Nairobi National Park 18th October 2014

Dear All,
There had been rain for most of Friday night, sometimes it sounded
heavy. It started around 4.00pm, and was intermittent, but settled in
from 8.00pm onwards. Nigel Hunter and myself decided to spend the day
in the Park, as on rainy nights like these, strange birds get pushed
around, and there was also a chance of grounded migrants.
Nigel in Karen had registered 1.1 inches, and on the edge of the Park
we had had 3.1 inches!

We arrived at Langata Gate at 6.40am, surprise surprise no one there.
We hooted, and no answer, so went round to Main Gate and were through
by 6.50am. It was overcast and refreshing, but no rain. Even when the
sun emerged after mid-day it still stayed pleasantly cool.

Our first port of call was the KWS Mess, with the first of three
Eurasian Buzzards on the way, it was as quiet as the grave, nothing
moved and was not an auspicious start. A male Brown-backed Woodpecker
was unusual here, there was a Garden Warbler but that was the only
migrant, and the Black-collared Apalis was calling.
The next stop was Ivory Burning Site, there were tent constructions
up, and the large Acacia gerardii which has been looking less healthy
the past few years had decided it was enough and fell on it! It was
amazingly shallow-rooted. Bird wise, almost as quiet with a female
Eurasian Golden Oriole, two Garden and a Willow Warbler, and the first
of ten Spotted Flycatchers for the day. There were a couple of
Violet-backed Starlings, but no flocks, and the first couple of Lesser
Striped Swallows were back in full breeding plumage! I hope that they
had enjoyed their holidays wherever they spent it for the past six
weeks.

At the Nagalomon Drift, the pair of Spotted Thicknees sat drenched.
There were puddles all round them but surprisingly little water
considering. The Mokoyeti Bridge was a rushing torrent however, and
the dam had refilled, revealing once again how shallow the reed edge
is. It was very quiet like the last two stops but a dozen
Black-crowned Night-Herons have returned and were flying about with
sticks. Other than this it was a male Darter and a juvenile Fish
Eagle, with a few Green Sandpipers around the edge.

Along the back road, still not very lively, and we found that it was
too muddy to get to the swamp, so never managed to see what was there.
A Great Sparrowhawk flew over, there was a single Willow Warbler and
about eight Eurasian Bee-eaters on the top of the fig. The surprise
was finding a stunning male Blue-capped Cordon-bleu along the back
fence, the first since the great drought. There were also some six
Village Indigobirds busying themselves, these have become a regular
feature here. They were accompanied by four Red-billed Queleas. Now we
retraced around to Hyena Dam for the required morning coffee. We
scanned the freshly flooded dam from the end of the causeway and could
see not a bird anywhere around it, but on climbing onto the causeway,
to the south there was a large flooded area now, with a Saddle-billed
Stork, the pair of Long-toed Plovers that went missing last Monday,
and four Greenshank.
Taking up our usual breakfast position at the Dam, we had a fairly
entertaining time with a couple of Glossy Ibis, a single African
Spoonbill, two Great, a Yellow-billed and a Little Egret, a Squacco
Heron, a couple of Fish Eagles, a distinctive Western Marsh Harrier,
the first for the season. All dark below with a crisp narrow white
band across the chest, African Water Rails called from cover, there
was a single Swamphen out feeding, two pairs of Crowned Cranes, a pair
of African Jacanas chasing each other, fifteen or so Wood and a few
Green Sandpipers, one Little Stint, four Pied Kingfishers sitting
together, some one hundred Palin Martins attracted Barn Swallows and a
Banded Martin into the mix, and a few Red-collared and White-winged
Widowbirds and the only other migrant, an overflying Yellow Wagtail.
We tried to get up along the side of the dam, but it was flooded and
turned back. When we got back to our coffee spot, there was a female
Saddle-billed Stork but we don’t know if it was the same individual we
had seen earlier.

The run-off was indeed a run-off, and impassable, and we took the
eastern road around the area, and were surprised to find four Pied
Wheatears almost together. In fact there had been a fall of wheatears
in the Park, and they were widespread, closing the total for the day
with 16 Pied, followed by 14 Northern as a close second, but 2
Isabelline were only “an also ran!” A little further down the road
were six Yellow Wagtails, five lutea and one flava it appeared.

A quick call into Mbuni Picnic Site rewarded us with two Lesser
Kestrel, a Northern Hobby, the first of three Secretarybirds, four
House and a Sand Martin. Further up the road was a huge concentration
of Little, White-rumped and Palm Swifts, with large numbers of Barn
Swallows and Banded Martins feeding low over the grass, and many
Banded Martin were sitting on the tops of the hibiscus, singing their
throaty chortle.

The water over the causeway was a foot deep rushing torrent, and we
feared for the beautiful Reeds and Water Lilies of Karen Primary
School Dam, but were relieved to see that although the water level was
high and the lilies all under the water, there had been no damage to
the reeds and all was intact. It wasn’t attracting birds however, but
there were three out-of plumage Yellow-crowned Bishops and a solitary
African Silverbill. Further along the road through the plains we had a
beautiful male Pallid Harrier, the first of only three
Black-shouldered Kites today and small parties of Wattled Starlings
were also scattered about.

