NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK  14th July 2014

Dear All,
Today was a two-pronged attack, with the Karengata people coming in at
Langata Gate, and the city people in through the Main Gate. Langata
consisted of Karen Plumbe, Colin Jackson and myself, whilst Fleur
Ng’Weno and Jennifer Oduori came in Main. We arrived at around 6.30am.

It was a very misty start, but surprisingly mild and comfortable for
July. There had been a half-inch of rain in the past few days, but
none overnight. From Langata we took the road through the glade, and
had no sooner turned off the road when two animals jumped up and
scampered away, two Caracal the first any of us had ever seen in the
Park. With this auspicious start, we checked out the swampy area
caused by the road construction, there were a pair of Crowned Cranes
and a pair at Hyena Dam were the only others seen today, and also a
Yellow-billed Egret. Further up the road the dam had a pair of Little
Grebes and a Madagascar Pond Heron. There were also other single
Madagascar Pond Herons at Langata Dam and Eland Hollow Dam. The next
stop was Nagalomon Dam, the long-time resident Zanzibar Sombre
Greenbul was singing from the scrub at the back, and incredibly
another bird was singing near Ivory Burning Site. At the Dam, there
were eight Darters with some fifty Long-tailed Cormorants, but just
one adult Black-crowned Night-Heron. A beautiful Swamphen was
unconcernedly having a large breakfast on the edge, and the first
Common Sandpiper was also on the edge. So the first birds are in, and
there were also singles at Hyena and Eland Hollow Dams.
We checked the bridge over the Mokoyeti on the causeway, as last year
a Green Sandpiper came back early in July and set up a territory in
this very small area of fast running water and stayed for nine months
up to its departure. No luck.

At Nagalomon we rendezvoused with Fleur and Jennifer who had had an
entertaining time at KWS Mess gardens with a good variety of woodland
birds, which included four African Hoopoes, a pair of Pale Flycatchers
and the Black-collared Apalis.

There was little at Ivory Burning site, so we took the back road to
Hyena Dam up to the new swamp. There was a male and female
Painted-snipe, calling African Water Rails, and a Yellow-billed Duck.
Along the road was a Nairobi Pipit and the first of so many Purple
Grenadiers, we guesstimated between seventy and eighty seen today
along the roads. There must have been a major incursion. Also unusual
in the high scrubby part of the Park were a Namaqua Dove and a white
Paradise Flycatcher with a dark grey belly. We now detoured back round
to Hyena Dam. In the grass were many estrildids which did include a
few Orange-breasted Waxbills, as well as small flocks of non-breeding
White-winged Widowbirds and one Red-collared male which was in
breeding plumage but still had a brown head.

It was quite quiet at Hyena Dam, but whilst we had our breakfast
snack, a pair of African Water Rails walked by, followed by four
fluffy black and very young chicks. Interestingly they called to the
chicks by using the same as the territorial call. There were other
Water Rails calling on two other parts of the dam. A Barn Swallow
appeared briefly with numbers of Plain Martins. Further along the edge
we found just a single Long-toed Plover, an African Jacana and the
other usual bird was still at Eland Hollow, and about eight Banded
Martins.

We reached the back road, which circled back round to Hyena Dam, and
then took the run-off. Not much was to be seen, but we had a
Rosy-breasted Longclaw and a superb adult Ayre’s Hawk-Eagle spent some
time soaring in the sky in front of us. Also a Bateleur flew down the
Mokoyeti River, up to the Martial Eagle which was incubating.
We had our first of six Black-shouldered Kites and first of four Secretarybirds.

At Mbuni Picnic Site, a Tawny Eagle was incubating on a very exposed
nest, and a Lappet-faced Vulture and a small male Lanner were circling
over the area. Karen Primary School Dam was very quiet, and Eland
Hollow apart from what has been mentioned, produced a Spotted
Thick-knee. From here we drove back to Ivory Burning Site where Fleur
had left her car and she took her leave.

We crossed the drift on the way back to Nagalomon Dam, and there was a
Spotted Thick-knee we had not seen earlier when we checked, and having
another look off the bridge for the Green Sandpiper…. and there it
was! Back to exactly the same rock in the river, after its long
travels. As we passed the end of Nagalomon Dam, there was a very
beautiful adult Woolly-necked Stork, only the fourth I have personally
ever seen in NNP. On to Kingfisher it was very quiet, there was a
Saddle-billed Stork on the small dam, and the clouds were now building
up quite dramatically. Nothing of interest on the old burnt area at
all. Two adult Ruppell’s Vultures sat up with a group of White-backed
which might have been over a kill and an adult Martial Eagle flew down
the road.

We called in to the Site at the bottom of Leopard Cliffs, but no sign
of the Grey-olive Greenbuls, but a good assortment to keep us
entertained whilst we had our lunch. Just after here we had an
immature Martial Eagle. Before Hippo Pools were a few Speckle-fronted
Weavers and large numbers of Marabous were coming in to roost along
the Mbagathi. Now it was after 4.00pm and time was running out to
check other sites and get out of the gate by 6.00pm. (Such a crock).
Athi Dam was very high, the only “white” bird was a solitary African
Spoonbill, otherwise it was just six each of Spur-winged and
Kittlitz’s Plovers and two Speckled Pigeons.

Although it had been raining gently at the dam, as we took our leave
it became heavier and looked very black towards Ongata Rongai and the
Ngongs. On the return we picked up a soggy trio of Shelley’s
Francolins, and a very bedraggled female Harlequin Quail. There were
six Wattled Starlings all in non-breeding plumage, on a large group of
Eland.
Also along the road was a sub-adult Eastern Chanting Goshawk, one a
couple of months ago which was an adult, was the first in the Park for
seven years, so another one already.

We made it through the gate on time, the roads in that area had become
very muddy and slippery, and so quite a bit of rain had fallen here.

Other birds of interest today were large numbers of Yellow-billed
Kites, with forty together circling over Nagalomon Dam, and we must
have seen six different flocks of Blue-naped Mousebirds, also
indicative of an incursion into the area.

There were big numbers of plains game in the Athi Basin, especially
large numbers of Zebra. In the forest area we must have seen ten
different Suni running across roads, the numbers just go up and up.
Along the Mbagathi there were Common Waterbuck, but near Langata Gate
Defassa Waterbuck. There was a single Slender Mongoose near Nagalomon
Dam, and two Black-backed Jackals near the “Beacon.”

A fantastic day, very mild conditions, and a nice shower to end the
day with. If the wet season is starting in July, something is very
screwed up.

The usual eyesores were of course present, the illegal death pylons
spanning the horizon, and the pukeriferous Chinese artefact at Ivory
Burning Site.

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO MONTAGE

TOP LEFT
Sub-adult Eastern Chanting Goshawk. After seven years with no record
in the NNP, this is the second individual in two months, the last
being an adult.

TOP RIGHT
An adult Woolly-necked Stork at Nagalomon Dam, the rarest of the eight
stork species visiting NNP, and only my personal fourth in the area.

BOTTOM LEFT
One of three Madagascar Pond Herons encountered today, this one at
Langata Gate Dam. Others were the Langata Road Dam, and Eland Hollow
Dam.

BOTTOM TWO RIGHT
Two shots of a very dark Ayre’s Hawk-Eagle over the Run-Off to Hyena
Dam. The very broad wings and full tail are obvious in the shots, and
the headlights it shares with Booted Eagle.