Dear All,
Mike Davidson, Fleur Ng'Weno, Jennifer Oduoro and Karen Plumbe, covened at the Main Gate of Nairobi National Park at 6.30am. It was a very cheerful morning, with sun and blue sky and pleasantly cool remaining so for much of the day. In the evening there was rain but only affecting the immediate vicinity Nagalomon Dam to Main Gate, whilst we were there. No very unusual species recorded, but impressive concentrations and substantial breeding still.
Our first stop was at the KWS Mess gardens, where there was not very much happening, Brown Parrots could be heard calling distantly, and there were a few Violet-backed Starlings and with more at Ivory Buring Site totalling some forty birds. This seems to be regular at this time of year, maybe birds returning from breeding in the Middle East and Horn of Africa, who knows. Ivory Burning Site was equally quiet, but there was a singing Wahlberg's Honeybird there and whilst not that uncommon in the Park, this is the first I have ever heard vocalising there. Along the back of Hyena Dam was quiet, and the dam itself produced a foraging African Water Rail but that was it. There was a group of Red-collared Widowbirds including a male already with a long tail, although otherwise in brown plumage. On the run-off little of interest apart from three Barn Swallows and only another seen individual recorded after that, and an immature Orange-breasted Waxbill. Along the Mokoyeti was a Green Sandpiper (only one other seen), and a compact flock of nearly one hundred Wattled Starlings, with none in breeding plumage. At the swamp near Kingfisher Picnic Site there was a remarkable compact gathering of exactly forty Crowned Cranes, the largest number together before was eighteen. Presumably local breeders, we had three other so far Crowned Crane breeding successes, pairs with two and a single chick,and a remarkable group where a pair had two large chicks about half grown, but also a third chick that was only half the size of their siblings. Also here there were twenty Eurasian Bee-eaters flying high southwards showing no interest in stopping, and a colourful Pangani Longclaw. There were three Wood Sandpipers at Olmanyi Dam, and a pair of Spotted Thick-knees on the Nagalomon drift before we dropped Fleur back at the Main Gate just before mid-day. The remainder of us continued our search finding a male Saddle-billed Stork at Karen Primary School Dam, a Rosy-breasted Longclaw in full breeding plumage at Eland Hollow Dam, and near the junction to Ruai Dam there was an adult Secretary Bird with a large immature that was undoubtedly raised in the Park. Immatures however are just never reported. Empakasi Dam had a pair of Little Grebes with two small chicks. From here we continued on to the Athi basin where we had a pair of Ostrich with half-a-dozen chicks, unlike other species they seem to have had a poor breeding season compared to normal. The flooded murrum pit on top of the valley attracted forty White-backed Vulture and two Lappet-faced, they were coming in to bathe and this is also something that they have not been doing lately. We ran into hundreds and hundreds of Quailfinch, we had seen small groups elsewhere during the day, but there were times when we were flushing successive groups of up to twenty birds. At Athi Dam the water had dropped allowing access direct to the causeway. There were three Black-crowned Night-Herons in the trees here, Marabou Stork were congregating at the waters edge with some 350, numbers that have not been seen for a while, seven Yellow-billed Storks contained a full breeding adult and several immatures, and there was a dense congregation of forty-four Helmeted Guineafowl that had many young birds which is a large flock for the Park. In the wader line were a single Black-winged Stilt, three Spur-winged and seven Kittlitz's Plovers, whilst palearctic waders were only two each of Little Stints and Common Greenshanks, still all adults. There was a coming and going of about ten Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, and unusual in the trees along the causeway, a pair of Red-throated Tits.
We hightailed from here back to the gate to avoid the traffic, and there really wasn't any which was a bit of a surprise.
The more interesting mammals today consisted of a stunning black-maned Lion near Kingfisher, a Black Rhinoceros in the same area and an attractive Side-striped Ground Squirrel near Hippo Pools. Otherwise there is an indication of plains game moving back into the Park, particularly Zebra.

It was a great day, a bit of a tweener with the breeding visitors departed and too early for the northern migrants.

Best to all
Brian



Black-winged Stilt Spur-winged Plover Kittlitz's Sandplover Little Stint Common Greenshank Yellow-throated Sandgrouse Red-throated Tit