NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 29th July 2013

Dear All,
On 27th July, on the gloomiest, darkest and chilliest of mornings,
Mike Davidson, Jennifer Oduore, Karen Plumbe and myself met at the
Main Entrance to Nairobi National Park at 6.30am.

On Saturday night, there had be a very pleasant unseasonal rain with
up to ½ inch falling, but nothing since.

Our first call was at the KWS Mess Garden, where we arrived to total
silence, with not a single bird song anywhere and no sign of any
movement. After some ten minutes things did improve and birds started
calling and a few flying around. Although we finally left with a list
of nearly forty species from this site, the only bird of any note was
the lone resident Black-collared Apalis.

Ivory Burning Site was bleak, and nothing of any interest was
discovered here, although a distant Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul was
singing quite vigorously, so we had a look at Nagalomon Dam. There was
no sign of the Spotted Thick-knee on the drift but the same changing
male Red-collared Widowbird was here for the third week in a row, and
the only member of its kind seen today.  But for the fourth successive
week the same Green Sandpiper was on the Mokoyeti River below the
bridge. The Dam itself was a disappointment, there were two
Black-crowned Night-Herons remaining following the post-breeding
dispersal, and that was virtually it!

Feeling a little disappointed from how productive it had been the
previous Monday we took the back road to Hynea Dam, with no avian
solice, and had a very welcome warming and refreshing coffee at Hyena
Dam. A newly arrived Wood Sandpiper was present, but spent most of its
time with its head tucked under its wing, and was obviously not too
happy with the climate either! An African Water Rail was calling from
the reeds but we did not see it, and a winter plumage Little Grebe was
on the water. We enjoyed the common birds of the area then took the
run-off road.

It was amazingly birdless, but improved things when a non-breeding
male Parasitic Weaver started hopping along in front of us, and a
Rosy-breasted Longclaw with colour appeared.

Arriving back on the main road along the Mokoyeti, there were a pair
of Red-faced Cisticolas duetting from the scrub, and Karen spotted
something in a roadside bush and asked us to go back. On retracing we
found a non-breeding Black Coucal cowering in cover. This is a species
not known for vagrancy in Kenya, with virtually just the resident
population in the Mara. However it is a very secretive species, and it
is possibly the same bird that has been seen at very irregular
intervals in the same general area over the past several years. It has
never called, so is probably female. Although photographed well on
previous occasions, it wasn’t today, quickly retiring into the depths
of cover. Things were now staring to improve, and even the clouds
seemed lighter and the ambience brighter. Further along the road, the
Martial Eagle was incubating.

Following the road around to Eland Hollow Dam, there was at last some
game, with a few Zebras and many Kongoni, but the short rain had
seemed to have caused a withdrawal from this area, and maybe the
entire Park.

Whilst enjoying another cup of coffee, we watched the dam, it appeared
birdless apart from a pair of Egyptian Geese with three goslings.
Suddenly from under the bank three large orange-headed ducklings swam
out into the water-lilies, and a Red-billed Teal swam out to join
them. It looked a bit odd for these to be Red-billed Teal ducklings,
as they were as large as the Teal, but still all fluffy! Soon there
was a crash and a female Spur-winged Goose flew out of the sedges, and
re-united itself with her progeny and they all swam off up the channel
together. Some two months ago there was a pair of Spur-winged Geese
here that stayed for several weeks, looking at home and it was hoped
that they would breed. It now looked as if this same pair had done
exactly that, but no sign of the male. I am sure that this is a first
breeding record of the species in not just the Park but all of Nairobi
County. In fact to take it further, I cannot personally ever recall
seeing Spur-winged goslaings before…. anywhere! We had a look for the
usually resident Spotted Thick-knees, instead finding sitting on their
rock, a Dusky Nightjar fully in the open.

Leaving here we drove across to Karen Primary School Dam, and there
sitting on a mound, enjoying the weak sunshine from the now breaking
cloud cover, was the male Spur-winged Goose taking a break from
baby-sitting duties!
A new Green Sandpiper was also feeding in the shallows.

Continuing our way we stopped briefly at Mbuni Picnic Site, where the
Tawny Eagle was attending its still all white chick, further on we had
a group of five Wattled Starlings, and two Chandler’s Reedbucks in the
traditional site. Five non-breeding Jackson’s Widowbirds flew out the
sedges in a small dam.

Vultures were coming to bathe at the flooded murrum pits at the top of
Athi Basin.  There were about a dozen White-backed and three
Ruppell’s. I am not sure if it is in the literature or not, but
thought is that vultures do not drink but obtain their moisture from
their food. These birds (both species) were wading into the water,
delicately sipping the water and swallowing it, obviously with much
pleasure.

