NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 26th JULY 2015

Dear All,

At 6.45am Nigel Hunter and myself arrived at the Main Entrance. An
Emerald Cuckoo was very noisy in the car park and we were through the
gate in no time.

Even though at dawn the cloud cover looked light and that it would
burn off quickly, such was not the case. Low clouds suddenly descended
on the area and it was gloomy and dark. Over the next couple of hours
the temperature seemed to drop. Even in the early afternoon by which
time the sun was shining and the sky quite cloudless, it was still
cold enough that a long-sleeved short and a fleece were comfortable.

Although we had not had rain for two weeks, the roads were dry, but
there were so many swampy areas with open water, maybe the evaporation
rate has been lowered by the low temperatures in the past ten days or
so.

Our first port of call was Ivory Burning Site where we failed to find
anything of remotest interest. On the causeway to Nagalomon Dam there
were two young Spotted Thick-knees in the drift. The dam itself was a
hive of activity, greatly dominated by Sacred Ibis which were busy at
the colony. In amongst the ibis were three fledgling Cattle Egrets
trying their wings, and this is a first breeding of the species in
NNP, which is a bit surprising. There were a number of young
Black-crowned Night-Herons probably raised on site, but the numerous
Reed Cormorants, two Great Cormorants and a single Darter were not
part of the breeding frenzy. A noisy Crowned Crane called from the top
of the colony, but there was little around the edge apart from ibis.

The back road to Hyena Dam was much more entertaining, especially for
seed-eating species. We were treated to a fairly extravert family of
African Firefinches, there was also a flock of about thirty Red-billed
Quelea, but the real surprise was a White-bellied Canary, in NNP
normally confined to the Mbagathi River. At the swamp, which is quite
wet, were the first two Wood Sandpipers of the season and a Common
Sandpiper, African Water Rails were noisy. Just as we turned off the
road to go to Hyena Dam, an African Crake flew up right next to the
car with legs dangling and dropped into the long grass never to be
seen again.

Although quite open now, with so little typha remaining, Hyena Dam was
still the centre of entertainment. We stopped to have breakfast, and
had a Knob-billed Duck, Hottentot Teal with six fast-growing
ducklings, and there were six Red-billed Teal which might also have
been a family though they all looked like adults. A very tame
sub-adult Purple Heron was so approachable, although had spats with a
Great Egret. There was one Yellow-billed Egret, two more Great
Cormorants, African Water Rail, two Swamphens and a pair of African
Jacanas. An adult Fish Eagle perched patiently atop the acacia, two or
three Wood Sandpipers were around, with the first Green I have seen
this season, and on such an extraordinary date a White-winged Black
Tern dropped in and spent time at the dam. Finally the first Barn
Swallow appeared.

On the run-off there were all three widowbirds in non-breeding
plumage, many Yellow-crowned Bishops still in breeding dress, some
thirty Orange-breasted Waxbills were seen today, as well as numerous
Quail-Finch.

On the way to Eland Hollow we had a Rosy-breasted Longclaw and the
first of two Black-shouldered Kites, but the dam was disappointing
with two Crowned Cranes and a Great Egret, and nothing else apart from
numerous Yellow-crowned Bishops. Karen Primary School Dam faired a bit
better with a Madagascar Pond Heron, and in the grasslands Cardinal
Queleas were still in breeding dress.

The drive across to Athi Basin was not too productive, there were
scattered Banded Martins about. On the vulture-drinking pools, no
vulture but a Hippo with a close friend (see montage). Athi Dam was
exceedingly quiet, six Spur-winged Plover, three breeding-plumaged
adult Little Stints, and the Greenshank that was there two weeks
previously. One Speckled Pigeon fed amongst the weeds.

Towards Cheetah Gate we were fortunate with a Scimitar Cross-billed
Barbet (see montage), and three d’Arnaud’s Barbets, but it was not
very birdy along the south road apart from a female and immature
Hartlaub’s Bustard, nesting Grey Woodpecker and a Pangani Longclaw.  A
few whitish rumped Red-rumped Swallows were along the Mbagathi River,
with normal Red-rumped Swallows (emini).

With nothing in the Kingfisher area we proceeded on to the forest, and
whilst driving through heard the distinctive musical tinklings of
Sharpe’s Starlings. We had to wait thirty minutes for one male to come
into view (see montage), but eventually it did. Judging from the calls
there were a good dozen present, associating with Violet-backed
Starlings. This became only the second ever record for the Park. The
last birding spot was the dam on the edge of the forest where a Little
Grebe had one chick and a pair of Crowned Cranes had two.

There was a good variety of species today, but some dams were deadly
dull, and so were much of the grasslands. There was a good amount of
plains game in the southern sector and Athi Basin, Black Rhino near
the Mountain Reedbuck valley (with just two present), White Rhino near
Kingfisher, Hippos at Nagalomon, Hyena and Athi Dams, and the murrum
pits above Athi Basin. A lioness near Rhino Circuit, whilst small
mammals were restricted to one Slender Mongoose.

We were out of Langata Gate by 4.45pm and there was no bad traffic on
Magadi Road.








KEY TO MONTAGE

TOP FAR LEFT AND ITS IMMEDIATE RIGHT

AFRICAN FIREFINCH
This is an immature male, not bright like the adult male, but darker
below than a female and lacking the rosy hue.

SECOND ROW FAR LEFT
Two weeks ago I reported Hottentot Teal with ducklings at Hyena Dam
which appeared a first breeding record for NNP. Now the ducklings are
half-grown and she has raised six.

