NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 22nd January 2017

Dear All,
On 22nd January Nigel Hunter, Alastair Llewelyn and myself arrived at
the Main Entrance to Nairobi National Park where we had to queue to
charge up the Smart Cards, but in all fairness it was all handled both
rapidly and professionally. From 27th January we are now faced with
another KWS stumbling block, they will no longer be accepting any cash
for Park entrance, you will have to pay either by MPesa or with a Visa
Card but cash will be history. It will be interesting to see how they
deal with the irate tourists that arrive wanting to enter the Park,
time will tell. I presume this will take place in all Smart Card
Parks.

First the news of the Mbagathi River, the dam has a sluice and the
river is once again flowing, but the place looks like a dump, and the
habitat for the passage of the oil pipe line has been ecologically
devastating from so many aspects…. has NEMA agreed to this, and were
they in fact notified?

There had been no rain recently, but unlike other days it was
pleasantly overcast and there was a look of rain but it never
eventuated, however the cover kept the place comfortably cool.
We started the day at Ivory Burning Site, where there was quite a
dearth of migrants, and we did not even hear a Nightingale. There was
the usual chorus of Zanzibar Sombre Greenbuls, which is a cheerful way
to start the day. There was a Eurasian Reed Warbler skulking in the
bushes and another three between here and the back road to Hyena Dam,
a couple of Willow Warblers but only another two seen the rest of the
day. On the Ivory Burning Arena there was a Secretarybird, the first
of three today, a pair of Crowned Plovers were the only members of
their kind, a “ring-tail” Pallid Harrier and the days sole Northern
Wheatear and Yellow Wagtails.

Along the Mokoyeti exiting Nagalomon Dam was an adult Black Stork and
another seen along the Mbagathi in the afternoon, whilst the dam was
fairly quiet with a half-dozen African Spoonbills, a single Great
White Egret, a very high total of fourteen Darters although only one
Reed Cormorant, three Black-winged Stilt, the usual plovers, ten Wood
and two Green Sandpipers, but the prize wader was a very beautiful
female Painted-snipe. The Great Spotted Eagle crossed the causeway but
was only seen badly for a second and was gone, and driving to the end
there was no sign of the bird. We did have Highland Rush Warblers
singing from the few reeds and the first of just three Whinchats for
the day, whose numbers are currently well down.

Along the back road a short spell of spishing attracted a Nightingale
amongst others, so although quiet maybe they are still in the scrub
but maybe moulting and not feeling like singing. A few Red-billed
Queleas were amongst other seed-eating species such as Red-collared
Widowbirds which were in non-breeding plumage and were the only
individuals seen.  At Hyena Dam we found four White-faced Whistling
Duck, two Red-billed Teal, several more African Spoonbills, an adult
and immature Fish Eagles, the pair of African Water Rails, the days
only Grey Crowned Crane, fifteen Black-winged Stilts, ten Long-toed,
seven Spur-winged and fifteen Blacksmith Plovers, an adult African
Jacana, two Common Snipe, a Greenshank, over twenty Wood, two Green
and a Common Sandpiper, and one each of Little Stint and Ruff. A young
Gabar Goshawk, once a regular sight was the first in the Park for some
months.

We took the run-off which held a male Saddle-billed Stork but little
else, but on arriving back along the Mokoyeti I could hear a Greater
Spotted Eagle calling. The call is a sharp repeated “keek-keek-keek…”
so very different from the deep barks of Tawny and Steppe Eagles. I
had heard what was almost certainly this individual calling in flight
at Hyena Dam two years ago, and here it was flying around in small
circles calling loudly. After passing Nagalomon Dam once more, we
headed out to Olmanyi Dam which again looked in good condition but
failed to attract anything, but there was a Martial Eagle and a
perched Common Kestrel on the way.

Heading back towards the Kisembe Ridge on the way to Kingfisher Picnic
Site we found a Laughing Dove which was unexpected right up in the
north and in thick bush but the prize at Kingfisher was a strange
female Red-chested Cuckoo (see images), also the regular species
included the first of three Spotted Flycatchers for the day,
Red-throated Tit and Brown Parisoma. Further along the road we had the
first of nine Isabelline Wheatears today, which might suggest a
drought induced incursion, and the five individual Namaqua Doves all
flying in a southerly direction along the southern road, also supports
this. Also we found the first of just two Pied Wheatears for today.

The southern road was quiet and the place looking badly in need of
rain, there were three Tawny Eagles along the road but the best bird
was a very vocal Pallid Honeyguide singing away from a fig tree at the
Mokoyeti crossing below Baboon Cliffs. I would be surprised if this
bird does not stay, although it is the first in the Park for many
years apart from a bird at Safari Walk a couple of years ago. On the
tiny drift on the other side of Baboon Cliffs was the strange sight of
an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron. Further along the Mbagathi there
were unquestionably violet-blue (from every angle) Violet Wood
Hoopoes. It might be worth pointing out that if Green Wood Hoopoes
ever occurred in the Park, they would find habitat for them all over
the place, but these Violet Wood-Hoopoes are NEVER away from the
riverine forest along the Mbagathi east of Hippo Pools.

