NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 18th JANUARY 2019

Dear All,
Nigel Hunter and myself arrived at the Main Gate at 6.45am, on the way
we had seen a Village Weaver arrive at its nesting colony with nesting
material, coming in from the edge of the Park where they find the
material for their several colonies along Magadi Road. This was a
bonus because in spite of their immediate proximity to the boundary
fence, Village Weavers are virtually never recorded in the Park
itself. When we went in for the card processing, there was only one
other person ahead of us and we were done in a couple of minutes. This
is the time of year when we have nearly 7am sunrise to 7pm sunset,
this is the worst segment of the year for birding, as it is still very
quiet in the morning and the departure from the Park is too early,
having to leave the south-eastern parts two hours before sunset to get
out of the Park by 6.00am. Being a Friday Magadi Road will have a
traffic jam from Park Place towards Ongata Rongai and so yet another
half-an-hour has to be allowed for this and so the exit should be no
later than 5.30pm which is what we did through Langata Gate, an hour
and a half before the sun would be setting which really curtails the
days birding. So taking this into consideration, instead of entering
the Park immediately we had a twenty-minute walk around the Parking
area. This netted us several species not encountered the rest of the
day, four Willow Warblers, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Olive Thrush
and Northern Double-collared Sunbird. About 7.10am we were through the
gate having no idea it was Superb Septemciconius Day!

It was a little quiet still on the drive to Ivory Burning Site, a
couple of Nightingales were starting up, and a few woodland species
started to appear, but it was also very quiet at the site itself and a
young Gymnogene flew by. The most curious observation was a
White-backed Vulture sitting in one of the Acacia gerardii. Whilst
common enough flying over it is the first we have ever seen perched in
IBS, and even more curious was that it was tugging at branches very
vigorously. It will be interesting to see if it will try and nest
there with all the visitors walking around the area. The Lesser
Striped Swallows were there, and in fact were recorded over much of
the Park today and so there has been a major return.

Leaving here we had a short circuit of the Ivory Burning Arena, there
were a pair of Southern Crowned Cranes amongst a few Buffalo. In the
interest of the forthcoming National Crane Census this is how we found
them today. Hyena Dam (these same birds) one pair, below Impala
Lookout one pair, Kingfisher Swamp one pair, Athi Dam one pair, Eland
Hollow five, Langata Dam one pair (constructing) and Langata Vlei five
birds. There was also the first of a mere three Black-winged Kites
seen today. Just back at the turning onto the Nagalomon Causeway was a
pair of Pangani Longclaws sitting on the top of a bush, not seen
before in this area. The sun was still low and illuminated the dam
beautifully. There was a Little Grebe which is rarely seen here, a
Great Cormorant and only two Darters, the kik-kik-kik… alarm call of a
Little Bittern was heard just once, and no amount of scanning produced
the bird, the Squacco Heron that has been present for some weeks was
still here, eight White-faced Whistling Ducks were along the edge, but
the only migrant waders were five Black-winged Stilts, two Wood and
five Green Sandpipers, the Fish Eagle was in residence and the days
only Harrier was a very distinctive female plumage type with whitish
crown, and extremely extensive whitish patches on the shoulders, this
distinctive bird was also seen at the end of December. The only
migrants singing from the bushes were a couple of Nightingales, no
migrant warblers.

We took the back road to Hyena Dam, the usual species were in the
scrub, but coming in low over the bushes was a very unexpected
Woolly-necked Stork, was this the same adult found in an equally
secluded spot at Langata Vlei on 30th November. This was a good start
and the day’s first species of Stork! (See images). Along here we had
the first of three Augur Buzzards, hybrid Lovebirds were also here
again, and whilst checking the rooves for House Sparrow and the lines
for Village Indigobirds we also found the only Red-billed Quelea seen
the whole day. There was the first of just three Whinchats, and the
same of Turkestan Shrikes. It seemed that we had had a good morning so
counted up the number of species recorded before arrival at Hyena Dam
at 8.15am, and it was a healthy 111 species. The Dam itself only
contributed single Yellow-billed and Great Egrets, seven Long-toed and
eight Spur-winged Plovers and the first of only three Common
Sandpipers. Additionally were a handful of Wood and a few Green
Sandpipers plus another Fish Eagle.

