NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 2nd April 2017

Dear All,
The weather had continued dry, and as there had not been any visual
movement over the garden, it was thought that NNP was to be in the
same position. It was, at home there has not been one migrant raptor,
and the only palearctic raptors today were now parrots and not raptors
anyway with single Common and Lesser Kestrels!

Nigel Hunter picked me up at 6.15am, and yet again the transition
through the Mpesa barrier was speedy, and we were ready in no time.
Washington Wachira had been there even before us and had already
completed the formalities. Jennifer Oduori arrived shortly after and
still had some credit on her card and we were all through the gate at
6.35am.

Before this we had picked up a few birds in the Car Park, though
nothing out of the ordinary a few were never met with again.

It was very quiet, with the same team as last week we all soon
realised that the previous Sunday was extremely exceptional and the
chances of competing closely were next to nil, and beating it merely a
pipe-dream. So we mentally adjusted for a much quieter day, and
compared to last Sunday it really was, but compared to a normal day in
the Park, today was another exceptional one and we recorded 203
species. It was another day of quite intense atlassing.

We started off at Ivory Burning Site, there were several Luscinia
“pinking” but none singing, and the only bird we saw was a Thrush
Nightingale. The usual Zanzibar Sombre Greenbuls were soon part of the
dawn chorus, there was the first of eight Isabelline Shrikes but it
was the same bird resident here for some time. Also the first of ten
Common Whitethroats and a number of Willow Warblers which were quite
widespread. The Spotted Flycatcher represented the first of over
thirty as their passage intensifies. Other migrants consisted of a
Garden Warbler, House Martin and of course Barn Swallows which were
moving through but not in dramatic numbers yet. A sub-adult Ayre’s
Hawk-Eagle flew over, and was later found perched on the Nagalomon
Causeway (see image). A Brown-backed Woodpecker fed along the descent
road to IBSite and whilst watching this the bushes right next to us
parted and revealed a large Black Rhino at touching distance, but it
behaved as if we were not there and ambled off towards the Army Camp.
There were three Violet-backed Starlings which appear to be in low
numbers for this time of year, presumably relating to lack of fruit.
On the botanical plus side all of the Crotons of three species were
full of attractive blossom, and later we were to see that all of the
Acacia mellifera was also blooming en masse.
The Ivory Burning arena still had an Isabelline Wheatear one of seven
seen today, but not surprisingly the Northerns all appeared to have
gone through.

The wonderful variety of warblers we had had along the Causeway last
week was not to be seen or heard, just Willow Warblers. The Dam itself
was fairly busy though amazingly not a single palearctic wader,
however the same White-winged Black Tern was in its third week of
residence here. I have actually never known any site fidelity by
visiting terns, usually just a one-day passage and gone. Seven Darters
crowned the tree, every one of them an adult male, the only herons of
note were a Squacco and one Great Egret, but there were six African
Spoonbills and a few Sacred Ibis. On the sandbank were seven
White-faced Whistling Ducks and an adult Jacana, but at the base of a
typha clump was a beautiful sleepy female Greater Painted-snipe. We
watched frantic courtship of a pair of Malachite Kingfishers that were
in incredibly fresh and bright plumage (see image).

Leaving here we took the back road to Hyena Dam, where we found a
rather tatty Grey-headed Kingfisher, four stunning Blue-cheeked
Bee-eaters sharing the same branches as Little Bee-eaters and a young
Red-billed Oxpecker, the firsts of ten Red-backed and eight Red-tailed
Shrikes. Amongst some very attractive Red-billed Queleas were a few
White-winged Widowbirds with one Jackson’s that had no breeding
plumage but was trying to sing.

Hyena Dam was getting lower but enough to keep waders happy, but today
we had to share our breakfast stop with many more people as it also
had three Lions and a pair of White Rhinos! There were two large
Crocodiles also hauled out on the bank, and several smaller ones
around the perimeter. The dam itself kept us entertained, single Great
and Yellow-billed Egrets, a Yellow-billed Stork with several Marabous,
four African Spoonbills, six Red-billed Teal, one of two
Black-shouldered Kites seen today, a Bateleur, Gabar Goshawk, and
first of three Tawny Eagles, the enormous immature Martial Eagle which
likes this area (see image), then…. the pair of extravert African
Water Rails, three African Jacanas, thirty Black-winged Stilt, ten
Long-toed, four Spur-winged and some twenty plus Blacksmith’s, plus a
smattering of Three-banded Plovers, ten Little Stints and a Curlew
Sandpiper which is uncommon here, four Ruff, a Common Snipe and the
faithful Black-tailed Godwit still in residence, thirty Wood and six
Common Sandpipers and as predicted no Green were seen today and have
all gone north.
Additionally a few Common Swifts, the first of two Eurasian Rollers
seen today, the same Blue-headed Wagtail on the same one square metre
feeding territory under a bush, as last week, the first of five
Whinchats and first of just three Lesser Grey Shrikes.

