NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 15th March 2015

Dear All,
Nigel Hunter, Mike Evans and myself arrived at 6.40am at Langata Gate,
not a soul. Someone needs to go to look for another job, as it is
supposed to be manned from 6.00am as part of the 6.00am to 6.00pm
opening policy. So we hightailed around to Main Gate and were there in
two minutes to find a traffic jam befitting of the by-pass on
weekdays. However although there were cars and mini-buses all over the
entrance gates, all of the occupants were caught up in the usual
entanglement of getting their temporary cards, so we went straight in!

There had been no recent rain and the dehydration continued. We
decided to spend the entire day in the north, and give the depressing
Athi Dam area a miss, as it has been so unproductive. I bet there was
something good there!

Having not had anything to draw us back to KWS Mess garden in the past
few visits, we went straight to Ivory Burning Site, squeezing past the
new monument. It was not at all productive in the early morning and we
carried on to Nagalomon Dam paying respects to the pair of Spotted
Thick-knees on the Drift. The dam has little reed cover now,
exacerbated by buffalo wading in to finish it off. As a consequence
there were no surprises, a good fifty Reed Cormorants and four Darters
on the “Island.” Just a couple of Black-crowned Night-Herons, a
beautiful adult Purple Heron and a perched immature Fish Eagle. On the
edge was a single Green Sandpiper, whilst Nightingales “pinked” from
cover on the Causeway, as they had at Ivory Burning Site.

We took the back road to Hyena Dam, there was a female Pied Wheatear,
the first of just three today, and a couple of Willow Warblers, but
the loss of the swamp is mourned, although with a good rain it could
come back temporarily. On the dried mud was a flava Yellow Wagtail. So
it was time to have the coffee break at Hyena Dam and what a coffee
break it was. The water level has dropped leaving muddy hummocks, that
the birds were very happy with. Amongst the throng were an immature
Yellow-billed Stork, a few African Spoonbills, two Squacco Herons,
immature Purple as well as Grey and Black-headed Herons, one Great and
two Yellow-billed Egrets and plenty of the more usual Cattle Egrets,
Sacred and Hadada Ibis. African Water Rails have become very silly and
are feeding out on the muddy hummocks with no cover, as have the four
Swamphens and a plethora of Black Crakes and Common Moorhens. There
were six Crowned Cranes, four together that were already in
probability two pairs, and a pair that separated from them. This was
really nice as cranes have been scarce lately with none last week, and
there has been a return with four other pairs seen on territories in
other wetlands. There were still three each of African Jacanas and
Long-toed Plovers with the Blacksmiths, the regular Speckled Pigeon
dropped in for a drink, with the abundant Barn Swallows were a couple
of Sand Martins and several House Martins, the extravert Eurasian Reed
Warbler still in his few square metres of scrub along the Causeway
(see another image), but now sharing with a secretive Sedge and three
Willow Warblers. The first of nine Whinchats seen today, the only
Widowbirds all day were eight Red-collared that came in to drink, and
over a dozen Yellow Wagtails where unusually flava outnumbered the
usual lutea.
Whilst all this was going on, the sky was busy, female plumaged
Western Marsh and Pallid Harriers appeared, as did the first of three
Common Buzzards, while an Augur Buzzard wasn’t going anywhere. The
Great Spotted Eagle appeared (see image) and landed in its favourite
tree, then went soaring running into a pair of Lanners who dived at it
causing it to call, there were a couple of Steppe Eagles above, and a
Tawny chased one of a pair of Black Storks for five minutes before
giving up, a Martial Eagle and a Bateleur both came by, and there were
six Lesser Kestrels hovering over the grassland, whilst on the ground
was the first of three Secretarybirds seen today. (Of course there
were ample Yellow-billed Kites!).

We followed the Mokoyeti, doing a circuit by crossing the bridge and
back up the other side to Nagalomon Dam. The only Black-shouldered
Kite was along here with more Lesser Kestrels, and two colourful
Eurasian Rollers. Surprisingly the only migrant shrike today, a
Turkestan, also several more Willow Warblers which were quite
widespread today and obviously moving, and the days only Common
Whitethroat.
A quick check of Nagalomon revealed another African Jacana, and Ivory
Burning Site was a little livelier with three Black Storks (which
might include the two at Hyena Dam), a few Eurasian Bee-eaters and a
couple of Tree Pipits. There was a different female plumaged Western
Marsh Harrier at Hyena Dam.

The run-off failed to produce, but on the inside road to Eland Hollow
was an attractive Hartlaub’s Bustard, and at Eland Hollow over a
hundred Marabous coming in to bathe included one each of adult
Yellow-billed and an Abdim’s Stork. A Kori Bustard came in to drink
what looked like vast quantities, like pigeons and Sandgrouse it could
suck up the water and not have to tip its head back like other birds.
It was the first time I had ever seen a bustard drink, and it left a
content drunken bustard! See montage for it with some impressive
companions. The first Wood Sandpipers were here but only three, the
usual resident African Jacana, also the days only White-faced
Whistling Duck and Red-billed Teal.