On the Rhino Circuit were a few species not seen elsewhere such as
Banded Parisoma, and the first of three Olivaceous Warblers but
nothing out of the ordinary. At Athi Dam were a few Red-billed Teal,
the only Yellow-billed Stork for the day, and in spite of large
numbers of Marabous, no other storks were associating with them. A few
African Spoonbills and a Great White Egret were in the shallows, a
pair of adult Fish Eagles were in residence, whilst in the wader line
apart from the usual Spur-winged, Blacksmith and Three-banded was a
Common Ringed Plover. Eight Greenshank, a few Wood and Common
Sandpipers, ten Little Stint and a Ruff completed the palearctic roll
call and eight Speckled Pigeons fed on weed seeds.

The vulture-drinking pools were dry, and the replacement is now the
flooded murrum pits before reaching the Mbuni Picnic Site turn-off.
Apart from a few White-backed Vultures were three Ruppell’s, and an
impressive five Steppe Eagles (we had seen two single birds earlier in
the day). The surrounding open grasslands were quite miserable with
just two Lesser Kestrels.

Karen PS Dam was birdless, but Eland Hollow had apart from the usual
sandpipers, ten Red-billed Teal, a Red-knobbed Coot, three African
Jacana and the day’s only migrant Shrike, a male Turkestan.

On the return, a stop at the Forest Edge Dam en route to Langata Gate
produced adult breeding and non-breeding Little Grebe, but only one
chick seems to have hatched, the omnipresent Yellow-billed Egret was
now joined by two Glossy Ibis.

We were through the Langata Gate by 5.20pm having had a superb day as always.

Barn Swallows were scattered throughout, and Banded Martin numbers
were up on recent trips and one was in full song at Eland Hollow. We
recorded 184 species during the course of the day.

Plains game were still numerous in the southern portions but Zebra
were pretty much everywhere. We had the incongruous sight of a pair of
honeymooning Lions squeezed up against a saloon car to maximise the
shade. The scenario looked like the Lions had moved in to take
advantage of the only shade available and the lone driver had the
windows up and had to lean over the passenger seat to see the Lions!

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO MONTAGE

TOP LEFT
PALLID HONEYGUIDE
This isn’t the bird near Baboon Cliffs but one that was not calling at
all several years ago on Safari Walk. Because the bird below Baboon
Cliffs in a fig-tree on the Mokoyeti causeway is so very noisy, I
suspect and hope that it will be around for a while.

MIDDLE TOP
COMMON SNIPE
Interestingly these two were posturing and flaring their tails and
cocking it over the back. I have not seen birds in Kenya do this
before.

TOP RIGHT
NILE CROCODILE
The big fella back at Athi Dam.

SECOND ROW FAR LEFT
GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE
Two images of the bird displaying and calling near Mokoyeti River
(Nagalomon end).

SECOND ROW MIDDLE
GREATER PAINTED-SNIPE
A beautiful adult female feeding right in open at Nagalomon Dam.

SECOND ROW FAR RIGHT
SERRATED HINGED TERRAPIN Pelusios sinuate
In NNP this species is confined to the immediate vicinity of the
Mbagathi River. The distribution of the species is patchily confined
to larger rivers, or lakes that are river fed. This individual has
been present in Hyena Dam for nearly three years but sadly appears to
be the only one of it’s kind. They are very numerous at the Hippo
Pools, but away from the Mbagathi it is all Helmeted Terrapin
Pelomedusa subrufa.

THIRD ROW LEFT AND RIGHT
RED-CHESTED CUCKOO
This suggestive female plumaged bird was at Kingfisher Picnic Site.
Unfortunately the images are back lit, however it is enough to see
that the upperparts are grey rather than blackish. The throat is grey
blending into a faint rufous wash on the upper breast which is
unbarred.
It actually resembles a number of grey cuckoo species, but it is the
last feature of having no barring at all across the breast that
identifies females and immatures as Red-chested Cuckoo as all other
female and immature cuckoo species have barring across the breast. The
barring on the rest of the underparts is very fine. The bill is
undeniably two-thirds yellow based. Apart from other features that
rule out a Common Cuckoo the tail is very short. Whilst the yellow on
the bill suggests African Cuckoo, the tail even appears too short and
too square for that species more akin to Lesser Cuckoo. Red-chested
Cuckoo isn’t usually considered a confusion species and so was a bit
of an eye-opener.

BOTTOM LEFT
STEPPE EAGLE
One of seven immatures seen today, which is a high count for NNP.

BOTTOM RIGHT
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
Sometimes we see unspotted birds soon after they arrive in October,
but this one has obscure streaking on the underparts. It’s possible to
recognise a surprising number of birds that take up territories on
multiple visits to that site, and the territories are surprisingly
very small.