Passing by Nagalomon Dam again there was now a male Saddle-billed
Stork, we continued for the forest along the Kisembe River (which was
flowing), to where we had the Long-legged Buzzard last week. No
raptors just here but a few Tree Pipits and what for me was the bird
of the day.. Paradise Flycatcher. No ordinary Paradise Flycatcher
though, but a male ferreti in all its breeding splendour. Washington
skilfully managed to get a couple of images of this hyperactive
individual (see image). Further along the river a very attractive
immature Great Sparrowhawk was slaking its thirst. At the Rubbish-tip
Vlei we found two Red-throated Pipits and three Yellow Wagtails, two
flava and a stunning male lutea. A Crowned Eagle was calling nearby,
hopefully from a nest.

There was nothing at all on the Langata Dam, but on leaving the forest
we had a small party of Eurasian Bee-eaters. Kingfisher Picnic Site
had a few new species for the day including a very tame Yellow-spotted
Petronia (see image), and the first of just two Olivaceous Warblers
today. Also our first of the day, Wire-tailed Swallows were here, we
had them at three other sites and it looks like with the sporadic
appearances of this species there are movements we just don’t
understand. Just past Kingfisher was a pair of Shelley’s Francolins
feeding under a bush. The inside road to the murrum pits from Maasai
Gate revealed a party of four Short-tailed Larks (see image), and
nearby the first two of seven White-bellied Bustards. Traversing the
grasslands towards Hippo Pools was quiet as is normal for this time of
day, there was a Harrier-Hawk busy foot-fishing for prey in a crevice.

The Rhino Circuit was quiet but did give us a few acacia specialists
like Abyssinian Scimitarbill and Red-throated Tits, but the pipeline
provided the first of four Pied Wheatears including a very strangely
plumaged individual (see image). Athi Dam had some interesting
species, with an adult Pink-backed Pelican, ten roosting Black-crowned
Night-Herons, just three White Stork and six Yellow-billed Storks,
eight African Spoonbills, a couple of Black-winged Stilt, a pair of
Spotted Thick-knees and a pair of Temminck’s Coursers back in the
grass away from the edge where the days only Secretarybird was on
parade. Also five Common Ringed Plover, eight Kittlitz’s, some ten
Spur-winged Plovers, fifteen Little Stint, two Ruff, a Common Snipe,
several Wood, Common and a Marsh Sandpiper. In the acacias by the
water were five more Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters.

Now it was time for the return but the grasslands were a bit quiet,
single Common and Lesser Kestrels, three different male Kori Bustards,
a brief call at Eland Hollow Dam which held very little water was
still attractive to a female flava Yellow Wagtail, two Red-throated
Pipits and a male Pied Wheatear. The final birds for the day were back
near the Hyena Dam run-off where there was a pair of Black-winged
Plovers and a young male Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (see image).

Good amounts of plains game, and many new-borns including Hartebeest,
Wildebeest, Impala, Eland, Thompson’ Gazelle, Giraffe and Buffalo. The
best mammal was a Grey Duiker at Kingfisher Picnic Site, lions being
seen twice, and both Rhino species.

We were through the gate at 6.00pm and had a final coffee in the Car
Park though nothing new was added, but a stunning White-ringed Atlas
Moth was sitting on the wall and a dead Wahlberg’s Epauletted
Fruit-Bat was underneath the communal roost.

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO MONTAGE

TOP FAR LEFT
MALACHITE KINGFISHER
Although the water level is falling, at Nagalomon Dam a pair of
kingfishers was in extremely bright plumage and engaged in pairing
with much chasing and posturing.

