NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 17th July 2016


Dear All,
Nigel Hunter and myself were a little later than usual, and thought we
would go into Langata Gate. It was half-past seven and as the Customer
Service Person is supposed to be on duty at the gate at 6.00am it
seemed that even with their perennial lateness they should have made
it by now. Not a word of it, we were made to go all the way round to
Main Gate because they had not turned up. It’s time that there was a
dismissal as the clerk is not capable of doing the job.

We were through the gate by 8.00am and it was busy at the check-in.
There had been no rain in the past few weeks and so roads were now
re-opened although we did not check Kisembe Forest.
Our first stop was Ivory Burning Site, there was little of interest
apart from one elsewhere common species. I believe that the
Black-headed Oriole that was there, is the first that I have ever seen
at that site. They are inexplicably rare in the Park.

No Thick-knees on the drift on the way to Nagalomon Dam, and no early
Green Sandpiper on the river either, one of their favourite first
stops. The Sacred Ibis colony was in action, and the African Spoonbill
chicks are now small spoonbills with already developed bills. There
was a beautiful adult Purple Heron present, two Darters were on the
island but barely half-dozen Black-crowned Night-Herons and around the
edge were five Spur-winged Plovers.

Taking the back road to Hyena Dam provided some common bush birds and
a Spotted Hyena, but otherwise nothing of note all around to our
breakfast site by the dam. Whilst we enjoyed the morning coffee we had
the following single individuals; Glossy Ibis, Little Bittern (an
adult male but as pale as any palearctic, not the usual colourful
payesi we expect for this time of year), Great White and Yellow-billed
Egrets, Fish Eagle, African Water Rail, Swamphen and African Jacana.
Multiple species consisted of three Long-toed Plovers including the
white-winged bird, another five Spur-winged Plovers which were not
duplicates from Nagalomon Dam and twenty Greater Blue-eared Starlings
sitting in the large acacia.

Leaving here we checked the Saddle-billed Stork nest but sadly no one
was at home, and all we could muster on the run-off was single Great
and Yellow-billed Egrets. Taking the inside road to Eland Hollow we
found a couple of Black-shouldered Kites, an adult Black-chested
Snake-Eagle, two Athi Short-toed Larks, a plethora of Quail-Finch
which have suddenly appeared in numbers all over the grassy areas of
the Park, the population over the entire area could well be in high
hundreds, and Orange-breasted Waxbills were also well spread with ten
the largest single gathering. The seeding grassland has attracted
large numbers of gramnivorous species, many White-winged Widowbirds
were scattered but the only other widowbirds were two Red-collared
near Hyena Dam, Yellow-crowned Bishops and Cardinal Queleas were in
small numbers with the numerous Bronze Mannikins and fairly plentiful
Red-billed Queleas. In a mixed group near Eland Hollow Dam were three
Grey-headed Silverbills. We had our first of four Rosy-breasted and of
three Pangani Longclaws. At Eland Hollow a pair of African Jacanas
were raising two chicks, well the male was but the female was doing
her own thing. A pair of White-faced Whistling-Duck has four well
grown young.

A quick visit to East Gate gave us evidence that Red-billed Quelea,
Rufous Sparrows and Bronze Mannikins also eat Parthenium seeds, and at
the entrance were four displaying Laughing Doves, most records in the
Park relate to single individuals. Circling back to Karen Primary
School Dam rewarded us with a very secretive Madagascar Pond Heron.

Heading for Athi Dam, we found three Mountain Reedbucks in their
traditional site, and at the murrum pits above the Athi Basin were
many vultures, and so we counted the number of birds that had now
bathed and were just loafing. There were 84 White-backs and 4
Rueppell’s, which is an impressive number, and White-backs were seen
commonly over much of the North, South and West of the Park, with many
active nests in the Mbagathi Valley and a few elsewhere. It’s very
pleasing to report that White-back is still by far and away the most
abundant raptor species locally.

Being eager to welcome back the first palearctics, we found a Common
Greenshank at the vulture drinking site, but this bird was too white
an adult, having very little markings and has probably come from no
great distance, as it had evidently never attained breeding plumage.
Two Crowned Cranes were our first of the day, we further met with
three other pairs, but only the two near Langata Gate had chicks. Athi
Dam was extremely quiet, but it gave us opportunity to count the
Egyptian Geese which dominate the place, and there were 94. Two adult
Wood Sandpipers definitely were returning palearctics, and still in
breeding plumage. Other than this we had nine Spur-winged and one
non-plumage Kittlitz’s Plover, the only other bird being a Fish Eagle.

As well as the peaceful setting of Athi Dam we were able to appreciate
the incursions of “progress” into the Park. Of course there are the
giant pylons that span the entire eastern section of the Park, that
carry no power, then we found how rapid the progress of the viaduct
fifteen metres above the ground carrying the  railway line is, as it
marches on relentlessly through what was until recently, rhino
territories. The pipes have now been joined together on their own
private road that scars the landscape from the Mbagathi River and
disappears over the horizon towards the north. They are sitting on
mounds and the top stands at five feet from the ground. The road just
this side of the Cement Factory on the Park boundary, seems to have as
much traffic as Mombasa Road, and moving at similar speeds and very
noisily. This is also through Rhino territory and I bet the Chinese
don’t try and miss an opportunity when it occurs! There was another
eyesore on the back road to Hyena Dam, where there is a borehole rig,
maybe it’s to water the Chinese when they start on the second phase of
the railway to screw up the rest of the Park.

Heading away from this hellhole created from what was heaven, we had
three d’Arnauds Barbets, a Banded Parisoma and a few Speckle-fronted
Weavers amongst an assortment of drier country species in the Acacia
mellifera, a mixed flock on Rhino Circuit containing three Violet
Wood-Hoopoes, a lone Black Swift above the Hippo Pools, and more
Speckle-fronted Weavers along the inside road to Maasai Gate. Below
Impala Lookout were two Augur Buzzards, a nice male Namaqua Dove that
did not want to leave the road, and on our exit checking the dam near
Langata Gate were pleased to see that the African Jacana is still
caring for four large chicks.

We were through the gate at 5.15pm, and the person on the gate said
that the clerk had never turned up and was always late!!!

The Hyena was our only carnivore today, we had seven White Rhinos, and
there had been a major influx of Zebra into the south and south-west
of the Park, and a good variety of plains game.

Best for now
Brian

KEY TO MONTAGE
TOP LEFT
A SCENE FROM WAR OF THE WORLDS
Oh no it’s not. It’s just the railway viaduct invading the herbivore
habitat inside the Park.

BOTTOM LEFT
PIPES CROSSING THE ATHI PLAINS ON AN OLD TRACK THAT’S NOW A NEW ROAD
Being raised above the ground, it really is ugly. It’s also a barrier
to the free movement of the wildlife across their territories. Let’s
hope it soon gets buried.

TOP RIGHT
MADAGASCAR POND HERON
This individual was very furtive, creeping about in the swamp
vegetation at Karen Primary School Dam.

CENTRE RIGHT
PURPLE GRENADIER
These were in good numbers all through the south, but also frequent in
other parts as well.


BOTTOM RIGHT
THIS IS DUSKY ACRAEA -  ACRAEA ESEBRIA
On the last report I mentioned that I had not seen Johnston’s Acraea
in the Park before, but now I have had better views and taken an
image, I can see it’s Dusky Acraea, which I have also never seen
before in the Park.