractive Yellow-crowned Bishops, and large numbers of
Jackson's Widowbirds. Young males in streaky plumage were jumping up
and down preparing for the day when they would be better adorned.
There were many Quailfinch and some six Orange-breasted Waxbills in
rank grass. We circled around to Nagalomon Dam where there was another
openly feeding Swamphen, a very rufous female Darter and a couple of
Black-crowned Night-Herons. Swinging around we took the road along the
upper Mokoyiet; there was a young Northern Hobby on top of a dead
tree, a Jacobin Cuckoo, and several Yellow-bellied Waxbills. At the
drinking pond we heard a Black Cuckoo, but were unsure of the records
validity as there were singing Ruppell's Robin-Chats on either side of
the vehicle that were competing with each other with a whole
pot-pourri of different bird calls. We played a recording of Black
Cuckoo and were soon visited by the species, but you can never be too
sure when there are noisy Robin-Chats about! Continuing on towards
Langata Gate, we followed the edge of the forest, a pair of Crowned
Cranes was back in a traditional nest site (four other pairs were on
territories elsewhere). There was a Nairobi Pipit on the road, whilst
Emerald Cuckoos and Narina Trogon called from the forest.  Whilst
checking on some Red-eyed Doves as we took the forest road to get to
Kingfisher, I spotted a couple of Rollers flying very high in the
distance. Following them was another three, and another and another
until eighteen birds were in view. Whilst Eurasian Rollers migrate in
flocks, it was now far too late for that species in such numbers, and
I could see that they were Broad-billed Rollers. They lost altitude
and came low enough to feed over the forest. In the west flocks of
Broad-bills are a normal sight, they were presumably birds coming up
from Madagascar on their way to their western wintering area, but if
they were from Madagascar why were they on a route that passed over
Nairobi? I have not heard of any flocks seen in the east before. The
largest flock ever recorded in Nairobi Park before was one! A young
Martial Eagle fed on something furry and deep rufous, but even though
we were within three metres of the bird, the prey remained concealed
in long grass. It was a long drive all the way to the Athi Basin, the
only sighting worthy of mention being a very attractive Eurasian
Roller and a Kori Bustard. Above Athi Basin were two independent
"teenage" Kori Bustards which had very dark plumage compared to
adults, a pair of Shelley's Francolins and two Jacobin Cuckoos feeding
on tent caterpillars, whilst the dam itself was a bit disappointing, a
Spur-winged Plover five Little Stints and three Wood Sandpipers still
present, and two Black-crowned Night-Herons roosting on the causeway.