NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 26th November 2015

Dear All,
Nigel Hunter, Fleur Ng’Weno, Jennifer Oduore and myself met up at
6.45am at the Main Gate. Being “Pope Day,” many roads were completely
closed making travel impossible in Nairobi, and it was an impromptu
public holiday. Nevertheless people were finding their way to the
Park.

There had been good rain overnight, here it had been a healthy 1.8
inches, but nothing compared to parts of Karen which registered a
staggering 5.3 inches (nineteen inches just for this month). Many
parts of the Park were inaccessible, we could not get to the back of
Hyena Dam, or even along the side as it was too treacherous, there was
no way to get across the Hyena Dam run-off which was well inundated,
whilst Karen PC Dam was easy enough, continuing to Eland Hollow was
out of the question, nor was it possible to drive around Athi Dam,
only view it from half-way down the access road. Rhino Circuit would
have been asking for trouble, nor were we able to get anywhere around
Langata Gate or the Kisembe Forest denying access to another three
dams and the vlei. So with our hands somewhat tied we tried to make
the best of it. The strange weather was intermittent showers
punctuated with brighter periods for all of the day.

Driving down the access road, both Common Nightingales and Sprossers
were singing. After turning off to Ivory Burning Site, we stopped for
a Siffling Cisticola and there was a very close Black Rhino myopically
eyeing us from a gap in the bushes! It was gloomy and dark at IBS,
there were a few more Nightingales and a Tree Pipit, (which was the
only one for the day), perched in the top of a croton but nothing else
to keep us there.

The wash across to Nagalomon Dam was indeed awash, with much water
flowing over the rocky bed, isolating a very bedraggled Spotted
Thick-knee on an island rock. The Mokoyeti River was also in speight,
with a dramatic torrent rushing down the valley. The dam was also
extremely high, extending fifteen metres beyond the closest acacia to
the waters edge. It was so open with the typha having taken another
battering and the muddy edges non-existent. There were over twenty
active Black-crowned Night-Herons presumably getting ready to nest,
although a good half were immature birds, and on the island sat two
Darters, a pair of Grey Crowned Cranes, a sub-adult Fish Eagle, whilst
around the edge were the first Spur-winged Plover for this dam, an
adult African Jacana, a dozen Green, but just five Wood and one Common
Sandpipers.

Following the main road to Hyena Dam we skidded a bit, it was very
full, the nice edges and banks of marsh vegetation were submerged. We
sat in the rain and saw a palearctic Little Bittern, a single Purple
Swamphen, one Black-winged Stilt, a couple each of Long-toed and
Spur-winged Plovers, an adult African Jacana, with Barn Swallows and
Plain Martins sitting on the reeds with a single Sand Martin, and two
Whinchats around the edge.

We detoured around the run-off, with many Jackson’s and Red-collared
Widowbirds in the grass, and a distant female-type Montagu’s Harrier.
There were fifteen or so Eurasian Bee-eaters resting in a tree, and
the first of over ten Rosy-breasted Longclaws appeared. The plains
were full of Little Swifts with good numbers of White-rumped and Barn
Swallows. Reaching Karen PC Dam, we had our coffee and breakfast next
to the water, which was quite high, but had not reached the level of
flowing over the top down the lugga. A male Pallid Harrier kept us
entertained, one Common Swift came in for a drink, the only
Wire-tailed Swallow of the day was here, and a Red-throated Pipit flew
over unseen. In the very open reeds was a Sedge Warbler, whilst other
areas to the west and east do receive them now, in Nairobi they are
extremely late as a rule, first appearing close to Christmas. This was
the earliest bird I had seen in NNP.

Near the Beacon were four distant male Amur Falcons, the first of the
season, two female-plumaged Montagu’s Harriers together, a pair of
Lappet-faced Vultures that seem to have chosen a low Balanites as a
potential nest site, the first of five Pangani Longclaws, first of
three Willow Warblers, a Northern Wheatear on a murrum stack and three
Yellow Wagtails in the road, (all young birds).

