NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK  15th July 2013



Dear All,
Mike Davidson, Heather Elkins, Fleur Ng’Weno, Jennifer Oduore and
myself, met up at the Main Entrance to Nairobi National Park shortly
after 6.30am. The traffic in had been painless, and it was a beautiful
clear and sunny but cold morning, becoming warm mid-morning.

We were out of the Park at 12.30am having remained in the northern
parts, and so the list is quite short, compared to a full day covering
most of the Park.

We gave KWS Mess garden a miss, as it had not been pulling its weight
the past few visits, and continued on to Ivory Burning Site which also
failed to produce.

We continued on to Nagalomon Dam, first finding a Green Sandpiper in
the same place as the very early bird the previous week, and at the
dam there were the usual three Darters, some fifteen Black-crowned
Night-Herons (mainly locally raised immatures), a very nice and close
Madagascar Pond-Heron, and a hidden Swamphen calling from the reeds.
There was a male Red-collared Widowbird coming back into breeding
plumage, already showing a red collar and fairly long tail. It can’t
be more that a few weeks ago that they we still in breeding plumage
and some starting to lose it. We had some out of plumage Jackson’s but
strangely no White-winged.

There was nothing attracting attention on the back way to Hyena Dam,
but as we first arrived at the dam there was an adult Swamphen with
two now fairly large but still black chicks, and next to them was a
very strange immature African Water Rail. It was unbarred, blackish
above, blotchy whitish below, and already sported a long bright red
bill. An adult was feeding in quite dry grass a few feet away.

A little further on there was a persistent call, that was exactly that
given by the baby Little Bitterns a few weeks ago, but we could not
see the bird. We stopped for coffee and snacks, and whilst there an
adult Little Bittern flew across the dam. There were also another pair
of Swamphens on the other side, where they are often seen.

Nothing exciting was on the Run-off area, but the Martial was sitting
tightly on its nest along the Mokoyeti River, the only bird at Eland
Hollow of remote interest was a Spotted Thick-knee and towards East
Gate there was an adult Black-chested Snake-Eagle. A detour to Mbuni
Picnic Site revealed a Tawny Eagle on a nest, with a snow white chick.

In the grasslands we encountered several parties of Orange-breasted
Waxbills and a scattering of Quail-Finch.

There were good numbers of plains game around Eland Hollow/East Gate,
but apart from a few Rhino nothing of note was seen today.

Best to all
Brian