NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 14th July 2018

Dear All,
With Nigel Hunter. The cold season is well and truly with us, and this
is the result after a days birding in the Park. It’s a bit abbreviated
but I wanted to get the species recorded before I forget it. It seemed
a very slow and uncomfortably cool day and but we managed to get to
most places, including all were recently unreachable because of
flooding. What amazed us was that we recorded 179 species, making it
the highest species total for a July day!

Harlequin Quail
Just one bird flushed, although conditions look good for numbers

White-faced Whistling Duck
Two on Karen PS Dam only waterfowl apart from Egyptian Geese.

African Spoonbill
At least eight birds and five nests with birds incubating Nagalomon Dam.

Black-crowned Night Heron
Thirty birds at Nagalomon Dam included the first locally raised
juveniles for the season.

Striated Heron
One bird along the Mbagathi.

Pink-backed Pelican
One at Athi Dam.

Long-tailed Cormorant
A few pairs nesting at Nagalomon Dam, but difficult to see most nests.

Great Cormorant
One black bird at Nagalomon Dam.

African Darter
Eight adults at least at Nagalomon Dam, and four well-grown young present.

Secretarybird
One bird in Athi Basin.

African Fish Eagle
A pair of adults at Nagalomon Dam but not seen elsewhere.

White-backed Vulture
Twenty-five at the Vulture Drinking Pools above Athi Basin.

Ruppell’s Vulture
Eight at the Vulture Drinking Pools above Athi Basin.

African Harrier Hawk
One bird along the Mbagathi.

Gabar Goshawk
A single near Hyena Dam.

Augur Buzzard
Just two birds seen along Kisembe Ridge.

Tawny Eagle
A single bird along the Mbagathi.

Martial Eagle
Single adult and immature along the Mokoyeti.

White-bellied Bustard
A pair near Leopard Cliffs.

African Water Rail
One in swamp near Kingfisher Picnic Site

Grey-crowned Crane
Four pairs seen

Spur-winged Plover
Birds on nest at Hyena and Athi Dams.

Green Sandpiper
Singles along the Mbagathi and vlei near Langata Gate, my first
returning birds this season.

White-winged Black Tern
An adult in non-breeding dress at Athi Dam would be very early for a
migrant, also no sign of breeding plumage and probably represents a
bird that did not return north this year.

Black-faced Sandgrouse
One very tame male in the same place as seen a few occasions in the
past, on the road between the Mbagathi and Athi Dam.

Yellow-throated Sandgrouse
Strangely heard in Athi Basin but not seen.

Laughing Dove
One in Athi Basin.

African Palm Swift
Nesting at Karen PS Dam

Grey-headed Kingfisher
One along the Mbagathi.

Narina Trogon
Three adult males having vocal territorial disputes and much chasing
in Kisembe Forest, though no females seen.

African Hoopoe
A single above Hippo Pools.

Abyssinian Scimitarbill
A pair on Rhino Circuit.

Black-headed Oriole
One on Rhino Circuit.

Banded Martin
Five near Eland Hollow Dam.

Yellow-whiskered Greenbul
Singing in Kisembe Forest.

Zanzibar Greenbul
Noisy near Ivory Burning Site and Nagalomon Dam.

Cabanis’s Greenbul
A few in a mixed species flock in Kisembe Forest.

Highland Rush Warbler
Singing in several swampy areas after a period of silence.

Banded Parisoma
One above Hippo Pools.

Montane White-eye
Several in mixed party in Kisembe Forest.

Wattled Starling
A lone bird along the Mbagathi.

White-starred Robin
Singing well in Kisembe Forest.

House Sparrow
Several on the units en route to Hyena Dam the back way.

Speckle-fronted Weaver
Encountered in three groups, two along Mbagathi, several past Rhino
Circuit and also above Hippo Pools.

Cardinal Quelea
One lone male associating with Red-billed Queleas appears to be first
for this season.

White-winged Widowbird
Only a couple in non-breeding dress.

Red-collared Widowbird
A few males showing a bit of fading colour near Hyena Dam.

Jackson’s Widowbird
Non-breeding birds near Karen PS Dam.

Crimson-rumped Waxbill
Two along the Mbagathi.

Cut-throat Finch
A pair near Karen PS Dam that had probably been drinking.

African Quailfinch
Small numbers bit widely scattered.

Pangani Longclaw
Two very pallid but flying young with adults near Maasai Gate.


NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 29th July 2018

I spent 7.45am until 1.00pm with Julian Branscombe a visitor from UK.
In the time available we were only able to visit Nagalomon, Athi and
Karen PS Dams, the plains down to the Vulture Drinking Pools but time
would not allow a visit to Athi Dam, Kingfisher or any forest area.
Although it looked like a bright start it immediately clouded over and
was cool.

More interesting species were;

White-faced Whistling Duck
Just a pair at Karen PS Dam, were the only waterfowl apart from Egyptian Geese.

Little Grebe
A pair on Karen PS Dam.

African Spoonbill
Large young at Nagalomon Dam are ready to leave the colony.

Black-crowned Night Heron
Just a few remaining at Nagalomon Dam.

Squacco Heron
Adult in breeding plumage Nagalomon Dam.

Madagascar Pond Heron
One in usual spot at Karen PS Dam, seems to be the first in NNP this
season, but also none reported on the net this year so far which is a
bit alarming.

Yellow-billed Egret
One Nagalomon Dam.

Great Cormorant
White-breasted adult at Nagalomon Dam.

African Darter
Six birds at Nagalomon Dam.

African Fish Eagle
Just one bird at Nagalomon Dam.

White-backed Vulture
Fifteen at Vulture Drinking Pools.

Ruppell’s Vulture
A single young bird at Vulture Drinking Pools.

Bateleur
An adult near Hyena Dam.

White-bellied Bustard
One near the railway crossing.

Black Crake
With chicks Karen PS Dam.

Grey Crowned Crane
Two pairs with young.

Black-winged Stilt
Seven back at Hyena Dam, could these be palearctics this early?

Little Stint
An adult with no sign of any breeding dress at Vulture Drinking Pools
is probably not a returning bird.

Fischer’s Lovebird
Pair on the Nagalomon Dam causeway.

Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul
Singing just inside from Main Gate, which is a new area, also Ivory
Burning Site.

Cardinal Quelea
Adult male in with other feeding weavers.

Yellow-crowned Bishop
Female feeding young along the Mokoyeti, amongst an assortment of
weavers/estrildids.

Orange-breasted Waxbill
Adults feeding young at ox-bow along the Mokoyeti. Other pairs seen in
grassland.

African Quailfinch
Small numbers all through grasslands.

Parasitic Weaver
About thirty, nearly all dull birds in mixed weaver/estrildid feeding
flock along Mokoyeti.