NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 2nd February 2014

Dear All,
On Sunday 2nd February, Fleur Ng'Weno, Julius Aranaitwe, and two of
his visitors Jorgen Thomsen and Stephanie Platz, and myself met up at
the Main Entrance to Nairobi National Park just before 6.00am to avoid
the hold ups with the card loading.

It was obviously dark when we arrived, but revealed a clear sunny day,
becoming increasingly hotter towards the afternoon.

Our first stop was the KWS Mess Gardens, some good local activity, but
not much representation from migrants. Both Eastern and Wahlberg's
Honeybirds, three Tree Pipits on the lawn, the first of three Spotted
Flycatchers and two Pale, and the Black-collared Apalis was singing.
Ivory Burning Site was fairly quiet, but did give us an overflying
female Pallid Harrier, the first of five Olivaceous Warblers, two
Willow Warblers and a Brown Parisoma collecting nesting material. Also
there was a calling Broad-tailed Grassbird in the front grasslands.

Nagalomon Dam was as quiet as it has been the past couple of weeks,
with just an Eurasian Reed Warbler calling from cover, a very sweetly
singing Nightingale. and a noisy Fish Eagle was flying about.

Taking the back road to the new swamp we found an adult Black Stork
along the feeder creek to Hyena Dam, where there was a also a
Red-faced Cisticola singing, there is still a Secretarybird
frequenting this area,  there were several migrant Black Kites around,
the first of three Eurasian Marsh Harriers, a delightfully confiding
Nairobi Pipit near the pump-house, and the first of five Whinchats.
Whilst the swamp produced a Long-toed Plover, a species that has lost
its extreme rarity status nowadays,  three Ruff, twenty Wood and five
Greens Sandpipers and three flava Yellow Wagtails. The African Water
Rails were noisy but did not show themselves. When we retraced our
track back there was the immature Greater Spotted Eagle flying in the
direction of Hyena Dam. On the way there we found the only Turkestan
Shrike of the day.

At Hyena Dam, the Greater Spotted Eagle was flying around and around,
giving a high-pitched complaining "keeu' and having never heard a
Great Spotted Eagle call before, I was surprised how unlike the low
bark of Tawny and Steppe Eagles it was. Apart from the eagle
spectacle, Hyena Dam was quiet, the Little Egret was still present,
more noisy Water Rails, an attractive adult Swamphen on view, and a
few sandpipers in a constant interchange with the new swamp.  Along
the track behind the dam were a Common Snipe and a few Quailfinch.