FIRST RIGHT FROM TOP LEFT
GREATER PAINTED-SNIPE
Also at Nagalomon Dam this female Greater Painted-snipe was sleeping
at the base of a clump of typha and showed no interest in waking up
even with its eye open!

FIRST LEFT FROM TOP RIGHT
BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER
On the back road to Hyena Dam four birds were sitting on top of a
large Acacia, and sharing the branch with Little Bee-eaters and an
immature Red-billed Oxpecker. In the afternoon there were five more
Blue-cheeks at Athi Dam.

TOP RIGHT
LESSER GREY SHRIKE
Only three seen today, but it is still early for most of the
contingent of this species to arrive.

SECOND ROW FAR LEFT
CURLEW SANDPIPER
Always uncommon in NNP, this bird at Hyena Dam showed no evidence of
coming in to breeding plumage.

SECOND ROW FIRST RIGHT FROM FAR LEFT
MARTIAL EAGLE
This immature bird is photographed with a few Little Swifts which are
in fact closer, showing what an impressive size this individual is.

SECOND ROW FIRST LEFT FROM FAR RIGHT
SADDLE-BILLED STORK
The male was on his own at Nagalomon Dam.

SECOND ROW FAR RIGHT
PIED WHEATEAR
One of four seen today. This female-plumaged but probably first year
male bird shows an unusual pattern across the breast like a subdued
Three-banded Plover.

THIRD ROW FAR LEFT
YELLOW-SPOTTED PETRONIA
A tame individual at Kingfisher Picnic Site.

THIRD ROW FIRST RIGHT FROM FAR LEFT
RUFOUS-TAILED ROCK-THRUSH
The only individual seen today, but always inexplicably uncommon in
NNP. This bird was near Hyena Dam and looks like a first year male
still showing more winter than summer plumage.

THIRD ROW FIRST LEFT FROM FAR RIGHT
WHINCHAT
Five seen today, this has to be the most striking white supercilium I
have ever seen on a Whinchat.

THIRD ROW FAR RIGHT
TEMMINCK’S COURSER
A pair near Athi Dam.

FOURTH ROW FAR LEFT
AYRE’S HAWK-EAGLE
This sub-adult was mobbed by Yellow-billed Kites whilst it perched on
top of an acacia on the Nagalomon Causeway and the action was
photographed by Washington.

FOURTH ROW FIRST RIGHT FROM FAR LEFT
BOTTOM ROW FIRST LEFT FROM FAR RIGHT
SHORT-TAILED LARK
Four birds were on the murrum-pit road just in from the Maasai Gate
road. The very strong bill seen on the image as it typical for the
species, was being hammered into the ground like a woodpecker on a
branch.

FOURTH ROW FAR RIGHT
WHITE-RINGED ATLAS MOTH
This very large insect Epiphora mythimnia was resting on the wall
right at the entrance gate. The caterpillars feed on Croton and
Zizyphus, and the wingspan is 12cm across.

BOTTOM ROW FAR LEFT AND INSET
AFRICAN PARADISE FLYCATCHER
For me this was bird of the day. The most beautiful plumage of any
Paradise Flycatchers in East Africa. This is a full adult male in
breeding plumage belonging to the form ferreti. It is only the third
time I have ever seen it in NNP, and the two previous were both only
just growing the tail streamers, and patchy-plumaged. This bird was in
deep forest along the Kisembe River in Kisembe Forest. The form can
easily be recognised by the large amount of white on the wing, but
more so from the very beautiful tail with fine ribbons of white on an
otherwise rufous tail. Washington skilfully managed to get some images
of this extremely active bird.

BOTTOM ROW FIRST RIGHT FROM FAR LEFT
CATTLE EGRET
This is a Cattle Egret at Athi Dam, soon to die and hang from an
acacia. It has a large amount of what looks like sisal material or
similar wrapped all around its feet. In the evening it will fly to
roost in an acacia, the sisal will become caught up on the thorns and
barbs. The bird will flap to take off but be held tight by the
entangled fibres. It will become exhausted as there is no escape and
too weak to perch it will just hang from the branch and suffer a slow
painful death. Something has to be done about this fibre hazard which
is getting more and more frequent.

BOTOM ROW FAR RIGHT
LION
This male is called something like Irakwa and is three years old. It
was walking down the road above Athi Basin with an entourage of three
cars, but as we were coming from the opposite direction stepped to the
side of the road. The image was taken through the windscreen.