THIRD ROW FAR LEFT AND TWO IMAGES DIRECTLY BELOW

SCIMITAR CROSS-BILLED BARBET
It’s amazing how something like this can survive. The bird looked very
healthy, and was calling identically to a normal Red-fronted Barbet,
so the deformity has no effect on the voice.  It was near Cheetah Gate
and worth keeping an eye out for. I have never seen anything like this
before, but birds with these grotesquely deformed bills have been
reported very infrequently in other species. I suppose the trouble
starts when the mandibles fail to meet normally, and after they
slightly cross there is nothing to stop the growing process. What I
find amazing is that bills continue to grow when the bird is adult.

BOTTOM LEFT

DEATH IN THE LONG GRASS!




THIRD ROW SECOND FROM LEFT AND SMALL IMAGE DIRECTLY BELOW IT.

WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN
I am not sure I have ever seen a WWBT with all white head apart from a
Gull-billed Tern-like black ear patch before. WWBT do return to the
region early from their breeding grounds in August, but are found on
major water bodies not small dams. Most of these adults will still
show some evidence of breeding plumage with black spots here and
there, especially on the underwing coverts. Immatures that arrive
later have untidy mottled plumage. This bird is an adult, because it
has turned up on a small body of water suggests that it is on a
southerly movement. The complete lack of summer-plumage traits
suggests that it did not go back to the breeding grounds but has
probably spent the summer in the African region. The rump is also
greyish not white, there is no black on the crown or the collar, so I
do not know where this plumage fits into the scheme of things. Has
anyone any suggestions or hypotheses?

SECOND ROW SECOND FROM LEFT AND CLOSE-UP DIRECTLY BELOW

HIPPOPOTAMUS AND HELMETED TERRAPIN
What is it between Hippos and Testudines (Tortoises and allies)? First
we have that famous bizarre association of the 150-year-old Giant
Tortoise adopting the tsunami refugee baby Hippo on the Kenyan coast,
made even more famous by the book Owen (Hippo) and Mzee (Tortoise).
Now here is an old Hippo, with a well-aged Helmeted Terrapin that
could not be in closer association! This hippo that lives in the
flooded murrum pit at the top of Athi Basin had already been nicknamed
Horace, as long as there is water it is always there. This must be
Horace and Smelly (as anyone who has handled a Helmeted Terrapin will
testify!).

THIRD ROW AND THIRD FROM LEFT

ORANGE-BREASTED WAXBILL (EX ZEBRA WAXBILL).
Good numbers have moved into the northern grasslands, where they are
quite widespread. There were probably over thirty together on the
Hyena Dam Run-off. Also Quail-finch have invaded with large numbers
coming in to water. I hear them several times a day flying over my
house, as their metallic “plink” calls are quite loud and carrying
often breaking into a musical series.

FOURTH ROW AND THIRD FROM LEFT

RED-RUMPED SWALLOW
There are still white collared, bellied and rumped birds along the
Mbagathi associating with normal emini. The mystery of what they are
continues.

FIFTH ROW AND FOURTH FROM LEFT

CROWNED CRANE AND CHICK
This is the first chick of the season, although pairs are scattered
around. In fact there were two chicks, one much larger than the other
suggesting well spaced laying.

BOTTOM ROW AND SECOND FROM LEFT

FEMALE HARTLAUB’S BUSTARD
The long grass is making bustards hard to see.

TOP ROW AND SECOND FROM RIGHT

ADULT LITTLE STINT
There were three adults at Athi Dam still retaining full breeding
plumage. These birds are on passage, and at this time of year are a
regular sight. The numbers of attractive red birds will increase in
the Rift Valley Lakes over the next few weeks. The young grey birds
will not appear until September. In Britain adult Little Stints are
virtually unheard of, and like us they do not start to have first year
Little Stints until the start of September. This suggests to me that
these adult Little Stints have left their arctic breeding ground, and
arrived in East Africa in just one flight. Which is an amazing
thought.

TOP ROW AND SECOND FROM RIGHT

CYRTANTHUS SANGUINEUS
There were four examples of this rare lily growing in the long grass
at the top of Athi Basin. Usually they favour more open areas with
short grass. This is their normal flowering time.

THIRD ROW AND SECOND FROM RIGHT, ALSO SECOND ROW FAR RIGHT

WHITE BARRED HUMMINGBIRD HAWK-MOTH Leucostrophus hirundo
This was on the Rhino Circuit, the resemblance to a Humming-Bird is
uncanny, not only in appearance but also feeding actions.

FOURTH ROW AND THIRD FROM RIGHT

WOOD SANDPIPER
The first birds are back, all adults. Two back of Hyena Dam and three
at Hyena Dam where there was also the first Green Sandpiper of the
season.

TOP RIGHT

SUB-ADULT PURPLE HERON
This bird at Hyena Dam is the tamest individual I have ever
encountered. We drove to within fifteen feet of it and it carried on
frog-fishing quite unconcernedly.

THIRD ROW FAR RIGHT

SHARPE’S STARLING
This species was recorded three years ago at the KWS Mess Garden,
after the publication of the NNP Bird Checklist. This is only the
second NNP record. There was a flock in the Kisembe Forest associating
with Violet-backed Starlings, as we were driving through they were
giving chiming and tinkling notes. When we stopped we could hear the
full song coming from the canopy, but it took a half-an hour of
waiting to actually see a perched bird and this was it. One male
appeared very briefly in a gap between two branches, so we don’t know
how many there were but judging by vocalisations a good dozen and
maybe more.

FOURTH ROW FAR RIGHT

D’ARANUD’S BARBET
Small numbers resident towards Cheetah Gate, but seen irregularly.
Today we had a pair and a single bird at two different places along
the road.

BOTTOM FAR RIGHT

BUSHBUCK
This young male has to be one of the nicest individuals I have ever
seen. It was in a glade in the Kisembe Forest.