Dear All,
MARCH 28TH
I have just finished leading a bird walk for FONNAP at the Safari
Walk, Nairobi National Park. The surprise being a Pallid Honeyguide.
It is a good ten years since the last bird was recorded in NNP.
Images of today’s bird attached.
Migrants on the Safari Walk were a Eurasian Roller, ten Eurasian
Bee-eaters, a male Eurasian Golden Oriole, several  Willow Warblers, a
Spotted Flycatcher and overflying Tree Pipits.

MARCH 29TH
With Fleur Ng’Weno, Mike Davidson and Jennifer Oduore, a very pleasant
morning at Gatamaiyu, sunny and dry. We saw most of the local highland
species, but the most interesting observation was up to four
Abyssinian Crimsonwings repeatedly flying up to, and going inside a
clump of mistletoe about ten metres from the ground. It would appear
that this was for food rather than a potential nest-site. I don’t
think I have ever seen the species more than three metres from the
ground before! The only migrant was a female Blackcap. Manguo Pond has
GONE!

MARCH 30TH
Continuing my work on visible migration this morning, I went up to our
back paddock at 6.40AM.
We had had 0.18mm of rain up to dawn, and this had caused some local
movements but no fall of palearctic migrants. Small insects were
flying around the tops of trees, and amongst the residents there were
Willow Warblers and a few Garden Warblers feasting, the most suprising
flycatcher was a Brown-backed Woodpecker which was as keen and
efficient as all of the other species better built for such activity.
By 6.45 singles up to threes of Tree Pipits were passing over NE, none
were dropping to feed but a number stopped on top of “The Tree” for a
break.
There was a trickle of Barn Swallows all heading E, but none after 10.00.
Common Swifts passed in singles up to 9.30am, but then flew over in
small flocks, all of these were going E and quite slowly and direct.
Interestingly migrating flocks space themselves out almost equidistant
but as a mass, at the same elevation. The flight is completely direct
with no veering or change of altitude. The flocks also had a few House
Martins close by which seemed to keep up with them.
There was a flock of about twenty Eurasian Bee-eaters at 6.50, but
they appeared to have just left a roost, and flew low and direct to
the SE. What was possibly the same group passed by an hour later as a
feeding flock but higher.
One Eurasian Roller flew E at 10.00.
In the paddock there were a Eurasian Golden Oriole and a Spotted
Fycatcher. Many warblers could be seen flying in the open, lower down
the Mbagathi Valley, they were probably on tree to tree migration.
The only migrating raptor up to 10.45 was a Common Buzzard which
wheeled NW. It was not one of the two that have been present for most
of the season.
Apart from the palearctics, there was also some movement in
Afrotropicals. Good numbers of White-rumped Swifts have suddenly
appeared, and a few Mottled Swifts were also moving E. A flock of 6
Olive Pigeons flew direct south at 8.00. There was a single
female-plumaged Violet-backed Starling around the same time, and a
party of four Red-billed Oxpeckers was the largest group seen here,
but it was only heading low in the direction of Giraffe Manor! Five
Crimson-rumped Waxbills were the first for the review period and a
Grey Heron also flew over low.

Best for now
Brian