NAIVASHA 12th October 2013

On the 12th October Nigel Hunter and myself decided to have another
look at Lake Naivasha, not to visit the places we knew were
interesting but to see the state of the places that used to be
interesting but now greatly inundated.

We first called in at KWS Hippo Camp. The water had come right in and
the entire causeway out to the old pump house building is under the
water. This greatly restricts views of the lake, and of course has
made it unsuitable for shorebirds. One Ruff flew over and that was it.
Most of the inshore water is covered by Water Hyacinth.  Most of the
acacia forest is still above water and in good stead. Migrants
included a Northern Wheatear on the entrance road, five flava Yellow
Wagtails, four Willow Warblers and our seasons first Spotted
Flycatcher. Barn Swallows were in good numbers, and a scattering of
Eurasian Bee-Eaters.

Lake Naivasha Club (Sun Hotels) also had no foreshore and the water
had come through the trees. Their luxury Kiboko Camp is luckily on
stilts and all of the buildings are over water. The birds have become
absurdly tame, and the Black-crowned Night-Herons feed openly during
the day. There were a few tringa sandpipers, but no other waders. The
gardens are well above the water, and had Arrow-marked Babbler and
African Thrush, both only arrived in the past few years.
High overhead we had three Common Buzzards and two Steppe Eagles
moving south down the Rift.

Oloidien is very flooded, the entire car-parking area has gone, and
the water right up to the entrance road, so again no foreshore. To see
any birds requires a boat, and we had a trip along the eastern side.
There were about 2,000 Lesser and just five Greater Flamingos, large
numbers of Cape Teal and a good few Southern Pochard. Waders were
scattered along the margins in small numbers, Ruff the most numerous,
and smaller numbers of Marsh, Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers and
only three Little Stints. No migrant terns over the lake, and only one
Gull-billed seen. The boat is still a pleasant experience though.

At Manguo Pond on the return we counted 80 White-backed Duck visible,
(there were undoubtedly many invisible), and two drake Maccoa Ducks. A
dozen Swamphens including immatures and the remainder was all quite
normal.

Just one flava Yellow Wagtail on the edge.

Best to all
Brian


NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 20th October 2013

On 20th October Richard and Ann Bishop and myself met in at the Main
Entrance to Nairobi National Park at the later time of 8.00am. Being a
public holiday and a Saturday, the place was a bit of a zoo with
incredible delays queuing for 45 minutes to charge up the Smart Card,
and then another queue to get processed through the entrance.

We were no sooner through the gate for our first interesting bird,
with a tame Crowned Eagle perched in a tree by the road.

Our first call was KWS Mess Garden, but it was a bit too late, and not
even a Suni on view. There was a Spotted Flycatcher  (and two more
subsequently seen) and two Pale Flycatchers present. From here it was
quiet at Ivory Burning Site, but two beautifully plumaged Lesser
Striped Swallows had returned from wherever they have been the past
six weeks or so.

At Nagalomon Dam there was a male Darter, adult Fish Eagle and a
rufous Common Buzzar so we continued on to Hyena Dam along the back
route.

The swampy area had ten Wood and three Green Sandpipers and a flava
Yellow Wagtail, African Water Rails were calling here and at Hyena
Dam.  Whilst we had our coffee here, there were two Darters fishing, a
Swamphen was feeding with a large grey young,  A few more each of Wood
and Green Sandpipers and a Sand Martin.

There was nothing along the run-off, and so we crossed the Mokoyeti
where there were half-a-dozen Eurasian Bee-eaters and continued on
towards Leopard Cliffs. The only Whinchat of the day was along here,
and a Bateleaur was circling around. An Adult Martial Eagle was with
the large offspring in the nest, and a Lesser Honeyguide was
investigating a hole in a dead limb.

Passing by the Mbagathi River, the Pearl-spotted Owlet was in its
territory, and a young Martial eagle sat on a dead tree.  Whilst at
the top of the Athi basin there was a young Eurasian Roller perched on
a small bush, and on the drive down to Athi Dam, an Isabelline
Wheatear, our only wheatear today.

The dam was quiet with two White Pelicans, two roosting Black-crowned
Night-Herons, fifteen Yellow-billed Stork and six African Spoonbills,
the first of three Secretarybirds and a lutea Yellow Wagtail. Resident
waders included a single Black-winged Stilt, ten Spur-winged and
fifteen Kittlitz’s  Plovers, whilst the migrants were eight Little
Stint, a Curlew Sandpiper, two each of Green and Wood, and three
Common Sandpipers, with a single Greenshank.

At the flooded murrum pits along the top road there were a number of
vultures coming in, which included four Ruppell’s and a Lappet-faced,
and on the return journey we encountered two parties of Shelley’s
Francolins.

Barn Swallow were in rather small numbers in the Park today and not
much sign of passage.

Best to all
Brian

SEA TRIP 22nd & 23rd October 2013 FROM MTWAPA


Dear All,
Bob and Ursula Brennersehn very kindly invited Mike Davidson, Fleur
Ng’Weno and myself for a two day boat trip of the coast between
Vipingo and Mombasa. The farthest we got out from shore was 15kms, and
the sea was so calm. There were no birds at all in the deep water and
the action was all inshore.

As we left Mtwapa Creek, a blackish skua with very flashy white in the
wings was chasing terns in one of their feeding flocks, but easily
disappeared and was never seen again and not specifically identified
which was a great pity. Apart from this it was all gulls and terns,
with plenty of Sooty and about four Heuglin’s (now Lesser
Black-backed) Gulls, a good number of Common Terns in a great variety
of plumages, small numbers of Saunder’s Terns, and Lesser and Greater
Cresteds (the scarcest of the tern species seen).

Whilst we had a very pleasant time with our hosts, either end of
October is not the time to look which seems odd as birds are well into
their southern movement, or calm conditions mean the birds are passing
well offshore.

The whole Mombasa environs has an extremely serious problem with House
Crows now, they are out of control, the blame can only be placed at
the door of the government which continues to refuse importation of
Starlicide, which has had such successful results in Tanzania which
originally had a far greater problem than coastal Kenya. Sadly House
Crows are now at the Voi petrol stations, and Maungu has big numbers.
They must be stopped now or will make it to Nairobi which would be a
major ecological disaster.

Quite honestly Mombasa and immediate environs is an extended stinking
rubbish dump and the place makes vomiting from the appalling odour of
fermentation a possibility when driving through, it is really
absolutely disgusting, with no-one in authority seeming to care. I
wonder if they have ever thought of asking tourists what they think of
the place!

House Sparrows have exploded too, being safe from Crow predation in
their concealed nests. With the crows having decimated the majority of
the coastal garden breeders, there is no competition for them any
more.

Bob and Ursula have a very nice garden, and there are birds there, the
most interesting being a noisy Pallid Honeyguide which has a territory
next to the house.

Not one bush migrant species was seen on the entire journey to and
from Nairobi, including the traverse of Tsavo National Parks in both
directions (from the road).

The Kaloleni Road (Mariakani to Kilifi) is all being tarmacked and is
a great option for avoiding the Mombasa stench. From Mariakani to
Kaloleni it is already a superb road.

Best to all
Brian