NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 13th December 2014

Dear All,
Nigel Hunter and myself arrived at Langata Gate just after 6.30am and
it was fully manned by a most efficient Customer Liaison Officer.
There had been a little rain in the past few days, but we did not know
how much had fallen in the Park, as it is so patchy and irregular
nowadays, this morning started off quite overcast but got brighter
mid-morning.

We had decided to concentrate our efforts in the North of the Park,
only going as far as Eland Hollow, and ignoring the long stretch to
Athi and the south-western portion.
Our first investigation was the damp vlei caused by the new Langata
Road, just to the left after entering Langata Gate. There was a
White-starred Robin on the way, which although resident are not seen
that often. A Narina Trogon was also calling. The basin was quite wet,
and attracting waders, with some twenty Wood and a few Green
Sandpipers, were single Ruff and Common Greenshank. There were also
about six Yellow Wagtails, all seen adequately looked like flava. The
strangest bird was a small all dark heron flying along the tree line
on the other side of the vlei, in the poorest of light conditions that
was behaving like a Rufous-bellied Heron. It must have been in the air
of two minutes and yet never looked anything but a silhouette,
although it could be seen to be blackish. We set off to check every
wetland in the area, once we saw it land, but came up with nothing. We
did see a Yellow-billed Egret come into the vlei and that was the only
heron species. Whilst on the search through the glade as far as
Hippogrebe Pond (which lacked both), we found a Common Buzzard, the
first of six pairs of Grey Crowned Cranes so breeding looks
potentially good this year, and African Emerald Cuckoo, a party of
Eurasian Bee-eaters, many Blackcaps, two Tree Pipits and a couple of
Black-and-White Mannikins.
Inside the forested area along the tracks we were finding
Cinnamon-chested Buntings, which were a bit out of place, however in
the course of the day we encountered over fifty all over the place and
there had been an obvious major movement.

We continued to Nagalomon Dam, the typha is dying quite dramatically
with just a thin ribbon around the edge, the Black-crowned
Night-Herons have young and are very noisy, there was a good count of
seven African Darters, a single Great Cormorant, and a noisy adult
Fish Eagle. If the Spotted Thick-knees were there they were hiding
well, but it was cool morning and they could have been crouched down.
Ivory Burning Site was quite musical, with Crested Francolin both
Eurasian Reed and Marsh Warblers, both Blackcap and Garden Warblers,
both Common and Thrush Nightingales and the only Willow Warbler and
Spotted Flycatchers of the day. A very obliging pair of Nairobi Pipits
were clambering over the picnic furniture!

It was quiet until we got to the new swamp, which is disappearing fast
as its water source has been largely blocked. It still holds on to
Water Rails, a few waders and Yellow Wagtail, but the noise from a
flock of Red-billed Queleas was quite amazing. I don’t think I have
heard them make a sound in the Park before, but these were making up
for it. There was a scattering of Red-collared and White-winged
Widowbirds, and a male Red-throated Pipit. It is possible to drive
across and down to Hyena Dam once again, whilst it is nice not to have
to double back, I would rather have had our now disappearing wetland.
Hyena Dam was quite quiet, as we had our morning refreshments, but a
very tame Common Snipe was putting on a fine show right next to us.
Other birds were a few White-faced Whistling Ducks, a female-plumaged
Western Marsh Harrier, single Great and Yellow-billed Egrets, a Purple
Swamphen and amongst the Woods and Green Sandpipers, three northern
normal Long-toed Plovers, and the white-winged southerner is still
present (see attached images attached). Also the first of four
Whinchats.

Taking the Run-off we found it quiet, but there were very good numbers
of Jackson’s Widowbirds, and much dancing. It was very quiet on the
drive to Karen Primary School Dam, there was a single Shelley’s
Francolin trying to look inconspicuous and doing its “chameleon-walk”
as it slowly crossed the road, the first of just two Isabelline
Shrikes, a scattering of Barn Swallows, a single Common Whitethroat
and a few Rosy-breasted Longclaws which were singing well. Little at
the dam apart from some Yellow-crowned Bishops now containing
resplendent adult males. Eland Hollow had up to a hundred more
Bishops, a few Red-billed Teal, the faithful African Jacana still
present, a single Sand Martin and a few Quail-Finch.

We now took the road to Baboon Cliffs stopping for a while near the
river, but nothing appeared apart from the only Black-shouldered Kite
of the day. We also had an impressive gathering of just over fifty
White-backed Vultures, together with what we saw in the evening
amounts to a healthy population in the Park. It could be said that
there is duplication in the counting, but watching from my garden in
the past few weeks shows birds in the evening coming from the
directions of the Mara and Lake Magadi.

The Burnt area produced seven Black-winged Plover, looking as if ready
to breed for the second time this year, there were Meyer’s Parrots
making noise along the valley, all but one of the eight Northern
Wheatears was here, and both of the days Isabelline.

Looping back to the forest, there were a pair of Saddle-billed Storks,
a pair and then a single Nairobi Pipits in the forest, and a pair of
Little Grebes on the Forest-edge Dam. Returning to the wet vlei near
the entrance in a hope of finding the dark heron was to little avail,
but there was a nice Ayre’s Hawk-Eagle flying around.

We were out of the Park at 5.20pm, having had a great day. The most
amazing thing was that even in the restricted area we covered, missing
out on all the riverine, dry-country and Athi basin we still recorded
180 species.

Mammals were in good numbers around the Beacon and Eland Hollow, but
the highlight was the tamest Serval by the road, that was the most
confiding either of us had ever encountered. There were also three
Mountain Reedbucks at the currently being used murrum pit just down
from the Beacon.

Best to all
Brian