Near the junction to Athi Basin we arrived just as the two
Lappet-faced Vultures arrived to feed the large young bird in the
nest, right next to the road in the Balanites. As we always take the
currently too muddy short-cut across to the murrum pits, these birds
have been forgotten since they were first seen nest-building months
ago, now thankfully, it looks like a very successful family. The
Murrum Pits were flooded, the Hippo is still there but nothing else
apart from a Little Stint. There were two pairs of Banded Martins
doing wing-shivering flight displays in the area though.

Athi Dam approach road was quite dry whilst we were expecting a mire,
and the dam level had risen but not dramatically. It obviously wasn’t
very attractive for waders though with just three each of Black-winged
Stilt and Ruff, five Little Stints and two Common Sandpipers being the
palearctic total. The usual six or so Spur-winged Plovers were about
with some eight Kittlitz’s. The only waterfowl see all day were
Egyptian Geese and this was no different, there were six very handsome
Pink-backed Pelicans in full breeding plumage complete with floppy
crests. However it was not disappointing, with the second Park record
of Gull-billed Tern gracing the place. The only other previous record
was from Itai Shanni some twelve years ago. This was a beautiful bird
in winter plumage, it may well have been a palearctic.  Other birds
were five African Spoonbills and a solitary Yellow-billed Stork, and
three Speckled Pigeons. A Black-chested Snake-Eagle was hovering over
the grassland, and there was one Black-crowned Night Heron roosting
along the causeway, which had become very muddy and too risky to
cross. Especially as the continuation of the road across the plain
could have been treacherous. We opted to take the road directly south
across the plain to the murrum road.

Just before reaching the road there was an Eurasian Roller on a bush,
but on turning up towards Cheetah Gate there were another four! In
addition to this the strange sight of a Broad-billed Roller (the first
in a few years), in acacia savannah. Also a smart pair of d’Arnaud’s
Barbets and an eclipse male Marico Sunbird. The grassland and the
Rhino Circuit were as dry as ever, and in a sorry state. The rain had
not made the same impact down here, although all of the drainage lines
were full of water. The Mbagathi River was rushing through, but had
obviously receded during the course of the day as evidenced by the
level of wet mud up the bank. The Rhino Circuit failed to produce any
migrants, but a reasonable assemblage of acacia species. Towards Hippo
Pools we had our first of two Martial Eagles, a very handsome Brown
Snake-Eagle, and our first migrant Shrike. It was a Red-tail, and with
no supercilium, but a very warm back. It was thought to be a Turkestan
but disappeared before anything certain could be made of it.

After turning up the road from the Hippo Pools there was our second
migrant Shrike, this time a full adult Lesser Grey, which are so rare
on southern passage. Other birds between here and Kingfisher were
three White-bellied Bustards, a male Black Cuckooshrike with very
yellow shoulders, our first Red-backed Shrike, a male, just one Willow
Warbler, and about five Pangani Longclaws singing from the tops of
bushes. The burnt area excelled itself with a stately Kori that was
difficult to miss, three Black-winged Plovers back in residence (our
fifth Vanellus today), an Isabelline Shrike, a young Eurasian
Rock-Thrush, all three Wheatears and twenty Yellow Wagtails, mostly
lutea with a few flava. Kingfisher Picnic Site was the opposite with
no birds in the trees, just  Shelley’s Francolins calling from cover
and eight African Silverbills.

It was getting late now, and we had to ensure the 6.00pm curfew exit
through Langata Gate, our last birds were a female Eurasian Golden
Oriole on the forest edge, a Garden Warbler singing as exuberantly as
if it were ready for spring, a pair of Pale Flycatchers and a Nairobi
Pipit along the road.

We made the exit, through the gate at 5.40pm.

Mammals today were in lesser numbers compared to Monday when it was
dry, however there was a good scattering of plains game. Better
mammals were a Lion near the Beacon, Six Chandler’s Reedbucks back on
their usual territory and four white Rhinos towards Maasai Gate.

Whilst Nairobi National Park produces interesting birds at any time,
there is nothing like it after a good rainfall when birds not usually
present make an appearance for a very short time, and the locals
become more obvious and vocal. Today was no exception, and over 215
species were recorded.

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO ACCOMPANYING PLATE

TOP LEFT
Male Blue-cheeked Cordon-bleu, back fence behind Hyena Dam. A drought
refugee (in spite of the rain!). First for four years.

TOP MIDDLE AND SECOND ROW LEFT
Winter-plumaged Gull-billed Tern at Athi Dam. Only the second record
for the Park.

THIRD ROW LEFT
Adult Lesser Grey Shrike. Only my second ever on southern passage in
NNP. The last, over ten years ago was a first year bird.

TOP RIGHT
One of the five Eurasian Rollers in a close assemblage on the Cheetah Gate Road.

SECOND ROW RIGHT
Broad-billed Roller, first for a few years in NNP, and in acacia savannah!

FOURTH ROW LEFT
Only the second time I have seen a Black Cuckooshrike with bright
yellow shoulders in NNP. This bird is below Baboon Cliffs.

THIRD RIGHT
In spite of the date this bird on the “Burnt Patch” looks like a first
year Isabelline Shrike, although no sign of barring or chevrons.
Comments welcome.

BOTTOM LEFT
One of so many adult female lutea Yellow Wagtails in NNP today.

BOTTOM RIGHT
The first Eurasian Rock-Thrush on the “Burnt Patch.” Also in spite of
the date this bird looks first year.