Greetings birders

Today I was fortunate to visit Nairobi National Park with Dale Zimmerman,
Carol Fugagli and Zachary Metha. Being Madaraka Day, a public holiday, there
were lots of visitors. Mammals and birds were plentiful. Highlights included
Sacred Ibis again nesting on Nagolomon Dam, an African White-backed Vulture
with young ones in the nest, an adult and an immature Martial Eagle, eleven
Grey Crowned Cranes (at different locations), a pair of African Water Rail
foraging in the handful of reeds remaining in Hyena Dam, and an Abyssinian
White-eye feeding young in the nest.

Bird of the day, however, was a Violet-tipped Courser. It was a lifer for
Carol ­ who spotted it ­ and for Zachary and me. We could see its enormous,
red-rimmed eyes, red base to the bill and red legs. This is an intra-African
migrant, usually nocturnal, and a new record for the park. One of the few
previous Nairobi records, according to Harvey's Annotated Checklist of the
Birds of Nairobi, was one found dead in July 1978 in Langata.

Long live Nairobi National Park! Fleur