Dear All

After a long absence of around 18 months I visited Nairobi National Park on Saturday and Sunday. I managed almost a full circuit on the Saturday and then concentrated on the forest on Sunday. A quick summary of what I found to be the most notable sightings:

Driving through the forest near the entrance was a fine male Black Cuckoo-shrike.

At the Ivory Burning Site there were no palearctic migrants that I could see or hear on the Saturday and only one on the Sunday (a Willow Warbler), but there were a few birds of interest (to me) around: A Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike and a Spot-breasted Barbet on Saturday, and a female Chinspot Batis on both days.

I took the back-road to the Hyena Dam on the Saturday and it produced what I took to be two Scaly Francolins on the road as it ascends from the plain. I got good views for a few seconds, and the birds appeared to be largely rufous, with no striking head markings and with a scaly appearance, a red bill and red legs. These were my first and I'm open to suggestions of alternatives if these are not common in the park. Higher up I saw and heard several Crested Francolins, but these were definitely not what I had seen earlier.

I visited the Hyena Dam in the afternoon on Saturday, and in the morning on Sunday. There were two Grey Crowned-cranes by the "new swamp" on the Saturday, which appeared to have a chick with them, though they were distant and it was hard to tell. No sign of this on the Sunday. The Greater Spotted Eagle which I'd read of in other posts was seen in flight on the first day and perched near the Dam on the Sunday. I've only ever seen this species in the Park. On the Sunday there were 4 Wood Sandpipers here, and approximately the same number the following day. An immature Purple Heron put in appearance on Sunday morning, along with at least two Squacco Herons. Otherwise there were many, many Cattle Egrets and at least four Malachite Kingfishers.

Driving the back route from the Hyena Dam produced a breeding-plumaged Red-collared Widowbird and the weekend's only Whinchat on Saturday, and a fabulous Rosy-breasted Longclaw on the Sunday. It also produced my first ever Quail Finch on the road on Sunday. At last.

At the "drift" before the Nagolomon Dam on Sunday I finally saw the Spotted Thick-knee that I'd always read about but had never seen here. In fact, by lunchtime there were two of them.

At the dam itself there was little of note on Saturday, but on Sunday a flock of 14 Wood Sandpipers with a single Green Sandpiper was spooked by an immature Western Marsh Harrier with a strikingly white head. There was an African Fish-eagle here as well as one at the Hyena Dam on both days.

Taking the road the the Kingfisher Picnic Site I missed my turn and ended up near the KWS works area. The electric fence along here was alive with birds including my first ever African Pygmy Kingfisher.

The Kingfisher Picnic Site itself was quiet (in terms of people) on Saturday, but packed on Sunday, so all sightings refer to Saturday. There were a pair of African Grey Flycatchers flitting around, a male Chinspot Batis, two Brown Parisomas (which confused me at first, but I got some good photos) and my first ever Red-throated Tit.

On the Saturday the old burnt area produced nothing of great interest except for what seems to me a very out-of-place Fork-tailed Drongo in one of the bushes. Similarly the long ridge that runs down towards the Mokoyeti produced little of interest except for two, separated, Striped Kingfishers, which had been missing at the eponymous picnic site.

There was something of a lull continuing towards the Hippo Pools, but just above it there was a large flock of Speckle-fronted Weavers, which I'd not seen in the Park before.

At Hippo Pools itself I was surprised to flush a Green-backed Heron, but the bigger surprise was an African Emerald Cuckoo in the canopy of one of the acacias. It was an immature, with an iridescent green back and heavy barring both below and all over the head, the head barring appearing greyish-brown and without any obvious white markings. I know this sighting is out of place, as this is clearly riverine and not highland forest as the books say, but the absence of any white on the head, and the thickness of the barring both on the chest, belly, and head, make this an African Emerald for me. I'm open to persuasion, though.

Beyond Hippo Pools was the sole Turkestan Shrike of either day.

At the Athi Dam on Saturday, aside from idiot tourists getting out of their cars for snapshots, the main species of note were a single Little Stint and five Greenshank by the water and several tens - at least 70 - White Storks circling in thermals just beyond the edge of the park. There were around 20 more not far from the dam, inside the park, and they were singly taking off to join this throng.

Back up and over the ridge there were at least three Ruppell's Vultures amongst the White-backs at the Murrum Pits along with a single Red-billed Teal. Further into the Embakasi Plains the only bird of note was a whopping male Kori Bustard sauntering across the road.

In the forest the most interesting sightings (bar one) were of non-birds; a Forest Duiker (is this species known from the park? I don't have my reference books with me) and a two-metre Python edging out of a hole in the road. But there was one spectacular bird, for me, and that was my first Ayres' Hawk-Eagle quatering over the forest on Sunday morning. The forest glade had two Grey Crowned-cranes as well.

I saw no Secretary Birds on either day - perhaps the only time I've ever failed to see this species in the park - and I saw only one Black-shouldered Kite over the two days, in the acacias below the Hyena Dam. Overall I was also surprised by the paucity of palearctic migrants. It's surely not too early?

I was alone so I'm happy with my 150 species over two days. Once again, Nairobi National Park comes up trumps - for as long as it still exists...

Grateful for thoughts on my Francolins, the Emerald Cuckoo and the Duiker. I don't live in Kenya any more so all my reference books, except for the indispensable Stevenson and Fanshawe, are back in Brussels.

Ben.