Athi Dam was not too exciting at all, the only palearctic wader was a
Common Greenshank, with this species you really cannot be sure whether
it is just an itinerant non-breeding wanderer, rather than a returning
early migrant. Unlike Green, Wood and Common Sandpipers, a few
Greenshank do stay on through the northern breeding season. As the
species has not been seen since early May, it has obviously come in
from somewhere though. Three Spur-winged Plovers were amongst the
Blacksmiths, of which there were several chicks present as well, but
no return of Kittlitz’s yet. Not only was it virtually waderless, but
duckless too were it not for the Egyptian Geese with a new brood.
There were four Black-crowned Night-Herons roosting along the
Causeway, where we had another cup of coffee! By now it was starting
to get pleasantly mild. Close to the dam there were some forty Banded
Martins congregating on a bush from which they would leave to hawk
insects. At this time of year Banded Martins often appear in flocks in
the Park, sometimes as many as two-hundred together, and undoubtedly
relate to southern breeders.

We motored along across the grassland seeing little but a Pangani
Longclaw, and entered out onto the murrum road to Cheetah Gate. Just
as we turned we could see a little group of birds on the road ahead. A
few months ago the first Black-faced Sandgrouse for the Park was not
far from here, a female. Here were a pair of Black-faced Sandgrouse
now, but with two chicks!!!! This is obviously a new breeding record
for both the Park and Nairobi County, and a very surprising find. Not
far from here there was a Secretary Bird on a nest low in a Balanites,
in a new site. We had already seen a pair and a solitary bird on the
plains. We continued on to Cheetah Gate, to look for dry country
birds, and were rewarded with species such as d’Arnaud’s Barbet, a
species that arrived several years ago with the long drought, and has
apparently never left, also several Laughing Doves, Marico Sunbird,
Speckle-fronted Weavers and more unusual, three African Silverbills.
Near the river there was a Long-crested Eagle, our third Green
Sandpiper of the day (they are certainly back now), another Red-faced
Cisticola (we recorded all ten of the Parks Cisticola species today),
and a pair of African Firefinches amongst others.

Driving towards the Hippo Pools, there were several thousand Marabous
coming in to roost, and for a couple of kilometres the tops of the
acacias and figs were crowned in them. This is a traditional roost
site for the species, but in these numbers the provenance of these
birds is completely unknown and are undoubted migrants. A few raptors
along here included three Tawny, two displaying Martial and another
Long-crested Eagle, plus a single Lanner, but the strangest find of
all here, was an adult Black Stork sitting alone in a tree. Now this
cannot be a northern migrant this early, and must be a bird that never
returned north. I have never heard of a wintering Black Stork in Kenya
before.

It was getting late now, and we decided to take the short cut back to
the Main Gate, there was nothing much of interest apart from a
sentinel Lappet-faced Vulture on a low acacia, but no sign of a nest
underneath it, although in a typical site for the species.

Passing by Nagalomon Dam, a male Darter was back on its normal perch
having been absent in the morning, but nothing else was showing.

Other species are worthy of mention: We certainly saw over twenty
Black-shouldered Kites during the course of the day. Pairs were
displaying in two area, and not far from Nagalomon Dam were two scaly
backed immatures probably recently fledged from close by. Quail-finch
were in abysmal numbers, and also only a handful of scattered
White-winged Widowbirds, a species that at this time of year can be in
thousands.

We were through the gate just after 5.00pm just missing the outpouring
of traffic from the city.

Other mammals not mentioned included Hippos at Nagalomon, Hyena and
Athi Dams, the major concentration of game was centred in the Athi
Basin, small mammals included three separate sighting of Slender
Mongoose and a Side-striped Ground Squirrel at Baboon Cliffs.

So after a truly gloomy start, it turned into one of the most
productive day for interesting sightings and remarkable records that
the Park has ever produced. We departed having recorded over 160
species, which is pretty good for this time of year.

Best to all
Brian


Some notes about the images attached……

TOP LEFT Male non-breeding Parasitic Weaver
A very obliging individual on the Hyena Dam run-off. The Park has to
be one of the best places in Kenya for the species.

TOP RIGHT Female Spur-winged Goose with three goslings and SECOND ROW
LEFT the three goslings.
The first breeding for the Park and probably Nairobi County area.
Actually probably very few breeding records anywhere in Kenya.

SECOND ROW RIGHT The obliging Dusky Nightjar

THIRD ROW LEFT  Part of the flock of Banded Martins

BOTTOM ROW LEFT Black-faced Sandgrouse Female and chick on road, chick
showing cryptic camouflage in grass, and head of male. A new breeding
record for NNP (in fact only the second documented record of the
species) and almost certainly Nairobi County.

BOTTOM CENTRE The very unseasonal Black Stork

BOTTOM RIGHT The new “resident” d’Arnaud’s Barbet