NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 8th January 2017


Dear All,
This is a report for the 8th January 2017, but first a continuation of
what has been happening with the Mbagathi River as a result of the Oil
Pipeline. Last week I reported on the fact that the river had been
moved with a sluice created to continue the flow. This week the entire
river has been dammed, and the tunnel through the riverbed has created
mayhem. Isn’t it actually illegal to dam a river in Kenya, what
happens to people that rely on the water source downstream of NNP?

The damming has created a lagoon that looks attractive but in fact had
nothing of interest on it.

We were through the Main Gate by 6.40am, there had been no rain
anything like recently and in common with the region things are
looking very thirsty and the spring birth provided by the short rains
just never happened. We started off at Ivory Burning Site, it was
quiet but the Zanzibar Sombre Greenbuls were noisy, and the odd
Nightingale. A Tree Pipit flew over and the flowering Acacia gerardii,
a phenomenon happening over the entire Park, was attracting many local
species which included a Willow Warbler of which only three were
recorded today. In the bushes there was a Marsh Warbler in full song,
I would have thought they would have already passed through, but the
arrival of Sedge Warblers that is normal around the New Year period
has strangely never happened and still no record for NNP this season.
On the new Ivory Burning Site there was a pair of Black-winged Plovers
which are the first in a while, but they were heard flying over the
house that night so maybe a movement back into the area.

Nagalomon Dam was extremely quiet, but of interest was an adult Great
Cormorant which resembled palearctic birds in being all dark below
with a whitish throat (see image). The regular presence of these all
dark birds associating with normal white-breasted birds amongst the
numbers in the Rift has always been a bit of a mystery and no
palearctic visitation has been confirmed to date. Otherwise there were
two adult Purple Herons, a breeding plumaged Squacco, four Darters,
three African Spoonbills, one of the pair of Fish Eagles from Hyena
Dam, three Black-winged Stilts and eight Wood Sandpipers. To use the
new name, Highland Rush Warblers were displaying in what miniscule
amounts of typha remain.

Taking the back road to Hyena Dam yielded three flava-type Yellow
Wagtails following Zebra, and the days only Red-collared Widowbirds.
Hyena Dam water level continues to descend, we found a Great Egret,
seven African Spoonbills, three Western Marsh Harriers, an all dark, a
white-capped and an adult male, a Fish Eagle, Martial Eagle, the two
African Water Rails still easy to see with so little cover, an adult
Jacana, a dozen Black-winged Stilts, about ten Long-toed, eight
Spur-winged and some twenty Blacksmith Plovers, six Common Snipe,
single Little Stint and Ruff, twenty Wood Sandpipers but just two
Green, and the first of six Whinchat today. Nothing to be seen on the
run-off but a few Eurasian Bee-eaters along the Mokoyeti.

Continuing to Olmanyi Dam there were another seven Common Snipe
(thirteen in a day is a personal best), and a Greenshank. Then a quiet
spell as we crossed the dry grasslands with our first of seven
Isabelline and only Northern Wheatear, at Kingfisher we had a Brown
Parisoma and taking the road past Maasai Gate two Steppe Eagles, the
first of two Black-shouldered Kites and a Parasitic Weaver.

The dearth of plains birds was contrasted by the abundance of plains
game almost throughout the Park as many have arrived back in to the
area. The usual Speckle-fronted Weavers were in the acacia above Hippo
Pools. On the Rhino Circuit we found a good number of birds which
might be thanks to a pair of Verreaux’s Eagle Owls, one of which held
on to what looked like a short-tailed domestic cat (see image).
Amongst the species here were five Violet Wood-Hoopoes (see images
showing clearly not marwitzi for anyone still not believing that
Violet Wood-Hoopoes are along the Mbagathi), the first of three
Spotted Flycatchers, and first of four Olivaceous Warblers, a few
Red-throated Tits and Lesser Masked Weavers. From here to the Pipeline
was quiet, the only two Pied Wheatears of the day, Banded Parisoma and
more Red-throated Tits…. and the surprise of the damming!

Athi Dam still quite high but falling, provided a Darter, three
roosting Black-crowned Night-Herons, seven African Spoonbills, amongst
the Marabous were six White Storks and three Yellow-billed Storks. The
pair of Fish Eagles is still here, ten Spur-winged Plover, three
Kittlitz’s and two Ringed Plovers, three each of Black-winged Stilts
and Greenshank, two Common Sandpipers, a dozen Little Stints and a
Ruff.
Around the Murrum Pits all but dry, were a Secretarybird, three
White-backed and two Ruppell’s Vultures making the most of what little
liquid was left, though getting prodded by Marabous, and three
Shelly’s Francolins. The days first Crowned Plovers gave us our fifth
Vanellus for the day. There were four Lesser Kestrels over the
grasslands and the days only Turkestan Shrike in the scrub with six
African Silverbills nearby.

Now returning we looked at the currently birdless Karen PS Dam, but
Eland Hollow was more rewarding with a Yellow-billed Egret, a male
Saddle-billed Stork, a dozen Red-billed Teal, two Red-knobbed Coot and
three African Jacanas. With our exit at Langata Gate we checked the
two dams on the way out, the Forest Dam had its ever faithful
Yellow-billed Egret, there were three Little Grebes but no sign of
chicks yet, a Common Buzzard and a drinking Blackcap. Whilst the
Langata Dam still had a White-backed Duck and an African Jacana.

