Although I am resending this from my sent box, it seems that it got no
further when I posted it, so here is a resend...........
From: Brian Finch <birdfinch@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 08:45:13 +0300
Subject: NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 30th July 2014
To: kenyabirdsnet <kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: birdfinch@gmail.com

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 30th July 2014

Dear All,
Because of some disruption caused by the public holiday on Tuesday, it
was decided that we would visit the Park on Wednesday this week.

The morning started dull and cold, and stayed that way until 4.30pm
when the sun came out and for a short while and it became warmer.
There was evidence of rain in the south-east, where dam levels had
once again risen, but otherwise it was dry.

There was evidence of incursions from several species today,
presumably as a result of surrounding drought. There were many
Blue-naped Mousebirds, particularly in the north, three Lilac-breasted
Rollers were the first seen in the Park for a couple of years, and the
first multiple records for ten. Common Quailfinch were all through the
grasslands in small parties, more so in the south, and African
Silverbills were encountered in four different localities, in groups
of five to seven.

Karen Plumbe kindly escorted the group around the Park, there was
Heather Elkin, Jennifer Oduori and myself, and we met up at Langata
Gate at 6.40am having had no traffic on Magadi Road. As Simon was at
the gate, it was very cheerful and efficient service and we were soon
on our way.

Just in case the Caracals were about (but they weren’t), we took the
glade track soon after entering and followed a circuit all the way
round to Kisembe bridge back on the main road. A Little Grebe on the
Hippo-Grebe pond was the only thing of note, it was all extremely
quiet. When we checked the Langata Gate dam, again not a bird but
excitement was soon shown, as in the top of a dead branch on the other
side was the first Olive Pigeon for some fifteen years. Driving on, in
a few kilometres we found another pair of posing Olive Pigeons, and
five cavorting Green Pigeons that were displaying and mating. On
Forest Edge Dam was a Madagascar Pond Heron.

Nagalomon Dam showed some activity, which included five Darters and a
pair of Swamphens. There were two Spotted Thick-knees on the Drift.
Whilst there was not much at Ivory Burning Site, an adult Gymnogene
was hunting over the area, a surprise there were a pair of
Hildebrandt’s Starlings, the first time in this part of the Park.
Taking the back road to the new swamp did not prove too birdy, but the
swamp itself held a couple of African Spoonbills, adult and large
immature African Water Rails, male, female and immature female
Painted-snipe, a Long-toed Plover, adults of two Ruff, one male had
not lost much of it’s breeding plumage (see image), six Wood and two
Green Sandpipers. In the sedges there were a number of Red-collared
Widowbirds that had grown long tails yet again. Also a pair of Greater
Blue-eared Starlings were present.

There was a working party of slashers, cutting grass and vegetation
all the way from the new flats down to the new swamp. It was being cut
like a bush airstrip, this is on the inside of the Greenline fence,
and the question has to be asked why, and it continues parallel with
the road on the other side of the swamp as well. Is this for a
railway-line? It is so sad that everything that KWS does now, we view
with suspicion and much distrust.

Retracing around to Hyena Dam, there was a sub-adult Bateleur and a
group of a dozen Wattled Starlings. Just below the causeway were a
pair of Spotted Thick-knees, not recorded from here before. Hyena Dam
entertained us with a Little Grebe, another Darter, and an immature
Purple Heron whilst we sat there, but the bird that wins the most
entertaining of the day was an adult female Little Bittern hunting in
the typha, we watched it for well over fifteen minutes as it clambered
around with flicking tail and flashing wings, but all we saw it catch
was a small tilapia. At one point it was next to an African Jacana,
which was quite a bit larger than it (see images). Following the
feeder creek back to the new swamp, there were Water Rails calling
from four places, another African Jacana, the pair of Long-toed
Plovers were back together, there were very many Three-banded Plovers
along this stretch.

Another piece of entertainment was provided by the Yellow-billed
Kites. One had what looked like a yellow plastic streamer about five
feet long. It was flying around with this, when another kite appeared
and the passed the streamer, not in the middle as might be expected,
but at the very tip the original bird was holding it by. This happened
four times, and they were obviously having fun with this, before
landing with it in a tree.

We could not find anything on the run-off, other than a pair of the
only Banded Martins seen today, and continued to Mbuni Picnic Site. On
the way we passed the Martial Eagle sitting tightly on the nest,
whilst at Mbuni, the Tawny Eagle now revealed a half grown chick,
still all white but the wings were dark brown. The second adult came
in whilst we were there. A Namaqua Dove flew through, but neither
Karen Primary School nor Eland Hollow Dams had any birds.

Setting off across the grasslands for the south-east corner there was
a group of some fifteen Mottled Swift, and a few normal Red-rumped
Swallow with them, but also there was one of these birds resembling
West African Swallow with all white rump and broad white collar. Sadly
it disappeared before we could see it well. A little further there was
a sub-adult Black-chested Snake-Eagle.

The murrum pits had the incongruous sight of a Hippo that just did not
have much depth in which to hide. Just seven vultures in the area, all
White-backed apart from single Ruppell’s and Lappet-faced. The Athi
Basin was quiet apart from the concentrations of game, our one and
only Secretarybird for the day was here. Athi Dam had so much water,
that the reduced area for feeding means less attraction to the birds,
there was a single Yellow-billed Stork, two African Spoonbills, four
Spur-winged and just two Kittlitz’s Plovers, and adult Little Stint,
Ruff and two Common Sandpipers. There was a Black-crowned Night-Heron
roosting on the Causeway.

>From here we headed to the Hippo Pools road. There were a group of
Zebra near the road, and as they cantered Jennifer saw that they had
flushed a nightjar, expecting it to be Dusky we were delighted to find
it was an adult male Slender-tailed (images attached), and it just sat
in the ditch and after admiring it for a while we left it still there.
Historically in the days when there was not the mad rush to get out of
the Park before 6.00pm, I had seen them flying over the grassland at
dusk along the Mbagathi River, but not for at least ten years, so this
was a great find. As we drove along the road, with hordes of Marabous
coming in to roost, we found Gabar Goshawk, Long-crested Eagle, a
Green Sandpiper on a pool, and the first Chestnut Sparrow for a while.
It was a male in fairly good plumage. Maybe the most interesting was a
Pygmy Kingfisher. It showed the makings of an immature of our race
picta (all white cheek patch), with rather washed out face and breast
colouring, back blotchy blue rather than uniform, black whisker mark,
but it had an entirely red bill of an adult (see images).

It was now a rather hurried traverse to get back to the north, passing
Leopard Cliffs we had a pair of Pangani Longclaws, and at Kingfisher
was an adult Bateleur. Langata Gate dam was delightful with birds
coming in to drink, and a Great Egret for the day, it was hard to pull
ourselves away from the activity for the pre 6.00pm departure before
our Smart Cards were blocked, we made it though.

There were four scattered pairs of Crowned Cranes, though no sign of
any nesting, and about eight Black-shouldered Kites were encountered.

Some nice mammals, driving on the edge of the Kisembe forest in the
morning we encountered 11 Suni, of which seven encounters were single
animals, there was also a Bushbuck here with new twins. A nice male
Bohor Reedbuck at Hyena Dam, plenty of Hippos in Nagalomon, Hyena and
Athi Dams, and the strange one in the murrum pits above Athi Basin,
Black Rhino at Mbuni, and a pair of Whites above Athi basin where
there were three Lions, an Egyptian Mongoose on the forest edge and
finally a Serval near the Maasai Gate turn-off.

A fantastic day even if the sun did delay its appearance until it was
time to leave!

Best for now
Brian