NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 26th March 2017

Dear All,
Nigel Hunter, just as last week collected me at 6.15am, and we were at
the Main Entrance to Nairobi National Park at 6.30am, where we met up
with Washington Wachira and Jennifer Oduori. Although the Visa/Mpesa
thing had to be negotiated along with everyone else arriving at NNP,
we were still through the gate at 6.45am.

It was another mapping day, and another resounding success. Nowadays
it is not possible to cover the entire Park and sacrifices had to be
made. We did not do Hippo Pools, Pipeline or Eland Hollow and Empakasi
Dams on this occasion. Undoubtedly species were missed by not visiting
these spots, but even so there were 43 species recorded last Sunday
not seen today. To give some idea of the species variety in this Park,
an amazing 220 species were recorded today, of which an impressive 46
species were palearctic migrants which is probably a record in itself.
The country’s most copious pentad (a square of less than 9 kilometre
sides) containing Hyena and Nagalomon Dams, Kisembe Forest and Dams,
and Kingfisher Picnic Site provided a new single visit total with a
staggering 175 species. We had 125 species before we had arrived at
Hyena Dam for breakfast, having only visited Ivory Burning Site,
Nagalomon Dam and the back road towards Hyena Dam. We left the Hyena
Dam with over 140. It was a day of really good birds, and a new
species for the Park (in recent times) with a Greater Sand Plover at
Athi Dam, the first substantiated record for NNP (see images), the
previous claim being almost forty years ago (also Athi Dam). A new
personal bird in NNP on each of the two consecutive Sundays is
surprising, my list now at 510 species personally recorded in the
Park. Nairobi National Park you are still absolutely amazing, even in
the grip of drought and the threat of a change for the bad with the
progress of the railway.

Whilst quite a list of species was recorded in the Car Park first
thing, nearly all were recorded later. Our first stop was Ivory
Burning Site, there had been a light shower during the night but
nothing much and the moisture was not visible. Our only Harrier of the
day was a female Western Marsh, a few Eurasian Bee-eaters were in the
area, some half-dozen or more Common Nightingales were skulking in the
bushes, Zanzibar Sombre Greenbuls were prominent in the morning
chorus, the first of ten Isabelline Shrikes seen today, looked like
the bird in the same place last week, an Isabelline Wheatear was one
of only three seen today, but the Spotted Flycatcher was one of at
least twenty.

Heading to Nagalomon Dam we had a number of warblers along the
Causeway in the Rus, single Garden, Eurasian Reed and Marsh Warblers,
but the prize went to a fat Upcher’s dishwashing with its tail. There
were also the first of some twenty Willow Warblers today, and the
first of four Olivaceous. Also in the bushes were a female Red-backed
Shrike which was the first of five of which three were adult males,
the first of twelve Whinchats, and a male Pied Wheatear. The strangest
bird on the Causeway was probably a Laughing Dove eating Rus berries!
On the dam itself were five Darters, single Black-crowned Night,
Purple and Squacco Herons, one Great and two Yellow-billed Egrets,
four White-faced Whistling Duck and a White-winged Black Tern. Also
three African Spoonbills, but no migrant waders.

Now we took the back road to Hyena Dam, which was on the whole quiet,
apart from a very handsome pale Booted Eagle and pair of Gabar
Goshawks, a couple of Blue-headed (flava) Yellow Wagtails, a
Rosy-breasted Longclaw, a female Eurasian Rock Thrush and the first of
six Red-tailed (Turkestan) Shrikes. There were small groups of
Red-billed Quelea but only one White-winged Widowbird, in fact the
only Euplectes seen today. Amongst the hirundines feeding were two
Banded and one Sand Martin.
At Hyena Dam it continued attractive to waders, with two African
Jacana, thirty-five Black-winged Stilts, what seemed more than ten
Long-toed Plovers but they are difficult to count being all around the
dam and also on the run-off, four Spur-winged Plovers, eight Little
Stint, two Ruff, three Common Snipe, the faithful Black-tailed Godwit,
forty Wood and six Common Sandpipers, other swamp birds were a
Yellow-billed Egret, male Saddle-billed Stork, six African Spoonbills,
eight White-faced Whistling Duck, African Water Rail still at the
bases of the vanished reeds, and a Grey Crowned Crane. No sign of Fish
Eagles, but there were Tawny Eagle and adult Martial Eagle. A Nyanza
Swift came and had a quick sip before flying off. The prize on the
causeway where there were several Willow Warblers was a nice Icterine
Warbler. It perched openly but always briefly in bushes below us
before moving off. When we lost it we played recordings of song
(actually from NNP) and it came flying straight in which is very
unusual for a migrant warbler but was still very active and
disappearing into the shrubs. It disappeared again but the App brought
it back, we never did get a good image of it though! (See Image).

