NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 31ST DECEMBER 2018

Dear All,
On the last day of 2018, Washington Wachira and myself had a full
day’s Atlassing in Nairobi National Park. There had been a shower
overnight and bird activity was hoped for.

We arrived at 6.40am, but in spite of not very many people being
present, they did consist of assemblages of people, and there was so
much delay in sorting them out with all ID’s having to be inspected,
all participants having to be identified to match the ID, and delays
with people scattered over the parking area. Finally with our simple
entrance required with two people, two ID’s and both citizens we were
processed in a minute, although it had taken forty minutes to get to
the front of the queue.

The entrance road was not the hive of activity hoped for, not just
lack of movement but lack of sound, even Ruppell’s Robin-Chats
remained uncommonly quiet. There was a Little Sparrowhawk perched on a
roadside limb, whilst common enough in gardens it is only reported in
NNP a few times each year. We sat on the roadside and there was a sign
of reluctant activity as the commoner species started to feed. We did
have our only two Tree Pipits for the day. Our first stop was Ivory
Burning Site, a huge marquee was being erected no doubt for some New
Year festivities. Three Green Sandpipers flew over noisily, a young
Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle also passed overhead, an Isabelline Shrike was
present, Zanzibar Greenbul started to sing, and several Nightingales
were also in good voice.

Sitting near the Nagalomon Drift was a splendid Levaillant’s Cuckoo,
and a few more Nightingales were waking up and singing, but like Ivory
Burning Site there were no migrant warblers, in fact we did not
encounter a single migrant warbler all day apart from a single Willow
by the Mokoyeti. The dam had no migrant waders other than five
Black-winged Stilt, but this was easily made up for with the presence
of a female Greater Painted-snipe, just a single Great Egret
accompanied of group of cavorting African Spoonbills which were
bugling as if ready to settle down and raise a family. Only a single
Darter was present with a handful of Long-tailed Cormorants, the first
of three Martial Eagles flew by, there were a pair of Fish Eagles with
at least five encountered today, a group of five Pied Kingfishers were
flying all over the place, displaying with much chittering and
posturing. A Rosy-breasted Longclaw was enjoying bathing in a road
puddle.

Taking the back road to Hyena Dam there was not a great deal of
activity, numerous Helmeted Guineafowls today were all in large groups
and there seems to be no pairing up at present, the first Augur
Buzzard of three seen today was a smart black bird, a Common Snipe was
feeding on the damp patch (currently marshy), with the days first Wood
Sandpiper, whilst in the background was a Grey-headed Kingfisher, the
first of just two Turkestan Shrikes today, and a few of the days only
Red-billed Queleas. At Hyena Dam, it looked quite desolate as usual
but searching revealed a Little Grebe, African Open-billed Stork, the
first of eight Grey Crowned Cranes seen today, a white-headed Eurasian
Marsh Harrier passing overhead, ten Black-winged Stilts, five
Long-toed Plovers, another Common Snipe, a few Green but some forty
Wood and three Common Sandpipers, a Ruff, the first of three Whinchats
seen today, and the two flava Yellow Wagtails were also the only
representatives of the day.

Taking the road along the Mokoyeti there was an immature Black Stork
flying over, and an adult down feeding on the ox-bow, the adult
Greater Spotted Eagle perched on his usual dead tree perch right in
the open, an African Water Rail was noisy on the oxbow, where there
were now a number of Parasitic Weavers holding territory presumably
seeking out Winding Cisticola nests. A pair of Orange-breasted
Waxbills was also present here. Some eight Eurasian Bee-eaters were
clustering together as it was still gloomy and cold.

Breaking with tradition we had a look at Olmanyi Dam, apart from an
African Spoonbill there was a pair of Crowned Cranes and the days
first Common Greenshank. An African White-backed Vulture presumably
from the nest in an adjacent tree hopped through the sedges to a small
pool for a bath and in doing so flushed the third Common Snipe of the
day. At the Kingfisher swamp the only new bird for the day was the
only Jackson’s Widowbird, and in full plumage.