Taking the road along the Mokoyeti produced the Great Spotted Eagle up
very high, but a surprise pallid Icterine Warbler was gleaning the
tops of bushes at the Ox-bow, but probably the greater surprise was
that this was the only migrant warbler recorded the entire day inside
the Park! Just before crossing the Mokoyeti Bridge large raptors
appeared, one was the Great Spotted Eagle still high, now joined by a
near adult Steppe Eagle, (see images), probably the bird that appears
to be wintering in the Park this year. Rather than go back to
Nagalomon Dam we opted for a detour to Olmanyi Dam which was in good
condition and produced a stunning glossy Black Stork as the second
stork species for the day (see image), the day’s first pair of African
Spoonbills, a noisy Martial Eagle calling up the valley and a Common
Greenshank. We now took the road all the way back to below Impala
Lookout and round to the Kingfisher Swamp. Here finding a
Saddle-billed Stork, a pair of African Water Rails, White-winged,
Jackson’s and Red-collared Widowbirds all in breeding dress, whilst
they seem to have withdrawn from the rest of the Park, and a couple of
Parasitic Weavers which now also seem to be confined to here.

Kingfisher Picnic Site was not too active, the few birds added
included Brubru and Red-throated Tits, and along the old burnt area
was a pair of Black Storks flying along the valley and a Lion Hiding
in the grass. At Ololo we added a good number of species with a
charming party of Speckle-fronted Weavers (see image), and at the
river, birds included the days only Spotted Flycatcher, an openly
perched Nightingale, Red-faced Cisticola, drinking African Citril
resembling the Western (frontalis), (see image and discussion), and
Black-faced (see image) and Crimson-rumped Waxbills. Apart from a pair
of White-bellied Bustards it was quiet until we reached the Pallid
Honeyguide in residence and very noisy at the Mokoyeti Causeway.

On the way towards Hippo Pools were the days only Tawny Eagle,
Blue-naped Mousebirds, two of the first five Northern Wheatears and a
Banded Parisoma. At the Ox-bow along the Mbagathi the water level was
fast dropping, with a couple of Yellow-billed Storks, another Fish
Eagle, and the days first Marsh Sandpiper and Little Stint. The Rhino
Circuit was very quiet at the entrance but we encountered a fairly
good mixed assemblage further inside, with four hyper-active
Red-throated Tits, Southern Black Flycatcher, Brown Parisoma, Lesser
Masked Weavers and the days first Marabou Stork soaring over.

The Pipeline gave us a couple of Pied Wheatears, and Athi Dam had a
margin again, the long-term resident Darter still present, some fifty
resting Marabous had a Yellow-billed and four White Storks amongst
their number, in the south-east corner the pair of Water Thick-knees
showed that they were still present and have been since last October
(see image), they shared some shade with the days only Red-billed
Teal, and nearby was a Spotted Thick-knee also in shade, seven
Black-crowned Night-Herons were roosting in their usual site, migrant
waders consisted of six Black-winged Stilts, two Common Ringed Plover,
seven Little Stints, seven Ruff, two Marsh, ten Wood and a Common
Sandpiper, two Common Greenshanks of which one was an unusually marked
vermiculated bird (see image), three Mottled Swifts came in to drink
yet Little Swifts were not seen the entire day! But there hidden next
to a tree was an adult Open-billed Stork (see image), making this the
seventh species of Stork for the day which made this a truly Superb
Septemciconius Day.