Between this and Karen Primary School Dams was another larger male
Kori, but nothing apart from three Hamerkops on the latter dam in
spite of how good it looked! We had a look at the lower dam, which we
call “Never has anything on it dam” so when you see nothing as always,
you cannot be disappointed. We were wrong today, as the pair of
Saddle-billed Storks had concealed itself here! Now we took the road
across to Baboon Cliffs for a picnic below there on the Mbagathi.
There was a Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in a hole in the bank, and in
the trees a couple of Spotted Flycatchers were new for the day.

After lunch we took the inside road towards Maasai Gate, visited
regularly for the first time only recently, and has always had
something worth the detour. There was a Martial Eagle, a pair of
Black-winged Plovers with three eggs, the first of nine Isabelline
Wheatears and a pair of Long-billed Pipits.

On to the burnt area (which of course after two years does not look
burnt, but the most extensive area of short grass in the Park, thanks
to the attention of grazing mammals that keep it that way). A
ring-tailed Harrier whistled past the window too close to focus, and
left without a name attached. On the grassland were the only two
Northern Wheatears for the day. A surprise close to the road was the
first Short-tailed Lark in the Park for quite some years, but a bigger
surprise was much further out in the heat shimmer.
I was scanning the open grassland for anything of interest and found a
Yellow Wagtail. The bird was waving its tail up and down and keeping
the head quite low, the shape and habits looked identical to a Yellow
Wagtail. What I could not understand was why I could not see any olive
or yellow tinges to the plumage, and there was a prominent whitish
supercilium and a dark malar streak. “I think I have a Tawny Pipit,” I
said. But it was so far away and the heat shimmer only made things
worse. I tried a few images which are on the montage. I have no doubts
that this was a Tawny Pipit, but it never came any closer and finally
we had to leave it still hundreds of metres away. Being stuck on the
road all the time is a downside to Parks! There should be a pipit
exclusion clause in the rules and regulations.

Our final stop was the vlei near Galleria, the creek still flowed and
apart from half-a-dozen Wood Sandpipers, what were probably the same
five Red-throated Pipits from last week were still present, and
fifteen or so lutea Yellow Wagtails as well as the only Banded Martin
of the day.

We seemed to be constantly finding eagles, there were so many Tawny
and some five Steppe, but I think that the Tawnys are migrants as
well, even if relatively short-distance. This is an annual increase at
this time. Barn Swallows were in good numbers, especially at any dams.

Good plains game, but widely spread, and we don’t know what was down
in the “south.” We had three White Rhinos, and there were at least
eight Hippos on Nagalomon Dam, where they cannot hide now!

I am sure that the observers will be sending their details in, but on
Thursday, Heather Elkins, Karen Plumbe and Fiona Reid were in NNP and
brought round a dead nightjar on their way home. It was an Eurasian,
this is really the first entirely passage migrant species to return
this season. Whilst many migrants are obviously moving, the species
all winter with us as well, but Eurasian Nightjars are entirely
passage. None of the other passage only species have yet arrived. On
Friday Simon Ball was fortunate to find the Great Spotted Eagle at
Hyena Dam in the evening.

We were through the gate at 4.50pm by which time someone had arrived!



KEY TO THE MONTAGE

TOP FARTHEST LEFT
AND SECOND FROM FARTHEST LEFT
GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE

The bird will doubtfully be around for much longer, but still gives
wonderful views. This flight image was taken from a video.

THIRD FROM FARTHEST LEFT
PALLID HARRIER
Female plumage passing by.

SMALL INSET
BLACK STORK/TAWNY EAGLE
The Tawny Eagle was chasing the Black Stork for a good five minutes.
The Black Stork stayed as close to the eagle as possible so it was
unable to dive with momentum. The stork evaded capture and when the
eagle gave up, the stork made sure it was never at a lower altitude
until it was safe.

TOP FARTHEST RIGHT
SHORT-TAILED LARK
The first for several years.

SECOND ROW FARTHEST LEFT
EURASIAN REED WARBLER
Still as extravert as ever.

SECOND ROW SECOND FROM LEFT
STEPPE AND TAWNY EAGLES
Aerial disagreement.

SECOND ROW SECOND FROM RIGHT
LANNER FALCONS
Pair about to mob Great Spotted Eagle

SECOND ROW FARTHEST RIGHT
STEPPE EAGLE
Immature passing over.

THIRD ROW SECOND FROM LEFT,
SECOND FROM RIGHT, FARTHEST RIGHT
TAWNY PIPIT
The best images obtained sadly.

BOTTOM LEFT
AFRICAN WATER RAIL
Sneaking past crocodile.

BOTTOM RIGHT
BIGGEST IN TEXAS, WHAT GARBAGE
In this image we have the worlds largest bird,
The worlds heaviest flying bird and the
bird with the world’s largest wing area.
(Andean Condors average greater, but the two largest wing-areas ever
recorded were both Marabous!