Dear All,
Something very strange has appeared in the Friends of Nairobi National
Park Newsletter, that many of you as members of FONNAP will have
received.

The small section that is attributed to me, is something that I have
never seen before and I had nothing to do with its production. I gave
FONNAP carte blanche to use any of the items that I write about
Nairobi National Park that are posted on Kenya Birds Net, but this is
just fabricated.

For example, although I would expect Battersby’s Green Snake in the
Park, and we do get it in the garden, I have never seen one there, and
certainly never in the talons of an Augur Buzzard.

It may be (at least I hope it is), that another author has written
this, and it has been mistakenly published with my name as the
composer. I suspect a South African influence, as I would never in a
million years use a term like shrub-veld!!!!! So I suspect Gareth
Jones should have been the acknowledged author of this piece.

Then we come to the grammar with all those floating full stops and
commas, that is not me either, and being a bit compulsive about this
sort of thing, I have tidied them up at the start of the article but
then got fed up with them and left the rest, but the original is
completely un-edited. Quotation marks used within in a sentence, but
not following a comma…. I could go on..

With all of the worries that we have in the world, it is not for a
good days birding I would be praying for before a visit, I think that
would be a bit presumptious. World peace, Freedom from hunger, concern
for the planet, successful conservation education for the inhuman bird
slaughterers in the Middle East and the Mediterranean… all those, but
not for a good days birding!

I must contact FONNAP and find out how this has come about, but
notwithstanding how this anomaly came about, Friends of Nairobi
National Park (FONNAP) is an organization worthy of our support. The
membership and committee are dedicated and hard working, and I urge
you to consider becoming a member if you feel strongly about the
protection and conservation of our Park.

I have attached the Newsletter to this email, but unfortunately there
is nothing anywhere on it that advises you how you can become a
member. So here is the email address of FONNAP, the office is just
left of the KWS Smart Card loading rooms which is also just left to
the Main Park Entrance Gate of NNP.  FoNNaP Kenya <fonnap1@gmail.com>

Best for now
Brian


Birds !!
by Brian Finch
A car stopped next to me and asked ‘Where are the lions ? ’ . I
answered them in the way I often do and said “ Well actually I usually
pray before going to the park , that God with allow us to see the
glory of creation , then we just go bird watching , and really enjoy
our fantastic feathered friends , and amazingly , often larger
creatures like lions just “get in the way !” of the feathered friends
! It is very rewarding to drive very slowly and watch and sometimes
wait , to see many different species , each area of the park has birds
that are unique and localized , in the forest , in marshy water areas
, grasslands , shrub-veld etc . Last week I saw an Augur Buzzard ( a
kind of eagle ) devour a green snake and then fly away. Birds are
often doing something interesting if you watch them . Secretary Birds
are also very rewarding to watch especially when they are hunting .
When watching birds it is always useful to have a good pair of
binoculars , and if possible a good camera . A bird identification
book for East African species is also useful to keep in the car when
driving . The park has a great variety of birds , over 500 different
species at certain
times , and some of them like the bee-eaters have beautiful colours ,
birds like Kingfishers , Narina Trogon, Bush Shrikes, Grey Crowned
Cranes, Saddle billed storks , various ducks and many more . The park
is looking very lush and green at the moment due to the recent rains
and many bird species are thriving at the moment.
I always find it a joy to see birds when driving in the park , God has
created so such amazing diversity .So remember when we go on into the
Nairobi National Park with the attitude of “bird watching” , all to
often the larger species like Rhino , Buffalo , and even Lions , just
“get in the way ! “.