Now heading back northwards, finding that the road had been well
graded from the top of Athi Basin to the East Gate turnoff with work
continuing towards Karen Primary School Dam we found at the Vulture
Drinking Pools four Ruppell’s with fifteen White-backed, and a family
group of two adult and two immature Short-tailed Larks, the young bird
were more attractively patterned than the adults (see image). Our last
of the ten Cisticolas recorded for NNP, was at the Mountain Reedbuck
site, additionally making it a Decticola Day as well. The Red-billed
Oxpecker was sitting on the cairn near the Empakasi Junction as it
often does, there was a roadside Secretarybird stomping away at some
unseen prey for a considerable period, Eland Hollow had a remarkable
gathering of eighteen Black-headed Herons, suggesting local nesting,
and a number of Quailfinches flushed from the grassland that suggested
that the birds were paired. Back at Nagalomon Dam the Little Bittern
was now sitting up in the reeds and showed itself to be a male of the
Palearctic nominate race. A strange find on the side of the forest was
the days only Cinnamon-chested Rock Bunting, with a Little Grebe at
Langata Dam, and the last birds for the day Common Buzzard,
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Cabanis’s Greenbul and Black-and-White
Mannikins on the way out at 5.30pm. The days total was exactly 200
species and as usual so many common species not recorded. (If it
weren’t for the Village Weaver on the way to Main Gate it would have
been a frustrating 199!).

Barn Swallows were widespread but only in the smallest numbers, but
Common Fiscals were strangely common with maybe up to twenty
individuals seen whereas only a handful is the norm.

Mammals numerous and widespread Eland seem to have returned in
numbers, but major ungulate concentrations were Athi Basin and
Kingfisher area.

Best to all
Brian

KEY TO MONTAGE

1	SHORT-TAILED LARK
This is the immature with a sibling and both adults having bred near
to Vulture Drinking Pools above Athi Basin. Has all adult plumage
features but also marbling and blotching on upperparts. The young were
very noisy giving a repeated downslurred nasal “siu.”

2	RELIEF FROM DIRECT SUN
In a previous Montage I showed Zebra sheltering from the sun under the
SGR, and commented that with all the suggested downsides to the SGR in
the Park, that no one suggested an advantage to the wildlife, but here
it is again this time with Impala, complete shade from the direct sun
for six kilometres!

3	COMMON GREENSHANK
This individual at Athi Dam, shows intricate bars and vermiculations
on the upperparts. At a distance the effect was like the spotting of a
Wood Sandpiper. I believe this is an adult in non-breeding plumage and
the reason that it looks so well marked is that apart from the
shoulders the wings have a whiter base colour than is usual (or at
least as far as I have noticed).

4	WATER THICK-KNEE
First found on 18th October last year, this pair has obviously found
the southeast corner of Athi Dam to their liking.

5	CARDINAL WOODPECKER
Hardly a rarity, but it is rare as in this female, to have one so open
and slightly below eye-level!

6	BLACK-FACED WAXBILL
Not a rarity but not seen on every visit by any means, notice how far
the black drops on the sides of the face, and the throat also being
all blackish.

7	AFRICAN CITRIL
Around Nairobi we have the race kikuyuensis which is allegedly
identified and was described because the mottled crown comes right to
the base of the bill leaving yellow brows on each side of the head. In
Uganda westwards is the form frontalis, this is identified by having
the speckled crown stop higher on the frons leaving the yellow brow as
a continuous line from the back of each eye. Two things have happened,
frontalis has been split off as a separate species in some
publications as Western Citril, and the form has been added to the
Kenya list having recently been found in Western Kenya, however the
split has not been recognised on the Kenyan Checklist. A certain
proportion of birds around Nairobi are not distinguishable from
frontalis. My personal feelings are that frontalis should not have
been separated off as a separate species, and the two are variants of
the same form. This bird looks like frontalis but was coming to drink
out of the Mbagathi yesterday.

8	SPECKLE-FRONTED WEAVER
Part of a group near Ololo, always photogenic.

9	STEPPE EAGLE
This near adult bird joined the resident Greater Spotted Eagle today,
but could be the same bird seen perched a few times in the past couple
of months.

10	GREATER SPOTTED EAGLE
As it was a cloudless sky this morning the bird was only seen soaring very high.

11	WOOLLY-NECKED STORK
The first Stork species of the day on the back road to Hyena Dam.

12	BLACK STORK
This stunning adult was the second Stork species of the day, and was
at Olmanyi Dam.

13	AFRICAN OPEN-BILLED STORK
This was our seventh Stork species for the day which made it Superb
Septemciconius Day! Not bad for a city Park and almost a religious
holiday!