Hi to all,

On 9th October , I met up with Nigel Hunter at the Main Entrance to Nairobi National Park and we were soon through the gate. Our first stop was to the Ivory Burning Site hoping for early migrants. There were none here, some fifteen Violet-backed Starlings being the only bird of interest. Along the back road there was a pair of Crested Francolin, we found a Garden Warbler in full song, and a Spotted Flycatcher. Along a swampy area back of Hyena Dam were a few Wood and a Green Sandpiper. There were Wood Sandpipers at a number of marshy spots in other parts of the Park, but no gatherings. Also lesser numbers of Green Sandpipers.  Parties of White-winged Widowbirds fed in the grasses. The back road is once again open to Hyena Dam, but the Dam was disappointing. There was an African Jacana feeding along the edge of the typha.  In the marsh area at the end of the causeway were one Great and three Yellow-billed Egrets, six Yellow Wagtails and two Sand Martins with the few Barn Swallows feeding over the area. Whilst a narrow creek by the ford had an African Water Rail which sat on a clump of sedges. A party of twenty Eurasian Bee-eaters passed overhead, and other small groups passed over during the day. Fifteen Orange-breasted Waxbills fed by the road and there was another Spotted Flycatcher. From here we continued across the Hyena Dam run-off and down the inside track to Karen Primary School Dam. Along here were three Black-winged Plovers, a single White-tailed Lark, and an adult male (koblyni) Red-backed Shrike, whilst at the dam were single Isabelline and Northern Wheatears and the only Little Grebe of the day. The only bird of note on the track from the "Beacon" were a couple of out-of-plumage Cardinal Queleas in a group of Red-billed Queleas. Empakasi Dam had absolutely nothing, and above Athi Basin all we could find was an Isabelline Wheatear. The contrast with the northern parts of the park and the desertified southern portions are intense. It's difficult to believe it is the same Park. Athi Dams water level is plummeting, and we only found three Pink-backed and one juvenile White Pelican, two Spur-winged and eight Kittlitz's Plovers, four Black-winged Stilts, three Greenshank, two Common Sandpiper and five Little Stints. Whilst the only waterfowl were a few White-faced Whistling-Duck, and a Speckled Pigeon was feeding in the weedy cover. There was nothing on the causeway, nor anything as we crossed the arid plains towards Cheetah Gate. Nearing the main road there were a pair of Yellow-throated Sandgrouse with three half-grown young. The birds had obviously bred in the area, and this might be a new breeding record for the Park. Interestingly whilst the adult female was blotchy across the flight-feathers, the juveniles were barred. Cheetah Gate was very dull with a pair of Namaqua Doves and several Crimson-rumped Waxbills.  Rhino Circuit was dry and fairly lifeless, and we could not face the hot dusty walk down to the Hippo Pools. Along the southern road we had nothing until a Saddle-billed Stork, two Northern Wheatears, a female Whinchat, near Kingfisher Picnic Site, but the nicest find in this area was an attractive flock of twenty-three Grey-headed Silverbills. Passing through the Kisembe Forest we had a Nairobi Pipit on the road, and the dam near Langata Gate still held a Madagascar Pond Heron, which now has a bright blue bill and white blotches appearing amongst the plumage. We returned towards Main Gate and departed at 4.30pm.

Our search in the very dry and dusty southern portions of the Park were a great waste of time ornithologically, virtually anything of any note was in the northern sections of the Park. However the south did hold a lot of game, and 160 Wildebeest around Athi Dam was particularly of interest. We watched people watching Lions near Karen Primary School Dam. There was a troop of Syke's Monkeys playing on the Main Entrance Gate, not often seen around there.

It was nice to see some migrants back, and we had a very nice time but agreed that we would have done better to concentrate our efforts in the North.

The weather was cold much of the morning, then suddenly got hot in the early afternoon when the sun emerged.

Brian