The final look was at the vlei near Langata Gate, strangely some forty
Wood Sandpipers were feeding in the grass even though there was no
water, but with a group of Yellow-billed Kites was a very strange
looking bird, and this has been detailed separately as there is a
chance it might be Africa’s first Black-eared Kite, which is sometimes
treated as a race of Black, or as a separate species. Images have gone
to the experts in the raptor world, for their opinions.

Barn Swallows were all over but no concentrations, Lesser Striped
Swallows were very widespread, and Banded Martin numbers seem to have
increased.

We were through the well-manned gate at 5.15pm, during the course of
the day we recorded 192 species.

Best to All,
Brian


IMAGE DETAILS FOR MONTAGE NNP 8th JANUARY 2017-01-13 (see Key Plate)

A	VIOLET WOOD-HOOPOE
Although resident along the Mbagathi in the Park, to the total
exclusion of Green Wood-Hoopoe, the usual stated range is Thika (where
I don’t think there has been a record for a very long while), Embu and
along the upper Tana east of there, Samburu district along the Ewaso
Nyiro, in Britton he gives it from there south to Lake Jipe (although
never recorded in Tanzania) and along the Galana. The old literature
overlooked the Mbagathi birds but maybe they genuinely were not there.
Personally I have only seen the bird in NNP, Embu and upper Tana and
Samburu district, but never come across it in the south-east and
wondering if the range has really contracted in recent years as the
localities are backed with old specimen evidence. The Violet
Wood-Hoopoes in NNP are thriving and twice a year produce offspring.
They differ from any Green Wood-Hoopoe in only having the green only
on the throat, nowhere else. But the violet covers the head, nape,
back, rump and tail, plus the wings as well. As can be seen from these
images and from the various angles they are always a beautiful deep
blue.

B	GREAT COMORANT	
This adult bird suggests the plumage pattern and colour of a
palearctic adult in partial-breeding plumage. It is the first time one
of these plumages has been seen in NNP. They are regular in gatherings
in the Rift Valley though. It differs from a palearctic in having the
white of the throat go down the upper part of the neck, and
intriguingly the basal leg feathering is black and not white. Some
Great Cormorants of the lucidus race have underparts as well as necks
and upper breast white. I think these black bellied cormorants we see
are just part of the variability of lucidus and nothing to do with
migrants.

C	VERREAUX’S EAGLE-OWL
Rarely reported in NNP, this pair was on the Rhino Circuit along the
Mbagathi. I really cannot make out the prey item, it looks like a
short-tailed domestic cat, or maybe a young hare. Anyone have a better
idea of what is providing lunch?

D	SYKE’S MONKEY
We all know just how obnoxious Olive Baboons are in NNP, especially
around Baboon Cliffs Picnic Site, but whilst a bit too familiar
outside of the Park in Langata, Syke’s Monkeys have been well behaved
inside NNP. Recently though they have been seen more frequently than
they used to be, and it would appear that there has been a population
increase within the Park. Now below Baboon Cliffs they have taken a
bad leaf out of the Baboons book and entering cars, which the one on
this image had just done with the passengers inside!

E	BLUE-HEADED (FLAVA) WAGTAIL
This has so far been a very bad season for Yellow Wagtails, that this
Blue-headed constitutes the first of its kind in NNP for this period.

F	LONG-TOED PLOVER TOES
The absurdly tame plovers on the Hyena Dam Causeway just seem to
become bolder and bolder, especially the Long-toed. If anyone wonders
why it is called this, here is a photograph of the toes!

G	RUEPPELL’S GRIFFON VULTURE
There were just two adults at the murrum pits at the top of Athi
Basin, but one of these just seemed to be so bright and clearly
marked.

H	NILE MONITOR
	Another tame Hyena Dam Causeway resident.

I	AFRICAN WATER RAIL
	…and another absurdly tame Hyena Dam resident.

J	STEPPE EAGLE
	These have been quite scarce so far this season.

K	ISABELLINE WHEATEAR
With the continuing drought conditions and seven seen in NNP today
compared to just one Northern and two Pied, we can probably expect
more drier country species to appear.

L	SACRED IBIS ALLOPREENING AFRICAN SPOONBILL
This had to be seen to be believed. Like much of interest it was at
Hyena Dam. We were having our breakfast coffee, and next to us was a
group of Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbills and Cattle Egrets. One
Spoonbill was resting with its bill tucked into its back feathering.
What we saw next was extraordinary, a Sacred Ibis then came along and
we spent ten minutes watching (and videoing) what came next. The Ibis
then proceeded to allopreen the Spoonbill who was very receptive. It
was gentle as if preening itself or a mate. There was no advantage to
the Ibis, only the Spoonbill, this is almost a case of altruistic
behaviour involving two different species of birds.

M	THE KITE THAT LOOKS LIKE BLACK-EARED KITE IMMATURE
These are a couple of images of the strange Kite not far from Langata
Gate. The plumage is very strongly suggestive of Black-eared Kite
which has not been recorded in Africa. See the special report on this
bird, with very interesting comments on this sighting From Dick
Forsman.

Nairobi National Park has proved a very interesting day, but doesn’t it always!?