MAGADI ROAD AND LAKE MAGADI 22nd SEPTEMBER 2013

Dear All,
On 22nd September Mike Davidson and myself went down the Magadi Road
as far as the Lake. Whilst I was waiting for Mike there was a Willow
Warbler busily feeding in a flowering Acacia xanthophloea in the
garden.
Crossing the Ngongs was a thick mist, with no visibility but a glow
further out into the Rift. It brightened up to a sunny hot day very
quickly, and as we travelled down we stopped at many places seeing a
very nice assortment of the local dry-country species. Right at the
Police Barrier at Olepolos was a newly arrived Isabelline Wheatear,
and near the Icross turn-off were four handsome Short-tailed Larks.
There were still no White-throated Bee-eaters anywhere in the region.
The only raptors seen on this road were eight Eastern Chanting
Goshawks and a Harrier-Hawk.
At Lake Magadi on the last causeway we had a good collection of birds,
but the hundreds of Ruff from two weeks earlier had been reduced to a
single bird, but Little Stints were now the dominant wader with many
hundreds on this one small part of the Lake. There were of course many
Chestnut-banded Plovers, and I videoed a couple. Although I did not
notice this down there, when I got back I saw that the adult female
had a combination of colour rings (see image). It looks like right leg
blue lower, left leg green upper and yellow lower. I have not heard of
anyone in Kenya doing any studies of Chestnut-banded Plovers anywhere
in recent times, maybe there is in Tanzania. Does anyone have any
information on this, Colin? Titus? Neil?
Best for now
Brian


NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 24TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Dear All,
A grey and gloomy cold day greeted Mike Davidson, Heather Elkins,
Fleur Ng’Weno and myself as we met up at the Main Entrance to Nairobi
National Park at 6.30am.

The check-in through the gate was professional and speedy and we were
soon on our way to KWS Mess gardens. Four Suni were as delightful and
confiding as always. But the weather was not conducive to a flurry of
early morning activity, and apart from the lone Black-collared Apalis
singing and a few Violet-backed Starlings there was nothing to hold us
and we carried on to Ivory Burning Site. The pair of Cardinal
Woodpeckers were present and again it was the female that was drumming
whilst the male looked on at her labours. All very mixed up!

At Nagalomon Dam we found a male and immature Darter, the
Black-crowned Night-Herons having nested only six months ago were nest
building in the typha again. A Swamphen patrolled the margins and four
Green and one Common Sandpiper were also along the edge. A Zanzibar
Sombre Greenbul called from the bushes at the back of the dam.

Little was found on the back road to Hyena Dam, the Water Rails
saluted us as we passed the swamp and we continued to Hyena Dam for a
breakfast stimulated birdwatch. Whilst sitting there, a stunning
indescribably bright male payesi Little Bittern just about did
everything for us and completely in the open, a Great Egret was along
the edge, a melanistic Gabar Goshawk watched from the bushes, there
were three adult Purple Swamphens, two of which each escorted a large
chick, and a couple of Green Sandpipers were along the margins. A few
groups of Wattled Starlings were flying around. With the flock of
Plain Martins were a few Barn Swallows and two Sand Martins. There was
a small passage of Barn Swallows today over much of the area visited.

On the run-off was the male Saddle-billed Stork but no sign of his
mate, and a Rosy-breasted Longclaw was coming into good breeding
dress. Also there was an off plumage solitary male Jackson’s Widowbird
here and a smart Long-crested Eagle.

We thought we would try and find the Pearl-spotted Owlet for Fleur,
and headed down the short cut to the south road. On the way there was
a singing Broad-tailed Grassbird, which perched nicely, and barely a
couple of hundred metres further was another singing bird on
territory. Amazingly there was yet another bird calling later in the
day at Kingfisher Picnic Site. The Martial Eagle was by the nest with
its large chick and an attractive pair of adult Black-chested
Snake-Eagles hovered over the grasslands.

Along the Mbagathi the Pearl-spotted Owlet was at home, not the
assortment of birds seen the previous week, but of interest was a
large assemblage of eight Violet Wood-Hoopoes, with never more than
five seen together before. There was a single Willow Warbler present.

At Athi Dam it was very quiet. Three Yellow-billed Stork, three
African Spoonbills and a Black-crowned Night-Heron on the causeway.
Waders were equally pitiful with three pairs of Spur-winged Plover,
fifteen Kittlitz’s, six Little Stints, a Common Sandpiper and two
Greenshank.

Coming back along the upper Athi Basin road there were two
Lappet-faced Vultures flying over the road, and with the road blocked
off by KWS, a strange Aquila eagle perched on top of the murrum mounds
that we could now not get close to. It looked like an early Steppe
Eagle, but a fully adult bird showing the pale crown and nape similar
to an Imperial.

The two differently coloured young Tawny Eagles were in their nest at
Mbuni Picnic Site, the female Saddle-billed Stork below Impala
Lookout, a Glossy Ibis flying over Nagalomon Dam where there was the
strange sight of a Nairobi Pipit feeding along the edge and a Eurasian
Bee-eater on the Main Entrance road finished the day.

We were out of the gate at 3.30pm and Brown Parrots were calling in
the car-park.

Game was extensive along the Mbagathi but in the areas we are now
confined to, was fairly widespread. We managed to see eight White and
two Black Rhinos.
There were hundreds of cattle in the Park along the Mbagathi in the
Rhino Circuit area, we are advised that there are 45 dedicated rangers
guarding rhinos. Strangely their camouflage must be remarkable as I
have never seen one. Maybe a few should materialise at times to rid
the Park of these cattle, which could bring in diseases harmful to
plains game and the Rhinos included. Surely these people in the Park
illegally must be suspect poachers and treated as such! There are
rumours which of course might be foundless that reason that these
people and their livestock are not being pushed out of the Park, is
that these herds actually belong to KWS employees and their families,
of course we hope this is just malicious rumour!

Lesser Striped Swallows still on holiday, but some fifteen
Black-shouldered Kites still having theirs here. Another Puff-Adder
along the road below Impala Lookout, was attracting attention in spite
of being barely ten inches long. Once again the Siffling Cisticolas
were the bravest, or the most foolhardy.

Best to all
Brian



NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 30TH September 2013

Dear All,
Mike Davidson, Heather Elkins, Salma Watt and myself met at the Main
Entrance to Nairobi National Park at 6.30am. It was a bright and sunny
day, and remained as such all day. There was evidence of recent rain
with drying puddles, and dams higher than last week. The gate was very
efficient and we were through in little time.

Our first call was to KWS Mess gardens, where in spite of being a
beautiful morning there was not initially much activity. Eurasian
Bee-eaters could be heard not too far away, an Eastern Honeybird was
displaying, two Pale Flycatchers have returned after an absence, the
Black-collared Apalis sang alone, and some very nice Violet-backed
Starlings glowed on the lawn. There were five Suni around the gardens,
and later in the day another on the Main Entrance Road.