Dear All,

On the 3rd July, I met up with Nigel Hunter at the Main Gate at
6.30am, it was cloudy and cool, getting colder as the morning
progressed, the sun not making a breakthrough until after 12.30pm when
it suddenly became hot.
The following day, I met up with Mike Davidson, Fleur Ng'Weno and
Karen Plumbe at the Main Gate at 6.30am, also a cloudy start with the
sun making its appearance later.
In the interests of time saving I am dealing with the two days
together, but in truth they were amazingly different.
Starting at the Ivory Burning Site, it was very quiet apart from a
noisy Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul on the 3rd, and continuing on to the
back road towards Hyena Dam there were many birds feeding on the road,
which included a pair of African Firefinch. On the 3rd there was also
a pair of Nairobi Pipits near the pumphouse and on the 4th a Brown
Parrot flew across the road whilst a charming Pygmy Kingfisher sat on
roadside scrub. Whilst we were watching juvenile Quailfinch on the
4th, to the delight of all a Buttonquail came out and fed along the
road. Hyaena Dam was very quiet apart from the run off creek which on
3rd produced a Madagascar Pond Heron, Yellow-billed and Great Egrets,
Glossy Ibis and a frustrating Greater Painted-snipe. There were two
Madagascar Pond Herons on the 4th but nothing else apart from the
egrets. African Water Rails were very vocal on both days, and
Swamphens also called on the 3rd. On the run-off valley there were a
few Jackson's Widowbirds with small numbers of Yellow-crowned Bishops
and more calling African Water Rails. Returning along the road towards
Nagalomon Dam, there were many estrildids in the tall grass which
including some ten Orange-breasted (ex Zebra) Waxbills and
Red-collared Widowbirds still in "sparrow-plumage" but already the
tails are starting to grow, whilst at the dam there were two Darters
on 3rd. On this date we had a Serval strolling along the edge of the
road alongside the Mokoyiet River. Numerous birds were following the
cat, and with no less than five White-browed Coucals was a single
non-breeding Black Coucal, probably the bird last seen the previous
October but still holding out in the same area. Also there were over
seventy out-of-plumaged Wattled Starling, and a good sprinkling of
Red-billed Queleas which were far less conspicuous the following day.
Eland Hollow Dam has water again, although the only thing of note was
a pair of Crowned Cranes with a half-grown chick and the only Little
Grebe seen. Karen Primary School Dam was full of water but little of
note were it not for a Madagascar Pond Heron on 3rd. The grasslands
near the beacon held a Kori Bustard, a few White-tailed and a single
Athi Short-toed Lark as well as an array of cisticolas and three
species of Longclaws. A detour to Empakasi Dam on 3rd was not worth
the effort, but some hundred Yellow-crowned Bishops were congregating
in bushes, included the last of the breeding-plumaged males and above
Athi Basin the strange sight of a pair of African Hoopoes right out in
the grasslands. Athi Dam was not terribly exciting but maybe more than
of late. A lone Pink-backed Pelican on 3rd had increased to two Pink
and a White (all adults) on 4th, when there were two roosting
Black-crowned Night-Herons. Fifteen Yellow-throated Sandgrouse on 3rd
had expanded to over forty on 4th, with something obviously very
edible attracting them to the area. Other birds included three
Spur-winged Plover, and ten or so Kittlitz's Plovers whilst in the
overwintering wader line two Greenshank on 3rd were exchanged for a
Marsh Sandpiper on the 4th. Towards Cheetah Gate there was a single
d'Arnaud's Barbet on 3rd and we heard a Temminck's Courser flying over
on 4th, a distant Brown Snake-Eagle and our fourth Lilac-breasted
Roller for the day on this date. We had looked in the area for the
wintering Eurasian Rollers on both dates, but failed to find them.
Along the Mbagathi River near Cheetah Gate on the 3rd we had the
unusual experience of both Banded and Brown Parisomas in the same area
at the same time. Although both only frequent acacias, and both are
very widespread they seem to keep out of each other's way. There were
a few Speckled-fronted and Lesser Masked Weavers on both days here.
Near Rhino Circuit there was a single Rufous-crowned Roller on the
3rd, and a young Straw-tailed Whydah following a pair of Purple
Grenadiers on the 4th, although this does not mean that they bred in
the Park. On the 4th only we visited Hippo Pools, we were extremely
lucky with the White-backed Night-Heron found by Ben Mugambe a few
days earlier, but not so lucky with Rupert Watson's Finfoot with chick
seen the same period. Red-faced Cisticolas continue their presence
here, but nothing else of any note revealed itself. On both days the
return drive all the way via Baboon Cliffs, Leopard Gorge to
Kingfisher was birdless and uninteresting, but on the 3rd we drove
along the Kisembe River seeing a Bateleur by its nest, and alongside
Nagalomon Dam we had two Crowned Eagles and a young Black-chested
Snake-Eagle, and amongst a group of swallows and martins, a Grey
rumped Swallow was only the second I had ever seen in the Park.

Ostriches appear paired, but no sign of any chicks yet. After a recent
absence, Fish Eagles were at Nagalomon and Athi Dams and along the
Mbagathi River. Crowned Cranes appeared to be paired, though at
present only evidence of two pairs breeding. The pairing thought was
quashed when a graceful flock of eighteen flew in to feed near Hyaena
Dam.

Mammals were in large numbers towards the southern end of the Park,
Zebras, Eland and Buffalo in very good numbers. Giraffe seem to be
exceptionally numerous. The only lion seen on the two days was at
Nagalomon Dam although they are seen in numbers and commonly recently,
few tourists leave the Park without seeing them. The only other cat
was a Serval also near Nagalomon Dam. Of the less frequently seen
mammals there were two Suni on the forest, a Steinbok near the Beacon,
and a Bushbuck was up a tree on the Rhino Circuit though no sign of
what put it up there, both Black and White Rhinos, Hippos in Nagalomon
and Hyaena Dams and Hippo Pools.

On the 3rd we were through the gate by 4.30pm and on the 4th by
5.30pm, both days were absolutely exceptional during this our "quiet"
period!