Above Athi Basin there were a pair and a single Shelley’s Francolins,
a young White Stork, the only African Spoonbill of the day, over
twenty Lesser Kestrels with one each of Common Kestrel and a young
Amur Falcon with them, a pair of Secretarybirds, no less than five
Hartlaub’s Bustards and all adult males but just one White-bellied
Bustard, three Grey Crowned Cranes, and two Common Greenshank. It was
not easy trying to reach Athi Dam and after skidding a few times we
decided to admire it from a distance as it was too treacherous trying
to get to the waters edge. The water level was very high with no
margins, but from our elevated stop we could see a Little Grebe, a
couple of adult Fish Eagles, a single White-winged Black Tern and a
Common Greenshank was the only palearctic wader. Along the edge of the
road was a pair of Somali (Athi) Short-toed Larks, the first for a
while.

Along the Mbagathi road we stopped a few times on the way to
Kingfisher Picnic Site. We found another (or the same) pair of
Lappet-faced Vultures, and a couple of Ruppell’s amongst many
White-backed Vultures, a couple of Tawny Eagles which were the only
Aquila species of the day, three Black-shouldered Kites which are
returnees having been absent recently, an obliging first year Eurasian
Hobby, single Wahlberg’s Honeybird, Spotted Flycatcher and Olivaceous
Warblers, two male Red-backed and three female type Red-tailed Shrikes
including a nice one with conspicuous chestnut ear-coverts and a
second Northern Wheatear.
However pride of place went to an African Crake which we had disturbed
bathing in a puddle not far past Leopard Cliffs, it ran into the
bushes, and we waited hoping it might return, and within a minute it
did and continued its ablutions next to the vehicle. Such amazing
views of such a bedraggled bird that was now soaking itself having
already spent most of the night in the same state! But why was it here
in late November. I had always associated African Crake as after the
long rains May to September, and a perusal of the records state that
in Kenya, Uganda and northern Tanzania the records fall just in this
period and only in SW Tanzania where the central African breeding
population crosses the border, do the birds occur November to January.
So whilst African Crake is always a good record, at this time of year
it is exceptional if not a first.

Kingfisher was very birdy with many Afrotropicals new for the day
which included a very noisy pair of Brown Parisomas, but the only
migrant was a Blackcap. Heading towards Kisembe Ridge there was
another Secretarybird, pair of Grey Crowned Cranes and an out of place
male Namaqua Dove sunning itself by the road. Our final new bird for
the day was a Great Cormorant back at Nagalomon Dam.

Only three pairs of Lesser Striped Swallows were seen today, one on
the Mbagathi, another nest-building in the toilets at Hippo Pools and
the third pair on the Kisembe River bridge on the way to Kingfisher.

Plains game were in good numbers along the Mbagathi and in Athi basin,
Black Rhinos were near Ivory Burning Site and near Rhino Circuit, a
pair of White Rhino were above Athi Basin, Hippos were only seen in
Athi Dam, two Lions were above Athi Basin, and a Side-striped Ground
Squirrel was at Baboon Cliffs, which had a plethora of Bush Hyrax
lounging on the warming rocks.

After a wet start, damp day and a prematurely wet finish we were out
through Main Gate at 3.45pm, but with a slow start it turned into an
extremely rewarding day. With many of the places inaccessible,
flooding rendering some dams unattractive with loss of habitat,  we
were still close to 180 species for the day.

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO MONTAGE

TOP ROW AND SECOND ROW FAR LEFT
African Crake - Off-season bathing individual Near Leopard Cliffs

SECOND ROW CENTRE
Raging Mokoyeti River after exiting Nagalomon Dam

SECOND ROW FAR RIGHT
Somali Short-toed Lark Athi Dam

THIRD ROW FAR RIGHT
Bedraggled male Lesser Kestrels

THIRD ROW FAR LEFT
Unusual hazy view of Nairobi Skyline from below Impala Lookout

THIRD ROW CENTRE
Unusual female Red-tailed Shrike with chestnut ear-coverts

BOTTOM ROW FAR RIGHT
First-Year Eurasian Hobby

FOURTH ROW FAR LEFT
Very fresh male Jackson’s Widowbird

FOURTH ROW CENTRE
Very fresh Pangani Longclaw