We headed back towards Nagalomon Dam with a Northern Wheatear on the
Ivory Burning Arena where a Common Buzzard was flying low overhead,
and continued to Kisembe Forest taking the circuit around towards
Langata Gate. Amongst raptors consisting mainly of White-backed
Vultures was one each of Common, Augur and what looked like a
dark-phase Long-legged Buzzard but being nearly mid-day in a cloudless
sky looked virtually black below but it was a very big bird (See
Images). There was also a Yellow-billed Stork flying over very high.
We stumbled on a Thrush Nightingale feeding quietly under a bush, a
stop at the rubbish-tip Vlei rewarded us with two Yellow-billed
Egrets, a Eurasian Roller, several lutea Yellow Wagtails and three
Red-throated Pipits. Further down the road was a Crowned Eagle and on
Langata Dam a male Greater Paintedsnipe.

Just as we left the forest arriving back on the main bottom road,
there was an adult and an immature Martial Eagle sitting quietly, a
pair of Brown-backed Woodpeckers neither with any red on the head and
likely siblings from a nearby nest, and were very noisy. Several
Fischer’s Lovebirds were here which was an unusual site for them.
Kingfisher area was extremely quiet although the days only
Secretarybird was near here, and we continued on to Leopard Cliffs not
finding very much apart from the days only Pangani Longclaw, a pair of
Fish Eagles and male White-bellied Bustard on the other side of Baboon
Cliffs.

In Rhino Circuit we found some dry forest birds which included a
Grey-headed Kingfisher, Banded Parisoma, Red-throated Tits and
Black-faced Waxbill. Whilst Athi Dam was more interesting than usual
attracting good numbers of waders, ten Spur-winged, eight Kittlitz’s,
six Common Ringed and the bird of the day, a Greater Sand Plover,
twenty Little Stint, three Ruff, two Marsh, twenty Woods, eight Common
and what might be the seasons last two Green Sandpipers, finally the
only Greenshank of the day. A White-winged Black Tern patrolled the
shoreline, whilst there was the strange sight of two Spur-winged Geese
in the shallows. A Black-crowned Night-Heron roosted on the Causeway,
amongst the Marabous were eight each of Yellow-billed and White
Storks, fifteen African Spoonbills, four Red-billed Teal, and three
Grey Crowned Cranes. Pulling away from the dam there was a compact
group of seven Eurasian Rollers with another two singles above Athi
Basin.

Now heading back towards Main Gate we found the days only
Black-shouldered Kite, a pair of Lappet-faced Vultures on top of a
Balanites that they have nested in before, two Lesser Kestrels and a
Steppe Eagle, plus a male Kori Bustard displaying to a female. Closer
to the Beacon was the seasons first Lesser Grey Shrike. Back at Hyena
Dam not much had changed, but in a short section were 115 sleeping
Wood Sandpipers whilst there were probably another forty feeding
around the dam, the final new bird for the day being a Common Kestrel.

Whilst it was a day that you could not say had experienced a good fall
of migrants there were plenty to see. Amongst the number were some
fine finds. Barn Swallows were the most numerous but good numbers of
shrikes, Whinchats and Spotted Flycatchers. Large numbers of
Isabelline Wheatears must have pulled out, with three today compared
to fifteen last week. Willow Warbler numbers greatly increasing, and
although all other warblers in very small numbers, there was good
variety.

Mammals more numerous in the south and Athi Basin, the only Lions of
the day were three in rubbish-tip vlei.

We were through the gate at 6.00pm having had a superlative day on all
counts, remarkable considering just how dry it was.

