Dear All,

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 8th March 2015

The first event of the day, when Nigel Hunter and myself arrived at
Langata Gate at 6.40am, and found that customer services were already
40 minutes late, was absolutely no surprise whatsoever!
We wasted time getting round to Main Gate, which stole our early
morning time at the vlei and in the forest, which is a very wicked
thing to do to us!
Seeing as they had screwed up KWS Mess with over-manicuring, we went
to Ivory Burning Site. Now this has become the pits, there is now a
widening of the track around the original monument (which was a decent
roundabout), to make room for (would you believe) a second monument
for the recent Ivory burn. This is really so crass, so cheap and quite
laughable, when all it would take was to put a second plaque on the
original monument. The money wasted on this swaggering could have been
used wisely in conservation.

So amidst this new edifice to the collection, we started birding!

It was so disappointing, in the heavily leafed acacia were single
Olivaceous and Willow Warblers, an Isabelline Shrike (first of two)
was sitting on a bush staring out in disbelief at the recent monument.
A few Nightingales were calling from cover, and there were good
numbers of Barn Swallows. There were no passage migrants in the
bushes, and no sign of any returnees yet. A Black-shouldered Kite was
the only one to appear today.
The two Spotted Thick-knees were on the Drift, and more Nightingales
called along the Causeway to Nagalomon Dam. The reeds are still
receding, but the open vista makes it easy to see in the various
corners. There was not much though, a lone Little Grebe was on the
open water, three Black-crowned Night-Herons, three Darters and apart
from one Green Sandpiper was a Common Snipe.

Taking the back road to Hyena Dam was more disappointment, the new
swamp is now a baked mud bed, and there was nothing to see apart from
an immature Grey-headed Kingfisher which was a surprise in the north.
We drove along the now dry edge to Hyena Dam seeing nothing and took
up our morning coffee position at our favourite lookout. Hyena Dam did
not disappoint, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, immature Purple Heron,
Great and Yellow-billed Egrets, three African Water Rails, two
Swamphens, three Long-toed Plovers, a record three African Jacanas,
but the only migrant wader was one Wood Sandpiper. A Speckled Pigeon
came in to drink as did Zebra which is very unusual here, lots more
Barn Swallows over the water, Sedge Warbler could be heard growling
and the Eurasian Reed Warbler which was a real extravert seventeen
days ago in a small shrub, that had no tail was in exactly the same
place, still unbelievably extravert (I have never ever seen a Eurasian
Reed Warbler like it for being so considerate to viewing), but with a
very nice tail. That seems remarkable in seventeen days, but there is
no doubt in my mind it was the same bird. Also the first of seven
Whinchats and three non-breeding Red-collared Widowbirds having a
drink, were the only widowbirds all day. It was however the raptors
that stole the show, and whilst we were sitting there enjoying
refreshments and avian entertainment we were further entreated to
several Lesser Kestrels, a hunting Western Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle
flying with a Yellow-billed Kite (with migrant Black Kite also
present), an adult Martial Eagle passing by but the prize went to a
Great Spotted Eagle (see images).
On 25th January we had a very concealed Great Spotted Eagle in the
same place, hidden in the large acacia there. I thought it was about a
fifth-year bird, judging on what little was being revealed. (Images
bottom left).
Thinking it would stay, it would be appreciated by many, but obviously
not as no-one ever reported it, but then only a few are actually
considerate enough to contribute to the rest, as to what they have
seen, so I was not that surprised.
This bird is also fifth year, and in spite of its five week absence,
it is too much of a coincidence to be a different Great Spotted Eagle
of the same age in the same place, and must refer to the same bird
which must have carried on concealing itself somewhere.

Absolutely elated with Hyena Dam we continued to press on, the
run-off…. nothing apart from another six Lesser Kestrels and two Sand
Martins, Eland Hollow, single White and Yellow-billed Storks, five
White-faced Whistling-Duck, a single Red-billed Teal, 20 Wood
Sandpipers and a Greenshank, Karen Primary School Dam a pair of
Saddle-billed Storks, also the first of eleven Isabelline, five
Northern and just two Pied Wheatears today.

It was none too eventful driving down to Athi Dam, we had a party of
six African Spoonbills and the first of two Turkestan Shrikes on the
way, and at the dam three Hottentot Teal, twelve White Storks, five
Greenshank all in winter plumage still, three Common Sandpipers, a
dozen non-breeding Little Stints and a solitary Ruff. The usual six
Spur-winged Plover were there, also two Kittlitz’s Plovers. Just one
Black-crowned Night-Heron roosted on the Causeway. The road to Cheetah
Gate gave us a Eurasian Roller, Olivaceous and Willow Warblers and a
Common Whitethroat. A detour towards the Mbagathi along the pipeline
road added a nice Upcher’s Warbler, and Rhino Circuit the only Spotted
Flycatcher, also strangely a single Wattled Starling in breeding
plumage. Lesser Masked Weavers were also in full breeding plumage.
On the inside road towards Maasai Gate we had a pair of Black-winged
Plovers, but it was also good for Shrikes, Wheatears and Whinchat.
The burnt-patch scored zero apart from a few Wheatears, the forest
dams only bird was a Little Grebe which was more than Langata Dam
although there was a Common Kestrel on the way there.
Finally at the vlei were only a couple of Wood Sandpipers, but a nice
group of five Red-throated Pipits, as well as twenty Yellow Wagtails,
of which the males seemed all lutea apart from one flava, and a couple
of Banded Martins which seem to like this locality.

So there were a fairly good variety of migrants, but such small
numbers. In fact there was nothing that suggested any migrants moving
through as opposed to temporary residents, except maybe for the
Upcher’s Warbler, but even that could have been present prior to its
discovery. For what should have been on the move, it was a
disappointment, but for what we saw during the day it was most
enjoyable.

Mammals were in very good numbers in the south, especially Athi Basin
and the Mbagathi River.

We exited through Langata Gate at 4.40pm,

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO IMAGES

TOP LEFT
GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE
Hyena Dam same as 25th Jan 2015-03-09

BOTTOM LEFT
GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE
As on 25th Jan 2015

BOTTOM SECOND FROM LEFT
BOOTED EAGLE/YELLOW-BILLED KITE
Pale morph at Hyena Dam

NO THIS IS NNP NOT THE MARA!

MIDDLE
NAIROBI PIPIT
Near the Pump House from Ivory Burning Site

SECOND ROW FAR RIGHT
EURASIAN REED WARBLER
In small bush near Hyena Causeway 19th Feb 2015-03-09

THIRD ROW FAR RIGHT
EURASIAN REED WARBLER
Same bird in same bush seventeen days later with full tail!

BOTTOM RIGHT
MARTIAL EAGLE
Passing adult Hyena Dam