Notes from Xmas Holidays:

 

31st Dec Interesting pelagic birds from deep sea fishing boat 20 miles out
from Watamu  include:

 

Greater Frigatebird , 5 Grey Phalaropes, Red Footed Booby, 2 Wedge Tailed
Shearwaters.

 

 

5th Jan Tsavo East full of European Rollers, European Golden Orioles along
the river, Golden Pipits,  Golden Breasted Starlings. Somali Coursers and
Harlequin Quails...perhaps Midas has been through there !

 

Good Leopard sighting too along river. Also Hirolas quite easy to see just
5-10kms south of Satao Tented Camp

 

 

Brgds Simon Ball

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com [mailto:kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Brian Finch
Sent: 05 January 2013 19:44
To: kenyabirdsnet
Subject: [KENYABIRDSNET] NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 19th December 2012

 

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 19th December 2012

 

Dear All,

Sorry for the delay in posting this. We had a bad run with KPL in

which I could not send this, and then as the power improved it got

forgotten.

Nigel Hunter, his grandson Toby and myself were through the NNP main

gate  a little before 7.00 am. It had been dry overnight, though there

had been recent rain.

We first visited the KWS mess garden. There was a Black Kite sitting

in the trees,  three Tree Pipits were back feeding on the lawn, the

Nightingales were around the rubbish tip, but it might have been a bit

too late to see them feeding on it. There were a couple each of Garden

Warblers, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers and the Black-collared Apalis

was back and singing noisily from the hedge. At Ivory Burning Site

there was one bird of note and that was the presence of the Parks

first ever Green-headed Sunbird, an adult male sitting on the top of a

croton.

Along the back road we picked up an Olivaceous Warbler, a Spotted

Flycatcher and a pair of Nairobi Pipits, a Jacobin Cuckoo and more

surprisingly a d'Arnaud's Barbet. There were also a few noisy Eurasian

Bee-eaters although we did not actually see them. At Hyena Dam there

was a Black Stork, Eurasian Marsh Harrier, a fairly late Lesser

Spotted Eagle adult, African Water Rails, the pair of Blacksmith

Plover still with their four flying offspting in good health, ten Wood

and a couple of Green Sandpipers, and a party of female Yellow-crowned

Bishops flew over calling. This was a surprise as I do not associate

them coming in on the short rains, more confined to the period May to

July. On the run-off there was a Spur-winged Goose, a Steppe Eagle, a

Yellow Wagtail and four Whinchats. In the typha were a full breeding

male Yellow-crowned Bishop displaying to two females. Additionally the

Jackson's Widowbirds had returned to this favoured area with some

fifty birds including displaying males.