 Leaving the over-populated Kingfisher Picnic Site we had the first
Northern Wheatear and a stunning Yellow Bishop at the bridge, before
making for Ololo. As it was getting late things were quiet, apart from
a Sprosser who was singing away. In the grassland a pair of Pangani
Longclaws were right on a Pentad border, and flew into the next one so
could be counted for both squares! There was a Secretarybird tending
its nest on top of a Balanites, and further along the road were a pair
of young Spotted Thick-knees and two solitary White-bellied Bustards.

It was too late by now for the Pallid Honeyguide below Baboon Cliffs
but no doubt he had been singing earlier, and the woodland above Hippo
Pools was amazingly quiet, not its usual oasis status. With a few
Violet Wood-Hoopoes on the Rhino Circuit and the days only Spotted
Flycatcher, and picking up a Marsh Sandpiper on the ox-bow, it was
time to visit the Pipeline for the wheatears and we were not
disappointed with five Northern, three Isabelline and five Pied. Also
the days only Speckle-fronted Weavers were along here. In a Balanites
crown was another Secretarybird bowing and bobbing at another coming
back with fresh nest material.

The water level at Athi Dam was even higher than a few days ago, and
so little shoreline left. In the shade of the Acacia mellifera were
another three Spotted Thick-knees but hoped for warblers here never
eventuated. Pairs of White-faced Whistling Duck and Red-billed Teal
were the only ones for the day, like-wise a Little Egret, roosting
Black-crowned Night-Herons, five Kittlitz’s Plovers and eight Little
Stints. The Darter that likes this place is still here, and the usual
eight Black-winged Stilts, together with another Marsh, two Common
Greenshank, six Wood, two Common Sandpipers and a Ruff completed the
line up. Now a quarter to six, we felt better be pinched for a pound
rather than a penny, and made no effort to hurry back. Near the
Vulture Drinking Pools where it was too late for vultures, there was a
Ruppell’s Vulture on a low tree. Seemed late in the day if it is going
to roost on rocks, but I suppose Mara birds don’t anyway and it
probably stayed where it was. There was a Tawny Eagle here as well as
a few White-backs and they were probably all waiting overnight for
access to a kill. Near the Beacon, once a prominent feature on the
plains, but now literally living in the shadows of the railway towers
soaring above it, Washington stopped for a Hartlaub’s Bustard near the
road, I said if that was Hartlaub’s it’s got the wrong voice as I was
hearing White-bellied, to which he then said surprisedly that there
were two White-bellies behind it. As it was further back than I
thought, I turned thinking they were straight out from the car and
said “where are they in relation to the Kori!” There were three
species in the same place; I think three bustard species in view in
the same place is a first for me.

Further along Washington was looking ahead and said that there
appeared to be a mass of black and white on the ground at Karen
Primary School Dam and assumed them to be Zebra, I looked at the site
and agreed that they must be. When we arrived near there, the ground
was still extensively black and white, but not Zebra but over five
hundred White Storks, this was my largest flock in the Park I am sure.
They then took wing in straggling bunches and flew towards the Ngongs.
A Little Grebe has already found the dam to its liking again. Along
the Mokoyeti there was a flying adult Black Stork, possibly the
mornings bird and the Great Spotted Eagle was back on his perch (he
had flown off whilst we were there in the morning), and it is
obviously where he is roosting.

It was a bit late to go back through the forest to Langata Gate, and
nothing would be calling now so opted for Langata Gate, together with
many other cars. We were waved through with a cheerful smile; it was
like the old days when we did not exit until 7.00pm or even later.
That was also why we had had a wonderful drive back instead of the
drudge when it’s still to early for activity, I prefer the good old
days!

We had at least eight Black-winged Kites, so they must be finding the
grasslands to their liking again, Barn Swallows were widespread but no
congregations. We ended the day with 195 species, but were not able to
fit in the forest and Langata area, and the scrub towards Cheetah
Gate.

Mammals were widespread but best congregations were in Athi Basin and
along the Mbagathi valley.

The downside to the late exit, Magadi Road was a nightmare and it took
an hour to do the five kilometres, actually fifty minutes to do the
last kilometre!

Best to all
Brian