Best to all,
Brian

As a footnote, there was a half-inch of rain last night and on Monday
27th I had a look in our paddock which is in the same Pentad as Hyena
Dam. There was a good fall of migrants, nearly all Willow Warbler with
excess of thirty, and just one Garden and Spotted Flycatcher. Nine
Tree Pipits were feeding on the ground under the trees, and three
Eurasian Rollers indicated that there was a good movement of the
species locally, especially with the ten in NNP Sunday. There were a
few Eurasian Bee-eaters but then they have been present most days
since their arrival last September.
In the short time I had African Goshawk, Montane Nightjar,
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Red-rumped Swallow, Yellow-whiskered
Greenbul, Black-collared Apalis, Violet-backed Starling, Tree Pipit,
Parrot-billed Sparrow and Golden –breasted Bunting none of which made
any appearance yesterday!

KEY TO MONTAGE

TOP TWO LEFT AND SECOND ROW FAR LEFT TWO
GREATER SAND PLOVER
There is an historical record nearly forty years ago from Athi Dam on
11th Oct 1980. The only other records for Nairobi County have been two
sightings at Dandora in 1981 and 1988. This bird is the first where
there is a photographic record, it is the first ever seen on northward
passage in the county and the second record for NNP although relegated
to the appendix for unsubstantiated historical records in the NNP
Checklist.

THIRD ROW FAR LEFT
GREATER PAINTEDSNIPE
This lone male was on the drying Langata Dam and is the first record
for this corner of the Park.

TOP RIGHT
SPUR-WINGED GEESE
This pair were on the open shore-line of Athi Dam, usually associated
with more vegetated habitats.

SECOND ROW FAR RIGHT
MARSH SANDPIPER
This bird at Athi Dam is in advanced breeding plumage.

THIRD AND BOTTOM ROWS FAR RIGHT
KORI BUSTARD
This male was displaying to a female right near the vehicle on top of
Athi Basin.

THIRD ROW SECOND FROM LEFT
LAUGHING DOVE
The lost bird feeding on Rus berries on the Nagalomon Dam causeway.

THIRD ROW THIRD FROM LEFT
HYBRID SHRIKE
Migrant shrikes were very much on show today, with a combined total of
22 individuals covering four species, but the passage is really only
just getting underway. As well as sorting out the Red-tailed from the
Isabellines which is not so difficult at this time of year, now and
again a spanner is thrown into the works and hybrids show up.
This bird is very crisply plumaged and has a silvery-grey head with no
rufous, however the back is rusty tinged, the underparts uniform
white, and the tail is black with red confined to the extreme base,
rump and outer-tail feathers. This would suggest the product of a
meeting of Red-tailed (phoenicuroides) and Red-backed Shrikes, but the
uniform very white underparts suggest.

THIRD ROW (INSET) FAR RIGHT
ICTERINE WARBLER
This was the best image Washington could manage on the Hyena Dam
Causeway, the bird was so active.

BOTTOM ROW THREE LEFT IMAGES
LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD (?)
This bird was a problem to ID. It was a very large raptor, looking the
size of an Aquila, further enhanced by the projecting neck and when
completing a circle, the primaries were held upswept. Whilst watching
the bird Long-legged Buzzard was thought likely, with a secondary
choice of Wahlberg’s Eagle because of the longish tail, and long
squared wings, and all blackish appearance. It was nearly the middle
of the day, the sun was bright and near directly overhead. With the
naked eye nothing but blackish was discernible, the bird was around
for over five minutes flying all the time into the wind with the
primaries swept back and angled, and made very slow forward progress.
Every now and then it would make a large circle with fully splayed
flight-feathers with upswept primaries and return to more or less the
same patch of sky. A reason why the identification leant towards a
dark Long-legged Buzzard rather than Wahlberg’s Eagle was that the
latter has six visible primaries, but Long-legged Buzzard has five and
this is a major structural difference. Washington took a number of
images of the bird in flight, but to show how technology can reveal
details that the eye cannot see, when they were downloaded various
plumage features were now discernible. The two leftmost images are how
the bird appeared to us, the rightmost is the right image lightened on
the computer alongside the original. Given that it was mid-day and a
hazy hot one, atmospheric distortion must be expected, but it appears
that; primaries are blackish and there are clearly on five projecting
in the “hand”; The bases of the flight feathers and outer secondaries
are whitish; the underwing coverts are paler than the carpal area and
paler than the inner secondaries; although this could be an artefact
of distortion, the belly appears to be darker than the lower belly to
vent which appears rusty; the tail is very pale below narrowly banded
ending in a broader terminal band; the head and neck protrude
markedly. This is a very interesting and very large bird, but the
tapering protruding hind end together with the tail appear to extend
further back than would be expected on a Long-legged Buzzard. Comments
on this are invited.